Revisiting treatment strategies at different times .

[Solange]

In the first few months of my newly acquired TMS knowledge, I tried a wide variety of treatment strategies(non physical, of course) from mindfulness through to mantras and journalling. I have consistently found journalling to be extremely useful and do a short session most days about what has happened and how I feel etc,etc. but have seen big differences in the usefulness of other approaches.
When I began, I found visualization very unhelpful; I tried to imagine/see myself doing certain movements and activities in a pain free way but experienced so much anxiety by just thinking about them that I stopped doing this completely. A week or so ago, I gave it another try and this time, I am finding it really helpful.
Mantras are another thing. When I began, I just felt dishonest saying 'I am strong 'etc because I couldn't believe it and I felt unconvinced. Again, I stopped but have restarted this a few weeks ago and it is helpful now.
Has anybody else experienced a change in the usefulness of strategies to combat TMS? Can you link it to anything?Personally, I feel that these strategies have become more useful to me as I have started to see improvements in my health and as I have had more time to truly assimilate Dr Sarno's message.
I guess I'm just posting this to encourage people to try something they may have tried before just to see if perhaps they are now ready to be helped by it.

 

[Eric "Herbie" Watson]

I like this thread Solange.
Its like while were really hurting and we say " im pain free" in a mantra - well its like were lying to ourselves but really were not. Were re-conditioning our minds to think healed and in the end to become healed.

That's probably why your feeling better because in your mind you knew you would. Its when we doubt that we don't heal. So you started feeling better and now your doing your mantras more and also visualizations more. That's great, its cause you feel more confident that you have tms and now your going to beat it.

So in essence when you started believing, you began to heal. It just took some time for you to notice. Now to your question, I've done visualizations while I was sick and hurt and I also do them now while im healed. Id say the time while I was hurting it sure was a lot harder to meditate and such but the mantras were really easy. I feel better now that I have put in the work and gained the understanding.

Thanks

 

[BruceMC]

Yes, Solange, I think different treatment strategies are more effective at different stages of the TMS healing process. Affirmations and visualizations, for instance, might not seem to make much of a difference when you're totally racked with pain and physically incapacitated. But later on as you gain confidence in the TMS diagnosis (and your pain symptoms have subsided), they may be more appropriate to you than they were earlier on. You have to pick and chose (but not discard) treatment modalities and see which one works for you at that particular moment.

 

[Steve Ozanich]

This is a good point, the first time people read the books or try something, will be much different the next time they read or try once again. The higher you climb the mountain the more the view changes because you can now see farther as you rsie. You will see the bigger picture at each level. Plus Bruce seems to like climbing and he's a smart guy. Keep climbing Solange. The view is beautiful here.

 

[Solange]

Thanks all for your comments. I guess it's all about keeping an open mind in the end;as BruceMC puts it, not completely discarding approaches that don't seem to work but perhaps just putting them on ice for a while and giving them another try down the line.
I'll have my camera ready for the view from the top of that mountain!