Day 1. Relieved but not..

I’m glad to have found Dr.’s Sarno’s book. It confirmed a theory that was kinda in the back of my head. I had heard in a yoga class about storing emotions in the hip but then disregarded the fact that my pain had an emotional source.


I have been struggling with lower back, hip and IT band pain in both legs for over two years. I’ve seen orthopedic surgeons, chiropractors, physical therapists, and a masseur. The doctors said that my x-rays and MRI look just fine except a chiropractor that showed me how my spine was misaligned but after treatment, pain had not changed.


I accepted the TMS diagnosis immediately. I have a history with anxiety and depression and other mind-body issues as tension headaches, heartburn and IBS. I’m glad in a way that I don’t have to keep spending money and time to find out what’s wrong with my back and hip but a little discouraged about the recovery process. I have been learning about the mind a lot in the last few years because of my struggle with depression and anxiety. I have tried psychotherapy many times, I practice meditation regularly and read books about several topics in psychology… I also did some journaling several years ago when I was struggling the most with depression and anxiety. So I’m not sure that just acknowledging that this issue is part of what I’ve been dealing with for years, is going to make it go away. For example, I new that my heartburn was caused by my anxiety, but that didn’t make it go away. Now that I think about it, the heartburn just disappeared after years and years and maybe it was replaced by this new back/hip pain a couple years ago.


To conclude I’m relieved in a way. I just have to deal with one problem (my mind) instead of many. Although, my mind is the hardest to conquer. I’ve been trying for years and it might take me many other years to find a place where I feel ok. So it kinda scares me that my back/hip/IT band pain is my new heartburn that would last another 3 years only to be replaced by another body pain.

 

Welcome, ACLV! I'm so glad you arrived here, and that you've started the SEP. It literally gave me my life back.
Blessings on your journey of recovery.

 

Hi, ACLV. You have definitely come to the right place to heal from your symptoms. Your personality traits of anxiety and feeling depressed are typical to TMS MindBody people. The SEProgram will help you to learn what the emotional problems are that cause your symptoms. Journaling helped me the most, to discover repressed emotions from back in my boyhood when my parents divorced when I was seven. I put myself in their shoes and realized they had their own TMS pains, dad with back pain and mom with migraine headaches. They were caused by financial stress during the 1930s Great Depression. I believe we've been in another one for the past eight to 10 years and many people are stressed out because of it, causing them to have physical pains. We have to learn how to live with today's financial and other uncertainties. What helps is discovering repressed emotions and practicing deep breathing and relaxation techniques such as meditation.

Meditation is a time-honored way of relaxing the mind and relieving anxiety, mental stress, headaches, and even physical pain. There are many ways to practice meditation, but many consider the most successful to be a technique called the Relaxation Response (RR).

It is a wonderful way to practice TMS Mindbody Healing because it changes harmful thinking in the subconscious mind which Dr. John Sarno says causes pain that is not caused by anything structural.

The RR, practiced once or twice a day for 10, 15, or 20 minutes has a profound positive effect on the subconscious mind, relieving or curing everything from anxiety, hypertension, headaches, fatigue, nervousness, dizziness, high blood pressure, insomnia, stomach problems, all forms of pain including backaches, abdominal pain, muscle pain, neck, arm, and leg pain, and relieves side affects from cancer and AIDS.

RR is like Transcendental Meditation which is taught by TM specialists who charge hundreds or thousands of dollars. But the RR is free and you can do it yourself.

It is practiced, before a meal, and works best if not practiced within two hours after a meal. I do it in bed before arising in the morning and again in bed before falling sleep. Often, I only do it 5 or 10 minutes and it works to calm me and put me to sleep.

Just sit in a chair (or lie in bed in the morning or at bedtime), close your eyes, don’t listen to any music, and try to avoid outside noises. Let your mind think of a word such as

"One " which has no real meaning or association. Or say a calming word such as “Calm” or “Peace,” or add the faith or spiritual element by saying a favorite religious word or prayer. Breathe naturally or incorporate Deep Breathing by breathing in through the mouth to inflate the stomach, suck in the stomach while holding the breath for a few seconds, then say the word when you exhale through the mouth.

Say the word silently over and over. At the end of the 10 to 20 minutes, picture and feel yourself as you were when you felt your best, and in a place where you felt that way.

When distracting thoughts arise during the RR, as they will, just tell yourself, “Oh, well,” and go back to repeating your chosen word.

My "word" is a prayer: "God loves me and is protecting me." I say it a few times and go right to sleep. If my mind wanders onto other things, I tell myself"Oh, well," and repeat my mantra silently while deep breathing.

There are several free videos on Youtube about the Relaxation Response. I especially recommend these two by Dr. Benson:

 

Thank you for the meditation info Walt! Although I meditate regularly, I feel I could go more in depth in it. The last video reminded me how powerful of a tool it is, although sometimes I feel it doesn't do much. I really liked the "oh well" expression and will incorporate it when a drift away in my meditation sessions.