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New Program Day 9: Somatic Tracking

Lainey said:
Bodhigirl,
I can resonate with your experience with massage, self-massage , deep fascia releases, to help with accessing parts of my body that have 'tensed' over time in my own quest for being the person I imagined or realized others expected me to be. I also was told many years ago during a CPR training that I was not breathing breathes as often a most, e.g. "I wasn't breathing". The body work has helped with this and other aspects of my psyche. Alan's anxiety regulation demo is great, allowing for me to not focus on "the pain" but focus on my anxiety around having the pain just tending to this anxiety with love and caring.
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What video ate u referimng to
 
adria said:
I dont see it
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adria
Here is some of the text taken from the DAY 9 Somatic training..
You can refer to the whole training at the beginning of this discussion. You may find it helpful.
Lainey


It feels wonderful just to be checked in on. It can make you feel cared about and attended to, and can remind you that you matter in this world. But many of us don’t check in on ourselves, and this subtle self-neglect can actually have many physical consequences.

I’d like you to try something as you’re reading this: check in with what you’re feeling in your body right now.

Are you aware of feeling any physical sensations? Possibly in your chest? Or your stomach? Or your throat?

If so, how would you describe this sensation? Is it a tightness? A clenching? A fluttery feeling?

Is it warm? Is it tingling?

And as you check in, just notice, is this sensation pleasant or unpleasant?

Is it widespread or is it in one specific area?

You're just checking in. You don’t have to do anything with this sensation; you’re not trying to make it go away or move it. You’re just watching.

And what do you notice happening as you pay attention to this sensation? Does it intensify? Does it subside? Does it expand or contract? Does it move to another part of your body? Does it stay the same?

Whatever it does is okay, you’re just watching it; following it. You don’t have any ulterior motive, you’re just paying attention to this sensation in your body, with pure curiosity.

You’re just an observer right now – paying attention, noticing what’s going on inside of you, and checking in.

Congratulations. You just did three important things: you attended to your internal state, you treated yourself with love, and you gave your brain the message that it’s safe.
 
jessicaLee said:
So speak to or listen to our anxiety instead of trying to distract it or run away? I think that is what I am hearing. I've always tried to keep busy so I wouldn't think about the pain but what I am reading here is that what I should be doing is just the opposite. Acknowledge my pain and listen to what it is telling me.
I am new here, my first journey through these lessons and I am really enjoying it and want to get somewhere. Having no response or reactions to my posts doesn't help with my feelings of inferiority, yikes. Not sure my posts are actually posting so if someone could just let me know that I am on the thread that would be great. Don't want to give up
"To quote you"It feels wonderful just to be checked in on. It can make you feel cared about and attended to, and can remind you that you matter in this world. But many of us don’t check in on ourselves, and this subtle self-neglect can actually have many physical consequences."
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Hi. Just checkimg in..how are u..i see u
 
Hi Alan and everyone.

I just started with this program a few days ago. It's the most helpful thing I've found yet for dealing with TMS pain and anxiety. My anxiety levels have gone through the roof in the past two-three weeks and the pain that thought was decreasing has amped up, too. I'm feeling positive that this program will help me deal mindfully with pain/anxiety and put them behind me.

Last time I felt this level of anxiety, I went on Zoloft. I still have some of the medication, but I am not going to take it. Tempting as it feels at times, I just won't. I'm tired of masking problems.

With the anxiety comes fear. What if there really IS something wrong with me? What if this anxiety is doing damage to my body? What if it gets worse?

The exercise on Day 5 (I think) where you suggested simply noting the fear/negative thoughts was so enlightening. So many fearful or self-bullying thoughts. Exposing them helps to reduce them. It sure seems like a long road ahead, though.
 
Hi everyone,

I am dealing with this as well. Over the past few days. My anxiety turned into depression, though, and it's not a good feeling. I have been offered antidepressants by my doctor before and even recently, but never started them. Since this is all new to me, I fear I can't get through TMS without the help of starting an antidepressant. But the exercise that helped you was powerful for me yesterday. It decreased the depression, but today, I am feeling the soreness in my back. I am wanting to persevere with following a TMS program, but the thought of starting meds lingers in the back of my mind. I could use some insight from those of you who are more experienced with this.
 
Hi @chips and salsa! In my experience, the anti-anxiety medication did not eliminate pain, but it did reduce it, possibly because it does reduce the anxiety level. I don't know about anti-depression meds. One I took made me sick to my stomach so I only took it for one or two days. That was TMS anxiety right there!
 
hsbarry said:
I am checking in with myself. I wish it felt like Pooh's paw. It feels cruddy-a brick in my abdomen. How long should I pay attention? I have spent a lot of time running from this sensation and the anxiety. Thanks for the help.
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I hear what you are saying, but it does get better. I can assure you of that. And even if it doesn't get better, which will happen from time to time, I know that I do.
 
