Day 1 Day 1 Again

I was away for three weeks and had many excuses for not continuing with my TMS program, but now I'm back. There's overwhelming evidence that my pain is caused by my subconscious "protecting" me from unwanted feelings and during the day I can stop my pain pretty instantaneously by telling my brain,"Stop It! Send Blood!" and imagining that I'm smashing the big claw clamped down on my painful body part. I then feel the blood and oxygen flow and my body unclenches and the pain releases. I had both knees replaced a year ago due to bone-on-bone arthritis ("real"? - I don't know) and still cannot sleep on my side or stomach due to pain on both sides and tops of both knees and bilateral hip bursitis. If I do sleep on my stomach or back, the pain wakes me up, I'm in its grip again, and I don't seem to be able to yell loudly enough to stop it. Surgically mutilated tissues should be healed by now, so I've accepted that my brain is causing my pain, but I have to work on ways to release the pain when I'm barely awake. Just want it to go away!

 

Hey Emma! First of all, welcome back.
I wanted to suggest maybe instead of yelling or getting angry at the pain, try a more calm or gentle approach. I know getting angry and giving your pain hell works for some people, but it didn't for me. I don't like it when people yell and scream at me, I've had it done to me, or around me, my whole life and it made me feel like shit - so yelling at myself would be counter productive.
Try saying something like, OK you're here pain, I feel you, but I don't have time for this. It's time for you to go. I don't need you, I am healing, safe, and OK...or whatever wording works for you. Good Luck!

 

Thanks, Mellie! I will try a gentler approach the next several nights since the yelling isn't working.

 

Hi, Emma. Try laughing. It always works better for me than yelling at pain or my subconscious. Yelling sends a negative, while laughing sends a positive through healthy, healing endorphins to our mind and spirit. It you can't laugh, try a smile and it will work it's way up to laughing. Have you noticed that many of the great comics lived to be 100?

Stress relief from laughter? It's no joke

When it comes to relieving stress, more giggles and guffaws are just what the doctor ordered. Here's why. By Mayo Clinic Staff

Whether you're guiltily guffawing at an episode of "South Park" or quietly giggling at the latest New Yorker cartoon, laughing does you good. Laughter is a great form of stress relief, and that's no joke.

Stress relief from laughter
A good sense of humor can't cure all ailments, but data are mounting about the positive things laughter can do.

Short-term benefits
A good laugh has great short-term effects. When you start to laugh, it doesn't just lighten your load mentally, it actually induces physical changes in your body. Laughter can:

• Stimulate many organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.
• Activate and relieve your stress response. A rollicking laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response and increases your heart rate and blood pressure. The result? A good, relaxed feeling.
• Soothe tension. Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.

Long-term effects
Laughter isn't just a quick pick-me-up, though. It's also good for you over the long haul. Laughter may:

• Improve your immune system. Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can affect your body by bringing more stress into your system and decreasing your immunity. In contrast, positive thoughts actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses.
• Relieve pain. Laughter may ease pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers. Laughter may also break the pain-spasm cycle common to some muscle disorders.
• Increase personal satisfaction. Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people.
• Improve your mood. Many people experience depression, sometimes due to chronic illnesses. Laughter can help lessen your depression and anxiety and make you feel happier.

 

Thanks! Just spent three weeks in Zanzibar with my son who is a laugh riot and I laughed pretty continuously -- but my knees still hurt. My husband (who makes me laugh) and I just watched Annie Hall again and we laughed throughout, but I still needed to shift my position several times during the movie to relieve discomfort. I generally laugh a lot and surround myself with people who amuse me. In fact, I think music and laughter have saved my life, but yelling at my pain and visualizing jaws unclenching and blood flowing do relieve my pain (just not at night).