1. Alan has completed the new Pain Recovery Program. To read or share it, use this updated link: https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/painrecovery/
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Eskimo, I was where you are exactly one week ago, ready to give up. Then, I finally got it. The key here is that your sympathetic nervous system needs soothing. Stop battling the pain; it only reinforces it and perpetuates it; instead, soothe a nervous system that is in fear and is stuck on a loop of stress> fear> pain, repeat. Your brain needs rewiring, so do only one thing: visualize your brain’s pain receptors shutting down and then off. Mentally envision stopping the brain from releasing the danger signals in the first place. Bathe your nervous system in warmth and light, music, muscle relaxants, if necessary, electrical energy, anything to let the brain know it doesn’t need to fight.

I’ve been dealing with this cycle for decades, and when I accepted where I was and stopped battling my brain, the light switched on. You are TMSing, as we all do, so give yourself a break, hun, and relax. Stop fighting with your nervous system, work with it. Like a child throwing a tantrum, give it what it needs: love and attention. Every time you have pain, soothe your brain. Listen to mindfulness music, (there are great ones on YouTube) and calm your nervous system. Right now, your brain is doing what it has learned to do: express stress through pain. Learn new ways of reacting to the pain and tell yourself you are safe, there is no need to fear. I have been doing this numerous times a day, while visualizing my brain creating new neurons. It takes concentration, but the key is to not rev up your nervous system. Do it gently, little bit at a time, but do it consistently. Treat your brain like a little child that doesn’t know any better and teach it a better way.

Take care.
Julia