Starting the program during an acute attack

I just discovered the concept of TMS a few days ago, immediately after having what I now know is my second acute TMS attack (see my Day 1 post in the SEP subforum if you're interested in my story). I believe 100% that I have TMS, but I must admit that it's really hard to get moving with the program while I'm in the throes of an acute attack and have much much higher levels of pain than usual. I started the SEP yesterday and have begun journaling and talking my feelings out with my husband. Any other advice for how to deal when you are in an acute attack? When your pain is an 8 out of 10, it's nearly impossible to just "ignore it" or "laugh at it." I just feel like "if I could just get through this attack, I could really start on the road to recovery..."

 

Acute attacks are moments of great challenge. I described one of mine as being an 11 out of 10 in intensity. Dr. Sarno once said to "grab a bottle of wine and a good book and go to bed." His point being that they tend to run their own course, so hunker down until your brain stops throwing its fit.

In the meantime, during an acute attack the first thing you need to do is gain control over your breathing mechanism. It begins there with deep belly breathing. Then throw in a relaxation ritual. I recommend Dr. Miller's Abolish Anxiety Now but there are many other good ones. The idea is to soothe yourself. Soothe your ANS with breathing, relaxation, and pleasure. You want to add soothing to the rage to begin to balance.

I found doing any type of "responsibility" like journaling made me worse. But others have liked it. In my opinion, there's nothing better than peace and quiet, and compassionate talking. Pour your heart out to someone, it will release the energy from the build-up.

1) Breathe
2) Relax
3) Soothe/pleasure
4) Talk
5) Slow mental chatter

Then, begin the work when it passes.

The work is simple and complex, it's simplex. Also, the idea is not to ignore the pain but to head toward it. The problem lies in your shadow where your deepest pain is stored. Get into it and start to see what it's telling you. The ignoring part comes when you begin the physical movement again. When you do that you act as though pain doesn't exist. But right now, go find out why you need your pain now. It's always a relationship issue, but which one?

Close your eyes and ask yourself why you need your pain right now? Why is your brain trying to help you at this moment? Something has changed recently, what?

Be courageous, this will pass.

Steve

 

You have a way with words Steve, hope you have trademarked that along with others in the book .

 

Thank you for your wise words. The first couple days of realizing my pain was TMS were a relief and I felt better. I felt relieved to make some sense of my pain and to know that there isn't a physical reason behind it. However, the past couple days have not been good. The pain is worse and the mental struggle is worse. I have journaled and reflected a lot and I do believe my emotional issues center primarily around control, because I often felt like I didn't have control of my choices as a child. Every time I've had an acute attack, there has been something I haven't felt control over. It makes sense, but now I don't know what to do with that knowledge to try to tell my brain that I'm okay and I don't need this pain to distract me. I'm not currently struggling with control issues, and I feel like I'm getting frustrated with my brain for not cooperating and for still giving me this nasty pain.
I honestly don't feel like I have problems that I'm currently fretting over, consciously or unconsciously, except this PAIN! The constant pain is my biggest source of anxiety, and it's sapping me. I just don't know how you can "accept" pain and go about your everyday life with it. I feel like I'm fighting ferociously in quicksand and I want to move from the quicksand to the beautiful beach and feel peace again. I do desperately just want peace from the pain and peace from the constant thoughts about pain.

 

Your pain is doing exactly what it wants you to do. It's keeping you preoccupied from underlying emotions. The cause of your pain is out of your awareness right niw. Divert your attention else where and find purpose. As the great doctor said if one is preoccupied with the body/pain they will persists.

Ryan

 

Pain needs to be counter-attacked by discovering its psychologoical-emotional causes.

Kris, maybe try distracting yourself from the pain by playing back a mental video of
what may have begun in your childhood that you have been repressing,
but may have been triggered by something more recent.

Or are you a perfectionist-goodist?

These are the main causes of pain.

It's not easy. I know. But revisting my childhood fears, anxieties, led me to better understanding
and then forgiving and then, finally healing.

 

Hi Kris,

This is a process of deep education, which you are starting. The brain is getting the message, with your practices. Just find patience as best you can.

The fact that the pain is still there doesn't mean you are "doing anything wrong." There is a desperation that the pain should stop, and a desperation that your TMS work should be done "just right." These inner pressures are natural, and they may also be an echo of your inner landscape around controlling things. I hope you can find ways to take pleasure in anything, the way Steve suggests, and find patience. And when you want to, contemplate how your controlling nature permeates your experience, and how this feels to the inner child, who only wants to be. Not be anything but itself. This doesn't mean you can stop this inner activity, but you can connect the dots and contemplate real causes for the pain. Which is the cure.

Andy B.