Skin sensitivity to light - TMS?

I came upon this article in New Yorker Magazine by chance. It is September 26 issue, article is Twilight, about a woman who suffered terribly from light sensitivity for 10 years and cleared it with meditation. I am wondering if anyone here read the article and what do people here think about it? Apparently this woman had vehemently rejected any suggestions of psychosomatic nature of her condition and spent many years confined to the 100% dark room, until the meditation lead her to self-acceptance and recovery. Fascinating!!!!

 

I was really intrigued by this post and searched the article, here it is: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/09/26/a-decade-lived-in-the-dark (A Decade Lived in the Dark)

This definitely sounds like TMS! How sad. I'm happy to hear meditation helped her but if only she had realized the psychological link I feel she could have been healed years earlier. I guess this speaks to the fact that only ~10-20% of people are open to the idea of psychosomatic causes of pain or suffering. Sounds like she had a lot of denial of some issues going on in her life. As a society we have some serious work to do on destigmatization of psychological issues!

 

who told you that she found meditation and got cured?

 

Read the article.

 

Actually, Tamara, I'm not sure! And good lord, New Yorker articles - I can never read one without a LOT of skimming (my ex used to call his subscription "the harsh mistress"). Who has the time???

Anyway, I don't think that the subject of the article recovered with meditation - you may have been misled (almost six years ago when you posted this) by a small digression about the subject's stepmother, who apparently states (in a completely obscure fashion) that SHE recovered from some kind of skin disorder through meditation.

As with so many NYer articles, "digression" and "obscure" being the key words.

That being said, it's as obvious to me as I think it was to you that the subject of the article is in fact suffering from a mindbody condition. Just the amount of pushback she gives at any suggestion of therapy or any kind of self-examination is a red flag. "Methinks the lady doth protest too much" syndrome!

 

Jan, I have to re-read the article, as it has been awhile. I am traveling for the next 2 weeks, will do after I am back home. Still, even from this forum, we have reports of some skin conditions being TMS.

 

I did. I dont understand what you're referring to though.

This is her site below.

https://annalyndsey.com/2020/07/26/and-finally-its-mast-cell-activation-syndrome/ (And finally…it’s Mast Cell Activation Syndrome - Anna Lyndsey)