Entrenched in TMS symptoms, advice needed :-(

Hi all,


This is my first post here and I really need advice.


I discovered Dr Sarno's healing back pain in July after suffering terrible back pain for 8 months after the birth of my daughter. The pain left me in hospital unable to walk, hold my daughter etc. and I felt really like it was the end of my life. After one month in a pain clinic which got me moving and reduced my pain about 15% I found doctor Sarno. My pain then dropped 50-60% on average and I was able to sleep through the night lying down and took no pain killers.

This was a big success and it lasted 4 weeks and just as I felt I was on the right track I got struck by high pain and fear and despite now knowing this is a normal part of the process I have been feeling stuck ever since.


My pain is no longer really activity dependent, but it is every day, sometimes more sometimes less. I do all my normal activities and the pain is sometimes high, sometimes low. It has even been exacerbated by other pains (migraines - I am a long-time sufferer, hip pain, stomach pains, eye ticks etc), which come and go.


I feel I have no idea how to get out of this cycle. I know I should not fear the pain, but I do and all that it has taken away, which is enjoyment of life. Despite knowing that fear is the problem, how do you stop being afraid of something that is so scary? I have been going through Alan's program but I keep feeling I do well not giving in to the fear only to relent to it after a few days and be back to square one again. I am also trying journaling but so far I don't identify a specific issue. I have a lot of events that could have triggered my pain, but what is perpetuating it I don't know.


Not wanting to be totally negative, I can say that....


1) I can sleep through the night laying down without pain

2) I am 100% physically active despite the pain

3) I have accepted my pain comes from psychological causes

4) I no longer take painkillers or antidepressants


My husband makes me remember this to see I am making progress.


Any help is so welcome!








Please help!!!

 

Hi and Welcome,
Good to see that the TMS approach made you a bit better, sorry to see you are stuck right now.
If you feel stuck despite doing all the stuff you describe, maybe it is wise to look for a psychologist (or if in the neighborhood, a TMS-therapist) to help you get in touch with any emotions or help you with the appliance of some of Alan's techniques. You can cut your own hair, but a hairdresser can reach places you can't see or reach well and has a lot of experience.... Also don't forget to check in with your medical doctor once and a while.
It is great that your husband supports you with this and you did well making that evidence list. Hope you find the way up again, take care!

 

Thanks for replying

I have just started psychotherapy and Alan has put me in touch with one of his therapists, so I hope this will help, but I wanted to share where I am right now I think to get a bit of hope that being stuck is ok and I will get out of it....eventually.

I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to see an improvement, which of course means more pain :-( and I find it hard not to let depression get in.

 

Great!!
Getting stuck is common for many people here and it can be frustrating, so hope that helps. Give it time and try to be patient, because I have the feeling that working with this therapist will help you find the way up again.

 

Yes, it's hard not to feel scared and depressed in your situation. I've been in the same situation myself. And as hard as it can be, it really helps when you can come to some level of acceptance of where you are at this moment.

You can and will improve, but right now you're a little stuck. But as you've identified, try not to let the fear and the thoughts of what you've missed and what you're missing consume you. It took me a while to get past all those thoughts myself (many months, if not a full year). But when I got to a point that sounds like where you are, where you're functional even though you still have daily pain, I really let go of a lot of it, which at least eliminated extra worry etc.

But I'm sort of stuck like you are now. So I still keep trying different things to dig into the deep emotional stuff, but have the same thoughts as you: "but what is perpetuating it, I don't know. " but I never give up hope, because if I've gotten as much better as I have, I know I can continue to get even "more better" ... and even "all better!"

I have found that being patient with where I am even if I am stuck at the moment has been important in helping to not exacerbate the pain.

Good luck!
PS, if you're interested in seeing other things I've done to dig into the emotions I talk about the different things I've tried that have helped on my website: www.healingfromchronicpain.com, under the "Treaments" tab (e.g., talk therapy, mindbody-based myofascial release, EMDR, somatic experiencing.) Some of these involve working with the physical body, but only in the context of knowing how our emotions are affecting it, so it has helped me let go of and release highly charged emotions and thus help reduce my physical pain.

Again, good luck!!

 

Give yourself a ton of compassion. Just the hormonal changes from giving birth is enough to make you feel vulnerable and offset emotional issues that create TMS.
Be proud of yourself for all the ways you have moved forward.
I would suggest writing journal pages about your parents. Often, giving birth brings buried emotions, including resentments, towards a woman's own upbringing. No one has to see them.

 

Thanks all for the advice

I'm working through the structured recovery programme and am trying some journalling through that. My biggest issue is the fear thought that it will never get better, which bullies me all the time, but I'm trying to have confidence from seeing all the other people that have/are recovering through this forum.