Neuropathy and neuritis: spiritual meaning and emotional causes

What neuropathy and neuritis are

Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, the ones that carry feeling and movement to the arms, hands, legs and feet. It often starts in the feet and hands. Common signs are numbness, tingling or "pins and needles", burning or shooting pain, a feeling of wearing gloves or socks that are not there, muscle weakness, and loss of balance. Some people stop feeling heat, cold or injury in their feet.

Diabetes is one of the most common causes, because high blood sugar over time damages nerves and the small vessels that feed them. Other causes include drinking too much alcohol, a lack of vitamin B12, some medicines including chemotherapy, infections such as shingles, kidney disease, an underactive thyroid, autoimmune conditions, inherited conditions, and pressure on a single nerve, as in carpal tunnel syndrome. Sometimes no cause is found.

Neuritis means inflammation of a nerve. It can affect one nerve, such as optic neuritis, which affects vision and can be linked to multiple sclerosis, or several nerves at once.

Treatment depends on the cause: good blood sugar control, vitamin replacement, stopping a medicine with a doctor's advice, or cutting down alcohol can stop nerves getting worse. Medicines made for nerve pain, physiotherapy and careful daily foot care also help. A GP can arrange blood tests and, if needed, nerve tests or a referral to a neurologist.

The spiritual interpretation that follows sits alongside this care. It offers another angle, for those who feel their body may also be speaking about how they live.

The emotional meaning of neuropathy and neuritis

Nerves carry messages. When they are inflamed or go numb, the message is not getting through. Spiritually, neuritis is read as a problem of communication, and above all of the communication you have with yourself. The part of the body that is affected shows which area of your life is asking for your attention.

Anger in the conversation with yourself

Inflammation is associated with anger. Here, the question is what makes you angry in the way you speak to yourself: the harsh voice, the impatience, the things you refuse to hear. The same anger can turn outwards as a difficulty accepting others as they are and as they act.

Feeling attacked

You may feel under attack and ready to defend yourself, even when no one is visibly coming at you. Living on guard keeps the nerves on alert.

Control and the unexpected

Surprises can feel unbearable, so you try to foresee everything. That planning gives a sense of control, but it is a fragile one, and it leaves little room to rest. Worry often sits underneath.

Staying out of sight

You may prefer to stay anonymous, in the background, where no one sees you and so no one can criticise you. Numbness can be heard as an image of that choice: feeling less, so as to be exposed less.

A gentler way to hold it

• Listen to the place. Notice which part of the body is affected and ask what that part of life, holding, giving, walking forward, is asking you to look at.
• Change the inner voice. Catch one harsh sentence you say to yourself each day and rewrite it with the understanding you would offer a friend.
• Lower the guard. When you feel attacked, pause and check whether the threat is here now, or an old one.
• Leave room for surprise. Plan what matters, and let one small thing each day happen without a plan.
• Be seen a little. Share one honest thought or feeling with someone you trust, and notice that you can be seen and still be safe.