Day 8 day 8

I am not having success recognizing emotions connected to my pain. Also, not sure what is stopping me from being able to do so. I am not aware of any specific emotion or thought. I feel I am happy and doing just fine.

 

You are a successful repressor! Unfortunatly the award for that is pain and other syndroms Keep searching here and in TMS books. You can change your brain!

 

I agree, also on day 8, connecting my emotions to pain is a work in progress since my feelings are dulled - repressed, but that pain prompts me to determine what might be bothering me and quickly acknowledging it helps beat the pain, and gives me a sense of peace.

 

thanks yall, I sure will keep at it, want to know all about this. not giving up

 

jodib.
I too thought I had a fairly good and happy childhood, but when I began journaling
I realized I was repressing a lot of anger because of my parents divorcing when I was 7.
Journaling helped me understand them better and that led to me forgiving them
and that led to my severe back pain going away. Dig deep and you will discover the
psychological cause(s) of your pain.

If you eventually find no repressed emotions, your pain could be due to a perfectionist
and/or "goodist" personality. That means working on modifying those personality traits which can be harmful.

 

im journaling, and wrote about mother and stepfather splitting. i feel like- i feel a lot more sad about it now looking back, than i did then. does that mean i was sad then?
thank you, that was helpful to know i may find no repressed emotions. i have the goodist personality. and current stressors for sure.

but i have no idea how i would change my personality.

 

Yes, jodib, it means you were sad back then. And your normal way of feeling every day did not allow that feeling of sadness to emerge. So with the journaling, you can see something in your past that is carried until today, which might not "want to be felt," so you evidence of how the TMS is working in you. As a distraction to keep sadness away...

I don't think you need to change your personality. Dr. Sarno in fact said you did not need to change it. The technique is to see it clearly enough so that you can see how it would be difficult for your inner child to live in that pressure, or ignoring, or non-attunement. The way the goodist or perfectionist treats the child is painful!! Then you see how the inner child might feel ---the emotions of sadness or rage, or___. Then you have to see that those feelings are threatening to "who we take ourselves to be." You can look at your own way of tending to not feel, and have direct evidence that your ego structure has decided many things are "not OK to feel."

It is all a lot to learn, and keep learning, in the moment as you observe yourself. Good work so far!!

Andy B.

 

"normal way of feeling everyday"

actually, all of that 1st paragraph...wow. thank you. it makes sense now.
this is all just amazing to me.
I still don't understand the inner bully thing and child quite as well, but it will come too. im know it must all fit together . and Im sure I must keep rereading your 2nd paragraph.
thanks!