Journal Fight or Flight

[KathyBee]

I am experimenting with a new technique I call journal, fight or flight.
SteveO’s book gives the advice "exhaust yourself." I think this is because stress is stored adrenaline, and vigorous exercise can use up some of the adrenaline.
I have also read recently that if we freeze during a stressful "fight of flight" moment, in our minds we have not escaped the danger. I do not remember if this was from the book or the website.
I have also noticed that as I have started journaling I have been feeling a lot of energy. It is a kind of a can’t sit still energy. Maybe this is stuck adrenaline being released into my system? Has anyone else had this experience?
I do not see it as a bad thing. I used to have to push myself to exercise. Now it seems like my body is really craving it. The extra movement should do me good. Fortunately I can do a lot of leg movement at my desk at work without it being too noticeable.
One of the ideas I had was that after a journal writing it could be followed up with a fight or flight exercise. Fight would be an exercise that is based on fighting, like a kickboxing workout. Flight would be something like running or pedaling, even if it is on a stationary machine. So our bodies would register this as reacting to a threat appropriately by fighting or fleeing. It seems to help the anger from the journaling disperse gradually in a way that seems like it is really being let go, not just stuffed back down again.
It might be that any type of exercise would have this effect.

 

[Forest]

I also get that same "can't sit still" when I try to journal. I tend to see it as a tactic by my mind to keep me from exploring and allowing my emotions to be present. The mere fact that we have this discomfort when journaling is prove that we are repressing our emotions. If we accepted our emotions than there would be no need to be uncomfortable when we ask ourselves the very simple question of how do I feel. If you can learn to be okay with this discomfort and welcome it, then you will begin to get in touch with your emotions and become more accepting of them. The key is to identify this can't sit still energy as what it is, your unconscious trying to prevent you from exploring your emotions.

 

[KathyBee]

I am not sure if that is it or not. It does not seem to be a distraction to keep me from doing things. It is actually something I have incorporated into doing with other activities.
I have worked out a way move my legs and feet while I type or write. It does not interfere with anything my upper body is doing. I sometime do this during the journal writing itself. But I also do it during all sorts of other things like doing stuff for work or drawing.
For variety I have other exercises I do during activities where I do not need to use both hands, like reading.
I am ADHD-ish. No official diagnosis because in my school you only got a learning disability diagnosis if you were doing poorly in class. At times it has been difficult for me to sit still. I need to do something with my hands or feet. My mom felt this was not proper behavior and put a lot of pressure on me to sit still.
So despite being more of a bookworm than an athlete, I am thinking maybe this is just the way I am. Like my fidgety tendencies are maybe part of my shadow self. And even though I have not been specifically working on that particular part of my shadow self maybe it came through just because I am working on un-repressing things.
I read a book a few years ago called Fidget to Focus. The main premise is that people with ADHD actually think better if they are allowed to fidget while they are thinking. Some special ed classrooms are experimenting with this and have had good success. I tried allowing myself to fidget more, but could not sustain it, even though it seemed to help me. I think it might have been because my super ego was still saying it was childish and embarrassing and not proper behavior, which is what my mother told me.

 

[Steve Ozanich]

TMS is from the freeze side of fight/flight. I'm saying to exhaust yourself physically to burn down some energy, and to do what Dr. Sarno said, to alter how your brain reacts to movement. If people could live with me for a few weeks I'm sure I could move them along much faster. Words in books and in posts can be interpreted slightly different.

I think journaling is one of the best things you can do. Writing my book was like journaling. Many have told me it helped them greatly to heal, but it didn't move me along. It wasn't until I heard Dr. Sarno's voice that I leaped forward. That's why I still contend that we heal according to how we learn. Some are left-brainers who can learn from reading, I'm not one. Others are kinesthetic, they learn from doing, I'm one of those. Others learn from auditory, hearing, I am one of those. More specifically I'm a VSL as I described it. How many TMSers can read my description of VSL and say it doesn't fit them? If it doesn't, then you may be a left-brainer who learns from the books. I couldn't. They did help me of course, but I needed more.

It all comes down to confidence. Dr. Sarno had confidence, and in his words people could see the truth, and they began to heal. Ira Rashbaum shows no confidence. The people I send there come back more confused. People need to be lead. The standard TMSer just wants to know what is right, and then they will go do it. But they're locked in gridlock, confusion, procrastination, and pain.

Belief is the most important thing, not more information. The gathering of more and more information is in itself TMSing. It puts off the work needed to heal. The need for more information means they are not yet ready to heal, they still need more confidence. You can stack the books to the ceiling and memorize the TMS texts, but that won't move you to where you want to be.

Steve

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

Right, Steve. Believing is the big thing in TMS healing. THE biggest thing.
I'm going to get a copy of the DVD of Dr. Sarno reading HEALING BACK PAIN because I like the idea of hearing it with a soothing voice.
I had an aunt whose voice lulled me to near sleep when she read to me THE WIZARD OF OZ when I was a boy.
I wish I could have recorded that!