Day 1 Getting started

I have not got a formal diagnosis but, having read Dr Sarno's book Healing Back Pain I think I am a prime candidate. I also completed Alan Gordon's Pain Recovery Programme and was pain free on Day 18 which was amazing. This has pretty much continued and I am now focused on getting rid of numbness in my feet, pins and needles in my legs and general stiffness and bad habits. I have an appointment booked to try to get a diagnosis although I do already have a negative MRI scan i.e. found no cause for my pain of 38 years

 

Still doing pretty well - feeling slightly obsessive about reading and re-reading all the abundant material available on TMS but feel it is well worth it. I still limp - and am guessing this will go if I keep at it. I did go to the gym and did some gentle exercise - it didn't take long for my heart rate to read as way too high so am taking care

 

It's very easy to get consumed by the recovery programs for TMS. Just do your best to move through the program in a "low-pressure" way, and try not to worry about completing it in a certain amount of time, or feeling better by a certain date. There will be ups and downs, but the idea is to teach you life-long strategies to overcome your symptoms, including the fear they create. Great job with your initial success and keep up the good work!

 

I think I've had exercise anxiety all my life - except for when I was having fun (skiing and backpacking, in particular). When my TMS reached its crisis point in 2011 (saved by discovering Dr. Sarno and this site) I could go into a full-blown panic attack complete with hyperventilation just by walking briefly up a hill (of which we have many in Seattle). And my brain STILL wants to go there when I'm outside, getting to a destination or to my car or whatever - and yet at the gym, I can now maintain a good jog for five minutes on the treadmill, with a slight incline, and feel nothing but exhilaration. I think because I perceive it as a safe environment, right?

Our brains are just weird.

 

Thanks for that, I realise I have some work to do on addressing my notion of 'should'!

 

One of the founding members of the forum and wiki frequently advised "Don't should on yourself"