Reframing multiple sclerosis care: Integrating psychological, somatic, and spiritual dimensions
Reframing multiple sclerosis care: Integrating psychological, somatic, and spiritual dimensions

Summary/Abstract: "Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease associated not only with physical disability but also with significant psychological, emotional, and existential challenges. Although disease-modifying therapies have improved clinical outcomes, many patients continue to experience fatigue, anxiety, depression, cognitive difficulties, uncertainty, and social isolation that are insufficiently addressed by conventional biomedical models.This paper presents a critical interdisciplinary review of the so-called mind-body-spirit (MBS) framework in multiple sclerosis care. Drawing on perspectives from neuroscience, psychoneuroimmunology, rehabilitation medicine, psychology, and phenomenology, it examines how biological disease processes interact with emotional adaptation, lived experience, and the search for meaning. Particular attention is given to mindfulness-based interventions, cognitive behavioral therapy, rehabilitation programs, and meaning-centered approaches.The paper also discusses the methodological and conceptual limitations of integrative medicine, including concerns regarding reproducibility, placebo effects, and the tendency to conflate supportive care with disease-modifying efficacy. While existential and spirituality-oriented interventions may help address dimensions of suffering that extend beyond neurological impairment, they should not be considered substitutes for evidence-based treatment. The MBS framework may therefore serve as a valuable complementary perspective in MS care, provided it is applied with methodological rigor, ethical caution, and interdisciplinary collaboration."

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