i have numerous physical issues that my body cycles through, cant figure out how to end the cycle

hey so for like 10 years i have been dealing with many issues- lower back pain with sciatica, upper back pain with chest nerve pain, prostatitis, tmj with chronic headaches, ibs, hemmroids, fibromalalgia, muscle spasms...

after all this time and tons of doctors im pretty sure its all connected, one problem of tms. i notice that as one problem gets bad the others subside and can completely go away. but there is always at least one problem im dealing with and i know i am constantly feeding that issue with attention and fear which keeps it going, i think until i stop giving it so much attention and fear than the issue starts to calm down and my mind finds another part of my body to focus on and turn up the pain/flare up. I have a super hypersensitive nervous system where just thinking and focusing on a body part will send pain electric like sensations there. And i just want to live without any problems. so much time and focus goes to trying to fix what ever issue im dealing with as i am a perfectionist, but its like this never ending cycle that i cant stop and my body will just always find a new body part to grab my attention with pain and ruin my life. I know consciously that my mind is creating this but i cant tell my subconscious to just let it all go and stop giving the pain im experiencing fear and attention.

Any advice much appreciated.

 

Hello @Scopus, and welcome.

This phenomenon is what Dr. John Sarno called "The Symptom Imperative" and it's an indication that your brain is distracting you with symptoms so that you don't acknowledge underlying emotions. It's a primitive survival mechanism in our brains that Dr. Sarno labeled "Tension Myositis Syndrome" when it goes into overdrive in sensitive individuals, which is pretty much anyone with anxiety. The biggest problem with this brain mechanism is that it worked okay in the primitive world, but doesn't work for s*** in the modern world, and TMS symptoms are increasing exponentially as the modern world becomes increasingly more dysfunctional.

How much do you know about the concept of TMS at this point? Have you read one of Dr. Sarno's books, for example? If not, I always recommend his last one, The Divided Mind - but even that one was published over 15 years ago, and neuroscience has advanced greatly since then. His basic theory is still sound, and most, if not all of us here, believe that reading one of his books is still important for getting started. Just be aware that we still use the term "TMS" in honor of Dr. Sarno, but some of his concepts are now a little outdated. It's been reported that he suggested late in his life that TMS should refer to "The Mindbody Syndrome", because it was clear that psycho-physiological symptoms cover much more than just pain in muscle tissue.

 

yes your right it is like my brain is trying to distract me, i tend to in life run away from uncomfortable situations and emotions so might be connected. i read many years ago healing back pain, and am quite familiar with tms now as it makes the most sense as to why i have all these chronic symptoms as ive been to countless doctors and tests and they almost always find nothing. I know deep in my subconcious im always fearful of the symptoms and likely angry how it affecting my life. The first symptoms started way back shortly after i lost a close loved one which i think might have been the trigger and from there it was just one problem after the next for 10 years and my mind is just consumed most the time on the pain and fear of it which is something i am constantly struggling with. Haven't read the divided mind, will give it a read.
thanks

 

Okay, so with the TMS knowledge you already have, you're probably more than ready to do the SEP - the Structured Educational Program. And I'll point you to my recent post giving someone else my best advice for getting the most out of the SEP. Because, you, know:

THIS IS A FACT: Your fearful brain will want to run away as far and as fast as you possibly can from doing this work the SEP will absolutely trigger that response. Your success is directly related to well you fight against this and just do it anyway. It takes faith and hope. It also takes self-love and a lot of self-compassion.

Here's the link to that post: https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/struggling-with-neck-arm-pain-numbeness-and-health-anxiety.26943/#post-139315 (Day 1 - Struggling with Neck/Arm Pain, Numbeness, and (Health) Anxiety)