Does TMS ever go away completely?

I'm just wondering if anyone has any success stories of having been "cured" of their TMS symptoms. Is it actually possible? My observation has been that the vast majority of people simply have to learn to "manage" their symptoms but it never actually goes away. It seems one would have to rid themselves of fear and anxiety altogether and never again repress their emotions, which sounds pretty much impossible. Any thoughts?

 

There is no cure for being human so throughout your life you will experience the whole range of emotions and sometimes it will get covered up by anxiety. Sometimes anxiety will be expressed in the body. Sometimes you will catch a cold or cut yourself or get the hiccups or get a pimple as well. I'll bet you don't sit around worrying about those things do you? It's the same with TMS. You will know it's just TMS which is just anxiety, and take it as a message from the body. You will know what to do and it will go as quickly as it came. I worry about TMS , as little as I worry about a cold. If it happens I know it will pass. I don't have to "manage" symptoms and I never do. I also don't have to "manage" anxiety. I'm the one creating it, it's part of life, and when it arises, I deal with it. You will know when you are "healed", when you stop worrying about it and stop searching for treatments and stop limiting activities. It's a state of mind of freedom and no fear. That's it. There is no cure for, or "managing of" being human. It just is...

 

Yes, it can. Yet as miffybunny explained so well, it is part of being human. It ebbs and flows depending on what's happening in your life and how you view it and deal with it.

But also depending on what negative mental and emotional habits you have. They can act as triggers to create tension and pain. I call them TMS triggers.

If you replace those with positive mental and emotional habits, you can expects to have much fewer symptoms. First you need to become aware of what your TMS triggers are. Here's a questionnaire I have developed that can help you determine what you triggers and are

Questionnaire | rapidrecovery (fredamir.com)

In my forthcoming book, I give five steps that remedy those triggers. You can read an excerpt here.

Excerpt | rapidrecovery (fredamir.com)

Most importantly, it is your mindset. Will you be a victim of TMS or take charge and take action in the direction of better health and living life to the fullest.

Take care.

 

In my experience TMS symptoms do completely go away. However, they don't stay away. It's easy to fall back into old patterns and defenses. TMS is the sign I've gotten off track.

 

You may find it hard to believe, but each one of those who responds to your question was able to fully recover and return to normal life. Most of us who succeeded, in fact, enjoy a much better life now than before our severe TMS. We came out of it with the knowledge that helps us to quickly overcome inevitable occasional flare-ups without letting them overpower us. The idea of "managing pain" comes from the pain management clinics. It is all nonsense. You have to aim at defeating your pain.

Something that I absolutely recommend each newcomer to this site is a daily dose of reading posts on the Success Stories forum. The more you read it, the more you believe that you too can beat your pain. When I myself was in desperate doubts, I spent hours reading success stories and learning from those who succeeded.

 

Hi Fred,

In an excerpt from your book you say:

"Another client forgot her wallet at a coffee shop. Once at work she realized what had happened. Her coworker was panicking and mentioning all the bad things that could happen, from charges on her credit card to identity theft. But my client was not worried at all. Actually, she was quite excited about it. When she returned to the coffee shop and asked the manager about her wallet, he immediately presented her with it. She saved a lot of worry and stress by staying excited..."

...But how would she have stayed 'excited' if her wallet hadn't been handed in intact and it turned out that her identity had actually been stolen (like her colleague had predicted)?...How would she have stayed 'excited' about dealing with the repercussions of that? I'm all for thinking/hoping that when you notice your wallet's missing it'll turn up safe and not catastrophising about outcomes when you don't know what's actually happened and not balking against things that you cannot change and have or need to do to sort things out (as balking causes unnecessary suffering)...but how one can actually and truly feel 'excited' about - and whilst dealing with - all the phone calls and form filling etc., associated with experiencing serious fraud, is beyond me. (I've downloaded your latest book on to my kindle...in the hope that all will be revealed!)

 

Excellent questions!

It is simply a matter of training your positive mental and emotional muscles to get stronger day after day. Once you train them, like you would your biceps, for example, you can lift heavier stuff and handle more stressful situations with excitement and enthusiasm--just like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Thomas Edison. That's what I have seen happen in my life and lives of my clients. It's truly transformative. It does require daily practice for a few weeks, after that it becomes a part of your mental and emotional habit, the same way that for some people worrying, negative thoughts, pessimism is part of their mental and emotional habit. Just follow the steps I outline in the book and you will see results.

 

Mmmm...I can see that one can train oneself out of the habits of catastrophising, pessimism, worrying and negative thought patterns and to handle such things that happen to one (like identity theft) in a matter of fact way, but to be 'excited' about it - that has to be just lying to oneself.

