Dreams

It's been an interesting week. I've sort of fallen off this program because I'm reading Unlearn Your Pain by Howard Schubiner and that seems to really be helping my brain...

At any rate, the past two nights have been interesting in terms of my unconscious mind absorbing some of this stuff.

For months, I've had to sleep on my back with my feet raised because if I sleep on either side (my preferred way to sleep), I get unbearable foot pain/cramps. It makes no sense, but there you have it. Needless to say, my sleep hasn't been very good because of this odd and uncomfortable position I've been sleeping in.

But the past two nights, I have been fighting this in my sleep. Somewhere between sleeping and waking or even in my dreams, I seem to be fighting this notion. Two nights ago, my half-asleep brain decided that this was BS. It decided that I should just go ahead and sleep however I wanted, in my natural position. And that my feet would be fine. I would be fine. And so I did--and so I was. I was fine. My feet were fine! They didn't fall off, as it were!

The next night, I had strange dreams about hiking in gum boots, and I had conversations with people in my dreams about my feet and how there was really nothing wrong with them. And I slept on my side and woke up more or less fine. My feet were fine. They were fine.

So this morning I wondered if some of these readings and journalling and whatnot have started to sink into my unconscious mind. I felt very uplifted by this prospect.

I have also stopped icing my feet. I have been icing them for months and it really only provides temporary relief and is otherwise pointless. In fact, I think it's keeping me focused on my feet. So I stopped on Sunday. It's been five days and I have not died. My feet are fine. Yes, there's still plenty of pain, but there's not more pain...there's simply no difference. So why ice them? They are not inflamed or swollen.

This process is slow and sometimes so discouraging, but I feel a small shift in my brain, so that's motivation to keep going.

 

Nice, Mountain Girl! For an amazing account of recovery from foot pain (actually, the word "pain" is an understatement) did you read this amazing success story?
http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/cant-believe-im-a-success-story-feet-pain-15-years-90-gone.17128/#post-90504 (Can't believe I'm a SUCCESS story - Feet pain 15 years 90% gone!!)

 

Thanks, Jan, just reading her wild story now...

 

It's so exciting to hear about successes!
Thanks for sharing. JBG

 

Hi again,

I'm looking at copies of Unlearn Your Pain. Reviewers say it's a workbook. Is there a book and a workbook or just one? Also, the prices vary widely. Did you pay around $25.00 for it? thanks for any info you can share. JBG

 

It's both a book and a workbook. The author has another book called Unlearn Your Anxiety and Depression. So Unlearn Your Pain and Unlearn Your Anxiety and Depression each have five chapters, which you can buy separately or with the workbook. However, the workbook is the same for both, so you should only buy the workbook once. That is why the prices vary. I highly recommend getting the workbook, but obviously don't buy it twice!

I've been reading his book and started the workbook recently and I have felt significant changes/improvement. There's something so logical about how he explains our brains that it just clicks with me.