How do I undo conditioning & fear???

I'm up to day 25 & my lower back pain is so severe it is crippling me. I know that I have conditioned myself to believe that standing intensifies my back pain, but I don't know how to switch it off. I try & get out in public & make myself stand but it pains me & exhausts me. I also don't know how to get rid of fear. I am so consumed by pain & I dread it. I don't know what to do. I feel quite hopeless.

 

Have you gone through Alan Gordon's program? It has many great techniques that I believe would you help you at this difficult time.

http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/painrecovery/ (Pain Recovery Program)

Also, if you put "conditioning" in the search box in the top right corner you will find much information on this topic. Many of us have had to address this issue in our recovery.

I also suggest reading Success Stories, as there are many great tips in them and they can provide hope and inspiration when things are difficult.

I wish you peace and hope in the recovery journey......

 

hey give your self a break you can do this, and in your own time. Small steps lead to big rewards.

there are many things to help with conditioning, hypnotherapy, youtube videos, rtt, just google it.

you can rewire your mind, rtt has helped me do that : )

when my pain was at an 11, I would keep busy, it was soooooo hard but I knew I had to show my brain I can walk I can ride a bike, it it persisted for a long time but went down slowly, I got stuck at one point so I had bio energy therapy which made a lot of pain go and I still have it but I still use sarnos work because I know my subconscious is scared of the world.

Give your self little goals to reach, such as standing in the garden for ten mins, or one yoga pose evry few hours. your persistence will prove to your brain to shut of those pain chemicals.

I feel you pain I do, I tried to give up a few time but now im glad im alive and beating it. its up and down all the time but I believ when we get there we will feel so strong and powerful, feel free to message me if you ever need support x

 

I found that when I was at my worst, I finally had to listen to my body and really slow down and get to some core psychological issues (which I didn’t know were there, so it took a while and required the help of professionals—in my case it was actually myofascial release bodywork that finally broke the barrier to significant healing).

And as much as I tried to just go on with life, I still would be taken down by the pain. I always had a hard time with moderation. I’d get excited to try to do normal things and then would overdo it (even though I felt like I was still barely doing anything). I think it’s partly my competitive gymnastics background.... which is probably actually just my brain and body trying to distract me from the underlying psychological stuff.

Anyway, @Ellen and @beccaboo have good suggestions. And for me it took really slowing down to get to a place where I’m much more functional. I’m still working on getting “more better” but I’ve accepted that it’s a slow process for my body. Don’t know if that’s a self-fulfilling prophecy and why I’m not completely pain free, but I’ve been at this for years and while I’ve made incredible progress, I’ve accepted where I am in the moment, with the unending belief that I can continue to improve.

Good luck and don’t beat yourself up. Keep trying things and know that you can get better.

Feel free to PM me to talk further, and if you’re interested in my story and what has helped me the most, I describe it all at http://www.healingfromchronicpain.com/home.html (Healing from Chronic Myofascial Pain--Support for chronic pain sufferers: Defying Gravity--An Athlete's Journey of Healing from Chronic Myofascial Pain).