oxygen deprivation

[clairem]

hi there ive just been told that the oxygen dep theory has now been disproved is the consensus now with therapists that this is the case? perhaps it deosnt matter how the brain creates the pain just that its a distraction....

 

[Alan Gordon LCSW]

Hi Claire,
I wouldn't say it's been disproved, oxygen deprivation was Dr. Sarno's best guess as to how TMS pain was generated given the information available at the time. He felt compelled to come up with a potential theory, because the scientific community needs the "how" in order to accept the "why." But even when he came up with that theory, he was aware that in the future, some other mechanism may have been shown to be the true cause of the pain, and he emphasized that it wouldn't matter, because the specific mechanism wasn't that relevant.

Many TMS physicians now believe that TMS pain is a function of learned neural pathways in the brain. See this article for a more in depth explanation:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blo...-role-neuroplasticity-in-pain-better-or-worse

Your last sentence hits the nail on the head though. Don't become overly preoccupied with the specific mechanism. It's really pretty irrelevant, the why is more important than the how.

Alan

 

[clairem]

Thank you

 

[riv44]

I know that the brain becomes primed for pain and experiences pain with greater intensity over time. I respect the power of the brain, of self-fulfilling prophecy, and the plasticity of the brain--the possibility of re-training.