Day 3: Alan Gordon quote that speaks to me

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dharn999

Well known member
While doing my homework for the day, I was reading Alan Gordon's "Breaking the Pain Cycle" and I ran something he said stood out and I'm wondering how much this happened to others

"Most of you have likely had the following thoughts at some point:
“Will this pain ever go away?”
“Remember how great life was before the pain started?”
“Wait- is it better or worse than it was yesterday?”

I feel like I look at time different whenever I'm in pain. Whether it's the first time I went through this for over a year ago, or this current relapse. I keep thinking back to what things were like before I was hurting. I even kind of carry the date with me in my mind. (I did this same thing when I quit smoking way back when Jan 1st 2008)

Nostalgic thinking can be depressing and I'm sure that this is reinforcing my pain, especially since I'm struggling with the diagnosis during this relapse.

I also get angry with myself when I think of what started my pain (even though I know it stems from TMS)
I was weightlifting the first time and I was moving furniture a second time. With both starting from physical activity it makes me think physical and mechanical

Anyone else think this way?
 
i, charn. I got mad at myself when I felt severe back pain after lifting a case of 30 cans of beer at the supermarket. It led me to learn about Dr. Sarno and his book Healing Back Pain. I did the SEProgram and accepted that the pain came from repressed emotions going back to my boyhood when my parents divorced when I was seven. It left me with feelings of abandonment and insecurity.

I am grateful for having lifted that case of beer because it helped to not only heal the back pain but TMS has given me a much more relaxed approach to the problems of life.

I'm confident you will heal. Give yourself and the SEProgram some time.

I suggest you spend some time each day on meditation. It calms the mind and body.

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 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:


 
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dharn999 said:
While doing my homework for the day, I was reading Alan Gordon's "Breaking the Pain Cycle" and I ran something he said stood out and I'm wondering how much this happened to others

"Most of you have likely had the following thoughts at some point:
“Will this pain ever go away?”
“Remember how great life was before the pain started?”
“Wait- is it better or worse than it was yesterday?”

I feel like I look at time different whenever I'm in pain. Whether it's the first time I went through this for over a year ago, or this current relapse. I keep thinking back to what things were like before I was hurting. I even kind of carry the date with me in my mind. (I did this same thing when I quit smoking way back when Jan 1st 2008)

Nostalgic thinking can be depressing and I'm sure that this is reinforcing my pain, especially since I'm struggling with the diagnosis during this relapse.

I also get angry with myself when I think of what started my pain (even though I know it stems from TMS)
I was weightlifting the first time and I was moving furniture a second time. With both starting from physical activity it makes me think physical and mechanical

Anyone else think this way?
Click to expand...

I didn't actually start this way, but I had believed my heavy Strength Training was exasperating it. I have proven to myself that this is not true thru many Trial-and-Error experiments on myself thru my Weightlifting. I am having a bit of a setback right now due to some traumatic events in my 19yr old sons life, but it has actually been a learning experience. It made me realize how my attitude a bout life affects my TMS greater than I even realized. One week ago, I was thinking how much better I was feeling, and I just knew I would feel even better as the weeks and months would go by, then I was hit with this setback. It was like all my progress completely vanished. My pain returned, but worse.This created a lot of fears and anxieties. So, being my compulsive self, I took control of everything I could. I felt sorry for myself, then I remembered what I had done the past few months and decided to let go of the uncontrollable. This was a conscious gesture. Somehow, I think the conscious affects the unconscious (autonomic system) and today I am feeling some relief. As horrible as I have felt all week (my neck, back, and legs were hurting and extremely tight, along with insomnia and nausea), I went into my personal gym and Deadlifted and Benched some heavy weights today. This has given me some confidence I will be better soon. I think this is key to overcoming TMS. Anyway, sorry to get off on such a tangent, but I will reiterate my answer to your question....I think we condition ourselves to believe our TMS is mechanical/structural, but the reality is it is all psychological and attitude.
 
