The aim of this paper is to explore the connection between symptom and symbol in the body of women suffering from chronic pain, diagnosed as fibromyalgia. The working hypothesis has been that the symbol that emerges from the symptom in the body can bridge the gap to a deeper meaning of pain and suffering, thereby becoming the agent of change for healing of the bodymind and the experience of pain in the physical body. To explore this subject I will introduce some recent research from the field of fibromyalgia, and the concepts of agency and affect systems in the body, which are important cornerstones in my work. I will briefly present my clinical concept of 'Form and Freedom'. From this theoretical base I give some clinical examples of what I see as an alchemical journey towards soul, presented through vignettes, images and the words of three women - Maria, Riba and Ishtar. I conclude with how I see analytical psychology taking its rightful place alongside, informing or in conjunction with, as in my case, other psychotherapeutic modalities, working in creative ways that enhance healing in patients who suffer from chronic pain.

中文翻译：

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走向灵魂 - 一个炼金术之旅。临床和荣格背景下患有“慢性疼痛”的妇女的康复

本文的目的是探讨患有慢性疼痛（被诊断为纤维肌痛）的女性身体中的症状和符号之间的联系。有效的假设是，从身体症状中出现的符号可以弥合疼痛和痛苦的更深层含义的差距，从而成为治愈身心和身体疼痛体验的改变媒介。为了探索这个主题，我将介绍一些来自纤维肌痛领域的最新研究，以及身体中的代理和影响系统的概念，它们是我工作的重要基石。我将简要介绍我的“形式与自由”的临床概念。从这个理论基础，我给出了一些我认为是通往灵魂的炼金术之旅的临床例子，通过小插曲呈现，图像和三个女人的话——玛丽亚、里巴和伊什塔尔。我的结论是我如何看待分析心理学与其他心理治疗方式并驾齐驱、告知或结合，以创造性的方式工作，以促进慢性疼痛患者的康复。