Is it Necessary to Read the Books?

Hi all,

I have had Vestibular Migraine (dizziness, imbalance, nausea, brain fog, sensory overload etc.) for the past 5 years with nearly 24/7 symptoms of some sort.

I am already 100% convinced that it is psychogenic (TMS). I can directly relate its onset to a Narcissistic Injury episode I caused my mother, and understand that the way I treat myself as a result of my upbringing is both bullying and neglectful.

I recognise that its ongoing nature is due to the fact that I have repressed emotions (due to my upbringing) and the fact that I am extremely averse to having this illness. I am not afraid of my illness in the traditional sense, but recognise that my frustration and grief about my illness is an aversion that fuels it.

I have read so much information on this Wiki (I have even copied Alan's two programs onto word documents and read them several times to understand the treatment I need), and I am going to do the Structural Education Program as well as following Alan's, I'm also seeing a counselor.

So, is it actually necessary for me to read any TMS books since I know 100% I have it, have read lots of information, and understand how it works?

If so, what would be the book you'd recommend most for someone in my position? (Obviously, I don't have back pain).

Many thanks

 

It's helpful to come at TMS from all angles, so Yes, you should read the books by Dr. Sarno and Steve Ozanich.

 

Ok, thanks, Sam. So you recommend Ozanich's book. I understood it could be helpful as he details his specific story and tips which may be especially helpful.

Should I bother with Sarno's original book specifically on healing back pain or maybe instead get The Mind-Body Prescription, which mentions the other types of disorder? (Since I don't have back pain)

 

Steve O's book is my personal favorite. He has a way with words. He keeps things interesting and makes things easy to understand.

That's what I would recommend, but it's up to you. The Mind-Body Prescription is also good

 

Thanks very much for the advice GTfan

 

Hi, I, too, think it’s worth reading the books. They have more information that might help your brain get out of its patterns beyond just convincing yourself you have psychogenic pain.

My favorites are Sarno’s The Divided Mind and Ozanich’s The Great Pain Deception. But I don’t know if they were so powerful to me since I had read Sarno’s The Mindbody Prescription first.

Here’s the order that I read the Sarno related-books that I found very helpful to me:
-MBP by Sarno
-Pain-Free for Life by Scott Brady
-DM by Sarno
- GPD by Ozanich.

In between MBP and PFFL, I also read Healing Ancient Wounds by John F Barnes (JFB) who is a PT bodyworker. Since Sarno says not to focus on the physical, you may not want to read it but JFB bodywork helped me unearth a repressed memory that was definitely tied into my chronic pain so it was helpful for me because I wasn’t 100% sure of my TMS until I went through that bodywork.

And I also really like Peter Levine's book Waking the Tiger which talks about the effect of trauma on chronic pain.

Also the Body Keeps the score by Bessel van der Kolk is a good one on that subject too.

I also liked Schuniner’s Unlearn your Pain but I read it after most of these others and it wasn’t as dramatic for me.

So bottom line, books are good as they do come at it from many different angles and each might have some unique tidbit that really resonates with you.

I guess I’d try DM and/or GPD first, but I felt that by reading MBP first, it set the stage so I could truly grasp the other two, which were written after MBP.

Good luck!!

 

Thanks Healing - some great suggestions! I love Bessel van der Volk and Peter Levine. I, too, will have to do some bodywork - not for my physical symptoms but for trapped trauma. I'd not heard of Healing Ancient Wounds by John F Barnes, so I'll check that out on Amazon.

Thanks to people's suggestions above, I'm already halfway through The Great Pain Deception by Steve O, which is fabulously helpful! And I have The MindBody Prescription winging its way to me. I've also ordered Gabor Mate's When The Body Says No, as I am well aware of how it relates to me and I think it will be a very good read too.

 

@zclesa
JFB-MFR was instrumental in bringing down my trauma-related chronic pain. I’d be happy to share more if your interested
(Or see my personal website where I tell my story: https://healingfromchronicpain.com/)

 

I just read your post regarding MFR on your blog - it was really interesting. Thank you. Definitely something to look into more. I'm going to start Yoga this week to hopefully "reinhabit my body in a safe way" as suggested by Bessel VDV. But I'd wondered about other bodywork like Craniosacral Therapy or Somatic Experiencing, or even Rolfing, but never been quite sure what I might want to do precisely. I'll add MFR to my list of things to look into, as your experience sounds very powerful.

 

If you dig into my website, I also tried somatic experiencing as well as EMDR. The person I went to did both. It was helpful. Then we moved and I have to stop seeing her.

And btw it was specifically jfb MFR that helped me

 

I actually used to be a psychotherapist before I got ill (hence, why I need to read Gabor Mate's book - definitely not enough self-care while treating others) and I know how to do EMDR. It is really powerful. I've used it for people with PTSD and it works pretty well for OCD as well, which perhaps people are less aware of. I do use some of the trauma-releasing techniques I know on myself, but since I grew up with a Narcissistic mother who showed me no empathy, I think to be really effective, it would be best if I find an empathetic practitioner to do the bodywork with. I don't have a lot of self-compassion, so I'm not able to be that empathetic person for myself yet (though I am overflowing with empathy for others).

I think the personality of the practitioner is probably key in situations such as mine. I'll check out your other experiences on your blog too, thank you.

 

I know some amazing jfb MFR practioners. You can check out the list on jfb’s myofascial release website.

Feel feee to dm me

 

Thanks, Healing. That's very kind