Walt Oleksy said:
i, charn. I got mad at myself when I felt severe back pain after lifting a case of 30 cans of beer at the supermarket. It led me to learn about Dr. Sarno and his book Healing Back Pain. I did the SEProgram and accepted that the pain came from repressed emotions going back to my boyhood when my parents divorced when I was seven. It left me with feelings of abandonment and insecurity.

I am grateful for having lifted that case of beer because it helped to not only heal the back pain but TMS has given me a much more relaxed approach to the problems of life.

I'm confident you will heal. Give yourself and the SEProgram some time.

I suggest you spend some time each day on meditation. It calms the mind and body.

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 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:


Click to expand...

Thanks Walt for the advice on meditation and for the reassurance that I'll be ok.. This relapse of pain is getting to me.. I've read that a relapse can be worse because of the expectations I had the first time then succeeding and now being back in pain. I know I'll get there, it's just difficult seeing the same situations I had last time. I dug myself in a hole early by not acknowledging this being TMS or accepting it earlier as well.. I just really need to be thankful that this site and knowledge exist and appreciate it
 
fbcoach said:
I

I didn't actually start this way, but I had believed my heavy Strength Training was exasperating it. I have proven to myself that this is not true thru many Trial-and-Error experiments on myself thru my Weightlifting. I am having a bit of a setback right now due to some traumatic events in my 19yr old sons life, but it has actually been a learning experience. It made me realize how my attitude a bout life affects my TMS greater than I even realized. One week ago, I was thinking how much better I was feeling, and I just knew I would feel even better as the weeks and months would go by, then I was hit with this setback. It was like all my progress completely vanished. My pain returned, but worse.This created a lot of fears and anxieties. So, being my compulsive self, I took control of everything I could. I felt sorry for myself, then I remembered what I had done the past few months and decided to let go of the uncontrollable. This was a conscious gesture. Somehow, I think the conscious affects the unconscious (autonomic system) and today I am feeling some relief. As horrible as I have felt all week (my neck, back, and legs were hurting and extremely tight, along with insomnia and nausea), I went into my personal gym and Deadlifted and Benched some heavy weights today. This has given me some confidence I will be better soon. I think this is key to overcoming TMS. Anyway, sorry to get off on such a tangent, but I will reiterate my answer to your question....I think we condition ourselves to believe our TMS is mechanical/structural, but the reality is it is all psychological and attitude.
Click to expand...

I life at least 4 times a week, and while I haven't been into heavy Olympic lifting for a while (not pain/TMS related) I changed up my routine to get in a better shape and lose some weight (down 40lbs in the past year). I went through this before and am currently in a relapse of pain. It's been a few years since my last TMS flare got this bad so I didn't acknowledge it instantly and fell into the old ways of Google and mechanical advice. Anyway, I appreciate the help and I see that you coach. I myself am a OL and DL high school FB coach myself as well as a throwers coach during track season.

You maybe able to relate to this thought I had earlier, my wife pointed out that I hate summers because there isn't much sport wise going on and there isn't much for me to coach during this time.. She maybe right (she is most of the time)

Also, I know what you mean about being compulsive over things you want control over.. I've suffered with ocd in my life and it reflects over how I teach and coach day to day because I have to make sure things are in order and controlled (no free days or free time in my class or practice)

Hang in there, I've gone through this process once before and it works, I'm struggling right now because I'm in a different part of my life than I was the first time I went through this rodeo.. My expectations are different and I'm expecting immediate results instead of gradual like I had the first time.

But it works if you do what you were talking about and stay in the psychological side and not the physical
 
Hey Coach,
I agree with the SEP taking time. I wasn't one that read one of Dr Sarno's books and healed right away. I try and keep an open mind, but need to know all the hows and whys behind a Theory. The more I understood the physiological reasoning behind TMS, the better grasp I had on how the psychological and physiological intertwined. This is when I started making very good progress.

