I was first introduced to the concepts of Dr. Sarno in January 2015. Since then I have read his book Healing Back Pain twice and am almost done with The Great Pain Deception by Steven Ozanich. I am also listening to the audio version of Dr. Sarno's MindBody Prescription. About a month and a half ago I stopped taking my pain medication (Norco). Since then I have only taken it a few times (three or four) on really bad days. My pain seems to be getting a little bit better but it's just now going away. I have occasionally tried Aleve or a muscle relaxant to get through the day, but they really don't help at all so I rarely try them anymore. Near the end of the day, I usually resort to a heating pad or ice pack to make it through the rest of the day without taking pain meds. I am frustrated that it is taking so long for me to get better. I retired about a year ago and am your typical Type T personality. I feel best when I am moving around, so I try to stay active. Sitting is the most painful. Any suggestions??
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Andy Bayliss
TMS Coach & Beloved Grand Eagle
Hi jeanie,
I suggest you do the Structured Education Program at the TMS Wiki. This program is free and guides you through material, and incourages journaling/inquiry each day. Many people have gotten a lot of help from this program.
You are taking other steps, including being more active, and reducing/eliminating pain meds, and being well-versed in Dr. Sarno's work, so the SEP will be a good next step for you.
Feel free to post responses to the SEP, and ask questions on the Forum as they arise.
Welcome to a great community of caring, experienced people. We've all been through pain, and many of us have gotten a lot better!!!
Andy B.
I suggest you do the Structured Education Program at the TMS Wiki. This program is free and guides you through material, and incourages journaling/inquiry each day. Many people have gotten a lot of help from this program.
You are taking other steps, including being more active, and reducing/eliminating pain meds, and being well-versed in Dr. Sarno's work, so the SEP will be a good next step for you.
Feel free to post responses to the SEP, and ask questions on the Forum as they arise.
Welcome to a great community of caring, experienced people. We've all been through pain, and many of us have gotten a lot better!!!
Andy B.
Mermaid
Beloved Grand Eagle
Hi Jeanie,
I agree with Andy, the SEP would help you to make further progress. When I had read all the books I was still at a bit of a loss as to how to go about putting it into practice, the SEP does that for you.
As you have already learned, the purpose of TMS is to distract you from unacceptable feelings. In my case it replaced them all with FEAR of my symptoms and the havoc they were causing in my life. The key to recovery is always losing this fear, which is a challenge we have all had to face.
The road to recovery can be a bumpy one, but with patience and persistance it can be done. Just one thing, frustration with the length of time you are taking to heal is the most natural thing in the world, but this creates more tension (rage), which is what you want to avoid, so ease up on yourself. Try to take a compassionate stance, this will help you relax a little.
We're all hear for you. You are normal, you are not alone and you WILL heal if you stick with it, I promise.
Bless you.
I agree with Andy, the SEP would help you to make further progress. When I had read all the books I was still at a bit of a loss as to how to go about putting it into practice, the SEP does that for you.
As you have already learned, the purpose of TMS is to distract you from unacceptable feelings. In my case it replaced them all with FEAR of my symptoms and the havoc they were causing in my life. The key to recovery is always losing this fear, which is a challenge we have all had to face.
The road to recovery can be a bumpy one, but with patience and persistance it can be done. Just one thing, frustration with the length of time you are taking to heal is the most natural thing in the world, but this creates more tension (rage), which is what you want to avoid, so ease up on yourself. Try to take a compassionate stance, this will help you relax a little.
We're all hear for you. You are normal, you are not alone and you WILL heal if you stick with it, I promise.
Bless you.
Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)
Beloved Grand Eagle
H i, Jeanie. I agree with the others who replied to your post... the SEProgram is great. It led me to discover my repressed anger and feelings of insecurity after my parents divorced when I was seven. Finding your repressed emotions will end your pains.
Mermaid is right-on about fighting your fears. I was fearing I might hurt my back if I shoveled snow this morning, but the guy I usually hire to do that is out of town and my next-door neighbors who have cleared my driveway and front walk several times in previous snowfalls did not help me last time or today. So I decided I had to do the snow job myself, even if it might hurt my back. But it didn't and I got the job done and feel stronger for having doneit. The snow was light so I could push it away with the shovel, not lift it. I feel strong now both physically and psychologically. Not bad for an 85 year old geezer.
Mermaid is right-on about fighting your fears. I was fearing I might hurt my back if I shoveled snow this morning, but the guy I usually hire to do that is out of town and my next-door neighbors who have cleared my driveway and front walk several times in previous snowfalls did not help me last time or today. So I decided I had to do the snow job myself, even if it might hurt my back. But it didn't and I got the job done and feel stronger for having doneit. The snow was light so I could push it away with the shovel, not lift it. I feel strong now both physically and psychologically. Not bad for an 85 year old geezer.
Thank you all for your support and kind words. I will definitely try SEP! The fear is bad!!! Almost every day, when I first wake up, there is little to no pain, but I immediately start thinking about it and gradually I begin to feel a pins and needles sensation in my buttocks. If I could stay active 24/7, I would do much better because I know that I usually feel better when I am moving. How do you get past the fear?
Mermaid
Beloved Grand Eagle
[QUOTE="jeanie, post: 59203,How do you get past the fear?[/QUOTE]
The 6 million dollar question! I can only tell you what worked for me. Firstly pain+resistance=suffering, so let it be, try to accept that you have pain, but tell yourself it's temporary and harmless. Try not to panic, you're aiming to calm your nervous system here, so nice steady breathing when you're upset about the pain. The next bit is very important; the fear comes from the old unreasoning part of the brain, so we need to counteract that and bring it in check, using reasoning in the higher brain (prefrontal cortex). Here is what I used to tell myself over and over when I was in pain; fear makes the pain worse, so knock it off! I would ask myself exactly what I was so afraid of, and counter it with all I had learned about TMS. The less respect you give your symptoms the better. I could write a book on the topic, but it boils down to applying what you have learned. Once you have fully accepted that you have TMS the fear fades.
You can do this!
The 6 million dollar question! I can only tell you what worked for me. Firstly pain+resistance=suffering, so let it be, try to accept that you have pain, but tell yourself it's temporary and harmless. Try not to panic, you're aiming to calm your nervous system here, so nice steady breathing when you're upset about the pain. The next bit is very important; the fear comes from the old unreasoning part of the brain, so we need to counteract that and bring it in check, using reasoning in the higher brain (prefrontal cortex). Here is what I used to tell myself over and over when I was in pain; fear makes the pain worse, so knock it off! I would ask myself exactly what I was so afraid of, and counter it with all I had learned about TMS. The less respect you give your symptoms the better. I could write a book on the topic, but it boils down to applying what you have learned. Once you have fully accepted that you have TMS the fear fades.
You can do this!
Andy Bayliss
TMS Coach & Beloved Grand Eagle
Hi jeanie,
I find this article helpful, with regards to dealing with fear.
http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/understanding-and-overcoming-fear.8574/
I find this article helpful, with regards to dealing with fear.
http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/understanding-and-overcoming-fear.8574/