New member (long post)

Good afternoon all,

I am glad to finally find this forum, as I have been using Dr. Sarno's techniques for the last three years now, going back-and-forth and having relapses and such. To begin with, I have had most of what has been on the TMS site, and in both Dr. Schribner and Dr. Sarno's books.

I have had chronic pain for the last 20 years along with anxiety and depression, and have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, myofascial pain syndrome, Tietze syndrome, PID, hiatal hernia, acid reflex, IBS, etc.., And probably like most of you, I've had numerous blood tests, x-rays, MRIs, CT scans, and other procedures which have never resulted in any pathological findings.

About three years ago, I found out about the mind-body connection, and faithfully read and did everything in the books. It seemed to help, for a while, but then doubt crept in, family members told me there's no way it could be psychological.

To make a long story short, I regressed and just figured there was more pathological things that the doctor just couldn't figure out. Of course, fibromyalgia is a central nervous system disorder, so I basically deduced, it was from acumulative trauma due to childhood and adult experiences that I had, which nearly resulted in my death a number of times.

I will be going to my fourth therapist in three years soon and I'm not sure how to approach this, so that I can finally get to the bottom of why I'm not healing.

Have any of you guys dealt with this and what has been your experience or what advice would you be willing to give a frustrated and fed up sufferer of chronic pain?

TIA

 

Hi Jules,
Welcome to the Forum! I had fibromyalgia for 20 years and have recovered using mindbody techniques. You can read my success story on my profile or in the success stories sub-forum. Hopefully, you will find some ideas and inspiration there.

It can take awhile for some of us to recover and the road is often up and down, especially for those of us with trauma in our history. So hang in there and know that you too can recover.

Best wishes,

 

Is your therapist a TMS specialist? If I find myself going back to therapy (which I will do if I can't kick this residual pain soon) I will specifically seek out a TMS practitioner. Not sure if this is practical or possible for you, but worth a though.

(I had a regular therapist who helped me with A LOT of stuff, and whilst she agreed emotions can cause physical symptoms, I never felt able to tell her all about TMS).

 

Hi Lazydaisy,

I wish I could find a TMS practitioner, but there is none in my state. So, I have just researched therapists to help with trauma-related pain. I'm hoping that he/she will understand about the mind-body connection, and work with me on either EMDR or hypnotherapy to help process dramatic events in my past.

I believe three quarters of my pain is related to TMS, but I also believe that I have a problem with tight fascia, which I am working on with something called the Fasciablaster. I also have problems with my ribs popping out, due to a connective tissue problem and weak ligaments.

I am really hoping I can process a lot of very traumatic events, which include being sent to foster care after my mother had a nervous break down, my father falling 40-feet from a scaffold in a warehouse, and breaking every bone in his body but his back, and myself almost dying a few times.

So yeah, there's a lot of fear and it seems my body is stuck on a fight or flight response, which tends to keep my muscles in a contracted position.

 

Hi Jules, and welcome. It certainly sounds like you have a lot of intense trauma to process. I've always heard really good things about the work of Peter Levine, whose website for Somatic Experiencing is here: http://traumahealing.org/ (SE Home – Continuing Education – For Mental Health Professionals and Bodyworkers | PTSD | Trauma Resolution) and perhaps you could find and interview a therapist with this training.

For a great overview of how emotional suffering and trauma can create real physiological change, When The Body Says No, by Dr. Gabor Mate, is the book to read. I found a lot of hope for healing in it, although some people find it difficult to read about some of his case studies. He's an incredibly caring and compassionate healer, and an excellent writer.

I wish you the best of luck in your journey. Please do read Ellen's profile story - she's an awesome resource on this forum, especially for fibromyalgia sufferers.

~Jan

 

Thanks so much!

I am actually reading that book right now and it's been very thought-provoking. I also read Ellen's story which also has given me hope.

I've learned much in the last number of years and hope to continue, praying that one day, I can have the same success story as many I have read about.

