Psychosis: Causes, Signs, and How Physiotherapy Can Help

When someone experiences psychosis, a mental state where a person loses touch with reality, often hearing voices or believing things that aren’t true. Also known as break from reality, it’s not just something that happens in the mind—it changes how your body moves, sleeps, and responds to stress. Many assume psychosis is only treated with medication and talk therapy. But what if your muscles, breathing, and daily movement are just as important as your thoughts?

People with psychosis often become withdrawn, move less, and sleep poorly. Their bodies tense up from constant stress. Over time, this leads to chronic pain, poor posture, and even heart issues. Studies show that people with long-term psychosis live 10–20 years less than others—not because of the psychosis itself, but because their physical health collapses. That’s where physiotherapy, a hands-on approach to improving movement, reducing pain, and restoring function. Also known as physical therapy, it helps rebuild strength and rhythm in the body after mental health struggles steps in. It doesn’t cure psychosis, but it gives people back control. Simple things—like walking 10 minutes a day, learning to breathe deeply when anxious, or doing gentle stretches to release shoulder tension—can reduce hallucinations and improve focus. Movement helps regulate the nervous system. When your body feels safer, your mind follows.

stress response, the body’s automatic reaction to threat, often stuck in overdrive in people with psychosis. Also known as fight-or-flight mode, it’s why many feel jittery, tired, or numb all the time is a big player here. High cortisol levels from chronic stress make psychosis worse. Physiotherapy teaches grounding techniques—like slow breathing while pressing feet into the floor—that tell your nervous system: "You’re safe now." This isn’t magic. It’s biology. And it works alongside medication, not against it.

You won’t find a single post here about hallucinations or antipsychotics. But you will find real stories about people who moved again after years of sitting. About how sleep improved after daily walks. About how neck pain disappeared after learning to relax the shoulders. These are the hidden pieces of psychosis recovery that no doctor talks about. The posts below show how movement, breath, and routine can bring someone back to themselves—not by fixing their thoughts, but by healing their body first.