Pain gone when I was distracted

[Wcs_Michfan]

Hello fellow warriors

I'm on year 8 of my battle. I've had scores of symptoms during those years and continue to have them. My latest is bad knee that really has no explanation but feels so real.

Anyway, yesterday I lost my phone. I was consumed by finding it and in a near panic as I realized just how much stuff I have on my phone and how much of my life is on that little device. I drove back to the restaurant I ate it looking for it in a near panic. Text my mom via my computer who then contacted the nursing home where my dad is living as I was there earlier in the day. Anyway - several hours later my phone was found in the house where I misplaced it.

So, during that whole sage - I noticed I had NO symptoms! As if my mind was all consumed in finding my phone and lost track of monitoring my physical symptoms. As soon as I found the phone the symptoms quickly came back.

Has anyone else experienced this phenomenon? And if so - how do I go about recreating this without being in a panic situation? Thank you all

 

[feduccini]

Yep, I work in a school and every now and then the kids call me to play volleyball with them, and the pain goes away. Then when I come back to the PC I start feeling the flares.
I was talking to my neurologist last Friday and she said it's interesting how my serotonin levels has a great leverage over the pain.

 

[JanAtheCPA]

Has anyone else experienced this phenomenon? And if so - how do I go about recreating this without being in a panic situation? Thank you all

Great introduction, @Wcs_Michfan. The answer is that you do "the work" and develop the particular group of skills that work for you, so that you eventually control the primitive and often irrational brain mechanism that we call TMS.

What is your knowledge level so far? I reviewed your short thread from 2023 but there was no mention of how well you understood Dr Sarno's theories and whether you had expanded your understanding. We have plenty of specific recommendations.

 

[HealingMe]

When we're preoccupied/obsessed and thrown into a constant loop about the symptom(s), it's effectively doing its job.

I agree with @JanAtheCPA. What is your knowledge so far and what have you done so far. It's not enough to just know that it's TMS - I wish that was the case.

 

[Carma7]

Yes, absolutely! Although if I'm panicked about something I typically have pain. But if I'm happy/distracted sometimes I'll notice hours went by without a twinge (this was "before Sarno" LOL). Now that I'm aware of TMS and doing the work here, I seem to be hyper-focused (not in a good way) -- like, "Oh, I'm laughing with so-and-so, why does my hip hurt? It shouldn't hurt when I'm happy/distracted." Ugh!! It's frustrating because I totally get what my subconscious is trying to do here, now that I'm on to it, and I feel all tangled up in my head. The best thing that helps me is to do my best to step away from all of it and let the situation play out as it wants. Maybe my hip will hurt and maybe it won't - whether I'm having a good time laughing or scrubbing the bathtub. Who knows and who cares? If it starts to hurt, that's my key to examine what am I feeling at the moment? Do I feel safe? Am I anticipating a trigger? *Have* I been triggered? Getting out of my head has been the most helpful thing for me. David Hascom (sp?) in his book "Back in Control" teaches a quick mindfulness practice that helps me to focus on the here and now. Basically, using one of the senses (sight, sound, touch, etc.) and focusing completely on what you're sensing - it brings you right back to the present and gets you out of those ridiculous thinking loops.

 

[JanAtheCPA]

The best thing that helps me is to do my best to step away from all of it and let the situation play out as it wants. Maybe my hip will hurt and maybe it won't - whether I'm having a good time laughing or scrubbing the bathtub. Who knows and who cares?

There ya go @Carma7! Nicole Sachs describes this as "wearing it loosely".

those ridiculous thinking loops.

Indeed

And @Wcs_Michfan, note this, with my emphasis:

Now that I'm aware of TMS and doing the work here

 

[Wcs_Michfan]

When we're preoccupied/obsessed and thrown into a constant loop about the symptom(s), it's effectively doing its job.

I agree with @JanAtheCPA. What is your knowledge so far and what have you done so far. It's not enough to just know that it's TMS - I wish that was the case.

Thank you for response. I would say my knowledge is extensive. Read all of Sarno books, been on calls with Dan Bongino (sp?), watched Nichole Sacks, etc. That said - have I done the work? I guess it depends on what that is. Trying to acknowledge my feelings, try to be indifferent about symptoms, etc - then yes. But have I actually journaled on a daily basis - I'd say no. I'm on day 2 of journaling as Nichole suggests. So honestly no - I don't think I've actually done the work, no. Can I ask what you would suggest in order to get better? What work - what program? Thanks to you and Jan for your responses. I'm convinced (at least 80% if I'm being honest) that TMS is the only thing that makes sense. Still have some doubt when I'm limping around for weeks at a time, etc. Have less doubt when I get a moment like yesterday when I was distracted and didn't notice my symptoms.

 

[JanAtheCPA]

Okay this is very helpful, @Wcs_Michfan. You just need some structure. Using Nicole's recommendations, (specifically throwing away what you write and following each session with mindful self compassion) start doing our Structured Educational Program. The early information may be too basic for you, but read each "Day" in full and at least briefly review the click-through resources because you never know when something will resonate. Definitely do all of the writing and self-examination exercises and pay attention to the "best practices" for success. This means taking your time to do the work mindfully, because your brain will try to convince you it's okay to rush through it.

 

[NewBeginning]

Have less doubt when I get a moment like yesterday when I was distracted and didn't notice my symptoms.

That's great - Keep a note of this somewhere if you can, @Wcs_Michfan.
This is such valuable "evidence" that will good to remind yourself of later.
The symptoms that I've experienced with skin in particular tend to completely diminish during sleep and even briefly when I first get up in the morning, so it's clear they don't HAVE to be there and there is the possibility for them to diminish completely. My mind comes up with all sorts of explanations for this that would keep me from living life (like well, sure but that is because they are caused by what you eat, etc... but even that isn't verifiably true), but I just don't want to live like that anymore.
You might find some of the somatic tracking exercises interesting as well if you haven't explored those.

Keep on building the evidence and doing the work ....which will help you to keep building the evidence.

 

[Carma7]

Yep, I work in a school and every now and then the kids call me to play volleyball with them, and the pain goes away. Then when I come back to the PC I start feeling the flares.

I work at a school, too. Isn't amazing how having fun with kids often does the trick? And then back at the PC (and the phones, and the parents, yadda, yadda, yadda...) and there's a flare! (I think we all need to play more!)

 

[Wcs_Michfan]

sd

Okay this is very helpful, @Wcs_Michfan. You just need some structure. Using Nicole's recommendations, (specifically throwing away what you write and following each session with mindful self compassion) start doing our Structured Educational Program. The early information may be too basic for you, but read each "Day" in full and at least briefly review the click-through resources because you never know when something will resonate. Definitely do all of the writing and self-examination exercises and pay attention to the "best practices" for success. This means taking your time to do the work mindfully, because your brain will try to convince you it's okay to rush through it.

Thank You Jan - you are a treasure.