Day 1

[jlm]

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. I am 73 years old and have been interested in mind body medicine for years, but just recently found Dr Sarno's book and TMS. It came to me just a massage therapist did some myofascial work and released all kinds of repressed emotions from my extremely abusive childhood. What an interesting few weeks it has been. I have dealt with many autoimmune diseases, accidents and traumas in my 73 years and it seems I repressed most of them in order to be my people pleasing, perfectionist self. The most recent problem is trauma related (a car accident) neurothapy with nerve damage in several areas of my back and feet. I was also ill for 18 months from receiving contaminated steroids, but that's a whole 'nother story. At least that kept me from having SI joint surgery which probably wouldn't have helped. I am scheduled fro more foot surgery in a few weeks, but it is definitely structural so I'm okay with it.

I have had success with following Dr Hanscom's advice from the book, Back in Control, on writing negative events and how I feel/felt about them and then tearing it up.

Where will I end up on a pain scale? I don't know, but I'm willing to do the work to find out. Tomorrow I'm having work done on my TMJ. What will show up? Is the jaw problem from years of not being able to say what should have been said?

If this is Day 1, what will Day 2 bring. Bring it on!

 

[Kev]

That's it jlm , accept the challenge and be positive. I am on day 29 of the SEP and I am learning a lot about myself.

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

Hi, guys. I'm 84 and two years ago learned about TMS and Dr. Sarno's book Healing Back Pain.

My back pain went away after I believed 100 percent that it was not structural but caused by TMS and
my repressed emotions and perfectionist and "goodist" personality.

It has been a fabulous adventure learning about myself and others after all these years.

You're going to heal and learn, two great things at any age.

 

[jlm]

Thank you for the welcome. I almost quit the program at day 0 as I wasn't going to write on the forum and that was a day 1 suggestion. Well, I did, and here I am. I can't say I will be a 100% percent follower of Dr Sarno as I do not plan on giving up my massage therapist. Wonderful young guy has only been in practice for less than a year and must have been surprised to open up a barrage of emotional reactions when he thought he was only doing a myofascial massage for fibromyalgia. I had already ordered Dr Sarno's book - I don't know why, but hadn't read any of it at that point. When I shared the CDs with J the next week and told him of some of the childhood experiences he unleashed, he was on board immediately. I need him to talk to along with feeling that his knowledge of different massage modalities is beneficial to me on several levels. He bought the CDs from to share with colleagues which is fine. I am not an auditory learned. I don't know why I ordered them with the book - for J, maybe, I just didn't know it then.

BTW, I am not unhappy being a people pleaser. It's just part of who I am. I am willing to let go of being a perfectionist - it's been too long. My new motto concerning housework and such is just get it done.
I have some writing to do before bed. We discovered this morning that the knot on my trapezoid seems to have a lot to do with a specific childhood issue.

Loving the release of pain that has taken place so far and looking forward to more.

 

[Tennis Tom]

...I can't say I will be a 100% percent follower of Dr Sarno as I do not plan on giving up my massage therapist. Wonderful young guy has only been in practice for less than a year and must have been surprised to open up a barrage of emotional reactions when he thought he was only doing a myofascial massage for fibromyalgia.

...BTW, I am not unhappy being a people pleaser. It's just part of who I am. I am willing to let go of being a perfectionist - it's been too long. My new motto concerning housework and such is just get it done.

Massage is OK as long as you know that it's not being performed to repair anything structural, SteveO concurs on this also. It's a form of tracordification, social interaction. It helps to level out the TMS rage/soothe ratio to prevent the reservoir of rage from over-flowing and needing to create TMS symptoms for distraction. Skip the acu, chiroquactering and other forms of body-work where you get little bang for your buck and are geared to fixing a non-existent physical problem. I've had hundreds of snake-oyl treatments and spent thousands on them with short lived or no results, as soon as you're out of the parking lot and back on life's stress hi-way, it's out the window.

Being a "goodist" is a good thing if you understand it and you do good because it's your decision and not because you feel compelled to by social pressures.

98% perfect is good enough, It's that last 2% that will drive you nutz, the Indians used to leave flaws in their crafts to allow the evils spirits to escape. I keep a lot of bankers boxes around and when the clutter gets too much throw the stuff into them or behind cabinet doors or closet floors--the containment theory, out of sight, out of mind.

Keep up the good work, cheers,
tt/lsmft

 

[PaulBlack]

Congrats on your new found wisdom and yes, my mom is 93 (isn't on any meds) and yes, she has her share of hip back and neck pains and jags. I have always helped her with Dr Sarno's thinking/approach. Sometimes she is better at it than others, (she can be a bit stubborn just like her son hahaha) but as she keeps doing it, it keeps cementing more in her mind, the fact that it works.
We often laugh when we come up with the same kind of pain and joke that we must be worried about the same situation.

 

[jlm]

On day 2 the list of things that make me mad was longer than the three that were requested. The list of things of things that currently makes me sad had only one thing on it - loneliness. I couldn't think of two more on a personal level. Of course, there is so much sadness in our world. As an advocate for children, I am saddened by what is done to children lately.

Tennis Tom, thank you for the reinforcement that the massage is right for me at this time. I'm pretty attached to my chiropractor, too, but I can see cutting those strings. My PCP doesn't want me seeing a chiro who uses force on the neck area so this might be a good time to stop.

Note: I did some writing to my deceased mother last night about her attitude about my looks. A rash I've had on my face cleared up overnight. Odd rash - wasn't from the lupus or the spring allergies. Now we know where it came from and loving it that it's gone.

Dr Schubiner's workbook arrived today. Can I handle the 28 day SEP and his 28 program at the same time? I'll see how it plays out.