Is this TMS? Desperate please help

Hi, for the last 6 months I have been dealing with itching/tingling in my groin area. Very embarrassing but it’s been persistent and really impacting my quality of life. Any replies, greatly appreciated.

 

I see you posted previously and did not get a personal response - that's because you didn't tell us much, which of course is not required, but it limits the response you'll get. You were given a link to search results from the forum, but if you did not find what you wanted from those, and if you want a personal response, you'll have to give us more to go on!

We aren't medical professionals, so please don't give us a bunch of symptom details! In TMS, the physical details are irrelevant anyway. The following is more significant to what we do here:

What brought you to this forum?

What have you been told by medical professionals and have you followed any treatment plans if offered?

Why (after trying medical treatment) do you suspect TMS, and how much do you already know about TMS?

What is the state of your mental health? TMS is, after all, a mindbody condition that creates physical symptoms, therefore the place to start examining your issues is psychologically.

I hope this helps to get you started here on the forum. People are more likely to respond when they've got something to go on!

 

Hi Jan, thank you for your very kind response. I have faced this problem before back in 2021 that I overcame using a steroid cream, however the itching returned at the end of 2022. I started dealing with it in the same manner (using the steroid), however, the itching failed to subside (enough of the symptom details).

I was generally carrying on with normal life but as the symptoms persisted, my anxiety skyrocketed and I have become hyper vigilant of any sensations. Also, grieving my former life. I have seen medical professionals (professor of dermatology) who believe this could be driven psychologically and this is when I started researching TMS, but feel disheartened as the majority of posts aren’t similar to my situation. Telling myself the old; “I’m special and different”.

On top of this I am working with a clinical psychologist but have been very resistant due to belief/fear.

I am trying to “buy in” to TMS, reading success stories and Sarno but just finding it difficult to apply it to my situation per se. Many thanks!

 

There you go, that's perfect, dk! and let me tell you that this, right here:

tells me that you are a LOT more open to TMS than you are giving yourself credit for!

Doing this work successfully requires self-compassion, which starts with giving yourself credit for just being here, and for successes, however big or small, instead of letting your fearful TMS brain beat you up all the time. It's important to understand that this is what the TMS mechanism was designed to do, as a very primitive survival mechanism. We've all got this mechanism in our brains, but those of us who are prone to anxiety, perfectionism, and beating ourselves up engage it big-time (we sometimes refer to it as TMS on overdrive). And the thing is, as a survival mechanism, it doesn't work for s*** in the modern world. Neuroscientists have been telling us for years that our brains still operate at a very primitive level.

You mentioned your "old life" and I totally get that. I'm almost 72, and I can't tell you how much I worry about the younger generations right now. I've been on this forum more than 11 years, and it's obvious that increasing world dysfunction in the last years (starting from before the pandemic) has contributed signficantly to increased TMS in everyone, including many people who recovered from TMS symptoms years ago, and are coming back to "do the work" again because of recurrences or new symptoms.

Anyway, it's great that you're in therapy (I've been seeing someone since 2020). I wonder if, instead of focusing on your symptoms and your fear, maybe you could try working on the more basic skills of self-love and vulnerability. Because emotional vulnerability is also kind of a requirement for this work. It's not something we are taught as kids, especially males.

In conjunction with continuing your therapy, you could go ahead and start the SEP - the Structured Educational Program which is on the main www.tmswiki.org site. Below is a link I've been going back to, with my best advice for doing the SEP.

And hopefully others will have ideas - we all see something different and contribute different aspects to this work!

My bookmarked SEP advice: https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/bookmarks/2229/view-item (Bookmark | TMS Forum (The Mindbody Syndrome))

~Jan

 

PS - I think I forgot to try to answer your question directly, although it was implied in my answer - but still.

I am quite impressed that a dermatology professional (and a professor, which is gives me hope for the education of future dermatologists!) suggested a psychological component - I would not hesitate to accept this as assurance that there's nothing physiologically wrong with you that your brain hasn't created in order to distract you from emotional distress. That's your cue to stop thinking physically and start thinking psychologically!