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Acid Reflux-Help!

Hi @Cactusflower,
Thank you very much for your positive words and for sharing your own story.
Good idea to journal around relationships. It is correct, that they are stressful for me - at the moment.

Unfortunately, my acid reflus causes heavy secondary symptoms: my gums have been inflamed for 6 weeks now. I fear the consequences of the chronic acid reflux which feels like an attack on my body (teeth, gums, esophagus, sinuses, throat).

I have different experts that help me:
- psychotherapist --> he said that potentially my nervous system was out of balance for a long time (2-3 years) and that this can cause a temporary change of body functionalities and that I will heal when I take care of myself and bring it back in balance
- gastroenterologist --> suggests PPI - but PPI dont work
- nutritional therapist --> tried some diets, which dont work

None of them can really help me and give a clear path what to do.

Breathing and meditation sometimes help, sport as well.

I am not sure how much of the symptoms come from my psyche and how much from body issues.

To be honest... I am sad and depressed and I am afraid that the acid will cause me serious damage before I can really rest and heal...

Best regards
Sebastian
 
@SebastianM
There are a lot of “yes buts” with you trying to justify your worries in the above statement. Can you read it again, and see that?
Unfortunately, that’s a TMS mindset trap, and you need to deal with your anxiety around it.
Let’s rationalize: people who don’t do well with oral care also get swollen gums. I get them when I have a cold and mouth breathe at night. It can be completely reversed.
Now look at obsessional worry: how is that type of thought pattern going to end your suffering? It’s exactly what Dr. Sarno and all other TMS specialists say perpetuates it.
PPI’s don’t work because the genesis of LPR/reflux etc is psychological in most cases. Dr. Alan Clark wrote a book about TMS and gastroenterology. He runs the PPD Association (another name for TMS) founding it because he discovered that chronic symptoms were widespread in his patients.
Your psychotherapist is 100% right on target and you can absolutely begin to change your mindset and heal your reflux it’s all about dealing with your inner stress and emotions, self-perceptions and personality traits. It’s hard but sounds like your psychotherapist is on board! You have a great support team.
I don’t remember if you read a book by Dr. Sarno, but start with The Divided Mind. Then perhaps show your psychotherapist either the free Structured Educational Program at tmswiki.org (scroll down page) or Dr. Schubiner’s book Unlearn Your Pain ( the work is fairly similar) either program is a great guide for both of you.
Any of Claire Weekes books for anxiety and mindset.

You have run into the TMS brick wall where medications won’t treat the chronic issues, Dr’s can’t help and now you realize it’s up to you. Often this can create increased symptoms (physical or emotional) but they fade when you realize the work is absolutely doable. Your mind just needs time to adjust to the new way of doing things.

You can do this. You’ll be fine.
 
The book is called They Can’t Find Anything Wrong, and it is not a GI specific book because all TMS symptoms are equivalent.
Why? Because this is about stress which is simply expressing itself in you with GI symptoms. Stress causes other symptoms in someone else but the mechanism and psychology is the same in all people, and that is what will be “treated”.
This is why reading The Divided Mind is your first step. You’ll see a variety of patients and pain but all methods to resolve it are similar.
 
Cactusflower said:
@SebastianM
There are a lot of “yes buts” with you trying to justify your worries in the above statement. Can you read it again, and see that?
Unfortunately, that’s a TMS mindset trap, and you need to deal with your anxiety around it.
Let’s rationalize: people who don’t do well with oral care also get swollen gums. I get them when I have a cold and mouth breathe at night. It can be completely reversed.
Now look at obsessional worry: how is that type of thought pattern going to end your suffering? It’s exactly what Dr. Sarno and all other TMS specialists say perpetuates it.
PPI’s don’t work because the genesis of LPR/reflux etc is psychological in most cases. Dr. Alan Clark wrote a book about TMS and gastroenterology. He runs the PPD Association (another name for TMS) founding it because he discovered that chronic symptoms were widespread in his patients.
Your psychotherapist is 100% right on target and you can absolutely begin to change your mindset and heal your reflux it’s all about dealing with your inner stress and emotions, self-perceptions and personality traits. It’s hard but sounds like your psychotherapist is on board! You have a great support team.
I don’t remember if you read a book by Dr. Sarno, but start with The Divided Mind. Then perhaps show your psychotherapist either the free Structured Educational Program at tmswiki.org (scroll down page) or Dr. Schubiner’s book Unlearn Your Pain ( the work is fairly similar) either program is a great guide for both of you.
Any of Claire Weekes books for anxiety and mindset.

