How should I be viewing sensitization?

[Davideus85]

I have been suffering from sensitization from a really long time. I can tell my nerves are just completely shot and worn out from all the anxiety and stresses I’ve been through over the last several years. Bottom line is though, I can usually tell when it’s actually “anxiety” and when it’s just sensitized nerves at this point. PROLONGED periods of anxiety and stress leads to sensitization. They’re not the same. But I’m still struggling with the concept and even wondering if I should just treat it as TMS? When I read Claire Weekes’ book she talks in length about sensitization and how long it usually takes to heal, which she says usually lasts about 2 months. This tends to freak me out, I can’t even comprehend enduring 2 months of constant sensitization. But I know just freaking out about it just keeps my nervous system even more sensitized. I have been SEVERELY sensitized many times before and was able to overcome it in a much sooner time frame than 2 months.


Contrast this to TMS, when I have a symptom, even if it’s very unpleasant, I know is TMS, I frame it differently in mind. I think “Oh it’s just TMS, it’s just my brain trying to mess with me or distracting me. It’ll go away as soon as I ignore it, it always does” and this usually works. I have a CONFIDENT outlook with TMS because I know time and again that it is not a big deal and 100% reversible and NOTHING is wrong with me. Sensitization is reversible but it still has the whole ‘Your nerves are damaged and need to heal” message. In other words - something is wrong with me! My nerves are screwed up! I do wonder if due to trauma, my nervous system has become permenantly sensitized and now I have to walk on eggshells for the rest of my life careful not to get too stressed out, least it sets off another sensitization episode.

With TMS, NOTHING is wrong with me. It’s just a transient mental phenemenon. TMS is never ever a threat to me in my mind at this point. Except when I start going back to seeing my symptoms, such as anxiety, as an anxiety DISORDER, something that I have for life that just won’t go away. So to be clear, I’ve been viewing TMS and SENSITIZATION as 2 entirely separate things.

Should I be changing this way I view this? Is all this stuff about sensitization and such just more of my brain trying to distract me? Is the way that I am perceiving the symptoms perpetuating them?

 

[Adam Coloretti (coach)]

Hi! I'm not a doctor but to me central sensitisation and TMS are pretty much one in the same and should be treated as such. Nervous system sensitisation is absolutely reversible (as are chronic pain pathways, and I imagine it would be a similar process in the brain). Feel free to provide me with quotes against this, but I don't view sensitisation (even at the nerve level) as being indicative of damage? Being sensitive doesn't equate to damage, nerve damage itself is quite rare from my understanding and is often due to major, lie threatening accidents and specific diseases.

I don't believe in permanent sensitisation either, the brain is neuroplastic and much like pain pathways we are capable of change here. To answer your question, my view is that not only does it not serve you to treat TMS and sensitisation as separate things (as to me their solution is the same), it is also illogical as much like TMS, sensitisation is harmless to the body in a structural sense and is not indicative of damage

 

[Diana-M]

Hi @Davideus85

I’ve been viewing TMS and SENSITIZATION as 2 entirely separate things.
Should I be changing this way I view this?

Yes. You should. TMS is almost always accompanied by anxiety. And sometimes when you’re under a lot of stress, you do get sensitized. So many people are coming onto the forum with this. You aren’t alone.

That’s great you are reading Claire Weekes. She’s a big help! I’m also sorry to tell you that it could take more than two months to get better. But the good news is, you can get better! I’ve been extremely sensitized for the last year or so, and it has been slowly subsiding as I apply different methods to soothing my nervous system. It’s very slow— but it’s happening. One of the best things for me has been meditation. Have you tried it? It really quiets down your nerves. But you have to be consistent.

Also this book is a huge help!

The Secret Language of the Body: Regulate Your Nervous System, Heal Your Body, Free Your Mind, by Jennifer Mann and Karden Rabin.

It kind of takes over from where Clare Weekes lets off and goes beyond. It’s packed with ways to heal your nervous system.

But most of all, try not to freak out. Freaking out will only make you more stressed and it will make it worse.
You’re ahead of the game because you actually know what’s happening, so don’t worry! You’ll get better. Stick around here on the forum. There’s so much to learn.

 

[JanAtheCPA]

Agreeing with all your responders,@Davideus85. If you're able, I would recommend finding the humor in your predicament, which is that your fear-based, primitive, survival-at-all costs brain mechanism (which we refer to as TMS for short) has fooled you once again! This is its job, after all, and it's extremely good at it.

You're going to have to get to know your TMS brain, make friends with it, and learn to laugh at its attempts to trick you into these distracting behaviors, by which I mean the overthinking, the intellectualization, and the obsessive attempts to identify and define and separate what are intricately and intimately intertwined immune system responses - primitive responses that your protective brain creates to keep you safe in the wilderness, because that is the only environment it was designed for.

