A TMS Conference

ForestForTreesTMS writes, "Hi everyone, I'm currently working with Dr. Schubiner, Dr. Schechter, Dr. Clarke, Dr. Stracks and Alan Gordon to organize a conference about TMS for next year. The last TMS conference was just for TMS professionals, but for this one, they want to have a portion of it be for patients. Everything is extremely tentative at the moment -- we haven't even chosen a location yet -- but the other members of the group asked me to put the word out to the TMS community and ask the following questions: Would you be interested in going to a conference like this? What sort of events would you like to see at the conference? Let's all put our thinking caps on and brainstorm what we would like to have at the conference! The doctors and therapists who are organizing it are really very interested in hearing our feedback. Dr. Schubiner even said, "let's have the patients come up with a design for the conference." This makes a lot of sense to me, because we know what sort of event we would want to go to. We have an awful lot to work with. At 86, I don't think that anyone could blame Dr. Sarno for not participating, so I don't think that we can count on him (for example, he didn't attend the last conference in Ann Arbor). However, just about everyone else in the TMS world will probably be there. What would everyone like to see?"

General Notes:

• We might want to have two different sessions. The first would be the basics for people who are new to TMS and would be similar to the lectures that several doctors give. The second session would be for people who have already read several books and perhaps watched one of the introductory lectures. It would be for people who are already fairly well educated. Attendees could choose one or go to both, paying accordingly (you pay less per session if you go to both). Most of the following ideas would focus on the second session because it will be more challenging to design.
• "Brenda" from TMSHelp suggested, "depending on where it would be held, and assuming we all couldn't get there, maybe there could be satelite locations throughout the country where it could be Skyped in... That way everyone could still participate..."

General Talks:

• "New Research Documenting the Neuro-Psycho-Biological Basis of TMS," by Howard Schubiner (this would be similar to the talk that he gave in Ann Arbor, but designed for patients.)
• A success stories patient panel (Peg and Matthew, would you be interested in organizing this now that you have expertise in this area?)
• A TMS psychotherapist talking about the role of psychotherapy in TMS treatment.
• Howard Schubiner could lead a meditation seminar for everyone.
• Presentation by a celebrity who has recovered from TMS.
• Journaling tips and techniques
• Inner child dialogue
• Self-esteem
• "What is thinking psychological?"
• Laughter as the best medicine
• Stress reduction techniques
• Learning self care skills
• Finding balance
• Healing Trauma
• difficult cases w/ multiple symptoms
• TMS factors in auto immune disease, cancer etc.

Possible celebrity participants: (each name is linked to a web page that describes how the person has TMS and feels grateful for Dr. Sarno's ideas)

• Howard Stern
• 20/20 producer John Stossel
• TV Producer and comedian Jannette Barber
• WBAL TV 11 Sports Director Gerry Sandusky
• Pro golfer Ben Crane

Specific Symptom/Diagnosis talks:

• (Perhaps we could have breakout sessions for this, where different sessions would run at the same time, each focusing on a different symptom or diagnosis. People could go to the ones that were most interesting to them.)
• Nancy Selfridge on TMS and Fibromyalgia
• Abigail Steidley on pelvic pain
• Marc Sopher on running and TMS
• talks on other specific symptoms and diagnoses could be given by teams made up of a recovered patient who had that symptom or diagnosis and a doctor comfortable with treating that symptom or diagnosis.

Activism ideas:

• Writing letters (using templates we provide) to your doctor(s), telling them about TMS.
• Activism brainstorming session: "coordinating activism by patients and professionals."

You can read comments that others have written (and add your own comments!) at the bottom of this page.

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