how can I know for sure ...

hopefuldan

New Member
In response to a TMS question about recovery, part of Dr. Schubiner's response is one's "ability to recognize the process as TMS and to clearly understand that there is no physical reason why they cannot get better". My question is, how do we know whether our symptom is TMS and not a physical issue. In my case, I have tinnitus (which Sarno lists as a TMS symptom), and I have been checked out by doctors and nothing was wrong with me (except normal hearing loss which most people my age (51) have). The problem is, I can never know for sure if I have TMS and not some structural problem. I can never fully "clearly understand there is no physical reason why cannot get better". Therefore am I doomed to fail this program? This program seems very much hinged on whether a person can accept that their symptom is not a result of a structural problem, but how can we ever know for sure?
 
I suffer from Tinnitus as one of my myriad of symptoms. I was born with less hearing than normal and have had tinnitus come and go for a few seconds /minutes at a time whilst growing up. Although around a year ago, it just started in one ear out the blue whilst lying in bed and then moved to the next. It has stayed ever since. What makes me convinced it is TMS is that it just switches ears at random. I would imagine if there was any damage/abnormality in either ear then it would be constant in that ear.

Is yours just restricted to one ear? Is it constant?
 
In response to a TMS question about recovery, part of Dr. Schubiner's response is one's "ability to recognize the process as TMS and to clearly understand that there is no physical reason why they cannot get better". My question is, how do we know whether our symptom is TMS and not a physical issue. In my case, I have tinnitus (which Sarno lists as a TMS symptom), and I have been checked out by doctors and nothing was wrong with me (except normal hearing loss which most people my age (51) have). The problem is, I can never know for sure if I have TMS and not some structural problem. I can never fully "clearly understand there is no physical reason why cannot get better". Therefore am I doomed to fail this program? This program seems very much hinged on whether a person can accept that their symptom is not a result of a structural problem, but how can we ever know for sure?

One of the central tenets of TMS theory as I see it is that if there is a physical problem, it will be obvious. An actual severing of a nerve, fracture, tumor or something else pretty major. If it's not obvious and medicine hasn't found anything clearly "wrong" you can safely assume it is TMS. Seems simple but you have to accept this in order to recover, I think.
 
You will only "know for sure" after you have recovered. Faith in the process is required. Believe you will recover, and you will.

You can overcome your doubts by continuing to acquire knowledge of TMS.
 
...I have been checked out by doctors and nothing was wrong with me...

That's how you know it's TMS, if numerous doctors find nothing wrong with you, then there is NOTHING structurally wrong with you! Then dollars to doughnuts you have TMS! Why do you NOT want to believe your doctors?
 
I just posted in the SEP forum (Day 4) about the worst thing any practitioner ever told me, and it was when, after seeing two podiatrists, having x-rays, sports massage, stretching, physio and probably praying to a harvest moon, that I went for an ultrasound and the doctor said he could see absolutely nothing wrong with the foot at all. I could've sobbed and driving home, actually did. But now, it makes sense.
 
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