Your ultimate job is to stop analyzing at a shallow nonemotional level, and start feeling at a deeper and emotionally vulnerable level. Your fear brain will do everything it can to prevent you from achieving this.

Accomplishing this is not easy. But the concept is quite simple. Frighteningly simple for your TMS brain that would much rather have you spend your time crafting lengthy rationalizations about differences that simply do not exist!

Fortunately, this forum is here to call BS on these brain tricks, which is one of the most common symptoms we see amongst those who are stuck and struggling, so you are certainly not alone.

 

[Davideus85]

What I find interesting is at night, my anxiety/sensitization goes way down to the point where I can barely notice it. However, the anxiety is replaced with migraine headaches. when I wake up , the migraine goes away and the anxiety slowly returns over a period of a couple hours. This is very similar to what I’ve experienced in the past with other symptoms. Sounds like the symptom imperative to me? In any case, it’s strong evidence that “ Sensitization” Is just another manifestation of TMS.

 

[Davideus85]

Quick update here. Yesterday I decided to focus on my emotional issues rather than the horrible anxiety and severe sensitization i’ve been suffering from for a while now. Also been focusing on repudiating the symptoms as being TMS. Within a few hours my symptoms decreased in half. At this point it is significantly less than half. And that is just within a day. This screams TMS to me, it is abundantly clear that is exactly what these symptoms are all along, even “sensitization”. What I’m realizing is it’s not enough to merely acknowledge the symptom as TMS on surface level. The understanding needs to sink in much deeper than that for it to leave. When it sticks around long time, it’s usually because to some extent I have not truly embraced that it’s TMS.

 

[Adam Coloretti (coach)]

Quick update here. Yesterday I decided to focus on my emotional issues rather than the horrible anxiety and severe sensitization i’ve been suffering from for a while now. Also been focusing on repudiating the symptoms as being TMS. Within a few hours my symptoms decreased in half. At this point it is significantly less than half. And that is just within a day. This screams TMS to me, it is abundantly clear that is exactly what these symptoms are all along, even “sensitization”. What I’m realizing is it’s not enough to merely acknowledge the symptom as TMS on surface level. The understanding needs to sink in much deeper than that for it to leave. When it sticks around long time, it’s usually because to some extent I have not truly embraced that it’s TMS.

Love it and agree!

 

[Davideus85]

Anxiety is back with a vengeance. Except it’s moved around and changed forms now, with more of a OCD kick to it. The severity of it is WORSE than it was orignally, to the point where I am having full blown panic attacks from how scary it is. I don’t know if this is extinction bursts or something else but clearly the TMS does NOT want to go away without a fight. Scares the crap out of me and very much discourages me cause I really thought I had made some real progress here. Guess not.

 

[Joulegirl]

Scares the crap out of me and very much discourages me cause I really thought I had made some real progress here.

The fact that it's moved and changed around is progress. Just not the outcome you had wanted which is beyond frustrating. Try not to freak out about the new symptoms-easier said than done. The fact that your symptoms did go away and lessen shows that this is TMS and you are on the right track.

 

[Diana-M]

I have what you have. It’s really scary, but don’t worry. Read Claire Weekes over and over. And check out this book I mentioned:

The Secret Language of the Body: Regulate Your Nervous System, Heal Your Body, Free Your Mind, by Jennifer Mann and Karden Rabin.

It takes time and work to soothe your nervous system. When you stay afraid, you get flooded with adrenaline and it just makes it worse.

 

[Cactusflower]

This might help:

 

[Davideus85]

I’m definitely seeing a pattern here. Had a horrible anxiety episode that would not go away, I watched a video and realized it was all just TMS and the stubborn anxiety went away. 3 days ago my “sensitization” went away when I realized that it was in fact TMS. And That’s exactly what it is - TMS. I’ve dropped thinking about this in terms of TMS in favor of more mainstream schools of thought about anxiety. That has not been serving me at all. The problem is these symptoms always return or are replaced by something even worse. That’s the symptom imperative for you. It simply doesn’t go away without a fight. Not sure if extinction bursts or involved here or not. Probably doesn’t matter much. The good news is I feel back in the game and aware of whats going on. Can’t forget that.

 

[mrefreddyg]

That is the best possible news. Back in the saddle and using the TMS techniques that have already served you. Sounds like you had a big fuck off extinction burst which you are doing well to notice and bring your awareness to what is going on. In my experience, TMS doesn't last long once you have clear sight of it and can consistently remind yourself that it is isn't dangerous and you are okay right now. Even better if you are willing to feel the emotions rather than the anxiety, pain or whatever distraction is bubbling up to hide the rage. I like the phrase "old habits die hard" for when I get a bit stuck with symptoms and they don't shift as fast as I would like.