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Day 1 Getting started

Amory Clay

New Member
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
 
feeling slightly obsessive about reading and re-reading all the abundant material available on TMS

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