Day 6 Difficulty not seeing pain as damage to my arms

Im on day 6 now, recovering from "RSI"

The pain seems to be always on the move, if it isnt in my left arm, its in my right wrist, if not in my wirst it goes to my back, this in itself is proof that its TMS. Its ALOT less than a couple of weeks ago.

Ive also went to a back sepcialist and hand/wrist specialist, and they both couldnt see anything wrong.

However im still having trouble with not fearing the pain, and also when im behind the computer for an hour, the pain sometimes comes up, and then goes away later that day.

I still have this nagging feeling that its kind of unreal ( the diagnosis ) and the worry that maybe this is all a placebo and im still damaging my arms. ( while i read about the placebo, why its not the case with TMS, and a part of my mind accepts the TMS diagnosis )

How do you guys and gals deal with this? Somehow im so used to thinking that maybe my nerves are constricted or muscles are sore, and it seems that its not as easy as "just accepting that its not"

Maybe it gets better with time?

 

Hi Mike. Dr. Sarno's advice to resume normal activity and deal with the underlying psychological issued does at first seem counterintuitive. I sure had a hard time, thinking that I was hurting myself. But it demands a leap of faith, and I had tried so many other things that hadn't worked that I was willing to give this a shot.

Even now, after having recovered from at least two serious bouts of TMS pain, I still wonder when a new pain appears, "OK. Is there something structurally wrong, or is this TMS?" I'm to the point where I consider most things TMS, and proceed accordingly. That means dealing with whatever is bothering me, and talking to my subconscious.

Sarno says that in order to heal, we have to accept the diagnosis 100%. If you're not totally sure, try "acting as if" and see if that helps. It's the old "fake it until your make it" idea.

 

Hi Mike,
It's seems like you and I share the same symptoms. My pain is also on the move (hands, arms, neck, shoulders, back...) and my doctor didn't see anything physically wrong with me (a chiropractor told me I had a few issues witch my skeletic structure - but I didn't believe him : nobody has a perfect skeleton and there is no way I feel so much pain because of that!!)
I also fear from time to time that I am hurting myself while working (typing and drawing). It's not easy to feel pain and tell yourself it's going to be ok. I try to remember times where I've been painfree while working with my hands (doing the dishes, cooking, gardening). Why am I able to do these kind of activities with no pain, but feel pain when I am working on my computer ?
Also, It's been two months since I've started the TMS program and my condition has gotten better. I have some relapses, but they didn't seemed to happened after a long physical effort.
I try to use my logic to track the TMS. Also, when pain appears, I try to talk to my body and my brain (in my head, haha).

You said "Somehow i'm so used to thinking that maybe my nerves are constricted or muscles are sore". To me, my nerves ARE constricted and my muscles ARE sore, but the reason they are is not physical. The symptoms are physical, but the trigger isn't.

I'm sorry if this message isn't very clear, I wish I knew English better !

 

Hey Mike!
RSI person here too; I have EXACTLY that issue with fear, and I have only found one solution: keep doing it until the fear goes. I used to have a lot of typing related pain in my fingers (literally makes zero sense), and it mostly went away from a few sessions where I video gamed for literally 8 - 9 hours per day during a few days. The pain would pop up within my perception, and I would tell myself "This hurts, but I'm doing it anyway, so no use focusing on it". Well, it took me about 6 hours before things finally improved, but they did. For the next week, I would have nearly no pain at all, and even returned to playing some more hand intensive games.

With that said, that was when I did not journal. I was really happy, and able to game again for the first time in ages. One week later, I developed massive wrist pain, which I never had before. I sort of lost spirit then. Anyhow, lesson is, sheer exposure is most likely the best way to confront fear, particularly in TMS cases.

I do wonder if it can be done in more digestible chunks, but for me that's how it went.

 

Hey gigi,

Yeah i will keep that in mind, try to fake it till i make it, however im used to using the computer 10 hours a day, and that seems kind of my end goal, and i dont want to force anything or something so im trying to add 10 minutes of time every like 3 days.

Hey Sacha,
Your english seems fine, no problem to understand you ( english also isnt my native)

Good for you that youre making such progress! I agree with you, that its illogical that the pain is only when using the keyboard, ( in my case its using my phone / videogame controller / keyboard) But with all other activities i have no problem. I guess its just an unconcious trigger or something.

Yeah i know the feeling, it's just weird to have that different mindset, my whole life you have been learned that pain is a sign from your body that youre doing something wrong, so i figure that it takes a while to get a different mindset about it! The talking to my body and brain is something i should do more often, it seems nuts haha, but i guess unconcioussly it helps ;p

I wonder however, if you keep having oxygen deprivation in your muscles, and continue to use the computer, that the sore muscles will only get worse, but i guess thats a little far fetched ( i tend to overthink situations) on the other hand since ive started the treatment, after ive slept for a night my pain is almost gone if i experienced any the day before, so thats proof that your not really damaging anything

Hey Ftaghn,

That sounds great that you were able to play for 9 hours again, i am so missing the gaming, i used to play videogames for 14 hours a day, ( basically from when i was 10 up to age 24) Im starting to play videogames for half an hour a day now, and sometimes my wrist feels tight, but the pain is 70% less than a couple of months ago, at the end of the 30minute mark there are some dull shooting pains but nothing too bad. Im also reluctant to game for that long, my wrist isnt used to anything anymore for the last year, so i figure my wrist also need some time adjusting to the physical stress of moving your fingers nonstop for 10 hours haha.

That week later, when the pain started again, did it go away after that? I was also told by my physical therapist that before you start damaging your muscles etc, you have to really abuse them for insane periods of time ( like months) but im not so sure about that anymore as ive seen succes stories of people that the pain went away after years of pain after reading the book.

I will keep it in mind that exposure is positive, I think when you game for a couple of hours you kind of "have to" acknowledge that the pain is caused by triggers from your brain and not gaming.


By the way it's awesome to see some recognition from people, thanks!

 

Hi, Mike. It should give you comfort and encouragement that you are not alone. Others have posted about having similar symptoms and how they are not letting fear get them down. Steve Ozanich is one of the best examples of healing from multiple pain through belief oin TMS and playing golf despite the pain. He explains it real well in The Great Pain Deception.

Deep breathing and meditation helped me a lot to recover from back pain brought on by repressed emotions.

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:

 

Hey Walt,

Thanks for the info! I watched the videos, and with proof that it actually produces changes i will definitely work this meditation in my daily routine