 

The excited thing mostly works for things like public speaking or interviews

 

I became aware of TMS in 2017. I was in pain for several years prior to that. Since discovering TMS, I've consistently battled symptoms in one form or another. For quite a while, it was back pain and migraines. Than those went away and I thought to myself "I'm finally free!" just to realize oh wait, nevermind, it simply converted to anxiety and depression. Than it became skin problem and allergies, than back to anxiety and depression, than gut problems, than carpal tunnel, than I had a bout of occipital neuralgia, than back to depression and anxiety which currently does not want to go away, except now I'm being diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder. My point is, it never goes. Ever. More than that, my brain simply finds new creative ways to torment me. It never has a shortage of tricks up its sleep.

 

Mental/emotional disorders and physical pain are connected vessels. You need to start with mental health. Unless you figure out how to tame your anxiety, OCD and depression, you will never get rid of TMS, as your brain is the source of all the troubles. Have you worked with a TMS psychologist? Are you meditating? Are you journaling? How consistent are you with your practice?

 

I have ASD so my nervous system is naturally oversensitive and predisposed to high levels of anxiety. The only thing I know to help bring it under control is to take medication. I would trade an arm and a leg to see a TMS practictioner but I don't think there are any around here where I live. I journal everyday and practice mindfulness.

 

Every TMS practitioner nowadays works remotely. I used to rely on Xanax, too. Until I had to increase the dose, and then again. I used to not believe in meditation, until I became a believer. Meditation is the only way to heal your nervous system and get off drugs. I don't know what your mindfulness practice amounts to, but for me it took daily hour to hour and a half meditation for couple months before I started seeing improvements.

 

This is a comment for miffybunny. Your answers are always professional, caring and intelligent. I always read anything written by you and I never fail to be impressed. Incredible knowledge and an amazing way to deliver a message. Bravo girl.
Lynn from Toronto Canada

 

Thank you so much @LMB ! That is so kind of you to say and it means a lot to me!

 

There are certain things that simply work even if it may feel like you are lying to yourself. Here's an email from one of my clients that I quote in Vanquish Stress ;
”It was an awesome day today! I woke up feeling aches in my neck but got on with my day and listened to my motivational videos in the car and did my strong-and-powerful, leading-to-something-great mantra in the car anyway. As I was driving, I noticed that the car in front of me had a license plate that said GR8TFL. I immediately felt ‘grateful’ for all the good things in my life and knew it wasn’t an accident. By the time I got to work, I was feeling much more positive and ready to start my day. Several times during the morning, my pain attempted to distract me and I punched it and told it, it was making me stronger. I wasn’t sure if I believed it 100 percent, but I did it anyway. I even did my power stance in the bathroom at work once, LOL. By the time I got home from work, I was supercharged with positive energy—it felt great! I played with my kids and enjoyed every moment of it. Then my husband and I watched Rocky together. Such a great day! Thanks, Fred!”

I highlighted the part where she says she was not sure she believed it because like anything new it will feel a bit awkward. Once you immerse yourself in it and practice it daily you will notice the improvements in your mood, sleep, energy level, and how you deal with daily challenges, then you will be more motivated to continue and reach even higher levels of health. This is one of five the steps I explain in my book that have helps my TMS clients stay pain-free.

 

Have you ever looked into Faldenkrais therapy for ASD?

 

So, am I correct in inferring from this that you're saying that one should be 'excited' when having to deal with such things as identity theft because it can always 'lead-to something-great'?

 

I say you have a choice how to respond emotionally and mentally to every situation, including identity theft.

As I wrote in Vanquish Stress, "This strategy can help you achieve the following:

• Calm the stress response.
• Feel in control and secure.
• Increase your energy.
• Reduce negative thoughts, worry, sadness, anxiety, or depression significantly.
• Become more positive and optimistic.
• Enhance your brain’s information processing capabilities.
• Broaden your mental vision to see more solutions and possibilities.
• Keep yourself resilient and determined to continue moving forward and solve your problems.

As you stay excited and keep facing and solving problems, you will do this:

• Learn and grow more.
• Make better decision and fewer mistakes.
• Stay in the present by focusing on the now instead of the past.
• Increase your confidence and take more action to accomplish more.
• Become a problem solver and a leader, at home and at work.
• Become creative, optimistic, positive, and enthusiastic. You will be unstoppable.

And as you apply this strategy daily, you will discover many other benefits for yourself.

Apply the strategy as I describe it in the book a couple of weeks and see what happens.

 

I've never heard of it.