Melany C. Responding to the Pain

[tomlincs]

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Question

Hi

I am very new to the TMS world and have come across it after I had wondered if anxiety could actually cause pain in my leg.

I had a bulging/prolapsed disc about 2 years ago and suffered with real bad lower back pain which went after a few weeks but was left with sciatica in my left leg. I went to see a physio and at the same time my anxiety was coming back strong for the first time in years. After a few months of processing my anxiety I had noticed my leg pain had gone.

I have carried on my life as normal for 2 years pain free. I have really been enjoying the gym and decided to sign up to a 12 week program with a personal trainer. Literally days before my first session, my back was hurting really bad and my leg came back as bad as ever. I didn't dare do the first session and went to see my physio etc, then I decided against advice and thought I would just do my 12 week program, I am only a couple of weeks in to it and my back feels great but my leg still flares up and most noticeably it is just before I go to the gym, as if I its telling me not to go!

It is so bizarre. Some moments I feel perfectly normal and the next moment I am in lots of pain. I am thinking to myself that if the sciatic nerve wasn't happy it would be constant pain and not random. I have suffered really bad with anxiety and OCD over the years and am pretty much over all of that, I am aware of what the mind can do to have a hold over you and control your body.

What I am struggling with, is say this is TMS, mentally what do I do in the moment I am feeling the pain? how do I move forward and get this pain to stop flaring up when I am stressed etc? ... with anxiety, OCD I have to face my thoughts and fears, concentrate on them and eliminate all fear. When i concentrate on my leg though it just gets worse!

Any help would be very very much appreciated.

Thank you all.

Tom

 

[Melany Cohen LMFT CHT JD]

Answer

Hi Tom,

Welcome to the TMS world! The fact that you’re able to see the connection between anxiety and pain means you’re off to a great start.

You write, “Say this is TMS…what do I do? The answer lies within the question. If you know it’s TMS, SAY this is TMS! Say it loud, say it multiple times, shout if from the rooftops! You get my drift.

It seems from the way that you’re asking the question that you have some uncertainty about the nature of your pain. That’s not meant to be a criticism. Many of us TMS sufferers start from a place of wondering about the nature of our pain. That’s good. But the next thing you have to do is get really clear and really certain! You have done a lot of great evidence gathering up until now. You referenced a history of anxiety, fluctuating symptoms, symptom reduction after doing emotional processing. These are all factors that point in the direction of TMS.

Remember that accepting that your pain is not structural is a key part of recovery! If there’s even a tiny part of you that believes your leg pain could have a medical cause, it can be very hard to feel safe. It’s hard to communicate a message of safety to your brain if you think you’re causing physical damage every time you sit, walk, or, in this case, go to the gym.

Being certain about the nature of your pain will also help guide you to know what to do when the pain comes on. Once you fully accept that your pain is not structural, sometimes all you need to do is remind yourself by saying some phrase that makes sense to you (“This is TMS and it’s reversible. Or I have TMS and I can cure myself”). Use whatever strong, powerful phrase appeals to you and repeat it multiple times whenever you feel the pain.

It’s no wonder that when you concentrate on your leg now, the pain gets worse. Whenever you focus on it, there’s still a battle going in in your mind over whether there is something really wrong. Once you can tell yourself with certainty that it’s TMS and you’re able to observe the pain without caring whether it gets better or worse (i.e. without the FEAR associated with the pain), you should be well on your way to recovery.


Enjoy your workouts!

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[JanAtheCPA]

Use whatever strong, powerful phrase appeals to you and repeat it multiple times whenever you feel the pain.

I love this from Melany: strong and powerful.

Positive affirmations are recommended all the time, but people sometimes confuse positive affirmations with what I call "fake happy-face" statements. The key is not to pretend that everything is wonderful and nothing is wrong, but to substitute negative thinking with Strong and Powerful thinking.

I have always had an exercise phobia, so I work with a trainer regularly, otherwise I would never get around to exercising, and at 66, I am determined to stay healthy and maintain my bone strength. Whenever my trainer wants me to do something that scares me, or that I simply don't like doing, I force myself to face my negative self-talk, and then to flip it. I tell myself that there is nothing wrong with me, that my trainer knows what she's doing (she does!) and that by doing this exercise, my muscles and bones will become stronger. I visualize myself becoming healthier every time that I exercise with full commitment.

This simple technique is surprisingly effective - it's strong, and it's powerful!