Eczema - Using a TMS approach

Dear All,

I've been following this forum and the wiki for a while now. After a few years of painful RSI, I managed to get rid of it completely using the techniques by Sarno and the wiki. It was amazing! Reading Sarno's books, I recognised a lot of other mind/body ailments I had throughout the years like IBS, back pain, hemorrhoids, and skin conditions - and I definitely recognised myself in the goodist and perfectionist.

I've been struggling with eczema as a child and during my teens. For the last ten years, I would get the occasional patch but nothing as overwhelming as before. In the last few weeks, I've decided not to 'attack' these patches with steroid cream anymore, and to see what happens. The eczema has returned, although by no means as bad as before. However, seeing it come back and feeling my skin itch immediately triggers a range of fears, and I find myself completely preoccupied with it.

I've had some quite disruptive family problems in the last few months, and my life at the moment is quite stressful - so I can see there is a link there. However, I feel myself being pulled to the 'dark side', where I read my symptoms physically. I've found myself thinking about what I could do, maybe change my diet, change my hormone intake (I stopped birth control a few months back), use a different cream etc.

I really want to embrace that this is TMS (particularly because I fit the descriptions so well) but I detect a resistance to embracing the TMS diagnosis. I would love to hear other people's journey with eczema - I saw that there were a few other posts about it, but I figured I would start a new one to see if there's people engaged in the same struggle - I think getting rid of my RSI was easier because there were so many success stories, and there's a bit less of them dealing with eczema.

Anyway, I am committed to go through the recovery program one step at a time - and I am fairly positive at the moment

Mia

 

Hi, Mia.

I had eczema as a teenager, as many do. My mother tried everything but nothing worked.
Then somehow she discovered oatmeal soap and got some at a department store.
I quickly healed. But the soap may only have been a placebo because I learned years later
after reading about TMS that I was repressing anger and feelings of insecurity because my
parents had divorced when I was seven. They remarried a year later but I was just a teen
and worried again for fear they would again divorce, always over not having enough money
despite both working.

I've been reading lately about the many benefits of coconut oil, one of which is for skin conditions.
Maybe it works, maybe it is just another placebo.

I think your eczema is from your stressful personal life, your perfectionism, and goodish personality.
I hope you will continue in the Structured Educational Program, but also oatmeal soap and/or
coconut oil. There are some good free videos on Youtube about coconut oil, oatmeal soap, and eczema home remedies.

Hope this helps, and let us know how you're doing.

 

Hi Walt,

Thank you very much for your reply! Incidentally, I just bought an oatmeal-based cream

For the last few days, I've been very aware of all the negative thoughts that surround my eczema ('will it ever go away?', 'should I look for a different solution?', 'are people noticing it?' etc) - and I've been trying to not be overwhelmed by these types of thoughts but actually catch them out: I know what you are trying to do, and it's not going to work! It's quite liberating and empowering to do this. I've also started journaling again, which helped me a lot when I was battling my RSI.

It's interesting that, at times, I can now look at my patches of eczema without immediately being emotional and desperate - I look at them, observe that they are there, but it doesn't immediately affect me. I hope that I can hold on to this calmness!

My parents divorced when I was young - I don't remember much of that time but I think it triggered a lot of rage and sadness that I could not feel consciously. After that, not being safe/or not having a safe environment where I could express myself completely became a running thread, so I guess my skin got angry for me!

All in all I still feel very positive, and I will try and give updates on my progress - I am still looking for more eczema success stories, so hopefully I can be one of them

 

Hi, Mia. My parents divorced when I was only 7 years old and I didn't realize it all my life but it left me with feelings of abandonment and insecurity.
I think that may be the cause of your pain. You may still be repressing anger and insecurity.

I hope you can do what I did and journal to better understand why your parents divorced and forgive them.