Hello Everyone

[MyofascialManiac]

Hello, it's been a really long time since I've posted. I have made some really great progress so I wanted to check back in with a report. I suffered from severe chronic neck and upper back pain for four years - probably because it was mistakenly diagnosed as myofascial pain syndrome due to an overuse injury by my primary doctor (I sit at a desk in front of a computer for 8 hours each day). I bought into this medical diagnosis and through programming everytime I sat at my desk my pain would come on and I would be in agony by end of each day. I eventually found Sarno's books and learned about TMS. Unfortunately, just reading about it did not cure me. I found so much information in the books about the TMS diagnosis, but very little information on how to actually treat it. I did Dr. Schubiner's "Unlearn Your Pain" program - it was useful in identifying some of my core "issues" etc., but the pain continued. I see the reason for this as twofold - I wasn't buying into the TMS diagnosis 100% - there was always a part of me that believed I may actually have myofascial pain syndrome since sitting for long periods always hurt. 100% acceptance of TMS diagnosis represented half my battle. The second is that I was spending all my energy trying to figure out what was being repressed into my subconscious mind that could be causing this. The correct thing to do for me instead was to deal with my negative emotions as they arose on a daily basis. I believe that my TMS was due to unexpressed emotions instead of some hidden repressed emotions I wasn't aware of. I learned how to do this by reading the book "The Sedona Method" by Hale Dwoskin. Amazing! Effective and simple method to learn (and use) to identify and release negative emotions as you experience them including apathy, grief, fear, anger, etc. A combination of acceptance of TMS diagnosis and learning to let go of negative feelings was the key for me!

 

[Forest]

Hi MyofascialManiac and Welcome back

It is great to hear that you are doing so much better. As you have now learned accepting the diagnosis is the number one key to recovering. If you can't accept that the cause of your symptoms is psychological issues, then you will continue to think physical and focus on your symptoms. I don't know if I would really call the cause of TMS as hidden repressed emotions. Instead, I think unexpressed emotions is slightly better. The main reason is that if you think they are hidden emotions, you may try to focus all of your energy on uncovering some key emotion or event in the past that will bring a wave of enligntenment over you and heal you. If you call it simply repressed or unexpressed emotions you will be more likely to be more allowing and accepting of your emotions.

You mentioned that you read Sarno's books and that just reading it didn't cure you. When Sarno says that knowledge is the cure, he isn't saying to read a whole bunch of books. A lot of people read every book they can find and hope that they will come across something that will turn on a light and immediately cure them. The problem is that in TMS a book doesn't cure you. You cure yourself of TMS. You can read one TMS book over and over again as a way for the message to sink into your unconscoius and break your views that your symptoms have a strucutral cause. But don't rely on it to cure you. Recovering from TMS requires that you do the work and take an active role in your recover. It sounds like when you did that you started to have major progress.

It is great to see you put everything together and getting better.

 

[Eric "Herbie" Watson]

MyofascialManiac)- The correct thing to do for me instead was to deal with my negative emotions as they arose on a daily basis

Eric)- I couldn't agree more

MyofascialManiac ) - I believe that my TMS was due to unexpressed emotions instead of some hidden repressed emotions I wasn't aware of

Eric)- I believe its due to unexpressed emotions and repressed emotions which are basically the same in two categories-
1) The unexpressed emotion is just something you want or need to do
but you wont or you need so badly to but you wont- so you have un-expression.
2) The repressed emotions are the ones we never faced from our future and our present and the
futuristic thoughts of those horrors or past hurts or conditionings so we try not face them, repression.

MyofascialManiac)- Its joining forces to take control on these two levels that heal.
A combination of acceptance of TMS diagnosis and learning to let go of negative feelings was the key for me!

Eric)- That's the main thing, you got it. I got to check out the Sedona method

 

[Wiser now]

Hi Myofascial Maniac-
I just had to comment on your post because it sounds EXACTLY like what I had and what I went through. It was like reading my own post with my symptoms and recovery. The books you mentioned are the ones that helped me the most too. I suffered on and off almost 20 years w/ upper back and neck pain (but have recovered!) and was diagosed w/myo pain syndrome along with every other back ailment you can imagine that I believed was due to an injury. I too, used to work at a computer and would literally panic every morning when I sat down to work waiting for the arrival of pain. I spent many years also trying to "figure out" what it was I was not dealing with emotionally that had been buried in my subconcious. I am a goodist always trying to please people and alot of my problem was that I would get angry and be mad for several days and being tense like that fueled the pain. The Sedona method taught me to learn to release it instead when the upset feelings happen instead of being upset for a week. What also helped me like what you mentioned is that I was only 95% convinced, not 100% like Dr Schubiner said. There was and is still a part of me that will try and blame it on something structural when the pain comes. I would quit doing my back exercises, my back would flare up and I would tell myself it was because I quit doing them rather than looking at what was going on in my life.

The mind is incredibly tricky and I went through that cycle on and off for years. Another flag was when I went to physical therapy and my trainer taped up my back and the pain literally went away in 5 minutes and I was pain free until he took the tape off at the next session. There is no way that could happen if it was structural. I was using the tape as a crutch and realized what my tricky little brain was doing it again. What finally helped is when I threw my exercise bands in the trash and everytime my back hurt asked myself "what is going on with me now" or I would just ignore it or talk back to it. Sounds like you're doing great, I really think that those of us w/TMS just have more advanced brains/thought processes and it just take time to reprogram them and understand how they work and that we are in control!
Keep up the great thinking!
Wiser now

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

Hi, Wiser Now. You sure did yourself a favor by throwing away the back tape. It was just a placebo. The physical therapist told you it would make your back feel better and it did. Now just get rid of the remaining 5 percent doubt about your back being TMS-related and you're on your way to being 100 percent pain free. Steve Ozanich says we have to believe 100 percent in our pain being caused by TMS or it won't go away. "All or nothing" he says.

And he also says forget the pain. Be active, enjoy life, and to heck with any pain. Be happy and you will feel better. Laugh the pain away.