Day 1 One down...

Hi everyone, after finishing The Mindbody Prescription I've started the Structured Educational Program. I would say my level of acceptance is at 75-80% right now; the descriptions of the typical TMS patient very accurately depict my personality type (particularly perfectionism (made the realization I physically cannot write a post like this without re-reading it multiple times and editing for grammar, etc.) and "goodism").

As I alluded to in my intro post last week, I think my hesitancy around full acceptance of the diagnosis is caused partially by a history of being burned by holistic practitioners whose treatment approaches lacked sufficient evidence, and partially by lacking efficacy of treatments and medication from the allopathic medical community. Basically I'm afraid of providers and approaches that take advantage of a vulnerable patient in chronic pain, extracting cash in return for false promises. As a result, I must admit that I spent a substantial amount of time in the first few days after hearing about Sarno's approach researching his history, affiliations , etc looking for ANY evidence of the same systems I've grown to distrust.

There is also part of me that struggles with the embarrassment of my pain being psychosomatic in nature. But I have reached a critical point where I no longer care or pass judgement on whatever the specific pathology may be, I just want to heal. Looking forward to what the rest of the program has in store!

 

Ah, but ALL physical sensations are generated by our brains. Just look at Dr. Sarno's first example, which is the symptom of burning cheeks when you are in fact publicly embarassed. This is an absolutely real, visible, physical reaction - and it is 100% caused by an emotion.

The fact is that the word "psychosomatic" is a perfectly legitimate word which describes a perfectly legitimate and normal physiological reaction that ALL humans are subject to experiencing unless they are essentially brain dead.

By now, I'm not telling you anything you haven't already figured out, which is that it's time to get over your attachment to being embarrassed, and time to get to work

Good luck!

 

I love that example, think it does a good job of simplifying the pathway from psychological to physical. Thank you!!

 

Hello and welcome Square Pemulis!

I dealt with this too after 16 months of bouncing around from conventional and holistic doctors. A few notes to help. One, with TMS, a lot of people are willing to help for free, which is great. And when you do buy something, like a book from Dr. Schubiner or Dr. Sarno, they are usually pretty reasonably priced.

Second, Jan is right on the evidence part. Mainstream society accepts that the brain causes symptoms, but for some reason, they only seem to think it can cause short-term, acute pains. For example, if really nervous, you may feel nauseous or have to use the bathroom. When you think about it, it is not a very big jump to say if being stressed at work one day can make your stomach hurt, why can't being stressed most days at work make your stomach always hurt (aka - irritable bowel syndrome - like I had).

Acknowledging TMS can feel embarrassing, but over time you may start noticing everybody in your social circle has it too. This person with headaches that started after their kids were born, this person who has bad heartburn and hates their boss, this person who can't sleep and always seems to have family drama, etc. We all deal with it - some just worse than others.

It sounds to me like you in the right place so good luck!

 

I've also dealt with this in both conventional and holistic medical circles. And I think part of it is a natural reverence to doctors and need for their approval to validate my symptoms. Just bought Schubiner's 'Unlearn Your Pain' actually, thanks for your comment!