Huge progress + have a question

[PotentialPenguin]

My low back pain has significantly improved. I couldn't sit in my office chair at all a couple of weeks ago and for the past few days I've sat it in as much as I want. I've also been walking as much as I want.

I still have a bit of pain in my arms and legs but it's definitely getting better. My pain tried to move to where I sprained my ankle 3 years ago, even though I hadn't been walking from my back pain! Obviously TMS!

I have a question about moving forward:

Do I need to avoid things that cause negative emotions? I understand it's the unconscious brain that is creating my symptoms. In Sarno's book, he mentions that you can talk to your unconscious mind through your conscious mind. Would listening to sad music increase the chance of having TMS symptoms? There's a lot of sad and/or aggressive music that I like.

I'm also just concerned about stress in general. I enjoy working hard and putting pressure on myself to get things done. I want to work hard in my career, but I'm worried about stress contributing to more TMS symptoms down the road.

 

[Adam Coloretti (coach)]

My low back pain has significantly improved. I couldn't sit in my office chair at all a couple of weeks ago and for the past few days I've sat it in as much as I want. I've also been walking as much as I want.

That's fantastic!

Do I need to avoid things that cause negative emotions?

Absolutely not! To me, that only places more importance on the symptoms. Living life to the fullest (without avoiding certain things) is the ultimate message to your brain that we are okay and as such that there is no need for symptoms. It's important to express all emotions, as the repression of those "negative" emotions is often the cause of TMS in the first place.

I'm also just concerned about stress in general. I enjoy working hard and putting pressure on myself to get things done. I want to work hard in my career, but I'm worried about stress contributing to more TMS symptoms down the road.

I would stress here that it isn't the stress itself that causes symptoms, but rather your relationship to it. We often self-abandon and judge ourselves for the stress/our stress tolerance, which is way more the cause of symptoms than the stress itself. By taking care of yourself more and being more self-compassionate, you can absolutely handle your work stress without symptoms

 

[BloodMoon]

@PotentialPenguin Great you're experiencing progress on the sitting and walking — that’s your brain relearning safety in real time.

You don’t need to avoid sad/aggressive music; in TMS the issue isn’t feeling negative emotions, it’s suppressing or repressing them while running a high‑pressure, perfectionistic inner programme. The line “I enjoy working hard and putting pressure on myself” is often exactly the pattern that keeps symptoms going...

You can though work hard and keep your ambition and still lose mind-body symptoms and keep them at bay; the key is uncoupling your worth/safety from constant pressure and allowing yourself to feel tired, frustrated, or angry etc., instead of turning that into more drive. It’s not about becoming unmotivated; it’s about making room for the feelings your symptoms were distracting you from. If you can keep your ambition and soften the inner pressure cooker, that’s usually where lasting improvement happens. Notice what comes up emotionally when you imagine doing a bit less or resting without guilt.

Also bear in mind that the brain needs regular periods of rest...

"Most people can focus deeply for somewhere between twenty and ninety minutes, depending on the task and their current mental state... After that, the brain needs a break. Attention is a resource that depletes with use and needs time to replenish." - from 'Rewire Your Mind Without Willpower: A Brain-Based Guide to Breaking Mental Loops, Calming the Nervous System & Creating Lasting Change' by Steven Oats.

One more thing that often shows up: some people are effectively “addicted” to the chemicals of stress — that driven, pressured state starts to feel normal and even rewarding, while rest feels wrong or unsafe. In mind-body/TMS terms, that keeps your nervous system primed and gives the brain more reason to use symptoms to manage the load. Healing doesn’t mean giving up ambition; it means learning to regulate without needing to be constantly flooded with stress chemicals.