Day 18 Issue with Q&A: How do I know that it's safe to resume normal activities?

[cirrusnarea]

I wasn't sure whether to post this under General Discussion or the SEP program, but decided this was best. I don't particularly care for the the answer by Dr. Schubiner to the question. I like him, I have his book, so it's not personal. The answer seems to really beat around the bush and not address the question of when to resume normal activities. I've loved everything about the program so far, so this was just a little disappointing. He seems to imply that the pain the woman is having could be from her bulging disc. But Dr. Sarno would call this a normal abnormality that that disc bulges do not cause pain. I don't have any disc problems that I know of, but I still felt kind of let down by this answer. I imagine if I did have a bulging or herniated disc this could really cause me to doubt myself and send me back to day one. Maybe it's just me, but just thought I'd bring it up.

What does everyone else think about this post? Am I the only one that took it a little weird?

http://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/Q&A:_How_do_I_know_that_it's_safe_to_resume_normal_activities?

 

[AngK]

Hi! His answer makes sense to me. A TMS diagnosis, and whether it is "ok"/safe to resume regular activities, are almost like proving a negative. That is why his ultimate advice is to consult with a TMS doctor. They are trained to distinguish normal abnormalities combined with TMS personalities/symptoms from tissue damaging injuries or disorders which may worsen with regular activity.

For those of us (like me) who have no TMS doctors to consult, you have to satisfy yourself that the problem is TMS. This usually is a process of excluding other possibilities. Obviously, the range of potential problems is vast so neither Dr. Schubiner nor anyone on this Wiki could tell you "yes, TMS is causing all of your problems so it's ok to resume regular activities." Everyone's situation is different. I was able - after extensive imaging & testing - to exclude most of causes and to then pinpoint the cause of my back pain as being trigger points (knots in the muscle.) I then further pinpointed TMS as the cause of the trigger points. Once I knew this, it was easy for me to accept that I wasn't going to hurt my back by bending at the waist, doing high impact aerobics, lifting weights (including dead lifts), sitting in front of the computer, etc. But I had to go through the steps of making myself comfortable with the diagnosis by excluding other possibilities. What else could it be? There, literally, was no other answer.

If there is still doubt in your mind about TMS as the true cause, then I don't think the program will be very effective. Your subconscious plays on those doubts. Good luck to you!

 

[gailnyc]

You might try getting back into physical activity very slowly. It's what Dr. James Alexander suggests in his book, The HIdden Psychology of Pain. I highly recommend reading the section he has about "pacing" versus "boom and bust" strategies.

 

[Endless luke]

IMHO the best way to exercise is to push yourself a bit time and realize that you aren't going to feel prepared for this new level of activity. It should be a virtuous cycle (opposite of a vicious cycle). You push yourself and by pushing yourself you realize that you can handle more than you thought.

 

[Eric "Herbie" Watson]

Its ok to resume physical activities after the pain has resided and you know you
have had some success in residing this pain.
Its also good to take baby steps when you start back on your physical activities.
I know Dr. Sarno says give it hell, but see for most of us just to walk to the end of the drive way
could be all the hell we can give it.
It takes knowing when the time is right for physical activity,
I had to have the ah, ha moments and lots of residing in the pain before I could ever
even get close to getting back to normal exercise.
Its more important to know that getting to moving ever so slightly is
a form of breaking the conditioning and focus you have grown accustomed to.
Then as you work the program those baby steps in activity can grow and grow
till you have your life back and you have broken the conditioning and focus on the pain and your movements.
As sarno stated , its often more worse thinking about how your going to hurt than the actual pain is at making you hurt.

 

[Forest]

There are some great responses in this thread. It really shows that different things work for different people. For me, resuming normal activities really comes down to how much you believe yours symptoms are benign. If you have no or very small doubts about this then pushing yourself may be a very successful approach for you. However, if you have significant doubts in this approach, then you may want to take a more gradual approach. Follow your gut and listen to what your body is telling you. If you need to take more time then do it, but remind yourself that your symptoms are benign.