Missing something

I have been experiencing knee and leg pain for three months as I posted earlier, but now I am having some problems as I try to accept TMS. It feels like muscles or tendons or something are pulling wrong all around my knees and I can't help but get sucked into the notion that I need physical therapy to correct all of these mysterious problems. It feels like my knees are just not being supported correctly and it causes a lot of pain. I tried PT earlier this summer and saw no results but now I feel like I'll never be fixed. How do I know it's TMS? How do I get past this hurdle?

 

The key is to really hear the negative messages your brain is bombarding you with and replace them with different messages. Such as "there is nothing wrong with my knees, they've been totally checked out". As silly as it sounds, saying this out loud is a powerful tool. You will learn more as you do the SEP.

Patience is essential. One day at a time.

 

Hi again, Dfrancks. I like Jan's advice for your knee pain. A positive mantra works miracles to make things brighter and pain lighter.

You need to believe more in TMS... total, 100 percent belief. Don't think you need physical therapy. Just be as active as you can, even if there is some pain.

 

Hi D - You are not alone. I have the same issues in my calves/ankles/feet. It seems that this is the major hurdle for everyone who is successful in healing from TMS. We're almost there! We just need to continue to absorb the advice of the amazing people in this support group.

 

Hi there, Jan has given some great advice. I think the first item on your agenda would be to "quiten" the mind from any anxiety, fear or doubt. You may want to start with a short mindfulness course and learn how to become aware of your emotions without judging and reacting.

Then perhaps look around the site for some success stories and how they've over come their ailments. Reading success stories can help enforce our belief.

When you feel ready, I would suggest you start the FREE SEP program on this site and work towards building an evidence sheet to track your symptoms.

I know it may seem overwhelming, but please be gentle, kind and compassionate to yourself, worry, fear and anxiety are the very emotions which cause TMS.

Finally and on a side note, you may wish to join The Free Mindfulness Summit which starts in October.

Good luck

 

Hi Dfranks,

Welcome to this site. You'll find lots of support here.

It sounds like you're having trouble accepting the diagnosis, despite the fact that your tests are normal and the doctor named anxiety as the likely cause (a rare thing for a doctor to say!)

Sarno says that when a patient has trouble accepting the TMS diagnosis, it's because of the strength of the repressed feelings that the TMS is masking.

Remember, TMS exists for a psychological purpose. It's there to mask some hidden feelings that the unconscious finds too threatening to allow into our awareness. You can sometimes uncover these feelings by journaling, doing the SEP, or with the help of a therapist. Once these feeling come to consciousness, the symptoms go away, because they no longer have a purpose.

I suggest you take Sarno's advice to heart, and start thinking psychologically instead of physically. What is going on in your life that the symptoms may be covering? Try doing the SEP to get,your thoughts going in that direction,

You have the advantage of learning about TMS at a very young age. You have lots of time to make the changes you need to make.

David.

 

Check out the H-R list for stressful events you have experienced, there's the scientific proof for TMS:

THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS SCALE:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale

 

I got a score of 339 so I suppose that reinforces the diagnoses of TMS. Thank you for the link!

 

I was 18 the first time I heard from a doctor that my digestive problems were due to anxiety. The prospect of leaving the safety of the childhood home is scary on the surface, but below the surface it creates rage in the unconscious inner child. The brain needs to repress that "dangerous" rage, and it does so by creating a distraction. It's a function of our human psyches that is no longer needed in today's much safer world, and it is possible to change it.