Day 1

Hello, I am new to the forum. I have had chronic pain for over a decade but recently it has gotten extremely bad with my wrists and I can't work the way I like to work and I cannot play games at all anymore except for chess. I have tried about 15 different conventional treatments from therapy, medicine, prosthetics, pills, injections and nothing works so here I am. I have read John Sarnos healing back pain book and am currently reading his divided mind book. I am still somewhat cautious about accepting that I can heal my TMS on my own but I know there's something going on inside my head that I can't figure out.

 

Hi Loogy_1234,

Welcome to the Forum and the SEP! You're in the right place after a long journey of testing and dead-ends, like so many of us before you. Many many people have recovered using the SEP.

Words of encouragement/advice:
---pressuring yourself is a natural propensity of TMSers. Observe this in yourself, connect with your symptoms, and forgive your humanness. Include in this the pressure that may arise to do the SEP "right" or "cure myself quickly." A lot of this is superego activity which needs to be seen and understood as "part of the problem" that got us into this "mess."

--This process may take you into some very deep, tender places. This is an invitation to inhabit more of your precious existence. If possible, focus your sense of success on your insights, self-forgiveness, clarification in relationships with others ---rather than reduction of symptoms. Symptoms will reduce by simply connecting what you're learning about your inside experience with Dr. Sarno's understanding of what actually causes symptoms. Relax and have confidence in this process.

--No two people have the same experience in working their Recovery. It is very helpful to not compare your understanding or path to anyone else's including people here, TMS gurus, etc. Part of the process is to individuate. This means, for example a gentle separation from identification with our close-held self-identities as people who need to be a certain way in order to be loved. Think "perfectionist" or "goodist." We learned to give up our true identity to stay in the field of love of our parents as children. This was natural, and at the same time this identification reasserts itself all the time in our present lives, particularly in response to stressors. The TMS recovery process for many is seeing through this identity, not allowing it to run us so strongly, having compassion for when we're caught in this, and in my advice here: see when you're doing this with regard to your progress or path re TMS.

Andy

 

Thanks a lot for responding. I had no pain at all when first accepting TMS but now it's back and lingering. I have been using my wrists a ton though because I read in the book that you shouldn't be afraid and to still continue to use the area that's in pain. I am having doubts however when I read other peoples storys of how they couldn't cure their pain.
When it comes to just learning more about myself, I think I had a breakthrough the other day when I journaled about an event that happened in my life. I got very emotional for me. I hope that as I bring more emotion out my symptoms will go away but there is always a side of me that says this doesn't work.

 

My suggestion is to only read success stories (and even in these, avoid comments which discuss "what can I do to get better?"). Why give your mind any input which is not supportive of the path you're on?