Confidence and conviction?

Have a question that I hope you can help me with. Is convinced that I have the TMS in my left leg since 5 years. What I feel is that some days I feel like I'm getting better and the pain is abating. But as soon as I start to get a little more pain it is as if the confidence and conviction pain diagnosis is as gone. pain pain pain. And unfortunately I can not see any obvious explanation why the pain increase. solution?

 

Hi Argentum, and welcome to the forum.

Have you read any of Dr. Sarno's books yet? He has clear explanations for many of the crazy things that we experience, which definitely includes symptoms that come and go, and flare up for what we think is no reason.

I highly recommend that you participate in our free Structured Education Program which is at tmswiki.org One day at a time, you will learn a little more about TMS, and do writing exercises designed to teach you to listen to the negative messages in your brain, how to change those messages, and also how to find the deeper emotions which your brain is trying to distract you from experiencing.

Those two things were certainly key to my recovery. But by the time someone reaches us here, I have to admit that we are the tough cases, and we will probably struggle with TMS the rest of our lives. Whenever I get overly stressed out, some of my symptoms return, and I know that I need to do some journaling, and/or some mindfulness practice, in order to get back on track.

The good news is that even when I do get symptoms, I assume that they are TMS, rather than freaking out and running to the doctor. It's been more than four years since I did that.

Read some of the stories in our Success Stories subforum for an idea of what it took for some of our members to overcome many extreme conditions, and hopefully you will be inspired to find your own solutions - there are many recommendations here and on the wiki!

Jan

 

I have started the program, on day 16, and read the book. But it is as if the pain makes me stressed out and it's the one I get panicked by. Although I would be facing that it is just a pain that is in my head. How did you get control of your panic?

 

You can stop the SEP temporarily and go to Alan Gordon's TMS Recovery Program, if you have not already. In part of this, Alan focuses on skills to deal with fear and anxiety, such as developing a witnessing of the fear, and witnessing the symptoms while generating less fear.

Fear is tough, no doubt. But practice helps.

One thing for sure is that you see how fear increases symptoms. That awareness in itself may help. Just observe the fear, and the symptoms building, and witness the whole wave. Witnessing this pattern, and not trying to stop it may help to be less "afraid of the fear." What if the whole pattern was natural and you didn't have to fight it?

I always like this Blog post for fear. Hope some of this helps.

http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/understanding-and-overcoming-fear.8574/