-
Alan has completed the new Pain Recovery Program. To read or share it, use this updated link: https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/painrecovery/
-
Welcome to the new TMS Wiki server! Things aren't finished yet: email is not set up, so notification and password-reset emails don't go out, and new registrations are paused until email is installed. Details and updates are in this thread (click here). Locked out? Email tmswikisignups@gmail.com from the address where you receive TMS Wiki notifications.
Confused...Please help...
- Thread starter VKA
- Start date
Forest
Beloved Grand Eagle
Hi VKA,
If you have the opportunity to see Dr. Schechter or any other TMS physician I would recommend doing it. While you don't have to see a TMS doc to recover, doing so may help you accept the diagnosis and overcome any doubt you may have.
For the most part journaling is designed to help you tap into your repressed emotions. Not every journaling session will have the same emotional response. The key is to just be present and allow whatever emotion or feeling you may have rise to the surface and feel it. It may be helpful to try and place yourself back in the event you are journaling about to help you tap into the emotions.
You could try to think back to the event and write down three things that make you angry and three things that make you sad about it, and then write a sentence or two about each one.
Don't worry too much if you don't have an emotional response. It is not that you are necessarily doing anything wrong. Recovery is a journey. If you are patient and consisent in your approach you will recover.
If you have the opportunity to see Dr. Schechter or any other TMS physician I would recommend doing it. While you don't have to see a TMS doc to recover, doing so may help you accept the diagnosis and overcome any doubt you may have.
For the most part journaling is designed to help you tap into your repressed emotions. Not every journaling session will have the same emotional response. The key is to just be present and allow whatever emotion or feeling you may have rise to the surface and feel it. It may be helpful to try and place yourself back in the event you are journaling about to help you tap into the emotions.
You could try to think back to the event and write down three things that make you angry and three things that make you sad about it, and then write a sentence or two about each one.
Don't worry too much if you don't have an emotional response. It is not that you are necessarily doing anything wrong. Recovery is a journey. If you are patient and consisent in your approach you will recover.
Thanks Forest. Pain level has increased and standing for more than 15 min has become an ordeal. Trying my best to follow tms guidelines. Reading Dr Sarno's book again and specifically daily reminders, journalling, walked a little less today (just 1/2 mile as opposed to 2 1/2 mile yesterday. Is it OK to rest if the pain increased? Not able to divert my mind from pain. Talked to my mind, did some small house keeping, but the mind is always occupied with the pain...
veronica73
Well known member
This process takes a while, VKA, and it sounds like you are already working on it a lot which is great. The most important thing is to be kind to yourself. You don't want to have journaling, etc. be another way you beat up yourself.
Erika Spiewak
New Member
Question: I am prepared to reject all structural diagnosis as I have researched chronic pain in a dissertation, but it was not until I found Dr. Sarno's work that I knew what to do (or not do). I rechecked my MRI and found several diagnosis that Dr. Sarno did not mention as being TMS. They are radiculopathy, sacroilitis, anterolisthesis and iliotibial band syndrome. Any thoughts about these? I do not live near a TMS doctor so would appreciate any info on these diagnoses.
Thanks
Erika
Thanks
Erika
Forest
Beloved Grand Eagle
We are not docs here either, so take what we say with a grain of salt. I have heard that people who have been diagnosed with a possible iliotibial band syndrome and Sacroilitis recover using the TMS approach. The biggest thing to keep in mind is that there are a whole list of things that can pop up in an MRI that do not necessarily cause a structural problem. A lot of physicians will point these things out just because they don't have another explanation.
@VKA - It is completely normal for symptoms to increase when being active. This is usually because our unconscious mind knows that we are on to it, so it will increase the symptoms to get us to think about our symptoms more. One of the best ways to overcome this is to think psychological and to not focus on your symptoms. I know this is really hard to do when you are in pain, but the sooner you can begin to change what you focus on, the sooner you will recover.
@VKA - It is completely normal for symptoms to increase when being active. This is usually because our unconscious mind knows that we are on to it, so it will increase the symptoms to get us to think about our symptoms more. One of the best ways to overcome this is to think psychological and to not focus on your symptoms. I know this is really hard to do when you are in pain, but the sooner you can begin to change what you focus on, the sooner you will recover.
I was reading some strategies in Monte Hueftle's runningpain.com and he says that TMS is NOT due to deeply repressed emotions and so trying to think psychologically about something that happened years ago will not help etc. He claims to have treated many of Dr Sarno's patients and other TMS doctor's patients who were stuck on this "deeply repressed emotion" concept. Is there something in between the lines that I am missing. Any thoughts?
On going through some of the essays that Monte has written, it appears that his method is to focus on the present instead of the past. Also his method involves changing the old chronic patterns of type A personality. If anyone can shed more light into this, that will be helpful.