It took a few days after my son's last incident to put things back in perspective. As I mentioned earlier, I am learning from this recent episode. I sincerely believe the more we go thru, it becomes more engrained in our minds and Nervous Systems and creates a stronger belief. . Sort of like the reverse of TMS. Since our chronic pains are caused by our habitual psychological habits and how it affects the Nervous System. Then, the more experiences we have proving that this is due to the psychological affecting our chronic pains and not something physical, the more we can control it. For me, I hadn't done anything different physically. My pain increased drastically solely due to my reaction of my son's incident. In fact, I just did a very heavy DeadLift and Bench workout yesterday. I should feel sore and tired, but instead I feel better due to putting my son's situation in the proper perspective.

I completely understand about Coaching. I am under more stress at that time of the year, but I seem to thrive on it. I believe it is a diversion from myself. Meaning, my mind is more focused on Coaching and the kids, moreso than on myself. My wife has pointed this out to me, as well. Like you, I have always dealt with OCD. This has been both a blessing and a curse. I sure you can related. My students and Players over the years have learned to appreciate it.

I used to feel the same way about summers, until I learned to find some new passions to look forward to. Anyway, I appreciate the confidence and best of luck to you, as well. THINK PSCHOLOGICAL!! It works!
 
fbcoach said:
Hey Coach,
I agree with the SEP taking time. I wasn't one that read one of Dr Sarno's books and healed right away. I try and keep an open mind, but need to know all the hows and whys behind a Theory. The more I understood the physiological reasoning behind TMS, the better grasp I had on how the psychological and physiological intertwined. This is when I started making very good progress.

It took a few days after my son's last incident to put things back in perspective. As I mentioned earlier, I am learning from this recent episode. I sincerely believe the more we go thru, it becomes more engrained in our minds and Nervous Systems and creates a stronger belief. . Sort of like the reverse of TMS. Since our chronic pains are caused by our habitual psychological habits and how it affects the Nervous System. Then, the more experiences we have proving that this is due to the psychological affecting our chronic pains and not something physical, the more we can control it. For me, I hadn't done anything different physically. My pain increased drastically solely due to my reaction of my son's incident. In fact, I just did a very heavy DeadLift and Bench workout yesterday. I should feel sore and tired, but instead I feel better due to putting my son's situation in the proper perspective.

I completely understand about Coaching. I am under more stress at that time of the year, but I seem to thrive on it. I believe it is a diversion from myself. Meaning, my mind is more focused on Coaching and the kids, moreso than on myself. My wife has pointed this out to me, as well. Like you, I have always dealt with OCD. This has been both a blessing and a curse. I sure you can related. My students and Players over the years have learned to appreciate it.

I used to feel the same way about summers, until I learned to find some new passions to look forward to. Anyway, I appreciate the confidence and best of luck to you, as well. THINK PSCHOLOGICAL!! It works!
Click to expand...

I hope everything with your son works out, I guess the situation has helped you realize this is TMS with having a cause for a flare up. (I'm still trying to figure out what's caused this one)

I'm struggling like I said because I've been through this once before and while you would think I should known this is TMS and I'll be ok, I just don't have the enthusiasm like I did two three years ago. Three years ago I was lost and had tried everything outside of surgery, and was at a pretty low point.. I stumbled across Dr. Sarno and TMS and took it in hook line sinker.. This time around I'm lacking Enthusiasm because I thought I was done with all of this and when the pain arises I want it gone since i know it's TMS.. I'm definitely trying to rush it, but like I said, there isn't much for me to do over the summer to distract my mind... I'm hoping once school starts I'll be distracted wth work and football..

and I definitely need to think psychological and stay active because I'm fine

Hope you recover quickly
 
I have found whenever I tried to rush it, my pain just got worse. Like you said, just know it is psychological, continue to do everything you would normally do physically, then just let it go. If you can let it go, you will feel better before you know it. For me, it just takes time to convince myself and understand it completely. Good luck and ENOY the summer!
 
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