Can pain increase when u are doing this pain reprocessing work?

[Patty Cakes]

I've been almost a couple months in, working through pain reprocessing workbook. Figured out some deep connections to trauma and frustrations that led to my bracing and pain. But as I'm digging through this emotional work, my pain is actually getting worse. I'm told that this is normal. IS it? I'm having very vivid dreams and obviously clenching, which has always been a problem for me, due to my TMJ. Even talking through positive things, can flare me up. For instance, my heart dog died 13 yrs ago. I journaled, I cried back then. I had asked the AI to do a song for me about her and it brought me to tears. I thought it was a positive, beautiful song, yet the next day I had such bad pain. I was told even though I thought it was positive, it still brought up deep emotions,which can also cause pain to flare. Can someone explain to me if my pain will flare, when doing this deep emotional work? It feels like I'm going two steps forward and three steps back. Thank u so much.

 

[HealingMe]

Yes, this is normal. Sometimes it can feel like you’re moving forward, then having a harder day that makes it seem like you’ve taken a step back. But that doesn’t mean you’ve actually lost your progress -- lots of rewiring is happening in the background.

Measure your progress by how unbothered you are by the symptoms -- how much you're engaging back in life, not by the severity of the symptoms from one day to the next. For example, pain worse today? That's fine, I've got things to do -- dishes to wash, weeds to pull, a dog to play with, groceries to get -- I'll bring it along. Don't let it stop you from getting back to life

 

[Patty Cakes]

Thank u so much. I've been unpacking a whole lot of trauma from my childhood and seeing how dealing with a difficult husband and just frustration and the feeling of speaking but yet being unheard, is finally helping me connect the dots to the pain I feel in my body. My voice was always dismissed, unheard and I feel like I'm finally finding it but in the meantime, it does cause my pain to flare. But I still took in my groceries, fed my dogs and my guinea pigs, going to feed my birds and not let the pain stop me. I know I'm strong but people i chose, tried to make me feel like I wasn't. NO more--I'm strong and I'm determined and it may be two steps forward and steps backwards but I will not be silenced anymore.

 

[Adam Coloretti (coach)]

I've been almost a couple months in, working through pain reprocessing workbook. Figured out some deep connections to trauma and frustrations that led to my bracing and pain. But as I'm digging through this emotional work, my pain is actually getting worse. I'm told that this is normal. IS it? I'm having very vivid dreams and obviously clenching, which has always been a problem for me, due to my TMJ. Even talking through positive things, can flare me up. For instance, my heart dog died 13 yrs ago. I journaled, I cried back then. I had asked the AI to do a song for me about her and it brought me to tears. I thought it was a positive, beautiful song, yet the next day I had such bad pain. I was told even though I thought it was positive, it still brought up deep emotions,which can also cause pain to flare. Can someone explain to me if my pain will flare, when doing this deep emotional work? It feels like I'm going two steps forward and three steps back. Thank u so much.

Completely normal as @HealingMe said and I would also add that I think it's a great sign as it's more evidence that it is actually TMS. That's not to say I don't empathise with your situation (having been through it myself), but for recovery purposes it means you're looking into the right things

 

[Cactusflower]

I was once told by a very wise woman that doing this work often makes us feel like we are falling apart but the truth is that we are actually coming together.

 

[Patty Cakes]

I was once told by a very wise woman that doing this work often makes us feel like we are falling apart but the truth is that we are actually coming together.Wow, I just saw your comment and it makes so much sense to me. I've been trying to do this work on my own with the help of an AI. I woke up in bad pain like I normally do. I'm expecting a call from the rehab center about my husband's discharge soon. And in a weird thought occurred to me. In the past my mind would've been on full blast just thinking about the phone call, dreading the phone call. It would be all I would be hearing in my mind is oh my God that dreaded phone call is coming today. And since I've been doing this pain processing those thoughts aren't first and foremost in my mind. My mind has been quiet and that's really been very strange for me. I asked the AI today what is happening. They told me it was something called anticipatory anxiety where I guess I just worry about an upcoming phone call event etc. and and I kept thinking to myself I don't feel like myself. Because I guess my mind was always on high alert, worrying about this and that. And then I realized this morning that my mind is totally quiet. And that is just so very foreign to me. But the AI told me that means that the pain processing is working and that's a really positive thing. Have you experienced anything like that? it would be nice to hear from others if they've experienced something like that when working through all of this. MY mind was always worrying and loud and now it's been silent. I knew something helped different with myself and I couldn't really even name it. But the dreaded phone call from the rehab is happening today but my mind isn't swirling anymore about it, I like it used to.