Day 34 "Extinction burst" and flamingoes

Rather than post on the frustrating or silly parts of this education programme, I want to bring 2 things together that I've lived through today.
I sat down to do my "SEPwork" with HUGE pain. I have been avoiding "doing" much today, because I feel completely shattered. I have been decorating a room at home, and I'm nearly finished 3 weeks in. I wonder how shattered I might have felt if I'd not had the pain anyway - is decorating exhausting for non-TMSers?
I resolved to NOT have any painkillers, and then started to read the article by Alan Gordon on breaking the pain cycle. Ha ha! I am already thinking in the right direction! Is this an "extinction burst"? I really hope so.
The other part of my story is that I sat down to watch "The Crimson Wing" a Disney film about the life of Flamingoes on lake Natron. It was a most beautiful film with a wonderful soundtrack! In part of the story the film-makers showed a little chick trying so very hard to walk about with the most enormous rock-hard salt shackles on his legs. The more he walked in the salty water the bigger they got. The commentary said that his chances of following the others as they marched off the salt-island were slim. I couldn't help but think that the parent flamingoes should have been there to peck these shackles off, or the species could have evolved to "teach" the chick that it could do the same. Neither of these things happened. And then I realised that TMS is just like that chick's shackles. We carry around this heavy weight of pain, but we still try really hard to be normal. Wherever we go, those shackles go - and all we have to do is peck them off! (Not literally!) Our parents may not be around to help us (perhaps they can't recognise there's a problem), and we don't know how we got into this mess. I guess this is the work we're doing. We're pecking away at those personality traits, childhood traumas and current stresses - and we WILL be free. I agree with Alan Gordon that cultivating a way of being "not-bothered" is the only way our shackles will go.
My pain has reduced just by writing this!

 

Hi Movingcloud:

You've redecorated how many rooms? Sounds like you are doing great in spite of the pain. I am finding that meds are best weened of gradually a lesson I learned earlier this week from my TMS MD. I love your analogy of the baby chicks. It's knowledge that makes this whole TMS thing turn around. There were so many things from my past that I was able to get out on the table with one foot in the past and one foot in the present in order to heal.

I also learned a new coping tool for negative thoughts today. I think of them as giant fireballs of energy going into outer space. Negative past thougths go to Neptune, negative present thoughts go to Pluto and negative future thoughts go to Juniper.

Keep at it, you are an inspiration to us all.

Susan

 

Hi Explorer,
What a great idea - shooting fireballs of energy into space! May I borrow it?
Did you see the pictures that Voyager brought back of all those amazing places you send your negative thoughts to? And its still going - to places far beyond.

 

Movingcloud:

Yes, please do go ahead and use it! I have seen the photos and watched documentaries on the black holes in space. Thanks exactly where those thoughts are going.

I also use the image of slamming shut my laptop as it types in the mental static. Of course none of it's true so why would I save it.

Hope you are well,
Susan

 

Sounds like a great idea..any relevance to the planets themselves or is it random ?

 

Just something I could remember. No rhyme or reason. Two N's, two P's and a J.

btw: Teenagers can bring out the best and worst in all of us. It is so much easier when they are little, but sometimes we are just too busy to notice the joy in it. Or at least I didn't in my case.

 

So true, Explorer. I see little ones now and just oogle over them

 

moving cloud this is a great metaphor-yes were picking away at the schakles-traits,conditioning
acceptance etc....
this is an awesome post-
its like the sponge and dropper that steveo talked about
thanks

 

great analogy,

 

:quote-explorer: (shooting fireballs into space)-cool

(i remember reading carniegie or peale)

......... a man was depressed and looking disfigured-i walked over to see if i coud help

and he said no use,my day is spent,my week is gone,

i havent had a thing to eat in three days-

well may i help you i asked?

no help in it reverand he replied-peale

so i sugesseted it was maybe his thoughts-

he looked and smiled ,saying fevorishly-if you believe that rev.

i asked him to walk to the edge of the rails for a moment-

he strugged his shoulders what else do i have to do-

i asled him to think about his life and if anything neg or hurtful or doubtful

pops up to throw it off the rails.ok! he said-closing his eyes i coild tell he was in deep thought

he started to cry and as he did i noticed a powerful being begin to form in my very eyes

after this episode-he turned looked at me and said thank you rev-ill have lots more to think about i know

but you showed me a way i can heal now-if i just threw the thoughts off the rails......i can overtime

-throw away alot more stuff...

a bewildered man at first/ but now he walked away with a new vigor,a hope that appeared at the mear suggestion of a concept he was never told.....until now.

(now i added plenty of emphasis but it was this type of story that relieved me of alot of tension)

when i began to practice...sometimes i put my doubts or worrys in jars-called miracle jars

and at the end of the month theres not 1 worry or doubt i really had to worry or doubt about......powerful releases...

 

Moving Cloud....where is the article buy Alan Gordon-Breaking the pain cycle?

 

Oh I found it under day 34 ! Thanks ! I read it and I am at the stage where the pain is moving and has left the lower back to the upper back, right side. I am self talking, telling it " Yes, that's right ... keep a - moving ! I am so on to you now." Then I think psychologically. Whats happening right now that my mind is processing uncomfortable thoughts ? Well, I came up with a lot of things that are out of my control that I must live through right now. Then I went back to telling my mind, "You can handle these things, pace yourself it will all get done."

Then I visualized the area of pain and outlined the shape of it in my mind. I colored it in with different colors...I saw it move to different shapes and it was easing. This pain taking different shapes and colors demonstrating to me, its a figment of my mind and giving me physical manifestations done without my conscious approval ! Consciously I can change the shape and colors or simply sit back and watch ! Sometimes when I color it in...all sensation within the outline stops...very amazing.

 

Thank you all, Explorer, Jilly and Eric for your insightful comments, and apols for not re-visiting this thread recently.
I especially love the idea of sending negative thoughts into space, or off a bridge - and I intend to try to colour my pain and watch it change. We've been working in Tai Chi on the spaces inside, how you can bring your whole awareness to feel them, how you can register tiny changes but most of all how you can just recognise that you need to "let go" or "settle". This has taught me that I seem to live my entire time with tension, and so I will add colors to the work on "moving and being - with much less effort".
Thank you all. Love and hugs.

 

Love & hugs back !

 

movingcloud:

Love the name. There is also a great way I found to release anxiety or worrisome future thoughts: put them in a balloon and send them away. Not mine, but a suggestion by Claire Weekes. Great book on anxiety....which is what fear is. I have a big week ahead and have been "concerned" over getting all the ducks in a row. Your post is a timely reminder of telling myself: no pain today thanks!

And Jilly: Don't forget that the only reaction we can control is our own. We can't make someone act or react in the way we want them to. But we can sit with the things we can control and visualize them getting better or going in the direction we want. This works. Takes some practice, but takes away (again) anxiety over a situation or when we feel overwhelmed.

Also morningcloud: what parts of the SEP do you find "silly and/or frustrating?" Many people on this board who have healed worked together on our program. Feedback as to what you found to be unhelpful may help us to reword or change something. But ultimately this was well thought out, takes us in a slow and positive direction of knowledge, and is still a work in progress. If you have suggestions: please speak up either here or PM me.

Thanks

BG

 

Thanks for all the great ideas for dealing with negative thoughts. It always amazes me how much help there is from all of you.