How do you deal with the uncertainty?

[LadyA]

I think I've convinced myself I'm experiencing TMS. Ever since I read Healing Back Pain, I have pain-free times with my neck, even pain-free days. It's been about two, maybe three weeks, but the pain comes and goes still. It'll be completely gone, and then it will return. It will move to my right shoulder blade, my entire shoulder and upper back area, and then back to my neck. Has anyone else experienced this moving of pain and then completely eliminated all of the pain? How do you/did you move beyond the symptoms completely? Do they ever completely go away or does it just move around relentlessly? I'm both filled with hope when all of my pain goes away and then extremely frustrated when it comes back or moves. I'm the type of person who has no patience and likes instant gratification, so I get discouraged or frustrated easily, but do well with constant reassurance haha.

 

[TG957]

I'm the type of person who has no patience and likes instant gratification, so I get discouraged or frustrated easily, but do well with constant reassurance haha.

You already identified your problem (no patience) and also a solution (constant reassurance). Now you need to make a deliberate, focused effort on talking yourself into the full confidence that you can overcome your pain and will do so. Sarno writes about it in Mindbody Prescription. You have to manage your TMS extinction bursts and work towards outcome independence. Both are hard skills to learn, but doable. Setting a timeline is the biggest mistake people make when dealing with TMS - I did exactly the same, but was able to overcome it.