Is it possible to elaborate what steps/process was followed in the process of healing by those who were benefited or became pain free.
Is it possible to elaborate what steps/process was followed in the process of healing by those who were benefited or became pain free.
Forest
Beloved Grand Eagle
First, a lot of people don't actually need to identify what the exact repressed emotion is. For most, and I include myself in this, simply understanding that we have repressed emotions is enough to heal. I have always intepreted this part of Monte's approach as being in response to how some people obsess over finding THE major, very deep, repressed emotion causing their pain. The idea here is that if someone journals long enough or thinks about their past long enough then they will gain some sort of enlightenment about their repressed emotions and will be healed immediatley. For one, I see this as looking externally for healing, i.e. through journaling. Journaling is great, but it alone won't heal you. You have to accept the diagnosis and change how you view your symptoms. We all have a tendency to be obsessive and perfectionistic in regards to our treatment, but this only keeps us in pain. In order to recover we need to let go and be more allowing.
Sarno always described the process as being 1/3 childhood/past, 1/3 present stress, and 1/3 personality, and I totally agree with this. One thing to keep in mind though is that the past influences how you react to situations and stresses today. It invovles understanding how your thoughts were developed. For more on this check out the June 9th Webinar with Alan Gordon. Can current stress create pain? Yes, but the way you react to it is determined by past events.
One thing the webinar link above discusses is changing the negative and chronic thoughts we have. This is something that I believe Monte calls the chronic patterns of type A personality. Others simply call this TMSing. This can be so many different things from, ignoring your own needs, thinking you are worthless, thinking your are broken or a number of any things that keep you in pain. The key to overcoming this is to understand what your negative thoughts are, and begin to identify when you start TMSing. When you notice that you are thinking you can't do something or catestrophizing, take a breath, ask yourself how you feel, and then change your thoughts to something more positive. One technique you could try is Guided Imagery, Mindfulness, or Conscious Breathing. Any of these will help you bring your focus back to the present and turn your thoughts to something more postive.
I want to also add that if you have TMS, you have repressed emotions. You can repress stuff in the past and in the present. Understanding that these repressed emotions are causing your symptoms is the key to recovering.
Sarno always described the process as being 1/3 childhood/past, 1/3 present stress, and 1/3 personality, and I totally agree with this. One thing to keep in mind though is that the past influences how you react to situations and stresses today. It invovles understanding how your thoughts were developed. For more on this check out the June 9th Webinar with Alan Gordon. Can current stress create pain? Yes, but the way you react to it is determined by past events.
One thing the webinar link above discusses is changing the negative and chronic thoughts we have. This is something that I believe Monte calls the chronic patterns of type A personality. Others simply call this TMSing. This can be so many different things from, ignoring your own needs, thinking you are worthless, thinking your are broken or a number of any things that keep you in pain. The key to overcoming this is to understand what your negative thoughts are, and begin to identify when you start TMSing. When you notice that you are thinking you can't do something or catestrophizing, take a breath, ask yourself how you feel, and then change your thoughts to something more positive. One technique you could try is Guided Imagery, Mindfulness, or Conscious Breathing. Any of these will help you bring your focus back to the present and turn your thoughts to something more postive.
I want to also add that if you have TMS, you have repressed emotions. You can repress stuff in the past and in the present. Understanding that these repressed emotions are causing your symptoms is the key to recovering.
alexandra
Peer Supporter
I'm new to this forum. I have similar symptoms as VKA. Pain in back, both hips, outer thighs, sometimes front and back, tightness, tingling and pinching nerve pain at random spots from low back to feet, stabbing pain in toes. It all comes and goes and moves around. I am only pain free as i sleep at night undisturbed. I also have symptoms in my arms but much less. I believe it's my fear that hasn't let me recover, I discovered dr sarno a year and a half ago when my first symptom started as tingling in my left heel and have been trusting his methods ever since but also visiting tons of drs for some kind of diagnoses but no one has been able to help. If 100 percent believe is necessary to recover then my fear and doubt must be keeping me in pain. I'm working on it...
Eric "Herbie" Watson
Beloved Grand Eagle
Yes it is your fear and worry. I'd like to know more about you alexandra so we can come up
with a good protocol so you can finally beat this tms. Write me back.
Bless you
with a good protocol so you can finally beat this tms. Write me back.
Bless you
BruceMC
Beloved Grand Eagle
Sounds like that is one of the main reasons your symptoms are continuing, Alexandra. If all these doctors can't find anything wrong with you, all these appointments you keep making have to be indicative of your doubts and must be elevating your anxiety a lot. Less is more. Stay the course. Don't introduce all these distractions from paying attention to your underlying emotions and their source in your personal psychology. Write Herbie. He's a whiz at developing a personal protocol custom tailored to individual cases. In the meanwhile, calm down! Running from doctor to doctor is certainly guaranteed to raise your stress level.
Last edited: