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Could this be TMS?

stevow7

stevow7

Well known member
Hi! So I always have been a computer guy and watched screens for hours. Well now I’m studying computer and I watch screens for hours and hours.

I get headache and migraines + tired mentally.
I tend to focus on these issues and get thought of quitting because of this (I won’t)

Could this be tms?
 
Hi Stevow7!
TMS can be absolutely anything. And it usually picks a place where you already have an issue, or have had one in the past. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is TMS for you. (The fine print of the forum is always you should get things checked out first) but I will say that the medical world will always try to find something wrong and everyone’s MRI shows all sorts of “normal abnormalities” as Sarno used to say. I think if you have a history of TMS, you can pretty much count on having TMS. (But this is not medical advice!)

The best thing you can do is just start working on your TMS issues. I think you’ve been on the forum a while so you know what all that entails right? a lot of work! :) You could do the Structured Educational Program. Or read a book by Dan Buglio or Nicole Sachs or another expert. Definitely read a Sarno book-or reread one.
 
As someone who has struggled with screen addiction (not saying you do), there are definitely health ramifications to sitting in front of a screen for hours and hours. I think it’s worth examining your relationship with technology use, when did it start, how did it make you feel. How does it make you feel now, do you still enjoy it, has it become a vice and are you using it to escape from something? I remember getting my first computer in 3rd grade, I remember playing online flash games with my childhood friends, I remember playing online video games with friends during my college years and how much joy and closeness to them it brought me. But now….my screen use is just a mask for a deep deep dissatisfaction with life and overall loneliness, frankly I’m sick of the internet, but I need to consistently work towards building my life up to the point where I don’t feel I need an escape. And hopefully at some point I can have a healthier relationship with screens. But yes I do get eye strain, and headaches from excessive screen use but I do think it’s one of those things that is part psychological part physical because our eyes were just not meant for this shit, lol. I try and wear those dorky looking blue light blocking glasses now.

the gist of my ramble is that yes your symptoms can absolutely be TMS but you’re engaging in an activity that is unquestionably going to have health ramifications when done excessively.
 
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Diana-M said:
Hi Stevow7!
TMS can be absolutely anything. And it usually picks a place where you already have an issue, or have had one in the past. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is TMS for you. (The fine print of the forum is always you should get things checked out first) but I will say that the medical world will always try to find something wrong and everyone’s MRI shows all sorts of “normal abnormalities” as Sarno used to say. I think if you have a history of TMS, you can pretty much count on having TMS. (But this is not medical advice!)

The best thing you can do is just start working on your TMS issues. I think you’ve been on the forum a while so you know what all that entails right? a lot of work! :) You could do the Structured Educational Program. Or read a book by Dan Buglio or Nicole Sachs or another expert. Definitely read a Sarno book-or reread one.
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Thanks! I need to really get working on the structured program. I started it and never finished it :/
 
Rabscuttle said:
As someone who has struggled with screen addiction (not saying you do), there are definitely health ramifications to sitting in front of a screen for hours and hours. I think it’s worth examining your relationship with technology use, when did it start, how did it make you feel. How does it make you feel now, do you still enjoy it, has it become a vice and are you using it to escape from something? I remember getting my first computer in 3rd grade, I remember playing online flash games with my childhood friends, I remember playing online video games with friends during my college years and how much joy and closeness to them it brought me. But now….my screen use is just a mask for a deep deep dissatisfaction with life and overall loneliness, frankly I’m sick of the internet, but I need to consistently work towards building my life up to the point where I don’t feel I need an escape. And hopefully at some point I can have a healthier relationship with screens. But yes I do get eye strain, and headaches from excessive screen use but I do think it’s one of those things that is part psychological part physical because our eyes were just not meant for this shit, lol. I try and wear those dorky looking blue light blocking glasses now.

the gist of my ramble is that yes your symptoms can absolutely be TMS but you’re engaging in an activity that is unquestionably going to have health ramifications when done excessively.
Click to expand...

I see what you mean. I do use it for building my future. I study in front of a computer. I haven’t played video games in a while tho.
 
stevow7 said:
I see what you mean. I do use it for building my future. I study in front of a computer. I haven’t played video games in a while tho.
Click to expand...
My point was that screen time is screen time, and despite how normalized it is, excessive use is not good for us. I understand modern life and school necessitates excessive use but be mindful of what you can do to manage the adverse health effects, specific glasses, chairs, taking breaks etc. Not saying you shouldn’t apply a TMS approach as well especially if you know yourself to be a tmser. I just don’t think it’s wise to assume stuff like this is 100% psychological and then trying to get to a point where you feel fine sitting in front of screen for hours and hours at a time, because people were not meant for a lot of things but I think our excessive screen use is way up on that list.
 
Rabscuttle said:
My point was that screen time is screen time, and despite how normalized it is, excessive use is not good for us. I understand modern life and school necessitates excessive use but be mindful of what you can do to manage the adverse health effects, specific glasses, chairs, taking breaks etc. Not saying you shouldn’t apply a TMS approach as well especially if you know yourself to be a tmser. I just don’t think it’s wise to assume stuff like this is 100% psychological and then trying to get to a point where you feel fine sitting in front of screen for hours and hours at a time, because people were not meant for a lot of things but I think our excessive screen use is way up on that list.
Click to expand...

