Day 25 Appreciating the pain (kind of)

Two things struck me in today's reading (bold added by me):

1. Pandamonium's success story - "Whilst I hope for a 100% recovery, I expect that this will become a life long journey and that's a good thing; TMS symptoms remind me to do my emotional work which in turn promotes a healthy mind and body."
2. Howard Schubiner's article - "Our bodies talk to us in their language. It's up to us to decode it. Unfortunately, its language is the only one it knows and it is often the language of pain. But pain is nature's way of alerting us to the fact that there is something wrong. It may be that we just stubbed our toe or placed a finger on a hot frying pan, or it may be that we are stuck in a difficult situation at work or in a relationship."

My brain is trying to do me a favor. My subconscious has made a choice that I definitely wouldn't have made if it had checked with me first. But I can appreciate that my own mind has identified a problem that needs to be addressed. The resulting physical pain is pushing me to seek a solution. And while I wish I had saved the thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours I spent trying to treat the symptoms, maybe that whole path was necessary to reach a point now where I am actually addressing lifelong issues of insecurity, self-criticism, unhealthy reactions to stress, anxiety, perfectionism, etc.

I might only be halfway through my time on earth. What a strange blessing to be forced by my body and mind to fix these issues now rather than go another 40+ years dealing with the challenges of life in unhealthy ways.

 

Hi, hopeful_guitarist. You're lucky to have discovered TMS at about age 40. I was 82 before I learned about Dr. Sarno and TMS. I wish I had learned about TMS years ago, but am grateful I finally did. I agree with you, looking at TMS as a lifelong experience. We learn more about ourselves than we ever expected. The MindBody connection is incredibly strong.

 

Thanks @Walt Oleksy - I always appreciate your feedback. I read your success story this week (which I guess you know is featured on the homepage) and loved it. I've been looking into the other resources you mentioned to be of help in your recovery.

 

I'm not even going to bother writing my own Day 25 post, since this one says it all. What a strange blessing TMS is, indeed...

 

Just as pleasure is nature's way of reminding us that there is something right. Pleasure is not only an exquisite language of the body, it reminds us that the brain is a sensual organ and that our deepest self (quite literally our unconscious nervous system), is nurtured and fed by sights, sounds, aromas, tastes and touch. Norman Doidge explains this in his book 'The Brain's Way of Healing'. He also elucidates why complementary therapies are so beneficial in this regard.

If pain fires our fight and flight circuitary, pleasure soothes it and brings us back into cuddling and resting. Our bodies know how very right that physical sense of peace and contentment is.

Plum x