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Day 17 Fear attacks

PhillipAndr

PhillipAndr

Peer Supporter
Hi all - I thought of posting here my progress and also the challenges I've been facing lately to see if perhaps I can get some perspectives.

After the second week, I felt like I was on fire. Fully brainwashed (in a positive way) and confident about it all. A few things happened though and some of my symptoms came back. My fear response kicked in and I got a bit into a panic mode - saying to myself that I was trapped, that this may never go away, that I am defective, etc.. I know.. not useful.

I feel like I've been getting back to my centre by doing some grounding exercises, but I'm still feeling a bit fearful. I was in such a confident state. I am feeling fearful again that my symptoms may come back and I stopped doing certain activities that tend to make them arise.

Perhaps I push myself too early, too soon? Maybe I could be taking an incremental approach to come out of my comfort zone?

I will continue with the program and see how things go. Any type of advice would be welcomed.

Thanks,

Felipe
 
I think a common mistake most of us make early on is that once we feel significant improvement we think to ourselves "I made it. I'm done now." But TMS recovery is about a new way of thinking and being that takes daily commitment, monitoring and practice. We are never done. There is no finish line. You are doing a good job of monitoring your thinking and realizing you are in a fear state. Keep addressing your thinking and emotional state without overreacting and your symptoms will lessen again. You are on the path to recovery and it is never a straight line.
 
Felipe,

I’m there with you. I want to feel better so badly. I want this to go quicker! I still even wish it never happened. I am noticing that the healed ones on this forum all have a sense of calm and they are like advanced souls. They have learned on the journey. I guess that’s where we are right now—like it or not—on the learning part.
 
@PhillipAndr, (and I know that @Diana-M knows about this) the "symptom imperative" (a term that Dr. Sarno came up with) is a very common experience for anyone doing this work, and it is especially strong - and unnerving for those just starting out. It is also, if you step back and think about it rationally, strong proof of the psychological source of symptoms.

Nicole Sachs has a phrase, "wearing it lightly" where "it" is your condition or your symptoms or your stressors, or whatever it is that your brain desperately wants to latch onto in order to keep you worried and on the alert for danger.

Remind yourself regularly that catastrophizing is not helpful, and therefore not an option.

And this is well worth repeating:
Ellen said:
TMS recovery is about a new way of thinking and being that takes daily commitment, monitoring and practice. We are never done. There is no finish line. You are doing a good job of monitoring your thinking and realizing you are in a fear state. Keep addressing your thinking and emotional state without overreacting and your symptoms will lessen again. You are on the path to recovery and it is never a straight line.
Click to expand...

Be kind to your poor fearful brain, and as Nicole also says, always practice kindness and patience for yourself.
 
Also available on ALL the podcast platforms!

You can't go wrong listening to Nicole - I always say her podcasts feel like a private therapy session with her (something she no longer does!)
 
Hi all - thanks for your messages. They are really useful. Yes, I think I went on the path of oh great it's all in my head now I'm free. Then the universe threw me a massive challenge to tell me that it's not as easy as I thought! I'll start doing ice-baths to see if that helps retrain the fear-pain response that I get.

Thanks so much again!!
 
I think the key to remember when this happens is that it’s all just another opportunity to practice the skills, so that when needed, you remember what to do!
 
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