PGAD symptoms - TMS?

R

Reymundo911

Newcomer
Hello everyone,

I'm a 37-year-old male trying to determine if my pelvic floor / genital arousal sensations that resemble PGAD are more likely to be psychosomatic in origin.

Background: I used effexor XR 75mg for 8 years (SNRI antidepressant). I tapered off, but now I am in withdrawal. It has been relatively mild recently as I reinstated a micro dose, but now these new symptoms are not mild.

My Symptoms:
  • Uncomfortable, mechanically-triggered genital arousal/hypersensitivity (from clothes, walking, sitting).
  • A history of on-and-off pelvic pressure that predates this acute phase by years. Doctor could not find a mechanical cause. Currently have intermittent pelvic pain / pressure.
  • Extreme premature ejaculation and genital sensitivity.
Potential TMS Clues / Why I'm Here:

  1. I've seen a urologist and a pelvic floor PT. Both have concluded that everything appears structurally normal.

  2. My symptoms were primarily genital sensitivity and PE. However, a doctor suggested I might have PGAD. I thought nothing of it, but then I had a non sexual wet dream, woke up and started considering whether or not I had PGAD. It was only after this that that the distinct "unwanted arousal" sensations became a prominent, daily issue.

  3. The sensations are not constant. If I'm distracted or if nothing is physically touching the area, I can feel completely normal. The feeling sometimes comes on stronger in the morning and in the evening, but in bed at night I dont feel it much.

  4. I have OCD, anxiety, and hypochondria.
My question is for those familiar with TMS: This pattern seems quite common for neuroplastic pain, but does it apply to discomfort / arousal feelings?

Has anyone here successfully treated similar pelvic or PGAD-like symptoms as TMS? I'd be grateful for any insights.
 
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Hello @Reymundo911 and welcome. There have been a number of PGAD discussions here over the years which you can find by putting the term into our search box, and I know for sure that there have been folks who report at least some relief from doing the psychological and emotional work that we recommend. What we say here is that the work can't hurt, it can help all kinds of aspects of your life, and it can be done for little or no cost - so you've really got nothing to lose. Let us know if you want advice on getting started!
 
Thanks @JanAtheCPA !

I listened to The Way Out book a few days ago. I have to listen to it again to taker more notes, what do you think would be the best resource for me to get started?

Also, my system straight up panics when I try somatic tracking to feel genital arousal sensations with a light attitude. It's like it amplifies it and well... I get closer and closer to climax. So annoying.. and terrifying at the same time!
 
The SEP program on here is free and gets you started. If you are already stressed and feeling out of control with your symptoms the somatic tracking will actually make it worse. (Been there-done that!) Right now might not be the time to utilize it and instead work on the SEP program instead. It is free on this site. I thought Gordon's book was good, but there is still way more to TMS than what he writes in his book. You do have to dig into your emotions and his book did not do that.
I highly recommend Nicole Sachs. She has a podcast that I listen to often and she is so encouraging! She just wrote a book "Mind Your Body" which delves into why we need to look at our emotions. That might be something to put on your TBR list.
 
Joulegirl said:
The SEP program on here is free and gets you started. If you are already stressed and feeling out of control with your symptoms the somatic tracking will actually make it worse. (Been there-done that!) Right now might not be the time to utilize it and instead work on the SEP program instead. It is free on this site. I thought Gordon's book was good, but there is still way more to TMS than what he writes in his book. You do have to dig into your emotions and his book did not do that.
I highly recommend Nicole Sachs. She has a podcast that I listen to often and she is so encouraging! She just wrote a book "Mind Your Body" which delves into why we need to look at our emotions. That might be something to put on your TBR list.
Click to expand...

Hi JouleGirl, thank you for your time. I will look into this program, certainly! And also, Nicole Sachs.

I am wondering, if you "catch" a TMS issue early, is it usually easier to train your brain to not assign as much danger to the uncomfortable sensations? Because not enough time was put into wiring the pain fear cycle neurons?
 
Also, is there a lot of overlap between pain reprocessing therapy, TMS treatment, and acceptance and commitment therapy? It seemed like there was quite a bit of overlap!
 
Yes and no. TMS symptoms are weird and at least in my case they are not predictable. But what is predictable is how you respond to the symptom. If you respond in fear with this new symptom, it will reinforce to your brain that you are in danger. If you allow the symptom (by not hyper focusing on it/not being afraid) your brain will learn to "turn down" the message. Take a look at this thread where @Rabscuttle talks about the pain cycle loop. https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/struggling-to-stay-on-track-with-the-tms-approach.30126/

Definitely start with the SEP. You learn a lot about yourself going through that program. From there you can see what you need to work on. Just be patient with yourself. You didn't get into pain in 1 day and this won't be fixed in 1 day. Also, there is a lot of people that teach TMS work but you will learn which method works for you as you do the work in the SEP program.
 
Reymundo911 said:
I am wondering, if you "catch" a TMS issue early, is it...
Click to expand...
Key concept for you to carry into this work: the nature and details of your particular symptom are completely irrelevant. For one thing, you will realize that you've had or have other TMS-based symptoms, probably all your life.

The TMS brain mechanism is part of our built-in stress response, but it operates on a very primitive level that worked eons ago in the primitive wilderness but has not adapted to the 24/7 barrage of non-dangerous stressors that so many of us live with in the modern world.

It's also really important to understand that it is a neuroscientific fact that every physical sensation or process in our bodies is generated within our brains - and that our brains are perfectly capable of creating physical sensations (aka symptoms) for emotional reasons. Blushing is an obvious example, as is an upset stomach before a stressful event. Real physical symptoms, for no physical reason.

I'm with @Joulegirl. I will sometimes use somatic experiencing now, but I prefer self-contemplation. My recovery was grounded in the emotionally-based theories of Dr John Sarno and by doing the Structured Educational Program which is on the main TMSWiki.org site. Nicole Sachs came along later, and her interpretation, following Dr Sarno, enhanced my ongoing practices. Her new book is outstanding.
 
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