The thinking psychologically

When my mind goes to the pain I am thinking psychological and often I find that I am in a calm state however this does not have any impact on the constant pain that I am in and I have been practicing this a long while?

 

I have replied to your other recent thread about this, here https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/this-seems-contradictory.30004/#post-160629 (This seems contradictory). Also, I don't know what "practicing this a long while" is in your case, but for me it took around 4 years to gradually go from bedridden and housebound to where I am now (far from fully recovered but able to function pretty well by comparison). Please don't shoot the messenger, but the reality of this is that for some it doesn't take long to lose their symptoms, for others like me, it's a long process... and for others it's somewhere in between. It therefore can take a lot of patience. The mind/body work can, if done persistently, gradually work on your brain 'in the background' though, and often the symptoms are the last thing to go or completely go so you don't think it's working at all (or not much) but it actually is and profoundly so; well, that's been my experience anyway. You just have to keep at it.

 

It took me many months before the first time I had the experience of a symptom improving soon after employing techniques. That's the point of that very annoying principle of outcome independence. Sometimes for a minor symptom that I don't care much about, it will go away within minutes or hours of my calling it out as TMS, but the bigger ones are a lot tougher in that way...each time you respond to it as TMS you are healing, but it's very incremental. Please hang in there. It is worth it. And I say that as someone who is by no means cured and still struggles a lot but is feeling much better after many months of practice. It took me a long time to see really marked progress. And often these days, I have a hard day and I don't see the improvement from my techniques until a day or even two days later.
I think many (most?) of us have to go through a long process. Don't be discouraged. Think of how much you are healing your nervous system just by relaxing while in pain to the best of your ability. There's a delay to seeing the overall healing. It's moving...it really is...results will come...

 

I’ll agree. It takes time. It is for me. But what other choice do you have? Do the work and you’ll get better.

 

What does that mean? Do I read a book about Freud? Schopenhauer ? Do I think back to what the shrink said ?

No. It means that the second I feel my attention drifting down the rabbit hole, I grab on to the worst, most anger inducing, embarrassing thoughts I can think of and intentionally choke on them. If I have been honest when I am writing down my lists of anger inducing things in my life, I should have at least 3 or 4 topics right at hand.
"I have been working my butt off for two years and still don't have the money to buy the guitars I want"
"I am working for my son....I don't know if I am earning my keep or just being taken care of"
"All the gals I like turn out to be psychos....and I don't have time to socialize because I spend all my time with my dog"
"i spent every penny I had to save my dog and he still died"


There. If I felt a twinge right now, any of those will suffice. It is not easy, but Sarno was quite clear about this. It must be conjured up with force and consistency

 

Baseball,
Per your teaching, I do this. My body is in dire pain going up and down steps. Each trip is actually a miracle. And as I slowly climb, on every single step, I think of things that infuriate me in my life. It never puts a dent in things. Sometimes it actually makes things worse. But, at least my brain knows that I KNOW. Sometimes I’ll even talk to my brain and say I know what it’s up to.

 

I'm going to repeat something I say often on this Forum:

Based on my personal recovery experience, TMS only leaves when I'm not watching.

For me, I did the psychological inquiry during a prescribed period every day. Then I put it aside and went about living my life. Then one day, I think to myself, I don't have X symptom anymore. When did it leave? And I am unable to pinpoint the moment, or even the hour, or even (often) the day.

I can't remember if I ever tried to make it go away in the moment using some technique. I suspect that I tried, but it likely didn't work for me. So I kept "doing the work" and let it work in the background (the unconscious part of my mind).

 

Love this approach, Ellen. Thanks for sharing. This is also what I am trying to implement in my life - some days are harder than others. But I still get better everyday, cause I know that consistency and knowledge is key. My brain will do the rest of the work itself, if I let it ❤️