Lynn Hallarman at Aeon Magazine:
Not everybody who studies and treats dystonia agrees on the cause or solutions. The medical literature reveals a disorder that for decades has existed in the hinterlands between psychological and neurological. Descriptors such as ‘elusive’, ‘perplexing’, ‘intriguing’, ‘baffling’, ‘fascinating’ and ‘enigmatic’ pepper the research – signifiers that a unifying theory has yet to be discovered. On one side is the exploration of dystonia as a physical expression of internal mental conflict or defences (hysteria, neurosis); on the other, the search for identifiable structural changes in the brain. One focuses on subjective experiences and personal history, emphasising personality traits; the other aims at diagnostic precision primarily using scientific techniques like brain imaging. Neither approach in isolation has satisfactorily explained the complexities of the disorder, or why some people get dystonia and others don’t, despite similar personal characteristics, genetics or environmental conditions. This remains a mystery.
more here.