 

Hi, Jules. You sure have had a lot of emotional stress in your life, so it is no surprise to me that you have TMS. You say you believe your pain is 3/4 from TMS, so now you need to work on increasing that to 100 percent belief. That's what it takes for your subconscious to stop sending you pain.

You may need to forgive everybody for having been sent to a foster home after your mother's breakdown. Try to increase your gratitude to those who cared for you at that time.

Ellen's success story is truly inspiring. And Jan's suggestion too, of Dr. Mate's book.

I suggest you read Dr. Sarno's 12 Daily Reminders, to reinforce your belief in TMS. I especially like this extended version by anothr member of this TMS community.

Herbie’s Extended Version of Dr. Sarno’s 12 DAILY REMINDERS

1. The pain is due to TMS. This is real pain or anxiety but it is caused by subconscious tensions and triggers, stressors and traits to your reactions and fears and also when at boiling point your conscious tension can and does also cause real pain.
2. The main reason for the pain is mild oxygen deprivation. This means that when you get in pain or anxiety then the blood is restricted from going to your lower back, for instance. The blood being restricted causes oxygen deprivation which causes the pain. Remember, where there is no oxygen then there is pain in the body. Also, the pain stays because of fear.
3. TMS is a harmless condition caused by my REPRESSED EMOTIONS so even though you think you can harm yourself from the years of pain you have felt and how you feel in general -- so far no reports have been heard from TMS healing knowledge causing damage to anyone, it only helps.
4. The principle emotion is your repressed ANGER -- this means under your consciousness lies something that happens automatically to everyone. TMSers have repressions that are stored because of our personality traits, traumas, stressors, fears, strain, etc... When these stored repressions build and build, then eventually they cause the brain to send pain into your body to keep you from having an emotional crises. The mind-body thinks it is helping you.
5. TMS exists to DISTRACT your attentions from the emotions, stressors, tensions and strains of your personality traits because if you can get distraction then you won’t have to be in emotional turmoil. When you don't face and feel your emotions and they get repressed because you didn't want to deal with something -- they are just adding up in this beaker, ready to pour over and create real pain and anxiety in your body.
6. Since my body is perfectly normal, there is nothing to fear. So in reality when I fear the pain or anxiety I just cause myself undo strain and tension adding to the beaker of pain. If I fear, then I feed the pain, If I fear, it’s impossible to recondition. Fear keeps the pain and anxiety alive in the body through focus.
7. Therefore, physical activity is harmless. If I want to work against the pain I could but it’s better to lose some of the pain so when I start my life over I have to be in pain trying to heal because facing the repressions and all the other activities that cause the pain and reversing my fear and focus to them, then I can heal.
8. I am resuming all normal physical activity. I don't fear moving anymore. I believe in my body’s ability to heal now. I can move as I want. I will not fear moving with a bent back anymore. I will also practice going out and acting normal again, not in fear of what pain might do to me.
9. The pain is unimportant and powerless. Its only power is how it is hidden -- its illusion, its fear.
10. I will keep my attention on the emotional issues. I will think about my emotions and feel my emotions throughout the day. I will not judge, criticize or fear my emotions. I will not run from my emotional issues but face every one of them. I will feel my emotions fully and cry if I need to. Then I will release the emotion and get my mind and thoughts back to my life and living in the present.
11. I am in control of all of this. This is how I recover.
12. I will be thinking PSYCHOLOGICALLY AT ALL TIMES. This means I will keep my thoughts on psychological issues like happiness, fear and anger -- traits and triggers, conditioning and journaling -- The science behind mind-body/TMS healing, etc.... This way I will not feed my thoughts to the body -- that is a trick of TMS. TMS will always try to get me to focus on the body caused by the pain until I break its show and flair. When I get my attention off physical symptoms and on to emotional issues and psychological issues then I will not feed the fear of the physical issues anymore, thus making the TMS of no pain effect on the body. This will in return, give us the cure and become pain-free.

Keep us posted on your healing progress. You're getting there!