You have run into the TMS brick wall where medications won’t treat the chronic issues, Dr’s can’t help and now you realize it’s up to you. Often this can create increased symptoms (physical or emotional) but they fade when you realize the work is absolutely doable. Your mind just needs time to adjust to the new way of doing things.

You can do this. You’ll be fine.
Click to expand...

Thank you so very much! Your words give me some hope and release <3.

The idea, to introduce TMS to my psychotherapist is a great idea. Maybe, we can integrate it to his methods.

Due to the fear, I am jumping from theory to theory (is it caused by food? is it caused by stress/anxiety/my trauma? is it caused by something physiological?)...

What do I need? I need someone, whom I trust and who tells me what the root cause is. This would help so much to be convinced and to follow the "correct treatment".

THX <3 !
 
SebastianM said:
What do I need? I need someone, whom I trust and who tells me what the root cause is. This would help so much to be convinced and to follow the "correct treatment".
Click to expand...
I'm going to be even more blunt than @Cactusflower and I'm going to assure you that this statement is pure bullshit.

But here's the good news - this statement is also proof that your rational brain has been taken over by the primitive TMS survival mechanism, which will do everything in its power to keep you stuck in fear with excuses and doubts and delaying tactics.
Cactusflower said:
What you need to learn is that YOU are the best person to trust, and deep down you know what's up, or you wouldn't be here.
Click to expand...
And if this were not true, and if we did not know that this works, we wouldn't be here either.
 
Cactusflower said:
What you need to learn is that YOU are the best person to trust, and deep down you know what's up, or you wouldn't be here.
Click to expand...
Thank U <3.

I started the SEP (2nd time since 2017). The conversation with you gave me drive, hope and convidence and reminded me, that I where exactly at that point in 2017. When I stopped PPIs etc. and instead focussed on my feelings, I started to heal.

Thank you! I will keep you updated how things are going on - if it's ok for you? ;-)
 
JanAtheCPA said:
I'm going to be even more blunt than @Cactusflower and I'm going to assure you that this statement is pure bullshit.

But here's the good news - this statement is also proof that your rational brain has been taken over by the primitive TMS survival mechanism, which will do everything in its power to keep you stuck in fear with excuses and doubts and delaying tactics.

And if this were not true, and if we did not know that this works, we wouldn't be here either.
Click to expand...


Those are hard words. I assume everone needs his/her own pace to become 100% convinced that it's TMS.

Feelings, situations and experiences are 100% individual. I hope that I will find my pace and my way to be 100% convinced and to heal.
 
SebastianM said:
everone needs his/her own pace to become 100% convinced that it's TMS.
Click to expand...
This is definitely true @SebastianM - but there's even more good news, which is that the "100%" concept is outdated. I am pretty sure I'm not the only experienced member here who believes that you just need some amount of belief to get started, and that it's far more important to have an open mind, a willingness to be emotionally vulnerable, and the ability to be mindful of what you experience emotionally in combination with your physical symptoms as you get into the work.
 
SebastianM said:
Those are hard words. I assume everone needs his/her own pace to become 100% convinced that it's TMS.

Feelings, situations and experiences are 100% individual. I hope that I will find my pace and my way to be 100% convinced and to heal.
Click to expand...

@JanAtheCPA tends to keep it real to get people to recognize how insideous TMS thought patterns can be. You need to root them out, and that's just one way to begin having a greater belief. It helps you gain faith that you can do this, when you begin to drop all the self-victimizations of the "I cant's".
The best way to gain more belief and faith in this method is to do the work and see the results. Notice the subtleties of how you feel "better" some folks focus only on the desire to be physically symptom free, not realizing that there are a host of other emotional and psychological symptoms that can be relieved (and often first, before the physical symptoms) - this is actually what sets you free.
 
@Cactusflower, @JanAtheCPA

Day 6 of SEP... feels good...

I realize (again) how important patience and trust are. Since we were having this conversation on Friday and since I started to deal (again with TMS-work), I feel less fear. And without or with less fear, life feels different: More open, more possibilities, more love, more joy.. :). Fear is rather an issue than the symptoms - in my case. And if fear and symptoms can be uncoupled, things seem to begin to change slowly.

Thanks again. I keep going and will keep you updated <3
 
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