How do I get my brain on board believing this is 100% TMS?

[Goldy]

I'm all in for TMS and have been for five months. I'm staying on track, and my life right now is about TMS and living a normal life and exercising. I tell everyone I'm doing well even though I'm still having symptoms, and I try to keep my brain thinking psychologically...but I haven't convinced myself that this is 100% TMS. I am believing little by little as I'm improving (and I have made great strides), but won't the 100% belief come ONLY when I'm 100% better? A lot of the pain is gone; although I do have some flare ups, but it's the original symptoms that are the hardest to get rid of which keeps me in doubt and creates a vicious cycle because I know in order to get better, I need to believe in this 100%. What's going to get me over this hurdle?

 

[Patrisia]

100% belief is not necessary. You are putting unneeded pressure on yourself. Many people, including me, healed with belief that was not 100%. You just need to keep taking it one day at a time. Your days may be difficult and emotionally draining but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and you will get there, step-by-step, eventually.

I was always afraid that I may have an infection in my teeth or in my mouth (the pain in my teeth felt like a really bad infection/abscess) but that's just how my trigeminal neuralgia aka TMS was manifesting. I kept telling myself that as long as I don't have fever or pus coming out, it's not an infection (it was veeery hard to believe as some infections may not have symptoms of fever/pus/swelling). Each day that went by and (this may sound funny because yes, I was afraid I may die from the "infection" that I was not treating!) I found myself alive and well, I realized that the ONLY REAL symptom I was experiencing was PAIN. That and the fact that the antibiotics prescribed to me did not do anything. This helped me believe that the pain was harmless. Nothing happened! I was fine - at least physically! Yes, I was uncomfortable (sometimes the levels of pain would skyrocket and I would be unable to sleep and would just cry) but that's it. I would feel BAD, HORRIBLE, ABSOLUTELY THE WORST. But I kept going through it, moment to moment, day by day. And here I am, today, telling this story 100% pain free.

 

[Andy Bayliss]

Hi Patrisia,

I appreciate what your experience is. I think 100% acceptance might be great, but that it takes time and growing evidence that one has TMS, including reduction of symptoms, for real confidence to develop.

And you make the point that your actions attempted to reflect 100% acceptance, even though your mind was not there. I think this is huge, and common: that the actions we take refuting a physical diagnosis ---of returning to activity, for instance, tells some deep part of us that we're confident in a TMS diagnosis. Then the confidence comes more surely with results.

But what we may be aware of consciously is only the imperfect "belief" that we have TMS. So we might tend to focus on our doubts and lack of acceptance, more worried that we won't get better because we need this rare acceptance in order to get better. This is to be seen as a form of TMS in itself, this worry and doubt.

In my own story, I don't know that I ever had 100% belief. Even now, I'll get a twang of pain and doubt. But I have enough confidence now that this doesn't bother me. I can observe the doubt, and have understanding for it, not make it another problem.

Goldy, I hope our responses are helpful for you!

Andy

 

[Goldy]

100% belief is not necessary. You are putting unneeded pressure on yourself. Many people, including me, healed with belief that was not 100%. You just need to keep taking it one day at a time. Your days may be difficult and emotionally draining but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and you will get there, step-by-step, eventually.

I was always afraid that I may have an infection in my teeth or in my mouth (the pain in my teeth felt like a really bad infection/abscess) but that's just how my trigeminal neuralgia aka TMS was manifesting. I kept telling myself that as long as I don't have fever or pus coming out, it's not an infection (it was veeery hard to believe as some infections may not have symptoms of fever/pus/swelling). Each day that went by and (this may sound funny because yes, I was afraid I may die from the "infection" that I was not treating!) I found myself alive and well, I realized that the ONLY REAL symptom I was experiencing was PAIN. That and the fact that the antibiotics prescribed to me did not do anything. This helped me believe that the pain was harmless. Nothing happened! I was fine - at least physically! Yes, I was uncomfortable (sometimes the levels of pain would skyrocket and I would be unable to sleep and would just cry) but that's it. I would feel BAD, HORRIBLE, ABSOLUTELY THE WORST. But I kept going through it, moment to moment, day by day. And here I am, today, telling this story 100% pain free.

That's good that you didn't have to believe 100% and that you could do it little by little. I think you are right because all that I have accomplished so far has been baby steps. Little by little I AM improving, and I should just have patience and live my life as normally as I can.

 

[Goldy]

Hi Patrisia,

I appreciate what your experience is. I think 100% acceptance might be great, but that it takes time and growing evidence that one has TMS, including reduction of symptoms, for real confidence to develop.

And you make the point that your actions attempted to reflect 100% acceptance, even though your mind was not there. I think this is huge, and common: that the actions we take refuting a physical diagnosis ---of returning to activity, for instance, tells some deep part of us that we're confident in a TMS diagnosis. Then the confidence comes more surely with results.

But what we may be aware of consciously is only the imperfect "belief" that we have TMS. So we might tend to focus on our doubts and lack of acceptance, more worried that we won't get better because we need this rare acceptance in order to get better. This is to be seen as a form of TMS in itself, this worry and doubt.

In my own story, I don't know that I ever had 100% belief. Even now, I'll get a twang of pain and doubt. But I have enough confidence now that this doesn't bother me. I can observe the doubt, and have understanding for it, not make it another problem.

Goldy, I hope our responses are helpful for you!

Very much so, Andy. It takes a lot of the pressure off of me that I must believe it 100%. I go back and forth (yes I am a big worrier), but I must believe in tms strongly because I've been at this approach for 5 months and haven't stopped working!

Thank you.