Being "the watcher" of my pain has been powerful stuff over the last couple of weeks. If my trap tightens up I don't bend my neck, i dont rub, i dont feel - I just watch. Almost 100% of the time it moves to somewhere else and I repeat. It's been really a great tool.
 
I have done the Jon Kabat-Zin course (mindfulness for people suffering from chronic pain) and more recently a version that was adapted for people with anxiety and/or depression. It is really hard to keep practicing mindfulness every day, even for 5 minutes at a time, and also not to try to do something about what you notice you are feeling or thinking. Also, there's a lot of popular press stuff out there that gives a really wrong idea about what is supposed to happen when we meditate or practice mindfulness, like all the stress is supposed to melt away and we feel refreshed etc etc. Not usually, and that's fine. Anyhow, just wanted to say that I find the Headspace app has a nice approach, similar to what I learned in the courses, about just noticing and staying with things and that's it as far as mindfulness goes. It still doesn't make me do it daily, but it's easy to do when I do.
 
I use the Headspace app too, and coincidentally, today was about sinking into your pain. It's the eighth day in the second basic series, so day 18 in total. The quote at the end?

We typically respond to pain by pushing it away, which just creates more tension.​

So there you have it. Headspace Andy says it too!
 
I am going through this program - again - for two reasons: I stopped a medication seven weeks ago and wanted to make sure I stayed connected to my TMS recovery so that I would not suffer too much needless backsliding. And because I am having surgery in 2.5 weeks and want to be as prepared for real pain - and the need for kind calmness - as I can bring to bear.
And this program has been brilliantly revised since I first went through it.
The body scanning with kindness is critical to ongoing recovery for me. I have changed my whole meditation from sitting to yoga, breath and rewiring my thoughts and patterns.
It’s a wonderful practice. It’s sever days a week, no matter what.
I notice tension and see it turn from tight to pain and back to tight and then to neutral!
I don’t scare myself the way I did for years.
I pause.
I practice gratitude. I stop my thoughts gently and insist on choosing ease. I am becoming more and more stubborn on insisting that my mind regulate toward peace.
Not easy!
I observe. I listen to Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness for Beginners talk in my car often. I need beginners mind each day. If I think I have mastered this process, I get lazy and take my calm for granted.
I’m grateful to Alan and all of you for participating in our recovery together. I wish we could sit in a circle in some church basement like an AA meeting and have our Saturday chats. This will have to suffice for now. Thanks for listening.
 
JenInVA said:
I have done the Jon Kabat-Zin course (mindfulness for people suffering from chronic pain) and more recently a version that was adapted for people with anxiety and/or depression. It is really hard to keep practicing mindfulness every day, even for 5 minutes at a time, and also not to try to do something about what you notice you are feeling or thinking. Also, there's a lot of popular press stuff out there that gives a really wrong idea about what is supposed to happen when we meditate or practice mindfulness, like all the stress is supposed to melt away and we feel refreshed etc etc. Not usually, and that's fine. Anyhow, just wanted to say that I find the Headspace app has a nice approach, similar to what I learned in the courses, about just noticing and staying with things and that's it as far as mindfulness goes. It still doesn't make me do it daily, but it's easy to do when I do.
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Glad you mentioned headspace! I keep hearing about it- so will download today.
The best mindfulness teachers like Thich Nhat Hanh, Pema Chodron, Jack Kornfeld, Tara Beach and Jon Kanan-Zinn all remind us that it’s a practice. There is no permanent enlightenment - just a process of awakening over and over and over.
 
Alan Gordon LCSW said:
JJ, that's fantastic. Attending to these sensations - free of fear - is one of the nicest things you can do for yourself.

HS, as you pay attention to your anxiety, you gradually increase your capacity to tolerate anxiety. Keep it up, it gets easier.

Thank you, Plum. Most people - either with or without intention - ignore the anxiety in their body. This is the opposite of what we should be doing.

Michele, the goal is not having a goal. You're doing great. You're simply an observer, watching these sensations. With time, you're able to increase your capacity to tolerate anxiety, teaching your brain over time that these symptoms do not mean danger.



AC, insomnia is actually the consequence of general anxiety. I'll be answering the question you asked in tomorrow's post.
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A question, please, about somatic tracking, which I'm trying to accomplish: Can you ever do this so much that it becomes preoccupation with the pain instead of 'checking in'? It seems like in both instances, you're noticing the pain.
 
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