Not all TMS docs were created equal. I haven't said anything up until now and I don't wish to name and shame but as we are on the subject...I went to see a TMS doctor a while back for severe back pain and sciatica. I was asked to discuss why I believed I had TMS so I elaborated on my childhood issues, current stressors and personality traits. I may as well have had my mouth taped shut because the resulting diagnosis was made purely on the MRI report I had brought along (just the report, not the imaging) and a general physical examination. This person declared that I did not have TMS at all but had suffered a prolapsed disc. My back would no doubt recover, I was told, unless I was unlucky. That there was my nocebo. I spent ages being angry and upset. It was in total conflict to everything I had read in Healing Back Pain/Mindbody Prescription. I even went back to my osteopath thinking that heck, if it's physical, I'll treat it as such. My osteopath is such a sweetie but even though he sincerely believed he could help me, his efforts were in vain. I enjoyed his company and decided what I really wanted was to have a nice chat and a laugh with him, to connect with someone in a meaningful way. Alas I put an end to the camaraderie after several sessions and told him I was going to get better on my own. I wasn't one of the 'unlucky ones' because I refused to believe that rubbish so my back recovered. I basically got to a point where I ignored what I was told and accepted that I had had a major setback for reasons that would become clear later. I had faith in my own intuition that was telling me I was absolutely fine, that my symptoms were indeed TMS. I'm actually glad now that things worked out the way they did. Perhaps the TMS doc did my a big favour.
As for psychotherapists, I totally agree with what Dr Peter Zafirides always says, the most important element is the relationship between the client and therapist - not whether they are TMS therapists. Granted I wouldn't want to speak with someone who was opposed to a mind body approach but many forum posters have found help from therapists other than those on the TMS practitioners's list. I lasted about 18 months in therapy but as I was going around in circles like a broken record I decided to go it alone in my own time, in my own way.
