Day 1

[apa]

Good morning.
I have had back/neck/jaw/wrist pain on and off for 21 years. I used to be a runner and that seemed to set it all off when I lived overseas. I am now 49, work full time and have a 5 -year-old son. Like most of you I have tried everything. Other times in my life I was helped most by yoga. Now everything has spread and is much worse. I've put on weight, am out of shape (unusual for me) and just feel awful. I have read Dr. Sarno's book 2 times, watched his lectures on youtube and journaled extensively. My jaw pain went away, and my foot pain got a little better. Now I want to try these structured activities. This diagnosis makes complete sense to me. There is nothing structurally wrong with my back even though my left lower back, hip, and foot hurt. I have shoulder issues also on my left side, and wrist pain and carpal tunnel syndrome on both sides, and neck and upper back tension. I had carpal tunnel surgery on my right side in December which got rid of the numbness and tingling, but other wrist issues/pain persist.

It is hard for me to imagine not having this pain. As much as I think I want to let it go, I am worried that I can't let it go. I have been in therapy and on medication for anxiety/depression since I was 20. I know a lot about my issues. I know what I am angry about, scared of, frustrated with - though of course there could always be more that is so deeply repressed that I don't know about. Today the biggest sources of stress are financial worries and my difficult marriage. My job is stressful - and my family of origin continues to be crazy-making.

I walk around every day saying to myself, there is nothing wrong with my back. I have TMS.

I believe it. But can I really let this pain go?

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

Hi, apa. Yes, you can let the pain go and keep it gone. Keep doing the SEProgram and it will really help you to work on those harmful emotions tehat you already know about, and probably will discover others that are more repressed.

You have a common case of what TMS advisers call a "Perfect Storm" for TMS... a bad marriage, a stressful job, money worries, concern about your weight, a boy to look after, and pain moving around. The good news is, you have read Dr. Sarno and watched the videos on TMS. You also are telling your subconscious that your pains are not structural but emotional.

I found journaling to be the most helpful part of the SEProgram. I learned more about myself that way than any other way and from 82 years of living. I healed from severe back pain through TMS and the SEProgram and am now 85 and in no pain and handling life's stresses better than ever. I have been self-employed as a writer for 40 years, having left a corporate job I hate. Being self-employed has its financial stresses, but I look at it this way... nobody can fire me!

Look back into your boyhood for any possible repressed emotions. I found mine there.

For anxiety and depression, watch the free videos on Youtube on those topics. They are very helpful.

I have been replying to posts on this web site for more than two years and strongly believe that back aches and other pains are primarily caused by worries... financial, work, relationships. Dr. Sarno says we can lose our pain by acknowledging we have those problems. We don't have to solve them, just learn how to live with them.

You've begun a journey of self-discovery in the SEP that is going to make you a new man, healthier and happier.

 

[apa]

Walt - Thank you for your encouraging message! You have an inspiring story.
Being a mother is the best part of my life, and brings me so much joy, and balances out all the other craziness. But the pain is getting in the way of playing with him, especially as he gets bigger. (By the way my husband is a self-employed writer which is part of the stress !)

Be well.