Figuring some things out

I was listening to a group call in I ran across on a post by Forrest. In the call in Steven Conenna was the guest. He made a point about journaling. Find the emotion that's causing stress, the look for the emotions attached to the emotion (It made sense when He said it)

Now I hadn't journaled in a couple weeks because I for the life of me just couldn't figure out what I could be keeping back. I had been looking and looking into my past, and then I started focusing on more current stressors yesterday. I got the journal back out and just wrote about everything that I've been holding back (mainly about one person in my life).. When I finished, my face felt warm , my legs tingled and I felt better. I had to run to the store and I had my 2 year old son with me, and we went all over the place and while I wasn't 100% I could feel a difference..

From the call in, Steve C made another point that I hadn't felt until this.. When you hit an emotion that makes your symptoms relieve in any way, this should be a positive because it should reinforce the diagnosis (I have been struggling with accepting the diagnosis, even though I had found relief in the past using Sarno)

I've continued with focusing on this emotion and I'm thinking I'm on to something.. When I first found relief a few years ago, I journaled 4 days and never really addressed any emotional work. I just accepted the diagnosis and got better. It's no surprise that the symptoms returned because my stress factor has been staring me right in the face and has centered around both times the pain has arrived, (both times I've had physical triggers that set things off so I've gone physical both times)

What's even crazier to me is that I've had this one spot that would flare up off and on, but instead of trying to solve it, I just ignored it. It would return and then I would get it down by switching my focus. It came back with vengeance this time and attached to a physical trigger. If I could remember whenever this one spot has flared up I bet my stress level over this one thing was involved.

I know this has been a long post, but has anyone else found any success this way? I never found real emotions that caused it, I just assumed it was my OCD and I accepted that to be the cause. The warm sensations I had yesterday through me for a loop. I really hope I'm on the right track.

Is this something I should keep digging into when I journal?

 

Given your success so far, I'd advise you to continue. I'm so glad for your "aha!" Moment and your positive results. Way to go!
Funny how sometimes what someone says really strikes a chord, isn't it?