How do I break my obsession with TMS symptoms

[Forest]

One of the biggest problems with having chronic pain is that it completely consumes our attention. When we are symptomatic all we think about is how much we hurt. During the brief times we do not have pain, all we think about is when will it come again. These thoughts, of course, only distract us and feed our TMS. I was combing through the wiki today and found this terrific Q&A with an Expert question that addresses this issue. It is answered by TMS therapist, Barbara Kline.

the question is "I find myself obsessed with my symptoms sometimes. How do I break that obsession?"

Your question is something everyone with TMS faces. It is what makes your pain so powerful a distraction. Underneath those obsessions is some pretty intense fear. Outwardly, it can be fear that you might "re-injure" yourself if you "do too much." It can also be fear that "maybe I really do have something physically wrong." If you have been checked out by an M.D. and nothing serious was found (such as cancer), you can use Dr. Sarno's method to treat the symptoms and ignore those obsessive thoughts. One way to do this is to consciously replace that negative thought with a positive one.

If you are saying to yourself, "this symptom will never go away, I'm never going to get better." You need to change that using the daily affirmations that Dr. Sarno lists in his book (Healing Back Pain) and on the Wiki. There are many good tools listed on the TMS Wiki under "so you think you have TMS." It might sound foolish but talking to your brain really does work. Getting angry at those negative thoughts will put them in their place. However, to extinguish them completely it is necessary to replace them with positive ones. Another tool is to find something you feel passionate about and engulf yourself in this. Your brain cannot dwell on the symptom if it is busy trying to learn something new or figure out a problem. If this doesn't help then seeing a psychotherapist who believes in TMS can help you uncover the covert fears that are really the problem.

What is going on in your life that you are really afraid of? What is trying to emerge from your subconscious that is so terrifying that your brain has produced the symptoms and the fear to distract you from going there? Think about any conflict you might be facing at this time or anger or resentment you might be repressing. Getting past the fear is usually the biggest hurdle you will face and those obsessive thoughts are keeping you afraid. You can get better and you will get better. You have already taken the first step.

Barbara Kline is a licensed, certified, clinical social worker (LCSW-C) in the state of Maryland. She has a keen interest in mind/body medicine and specializes in working with clients suffering from chronic (non-cancerous) pain syndromes including back, neck, & shoulder pain; fibromyalgia, and other musculoskeletal disorders. She says "Having had a severe case of TMS myself, I'm pretty much an expert as I researched everything possible on the subject and was cured using Dr. Sarno's method. I also have had extensive coursework in the psychology of TMS.

 

[veronica73]

Ah, obsession! I had so many TMS symptoms when I first read Mindbody Prescription...headaches, TMJ disorder, various foot & leg problems, eye lid twitching/tic...most of them went away pretty quickly except headaches. Headaches have remained the one symptom that scares me and that I am likely to obsess about. I realized that for me this is because I grew up seeing my dad have really debilitating headaches. He was always driven, perfectionist, invincible (to me) but he would have these headaches that would completely knock him down, so it my mind headaches become THE symptom to fear. So in addition to breaking the pattern of obsession, I have had to look at WHY I am obsessing about this particular symptom, and knowing why has been helping to diminish the fear...and then the obsession is less too.

 

[dabatross]

One of the biggest problems with having chronic pain is that it completely consumes our attention. When we are symptomatic all we think about is how much we hurt. During the brief times we do not have pain, all we think about is when will it come again.

This is so true. I could definitely use some help with getting rid of the obsession over the symptoms. I think most people who feel pain on a daily basis can relate to it consuming your attention all the time and amplifying the pain you feel.