Day 1

[Dakk]

I’m about 15 months out from neck surgery that didn’t change my pain. Every test since has come back clean, including nerve blocks that gave zero relief, and multiple surgeons called it myofascial pain, not structural.

I accept that my nervous system is hyperactive and the the tissue isn’t damaged. However, I’m less sold on the emotion part of this. I’ve had anxiety and perfectionism my whole life and I can see how stress turns the volume up, but I still don’t buy that it’s “all in my head.” I’m doing the program because I want to have a better-quality life that's not focused on chronic pain. My biggest worry is that the trap buzzing (nerve feeling) and constant tightness in my postural chain (neck, back, etc.) are the slowest symptoms to change, and I always catch myself looking for structural reasoning for all of this.

 

[BloodMoon]

I still don’t buy that it’s “all in my head.”

I think it's important to understand that this doesn't mean the pain is "all in your head" in the sense that it's imagined or not real. The brain and nervous system are physical structures, and the chemical processes they initiate can create very real physical symptoms.

Dr Sarno's theory suggested that repressed emotions, particularly anger, could trigger the brain to generate physical symptoms as a distraction from difficult feelings. However, I'd encourage you to look at the wider picture too, rather than focusing solely on anger.

There's some fascinating reading around this. Candace Pert's book Molecules of Emotion is an interesting introduction to how the brain and body communicate through chemical messengers. Another book you might find interesting is The Balance Within by Dr Esther Sternberg, which explores how closely connected our brains and bodies are, and how stress and emotions can influence our physical health.

The important thing to understand is that the brain doesn't simply interpret pain; it can actively influence muscle tension, nerve sensitivity and the way pain is experienced.

Learning to recognise this, reducing the fear and hypervigilance around symptoms, and gradually rebuilding trust in your body are important parts of moving forwards in a mind-body/TMS approach.

You don't have to ignore the sensations or pretend they aren't there. The aim is to gradually change your relationship with them, so they no longer dictate so much of your attention or your life.

The symptoms are real, the biology is real, and importantly, the nervous system is adaptable. There's every reason to remain hopeful about making progress.

 

[Dakk]

@BloodMoon thank you so much for your reply. Your message brought me some light in this darkness.

Last week I caught the flu, and it's really been messing with my head. All the coughing, body aches, and chills really flared up my neck issue even more, and all I can think about is how my neck won't improve with the constant tightness, not to mention my own going lower back pains. Right now, I'm trying to be mindful and tell myself I'm okay and everything's going to be okay, even though I feel that buzzing and nerve tingling in my trap that's going into my deltoid. That sensation immediately makes me want to feel like there's something physically or structurally going on with me and my life is basically over. I can feel the fear and anxiety.

 

[BloodMoon]

@Dakk I appreciate it's hard when you're getting over the flu because you feel like crap, and feeling like that can understandably lead to low mood, negative thinking and increased anxiety. But try not to let how you feel right now dictate what you believe about your future.

When that doubt starts creeping in, imagine putting every catastrophic thought, every worst-case scenario and every frightening assumption into a plastic carrier bag, tying it up and throwing it straight in the trash!

Not every thought deserves our attention, and certainly not every frightening thought deserves our belief. You don't have to entertain every thought your mind throws at you. Just because a thought feels convincing doesn't mean it's true. Face it down rather than feed it.

 

[Urbanjourney]

I’m about 15 months out from neck surgery that didn’t change my pain. Every test since has come back clean, including nerve blocks that gave zero relief, and multiple surgeons called it myofascial pain, not structural.

I accept that my nervous system is hyperactive and the the tissue isn’t damaged. However, I’m less sold on the emotion part of this. I’ve had anxiety and perfectionism my whole life and I can see how stress turns the volume up, but I still don’t buy that it’s “all in my head.” I’m doing the program because I want to have a better-quality life that's not focused on chronic pain. My biggest worry is that the trap buzzing (nerve feeling) and constant tightness in my postural chain (neck, back, etc.) are the slowest symptoms to change, and I always catch myself looking for structural reasoning for all of this.

The fact that you are here, aware of the things you are thinking and posting about it is proof you are on your way forward with this. From someone who has spent thousands on doctors, physios, osteos, scans and injections, I can say the price to do this course, commit to it and trust the journey is pretty low and also be kind to yourself in that you are trying to unwire the thinking that structural issues are the cause - depending on how old you are, this mainstream education is initially hard to shake but then you just read more and more about people just like you (and a lot with way worse symptoms) who have succesfully ridded themselves of the mind-body syndrome - and these are your normal kind of people just like you and I.

 

[Dakk]

The fact that you are here, aware of the things you are thinking and posting about it is proof you are on your way forward with this. From someone who has spent thousands on doctors, physios, osteos, scans and injections, I can say the price to do this course, commit to it and trust the journey is pretty low and also be kind to yourself in that you are trying to unwire the thinking that structural issues are the cause - depending on how old you are, this mainstream education is initially hard to shake but then you just read more and more about people just like you (and a lot with way worse symptoms) who have succesfully ridded themselves of the mind-body syndrome - and these are your normal kind of people just like you and I.

Hi there friend, I read your intro and we're both on a similar journey! I'm about 8 years younger than you but I have spent tens of thousands of US dollars on everything so far trying to make progress. Everything I read here describes me so well from what I read that you would think that I was the author at times. I've had 4 herniated discs in the last 6 years (two in the lumber, two in the neck) and even opted for surgery because the neck herniations were supposedly causing me so much pain that I was in bed crying day after day for a month. That was about a year ago now and while I've improved, I'm still left with a lot of chronic tightness, fear/anxiety daily of never getting better, and an oversensitive nervous system that feels like it's on cloud nine.

I'm continuing the read success stories daily and just completed Day 2 of the work.

Happy you responded and you are on your healing journey as well.