The program said I could journal my doubts today for the activity, which is a really good idea!
So I do believe in TMS, or something like it, even if Sarno didn't have all the details right. Otherwise these techniques wouldn't have worked for so many people. What I'm not sure about is if TMS is just a blanket explanation for all pain, or in particular my RSI pain.
What got me started on learning about TMS was Sarno's book Mind Body Prescription. This book mostly talked about back pain, and had a little tiny section on RSI, giving me the impression that Sarno didn't have much experience with it, just sort of assumed it was always part of TMS. Now I know some people have cured RSI with TMS techniques but not everybody. I have read a lot of people have cured it with some kind of stretching or exercise.
My RSI seemed to have such a clear connection from me totally overusing my hands on videogames and also my data entry job. And the fact that it has lasted seems plausible since I played/worked through the pain for 4 months before giving it a serious shot at rest (quitting my job). My hands have also gotten much better since then, it's been 3 and a half months. Though it still is taking a really annoyingly long time, I did work through the pain for way longer than you are supposed to (if you rest right when you feel pain, most people don't get RSI that lasts).
Sarno's book has a psychologic profile about people who get TMS, perfectionists and goodists I think. A lot of people who cure TMS say they feel a crazy feeling as the see themselves on every page. I didn't really feel that way, of course I feel somewhat connected as I like doing well and helping others, but pretty much everyone does that, and I don't feel obsessive of it. Especially the past couple years, I have been feeling way too down on myself and depressed to care much about being perfect or being a goodist.
One thing that is really weird about my hands that I never noticed before, which my physical therapist noticed, is my hands are really crunchy. If you dig a nail into my palms or parts of my fingers, it feels crunchy and so weird. My therapist says its tons of little scar tissues. This makes me think my hands are messed up.
Another thing that gives me doubts is that while my hands have been getting better since learning about TMS, they were getting better anyways. I can't tell if I'm just doing the right activities with my hands or TMS is helping. It doesn't seem to be getting better any faster.
Something kind of random is I remember somebody somewhere on the internet saying that they got RSI and at first cured it with Sarno, but then it came back and cured it with some combo of exercises.
Now there are some things that do make me think it's TMS as well. One thing is I quit an extremely stressful job right before getting RSI, so maybe since my brain couldn't make me feel shitty with regular brain stress, it gave me TMS hand pain. Another is sometimes the pain would move around or go away and come back when it didn't make sense. Like I had palm pain that would come and go even while overusing my hands during the 4 month period I worked through the pain, and then during my resting period in the 3 months since it has come and gone as well which didn't really make sense.
Anyways if anyone has any experience with any of these doubts I'd love to hear about it! Thanks.
So I do believe in TMS, or something like it, even if Sarno didn't have all the details right. Otherwise these techniques wouldn't have worked for so many people. What I'm not sure about is if TMS is just a blanket explanation for all pain, or in particular my RSI pain.
What got me started on learning about TMS was Sarno's book Mind Body Prescription. This book mostly talked about back pain, and had a little tiny section on RSI, giving me the impression that Sarno didn't have much experience with it, just sort of assumed it was always part of TMS. Now I know some people have cured RSI with TMS techniques but not everybody. I have read a lot of people have cured it with some kind of stretching or exercise.
My RSI seemed to have such a clear connection from me totally overusing my hands on videogames and also my data entry job. And the fact that it has lasted seems plausible since I played/worked through the pain for 4 months before giving it a serious shot at rest (quitting my job). My hands have also gotten much better since then, it's been 3 and a half months. Though it still is taking a really annoyingly long time, I did work through the pain for way longer than you are supposed to (if you rest right when you feel pain, most people don't get RSI that lasts).
Sarno's book has a psychologic profile about people who get TMS, perfectionists and goodists I think. A lot of people who cure TMS say they feel a crazy feeling as the see themselves on every page. I didn't really feel that way, of course I feel somewhat connected as I like doing well and helping others, but pretty much everyone does that, and I don't feel obsessive of it. Especially the past couple years, I have been feeling way too down on myself and depressed to care much about being perfect or being a goodist.
One thing that is really weird about my hands that I never noticed before, which my physical therapist noticed, is my hands are really crunchy. If you dig a nail into my palms or parts of my fingers, it feels crunchy and so weird. My therapist says its tons of little scar tissues. This makes me think my hands are messed up.
Another thing that gives me doubts is that while my hands have been getting better since learning about TMS, they were getting better anyways. I can't tell if I'm just doing the right activities with my hands or TMS is helping. It doesn't seem to be getting better any faster.
Something kind of random is I remember somebody somewhere on the internet saying that they got RSI and at first cured it with Sarno, but then it came back and cured it with some combo of exercises.
Now there are some things that do make me think it's TMS as well. One thing is I quit an extremely stressful job right before getting RSI, so maybe since my brain couldn't make me feel shitty with regular brain stress, it gave me TMS hand pain. Another is sometimes the pain would move around or go away and come back when it didn't make sense. Like I had palm pain that would come and go even while overusing my hands during the 4 month period I worked through the pain, and then during my resting period in the 3 months since it has come and gone as well which didn't really make sense.
Anyways if anyone has any experience with any of these doubts I'd love to hear about it! Thanks.
Sorry if it's a bit rambly