Setback - Please Help Me

Hi All,

I discovered Sarno last summer after having many severe, knee-buckling, acute shooting pains in my lower back. I had tried pain killers, chiropractors, physical therapy, and steroid injections. I only got minimal relief from these treatments (placebo affect). After reading "Mind Over Back Pain" and "Healing Back Pain," I was convinced I had TMS. I even was told by the doctor who did my injections that my spine is one of the healthiest that she has seen and that she thinks I am onto something regarding Sarno's work. She gave me her blessing to go forth and explore this psychosomatic disorder.

My last attack was 6/13/13 (I was watching a special screening of Man of Steel). Well, I say that was my last attack, until last week. I had an attack that ALMOST hit me last week, and another today. Moments ago, I had an all out attack that knocked me over.

I need your help.

I have been a silent, passive member of this forum, and I have ben empowered by all of your posts and success stories. The pain was so bad today that I started to lose faith in my TMS diagnosis. Can anybody here please offer me some words of support to get me back on track? This setback has really frightened me.

Thanks for all you have done, and all you continue to do.

Jim

 

I understand your pain & concern. I'm still struggling too. Have you been doing any journaling, deep breathing, or meditations to calm down your body? I know it's hard right now because fear has its hold which keeps our bodies so tight & in pain. Try as hard as it might be right now & think psychologically. What is truly going on? Try to dislodge some of your tension as best as you can. Don't lose faith, lose the fear. You are in the right place. We are here to help you out. You will get through this attack too. Try your best to stay positive and don't let negative thoughts control you.

I would suggest you start the SEP & read Healing Back Pain again. Repeat Sarnos 12 daily reminders & please continue to post on this forum any help you need. Keep us posted. Take care & peace! We are here to for you.

 

Hi MouseMom,

Thank your so much for your reply. It is comforting to have this community of people who "have ben there." No, I have NOT been doing the meditation and journaling. I need to get back to those basics, and thank you for the reminder. I actually decided last night that I will get back to "Unlearn Your Pain" by Howard Schubiner. This book gets rave reviews, and Schubiner is a student of Sarno's work. This book includes a 28-day program, and a big part of that is journaling. Thank you for your encouragement.

Oh, I also took your advice to review Sarno's 12 daily reminders. I am actually going to print them out and carry them with me.

Do you mind if I ask if you have beaten your TMS? If so, how long did it take, and how long has it been since you have been better? Did you have any relapses?

Best Wishes,
Jim

 

Hi, Jim. Mousemom gives you great advice. Journaling and practicing Sarno's 12 Daily Reminders are very important in healing your pain.
Starting the SEP program is a very good thing. It's most important to do what Sarno, Schubiner, Steve Ozanich and others suggest...
reflect on your repressed emotions because they are causing your pain. It's psychological, from anger begun and developed in our childhood.
Built-up anger over years is recognized by our unconscious mind as rage. We may not think our childhood had stresses, but some doctors
say they can begin even when we're in the womb. We inherit anxieties from our mothers.

While doing the TMS work, try to convince yourself you believe in TMS 100 percent. Anything less keeps the pain going.

I healed from TMS back and shoulder pain when I did a lot of journaling and finally believed all my pain was from repressed emotions.
I had lots of those, so it took about two months to heal. I would have healed faster if I hadn't believed about 10 percent of my pain was
from aging. I'm almost 84, so that was a natural thing for me to think was the cause of my pain. But Dr. Sarno says aging doesn't
cause pain. Our repressed emotions do.

Keep posting because others may well have more suggestions for you.

 

Hi Jim! I wish I could tell you that I have beaten TMS. But others on here have and I truly believe that we will. I just have had too many years & attacks from back pain that conventional medicine has only helped in the short term. I believe that this is where my healing will come from. I have too many years of conditioning that I need to overcome first. Some will heal faster than others and that is ok. I wanted so badly for my pain to end & to be healed but I believe that is why my pain has continued. I have now accepted that it took me many years to get here and it will take some time to heal and I am ok with that. I now work with a therapist & have become open with my feelings. I continue to be inspired by all the wonderful people on this forum. Just continue to reach out. Also, there is a great chat that is on Tuesday nights that I just love. It would be great if you could call in & join us. Take care & keep us posted. You are on the right track.

 

Thanks, Walt! I was believing 100% that my pain was rom TMS. I was able to fully believe once a spine specialist looked at my MRI's and said that even SHE didn't think the pain I was experiencing could be attributed to a physical abnormality. That conversation allowed me to accept TMS as my diagnosis. The thing that scared me yesterday was that I can't figure out any life stressor that I experienced yesterday, or even over the past week, that would have triggered the emotions. I guess that's where the journaling comes into play.

My girlfriend of nearly 2 years broke up with me on 12/30/13, and she moved out on 2/1/14. Maybe that's the trigger. I'm just surprised that it took a couple of weeks after she left for the symptoms to hit me. Do you think a trigger can take that long to manifest as TMS?

MouseMom, thank you for your feedback as well. You make a good point. If it took years to condition our bodies to have these symptoms, then it will take some time to change that conditioning. I will try to catch this Tuesday's chat.

Cheers!

 

majicjim, I'm in much the same situation in that I'm also experiencing more flare ups and more intensity of pain levels recently. I've also been somewhat confused as I immediately think psychologically and attempt to locate any possible stressor but it's to no avail.

The more I've thought on this the more it does make sense that a 'trigger' could lay dormant or even more likely that a flare up is a cumulative thing...I think we are probably looking for a biggish obvious stressor when the reality is that tiny little niggles brought on by our faulty thinking/behaviour patterns probably build up over previous days weeks or months and then when that internal reservoir is about full, bingo, we have a pain flare. I could be wide of the mark but this seems quite logical...what I don't have any doubt of though is that the more we somatise in this many the easier it becomes for the mind/body to implement again.

 

I think a romantic breakup from months ago can be a delayed or repressed TMS trigger.
Our unconscious knows us better than we know ourselves, I guess.

Keep journaling and forgiving... girlfriends and ourselves.

Remember the good times, not the bad.

And think positive... the next girlfriend will be THE ONE.

 

Huckleberry and Walt, I appreciate all that you both had to say. The breakup probably did put me "over the edge" when combined with other smaller, less serious stressors.

Hopefully the next one WILL be the one!

GOOD NEWS: With Dr. Sarno's advice about continuing all normal physical activities, I just got home from a 4-mile run (29 minutes)! The first thing I'm doing is writing in this forum that I was able to complete the run without any pain! During the run, I was visualizing my spine as healthy and flexible.

 

Huckleberry and Walt, I appreciate all that you both had to say. The breakup probably did put me "over the edge" when combined with other smaller, less serious stressors.

Hopefully the next one WILL be the one!

GOOD NEWS: With Dr. Sarno's advice about continuing all normal physical activities, I just got home from a 4-mile run (29 minutes)! The first thing I'm doing is writing in this forum that I was able to complete the run without any pain! During the run, I was visualizing my spine as healthy and flexible.