Acceptance of TMS

[Imagyx]

Hi again.

I have a question bothering me since the first day I heard about TMS probably.
I've seen many interviews with doctors and other people teaching TMS-knowlegde.
Some of these videos were mentioned in the SEP as well.
My question:
Why does an awful lot - not all - of these interviews sound to me like some homeshopping-channel ?
I understand people being happy about finally getting an answer to their pain and joy is a good thing,
but this seems to me a bit untrustworthy...
And all the information given by professionals sound often like reading their book is the only thing needed to get rid of the pain.
Then again in this forum many say that it's not that easy in most, especially the more severe cases.
Less exaggeration in this matter would sound a lot more trustworthy to people like
me who are new to TMS and want to accept it. And unfortunately I'm still far from 100 % acceptance.
That's why I like the forum posts by fellow TMSers more, they give me more to think about and it's a lot more real than tons of numbers and statistics.

I don't want to disgruntle anyone, it's just my honest opinion and maybe somebody else thought the same.
I'm thankful for any answer to that.

 

[veronica73]

I haven't watched all the videos, but I imagine that the media as usual goes for the most dramatic stories. Someone who takes a year or two to recover while plugging away at journaling, affirmations, therapy, etc. is not as exciting to talk about as someone who read Sarno's book and felt fine the next day. At the same time, some people (like my mother) do get better in a day or two after reading the books, so it is possible.

 

[honeybear424]

I've watched a lot of interviews, but have never gotten the impression you are getting. Maybe I have less doubt because I have struggled with my chronic pain and anxiety for 22 years and have tried more things than I can even remember to get relief...all to no avail.

Keep plugging away!

 

[Forest]

The biggest influence on me wasn't watching a video or reading a book. It was simply reading forum posts from people who have recovered or were in the process of recovering that helped me gain confidence that I had TMS. We live in a skeptical society that is always looking for a reason to discount something. But you can't discount the hundreds of stories on this forum and on the www.thankyoudrsarno.org site of how people who had debilitating pain were able to recover. This is one reason why having an entirely peer organization is so important. We don't have any financial interest in TMS. We are just people who were in pain and were able to become pain free through this approach.

Accepting the diagnosis is something that comes in time. You have been taught by society and the medical community that your pain is caused by a structural problem and that you are fragile. It takes time to overcome this medical blind spot and fully understand the true cause of your symptoms. If reading forum posts helps you, then by all means continue to do it. Reading posts was the primary tool I used to recover, and if it worked for me it can also work for you.

Best,

Forest

 

[BruceMC]

I started getting better, slowly to be sure, from the time I read Sarno three years ago. But my biggest improvement occurred after doing the SEP followed by the exercises given in Howard Schubiner's Unlearn Your Pain book. However, I think all of these knowledge sources just gave me the confidence to challenge my programmed pain responses without fear of hurting myself or moving backward. Of course, like Forest says above, reading all the entries on this site from people in similar situations who've gotten better also helped immeasurably. Recognizing that I had been actively engaged in a reactionary process of emotional repression for a good 50 years since my 6th birthday as a way of accommodating and dealing with my battling parents had a very important effect on my ongoing recovery. Before my mother died in 2001, my strategy of repression had continued to work for me. After that, it was no longer 'functional' and I began experiencing TMS pain symptoms. I think just recognizing how emotional repression works in YOU is the real Aha moment that begins to initiate recovery from TMS. No way to theorize about that. You just have to do it yourself.

 

[Ftaghn!]

Hello Imagyx,
I also had this reaction when I joined, and I can say that what you are seeing in these videos is definitely marketing/PR work. The reason is that many clinicians treating TMS advertise it, and like other clinicians, do make a profit from their work. Not only that, but this community looks so good that I don't think it would have been possible without some sort of initial investment and consultancy (don't take my word on it). With that said, 99% of TMS communities are non-profit; you most likely will not see ads, or have sales pushed your way here. In addition, I suspect that there isn't enough traffic here to make the entire building and maintaining of this site profitable, but I could be wrong.

With that bit aside, the TMS diagnosis survives on a solid track record, and more recently, actual peer-reviewed studies. Sarno also went before a US Commission recently to talk about chronic pain, as one of the Rep. had apparently found quite a bit of relief from his book. What helps me is definitely the success stories, the forums, and that link from Forest. If you need more, there's also another community or two unrelated to this one, where they have their share of success stories.

@Forest; I know these sorts of posts can be quite offensive to someone who pours a lot of themselves into something, but I think it's in people's nature to put up their defenses when they sense a pitch, any pitch. This same impression was the most important obstacle I faced when I started reading Sarno's stuff. So feel free to correct or elaborate on this as much as you wish.

 

[Imagyx]

Thank you all for your honest answers.
I really get the feeling I can trust you all here on this forum.
I'm especially grateful for the admin's work, like your's Forest, MorComm's, JanAtTheCPA's and BG's, because
I can see how much effort you put into it and I'd never think of your work as done in financial interest, don't worry.
It's just some podcasts and videos I saw and I know that anyone who has been in a lot of pain for such a long time
wouldn't want to just make profit out of other's misery.

To share some of the good stuff now, I added some percent to my acceptance yesterday, when my arms hurt
again but despite of that fact I went swimming with my girlfriend and felt much better afterwards, just because
of trying to think psychological.
I owe that to you guys for reminding me everday with posts, program and your own success.
Thank you !!
I hope I get much further.

Have a nice weekend.
Chris