Hey @Rabscuttle and @stevow7,
I disagree a bit here--think we have to separate a couple things out, or we could potentially be feeding our TMS. This part in particular:
Rabscuttle said:
be mindful of what you can do to manage the adverse health effects, specific glasses, chairs, taking breaks etc.
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Any time I see those suggested light physical changes to deal with some type of pain, I see major danger--my TMS red flags start blinking red. If it's really TMS and we tell ourselves that the headaches and migraines and tiredness or whatever is being caused by screen time, we're potentially feeding the TMS.

@stevow7 I looked at your older posts, and it's similar to this experience when working out. When you had blurry vision and dizzyness after doing squats, did you identify that as TMS, or as over-doing it at the gym? Keep in mind, day #3 on the SEP might be bringing up stuff that your TMS brain wants to stuff down.
https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/today-i-exercised.29687/

There are a lot of things that aren't the absolute best for us, but if we have the classic TMS personality and we focus on those minor issues, we're going to be missing our TMS symptoms and calling them all sorts of other stuff.

Just some thoughts--not tryin' to be a contrarian... :)
 
I re-read your post, @Rabscuttle. I guess I'm thinking of myself where it keeps getting hammered home to me that all of these minor issues I run into--they're all TMS. I also have a ridiculously high ACES score.
And, have had some really difficult, overlapping, triggering life experiences. SO, I've gotta be super careful b/c everything seems to really be TMS with me.
 
Bonnard said:
I re-read your post, @Rabscuttle. I guess I'm thinking of myself where it keeps getting hammered home to me that all of these minor issues I run into--they're all TMS. I also have a ridiculously high ACES score.
And, have had some really difficult, overlapping, triggering life experiences. SO, I've gotta be super careful b/c everything seems to really be TMS with me.
Click to expand...

That’s fair Bonnard, I don’t think I’m someone who really recommends treating stuff physically, I get the danger in that in regards to TMS, I’ve just spent a good amount of time dealing with internet/screen overuse/addiction and I think excessive screen use is probably one of the most insidious things out there. Steve’s post mentioned spending hours and hours looking at screens for what sounds like years and from a young age, I don’t think it’s reasonable for the body to just be okay with that forever. Studies into excessive screen use are still in their infancy, but I’d say just pretending something like this is 100% TMS is like someone in the early 2000s trying to brute force their intestinal tract into being okay eating processed food for every meal and then treating the stress and emotional side of things when you get abdominal pain. There is possibly an underlying addiction element to both which is unquestionably linked with TMS personality, but still the addictions themselves can be physically harmful.
 
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Rabscuttle said:
There is possibly an underlying addiction element to both which is unquestionably linked with TMS personality, but still the addictions themselves can be physically harmful.
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Definitely addiction.

Unfortunately, saying "avoid screens" to someone who is addicted to this extent is like telling a drug addict to avoid drugs. In @stevow7's case the real addiction is his OCD, with the screen time being one of its manifestations.

All OCD is certainly TMS, in that the obsessive behaviors provide distraction from desperately repressed emotional conflict and distress which, as we know, the TMS brain believes is life-threatening due to the stress response. OCD is an addiction to obsessive behavior and rumination - and screen time fits the requirements of OCD perfectly, while being completely legal and technically non-lethal.
 
JanAtheCPA said:
Definitely addiction.

Unfortunately, saying "avoid screens" to someone who is addicted to this extent is like telling a drug addict to avoid drugs. In @stevow7's case the real addiction is his OCD, with the screen time being one of its manifestations.

All OCD is certainly TMS, in that the obsessive behaviors provide distraction from desperately repressed emotional conflict and distress which, as we know, the TMS brain believes is life-threatening due to the stress response. OCD is an addiction to obsessive behavior and rumination - and screen time fits the requirements of OCD perfectly, while being completely legal and technically non-lethal.
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Oh my point was never just avoid screens, that’s super insensitive and also impossible to someone suffering from this (assuming this is addiction) if it came across that way I’m sorry @stevow7! My point was really that something could be physically damaging and still be rooted in the TMS mechanism, and it’s worthwhile to examine the relationship with technology and simultaneously take steps to address the potential negative consequences of excessive screen use, which is unfortunately necessary for many in the modern world, especially if your major is something like IT or Compsci, I totally get the struggle. I just think it can be wrong in this instance to say Yup 100% TMS, follow a program, manage stress/emotional side and resume normal activities which entails staring at a screen for hours on end and make zero lifestyle adjustments. I’m just not a believer in the concept of physical lifestyle adjustments in a case like this sending mixed signals to the brain and hampering progress.
 
You and Bonnard have both made good points, @Rabscuttle. The only reason I'm also inclined to focus on the underlying TMS brain mechanism with @stevow7 is because I've been interacting with him since 2017. Because of his OCD (and I'm not disclosing anything he hasn't already discussed with us many times) he is easily distracted by physical constructs when he really needs to work on the emotional repression which underlies his OCD.

My apologies for talking about you in the third person @stevow7 :rolleyes:
 
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