I’m relatively sure it’s TMS, but I don’t know if maybe I’m a special case when it comes to the pain

Hello everyone! So for context since 3 years now I’ve had daily migraine-like headaches.


Here’s the thing: I’m pretty sure it’s a mind-body kind of thing. It all started after a stressful life event combined with insomnia and an infection, and my nervous system got out of control. I guess I developed central sensitization – I’ve done the assessment. But I’m not sure how, or if, the techniques from Dan or Alan Gordon or others will help me get rid of it, because of the way the dysregulated nervous system is presenting my symptoms.


It’s not really migraine attacks, it’s more like a migraine-like status that’s always there or starts everyday in the morning and usually stays at a relatively mild pain level (2–5 out of 10). It goes up and down, but I know it’s migraine because I have the typical dull migraine feeling in my face, and it’s like my eyes hurt, often on one side. And my face is swollen and it feels inflamed. And all the doctors say i have chronic migraines.

But I’m still able to do things — I can go for a jog or go to the gym if I push myself, and it doesn’t really increase the symptoms that much, just a bit. Since learning about TMS a few weeks ago, I’ve been able to implement good routines and positive self-talk, and I’m actively showing my brain that it’s safe. When the symptoms increase, I’ve really started to not care as much and think: “Okay, it’s just TMS and it can’t hurt me.” and since then im really active and that was a huge succes.


But here comes the big question.


Mainstream medicine and doctors will tell you that if you have a migraine, you have to take medicine, lie in a dark room, and wait until it’s over. But in my case it’s pointless — I can lie in bed as much as I want, it won’t go away. However, the fact that this is the advice doctors give nornal migrain patient keeps me from fully committing to the mind-body approach.


Its like a constant battle between these two thoughts in my head and before this is settled i cant commit:


1. Its just TMS and it cant hurt me. Its just pain and i will show my brain that even with pain im safe and it can come down.

2. !! the more pain i will feel the more it will hardwire and the neuro circuits will strenghten and im further damaging myself. So i should not do this right now and be in bed even if it doesnt do anything for me or its been only around for 3 years because i didnt isolated myself enough and gave myself enough rest!

So i just dont know if TMS also works on migraines becuase its like a real physical inflammation. Even if my pain maybe isnt real migraines it has migrain like characteristics and i guess some inlammational processes.
So i just dont know how to move further on.

Thanks for reading this and i hope anyone can give me clearity and sorry if i made any grammar mistakes english is not my first language.


Greetings from germany.

Have a nice day.

 

Tom,
There’s no such thing as special cases. All TMS is meant to distract you from your emotions. Our brains just pick whatever it thinks we will fixate on the most and be afraid of. But it doesn’t matter what symptoms you have, they are all fixed the same way. Exploration of your internal world: how you think, how you treat yourself, how you process your life, how you stuff your emotions. All TMS is fixable, sooner or later, if you do the work.

Soothing your nervous system is a secondary part of healing, and many things can make that happen, in addition to time passing. Meditation and EFT tapping and self-soothing techniques are really useful.