Ann Miller
Well known member
One thing I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around is how it the pain can cause issues like my hypnic jerks that I get every time I try and fall asleep and spasms that I get periodically throughout the day in my fingers and legs. It makes perfect sense that we could store pain in our muscles, but the nervous system is still boggling my mind. Maybe that's why I haven't seen any improvement in those areas. This whole TMS journey is helping me fear them less though, which is great. Also, do you have a guideline of what you write about? Usually I just write about whatever comes to mind that's bugging me, but I don't know if I'm really getting down to the emotions that need to come out.
All great questions. Interestingly, there are just as many people who say, "I can understand how the nervous system could cause jerking and twitches and bowel issues but I can't understand how it affects the muscles." So you see here, we each have our own little doubts. And doubts can be so sneaky in how they disguise themselves. Naming them for what they are, "oh that thought is one of doubt," and knowing that we ALL have those random thoughts...it DOESN'T MAKE THEM TRUE, and going on with our new improved thought patterns is the way to unravel this whole thing.
Regarding what to journal about- there are many many different approaches to this. Some follow Dr.Schubiner or Nicole Sachs method of making three lists of past stressors, current stressors and personality traits and then picking a topic from them. Some use the Adam Heller method of asking rapid fire, "right now what am I feeling?" over and over. Some people like to journal in a web form with a topic in the middle and branches going out from that topic. Others like bullet points of emotions. Others do not like journaling at all. All valid and all can become pain free. The thing that I do for clients is to help them untangle their core personality strengths and match that with a program that is likely to be enjoyed and sustained. Because most folks do not have book cures, Most need to retrain their brains and their way of thinking over many months, so the method they choose needs to be sustainable.