Ulcerative Colitis: Unconscious Guilt as the Trigger ?

Many in our field have worked with patients suffering from medical diseases, such as ulcerative colitis (and IBS), which have been shown to highly correlate to a vulnerability to stress. I am interested in any thoughts and experiences clinicians have had treating patients with UC, particularly when applying control-mastery theory. Although it may be co-constituted along with a physiological predispostion, I wonder if UC may also fluctuate in relationship with a patient's ability to defend against unconscious guilt. Certainly the phenomenology of "bleeding" is most interesting in this light. Any comments would be appreciated.

• Interesting Question by Jessica Broitman, 1/20/98