How to learn about Anxiety as a symptom imperative?

[Jawarrior1]

Hey guys! I healed from chronic pain last year regarding TMS but have been experiencing anxiety and chest pain induced by anxiety. I am glad to be running and lifting weights again but I believe at least partially my anxiety is a symptom imperative as my chronic pain is all gone.

Any tips, books, podcasts, videos, or blogs I would love to see and read to learn more about anxiety as a symptom imperative to increase my belief and see how much of it is TMS and how much is legit.

I have read the Mind-Body Prescription, am re-reading it right now and do Journal Speak from Nicole Sach's. I still don't understand the part where Dr. Sarno says "Anxiety is a TMS equivalent"? What does that mean?

If you have something about it, even or especially your own advice, please post below.

 

[Andy Bayliss]

Hi Jawarrier,

Great to get your success story with chronic pain. I am glad you're seeing the possibility of self-treating anxiety with a TMS-type approach.

Howard Schubiner has the book Unlearn Your Anxiety and Depression, which has a TMS approach, essentially the same as his Unlearn Your Pain. The first part of the book explains some of the mind-body connections/TMS connections to anxiety, I believe.

I will give you some basic theory about this, as a way of responding.

You got over pain, now anxiety arises. This has been observed by many. So I think the theory is that the distraction moves from your pain, which you learn to not believe or fear, to another distraction. Or put another way, anxiety arises as an indication that the body feels something is wrong inside, a so-called danger signal. This one is actually easier to nail down if you will, because it feels like danger, and pain does not feel that way.

I believe even outside of the TMS realm, anxiety is thought to arise as a reaction to emerging subconscious material, or "stuff we don't want to feel" (sounds like Dr. Sarno, doesn't it?). Anxiety is an indication that we're getting closer to something which threatens our sense of self.

I have plenty of anxiety these days, and the best way I deal with it is mindfulness and with allowing it and not rejecting it, feeling it. If I reject my experience, then I set myself up to stay at the level of this symptom. I do better when I ask myself "If I wasn't feeling this anxiety, what would I be feeling?" Often the answers come quick and are revealing: fear of loss of those close to me, anger, helplessness. These things I think are swimming around in my being, and "do not want to be felt." When I feel these things a little, then self-compassion usually arises. I have a tenderness toward my life.

I think the challenge with anxiety is that it feels important, it feels like a "deeper feeling," something needs to be attended to. It feels very "believable." What it can be revealed to be is actually a classic "distraction," a sort of well- worn obsessive habit so that we don't actually feel as much.

I hope some this might help you with your approach.

Andy