Severe Symptoms & Steve O's Book

[Rabscuttle]

Food for thought. For the parts of us in the subconscious—there is no time. So if you were abused or stressed as a child, it’s STILL happening for that little child part of you. And anything that triggers its fears (mean people, pressure, fighting, chaos, alcoholics, yelling…whatever it may be) brings that same fear, front and center. Hence, a hypersensitive nervous system.

you are 100% correct Diana. My wording was poor. What you describe is absolutely true and still personally relevant to me, I still get jolts of major anxiety when I see older adults argue, harkening back to my parents blow out fights. I suppose what I was trying to imply was that I think the initial cause of the symptoms is genuine in being rooted in emotions/stress and being a plea from the subconscious, but what perpetuates them and keeps the heightened nervous system going and the symptoms going indefinitely is the brain acting erroneously. I think in a lot of cases the brain just starts interpreting normal sensations as pain, which is why so many associate weather or the wind or specific clothes or chairs or driving as sources of pain, when it’s really just a conditioned response made possible by a heightened nervous system.

is it possible this is all intentional and by design of the subconscious? Absolutely.

 

[Diana-M]

you are 100% correct Diana. My wording was poor. What you describe is absolutely true and still personally relevant to me, I still get jolts of major anxiety when I see older adults argue, harkening back to my parents blow out fights. I suppose what I was trying to imply was that I think the initial cause of the symptoms is genuine in being rooted in emotions/stress and being a plea from the subconscious, but what perpetuates them and keeps the heightened nervous system going and the symptoms going indefinitely is the brain acting erroneously. I think in a lot of cases the brain just starts interpreting normal sensations as pain, which is why so many associate weather or the wind or specific clothes or chairs or driving as sources of pain, when it’s really just a conditioned response made possible by a heightened nervous system.

is it possible this is all intentional and by design of the subconscious? Absolutely.

And…also according to Claire Weekes…your nerves just plain get shot. You get so sensitive, everything is perceived as danger.

 

[NewBeginning]

You get so sensitive, everything is perceived as danger.

Literally, what seems to be happening nerves on my skin too, the nerves are so sensitized right now that any bit of heat or even wind sends them into full force reaction! And, I'm aware all of it is happening and even when it is happening what the thoughts are/how I'm breathing, all of it, but here I am again, experiencing their full on protective regime!

 

[Diana-M]

Literally, what seems to be happening nerves on my skin too, the nerves are so sensitized right now that any bit of heat or even wind sends them into full force reaction! And, I'm aware all of it is happening and even when it is happening what the thoughts are/how I'm breathing, all of it, but here I am again, experiencing their full on protective regime!

Oh no! I forget if you’ve read Claire Weekes, Hope and Help for Your Nerves. It’s super short. So comforting. She reassures there is recovery from this. Over the past year I have slowly slowly felt some of this kind of stuff subside.

 

[NewBeginning]

Thanks @Diana-M !
Yeah - I think I also read another of her books too.
I've read a ton of books in this area.

 

[mikeinlondon]

Mike,
I’m rarely in pain while sitting. So I can read, write, draw to my heart’s content. But last year I was in jail. I didn’t leave my house except maybe 8 times. I was only barely alive and every day struggled to stay alive. I feel better now, only because of what you said here:

It IS the trick. To learn to walk on hot coals. To hold that painful yoga pose until you are so peaceful you don’t have pain anymore. To gain control of your THOUGHTS that want you to spiral downward.

I’m sad sad sad! to hear you contemplated taking your life because of your pain. I understand why. That’s why I fight here. Because I don’t want ANY of us to go down. I don’t want you to go down.

The biggest lie that TMS sells is that this will last the rest of your life. That’s a lie. I’ve had TMS about 15 times since I was 8. Every single time it has gone away—sooner or later. And this was pre-Sarno. (I’m also a big fan of ignoring things! So that probably helped.) This last round has been an all-time doozy! And it’s holding on! But even if I can get 5% relief every 6 months, I’ll make it. Even if I have to use a scooter for a year, I’ll make it. (I once watched a woman in a restaurant eat with her feet, while laughing and talking with her friends. She had no arms. I was amazed and humbled.)

There are PRICELESS treasures hidden for us on this journey. I believe wholeheartedly that our lives will be so much better when we get out of this that we’ll actually say it was worth the pain.

Hold on, brother! You’re a hero, too!

Bless you, Diana. Thank you for your support. One of the reasons I was suicidal was because I had severe insomnia and was loosing my mind. I feared being sent to a psychiatric centre where they might electrocute my brain as I wasn’t responding to drugs. Apparently, electrocuting the brain is legal in the UK and is an actual therapy! I can deal with pain, it’s difficult, but I can manage it. Loosing one’s mind due to severe anxiety, psychosis etc due to sleep deprivation is another challenge altogether and is what I fear the most. It is because when you are so sleep deprived you do not have the mental focus/agility to control your symptoms and all the books in the world are not help you. TMS pains don’t fear me, they just make me sad, miserable and depressed. Severe sleep deprivation is by far, without question, the worst TMS symptom I have had to date.

 

[Diana-M]

Severe sleep deprivation is by far, without question, the worst TMS symptom I have had to date.

Mike,
That’s horrible. I’ve had short periods of insomnia throughout my life, and even short periods make living and especially thinking and emotionally surviving very difficult. With what you faced, I can understand how hard it was for you, especially with the fear of what happens with the electrocution. I truly hope and pray you can find some answers for that. I know there are some people on here that have succeeded in getting rid of insomnia. Maybe you can contact them or do a search on insomnia. I’m sure you’ve already figured out what to do as far as the research. I honestly will pray for you. That’s what I’ve got when all else fails. And I do believe it’s powerful.

Yesterday, I ran into this book and it really blew my mind. I wonder if you would like it. It’s called Crushing Doubt by David Ratner. Check out chapter 9. I’ll be really curious to see what you think.

 

[Rabscuttle]

Literally, what seems to be happening nerves on my skin too, the nerves are so sensitized right now that any bit of heat or even wind sends them into full force reaction! And, I'm aware all of it is happening and even when it is happening what the thoughts are/how I'm breathing, all of it, but here I am again, experiencing their full on protective regime!

this is what I had following my vasectomy, and was my first constant and prolonged and debilitating tMS symptom. I made massive progress using Dan Buglios approach of actively confronting the symptoms and generally taking a ‘who gives a shit approach’, changing my verbiage and thought patterns- “they’re just sensations. This isn’t forever etc” I still deal with this to an extent but it’s the difference of being a 1-2/10 discomfort level rather than a 4 or 5 and I no longer have to stress about what pants or underwear I’m wearing or what the temperature is. Additionally I can go days without these symptoms at all, but I can actively make them worse when I hyperfixate on them. Unfortunately symptom imperative followed but overcoming this first symptom was massive.

 

[feduccini]

Literally, what seems to be happening nerves on my skin too

What I think is so frustrating about this one is that it feels very strange. It's not like pain, not like numbness, not like fatigue, not like anything. I started having it on my left thigh 2 days after my surgeon told me "if you're not having pain in the legs, you're fine".