Week 0 Suffering for 15 yrs

Hi, I have had migraines since I was a child, but I led a normal life, anyone that knew me knew I always had a headache, but I was very active and cheerful! Around 2002 I was moving and felt a twinge in my back while carrying a crate of dishes up the stairs. I didn't think anything of it, since, although I had been in an auto accident some years before, the chiropractic and P/T was completely successful.
Well, a day or so later, I was bending over looking through a Landry bag of clothes and when I stood up, I got the sharpest pain I had ever experienced and that was the beginning of my nightmare. Of course it was blamed on the herniated disc from the accident, but P/T didn't help this time...nor did chiro...Fastforward 3 years and I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Since then I've been bedridden, worked 16 hr days in a restaurant, worked at a travel agency where after 2 months I had a 'flare up' that caused me to lose the job and countless others...Right now, I'm working full time but I usually have to cut my hours every week due to pain or fatigue. I just heard about TMS 6 days ago and hear the audiobook 4 days ago and since then I've had a reduction in pain, stiffness, anxiety over the pain, as well as being so freaking excited about resuming LIFE!

 

Day 1 Oops,
So I am 100% convinced that I have TMS and that it isn't the source of my chronic pain and some other conditions as well. I just started this journey 4 days ago, but am starting the SEP today. I'm a little concerned about getting distracted by life or my subconscious outsmarting me...

 

This is the Real Deal happy McWow! I am happy you've found your way here. I would suggest that you, over time, read everything that Dr. Sarno wrote, and inquire into doubts or blocks as they come up. Become a deep student of this body of work, and it will go deep!
Welcome!
Andy B

 

Hi,

You might find some hope and inspiration by reading my story on my profile page or in the Success Stories sub-forum. I had migraines all my life and fibromyalgia for 20 years and I've recovered using a TMS approach. You are in the right place!

Welcome to the Forum!

 

Hi McWow, and welcome!

I have to quote your last sentence, for several reasons:
1) This shows good awareness
2) These probably belong at the top of the list of things that can trip you up
3) OMG, I can totally relate

For me, the easier of the two was becoming more mindful of my unconscious. As I did the SEP, I became aware that during the writing exercises, my subconscious brain was telling me to NOT write certain things down. It tried to convince me that they were silly, and not important. I literally had to force myself to write them down anyway, even as my brain was saying "no, no, no, don't put that down in writing!" The thing is, they weren't at all earth-shattering (I didn't discover any terrible secrets from my past). They were just little embarrassing or guilty incidents from my childhood - but when I examined them more closely in the exercises, they were extremely revealing about my adult fears and reactions and repressions.

The much harder thing for me is dealing with life distractions and stresses. I still struggle with that one, believe me. I still take on too much, get overwhelmed, and before you know it, I've got symptoms again. At least these days, I don't fear them, and they go away pretty quickly - more quickly if I stop, slow down, and examine my emotions.

Good luck! And do as Andy recommends!

~Jan

 

Your primitive brain is not happy, and it's fighting back. This, too, shall pass. You will learn to be in charge, I swear!

 

It took me about 2 weeks for the program to sink in and see an improvement

 

Thanks

 

It took a couple of days but the migraine is all but gone. I've also banished a tendinitis flare up in about 6 hours! Woo hoo!!!
I've listened to the audio book of Healing back pain twice and read the mind body prescription once. Will start the book again tomorrow.