The Brain…pathways

[MWsunin12]

I was reading a blog by Dr. Schubiner that was stating that pain in nerves/soft tissue that goes on after regular healing time is from the brain, not the tissue/nerves. He closes the article by saying the brain needs to be reprogrammed.
How do you reprogram your brain? Is ignoring the pain as much as possible the same as reprogramming? Or do you do mantras/affirmations to the opposite?

Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[tgirl]

Does anyone have a response to MWsunin12?

 

[Ellen]

Dr. Schubiner has a book and an online program called Unlearn Your Pain in which he outlines his program for re-programming the brain (unlearning). His program is similar to the SEP and Alan Gordon's Recovery Program that is here on the tmswiki. It involves reading, journaling, inner exploration, meditation, and using some affirmations.

 

[balto]

Is ignoring the pain as much as possible the same as reprogramming?

from my observation I've seen that most people failed when they try to "ignore" their symptoms. You can not ignore it. It is there, we live with it all day long, it hurt like hell, how can we ignore it. I think it is just unrealistic trying to ignore your pain. Instead of ignoring try accepting. Accept your pain as much as you can. Prove to your mind that you are not scare of it, you are not worry about it and try to relax as best as you can. Your pain is your brain's way of telling you you are in some short of danger. You have to tell it NO, I am not in any danger. Relax and stay calm and prove to your brain that you are ok and feeling fine, shut down that alarm, turn off that danger sign.... in time your brain will agree with you and the symptoms will leave.

 

[BeWell]

[Deleted at BeWell's request]

 

[Andy Bayliss]

This is exactly why I believe learned neural pathway concept confuses people. Your awareness of TMS will undermine the decision of your mind to distract from unconscious emotions.

You do not need to reprogram your brain.

Your acceptance or confidence of painful though harmless symptom causation, Dr. Sarno's diagnosis, will like a deer in the headlights reveal to your mind it's deception is discovered and no longer effective.

I have to say, despite myself (!) --because I feel the general gist of your arguments of late regarding the efficacy or truth of "pathways approach" are "much ado about nothing"-- I follow your thinking here BeWell. "Fixing the pathways" could sound like one more thing we have to worry about doing, in order to heal. Another task that takes luck, skill, grace, that "may not happen." How do I know my pathways are getting fixed? What else do I need to do to fix them? So I see the point of your comment here, I think. Your purist approach has an impeccability about it, a clarity, which for someone pursuing the TMS approach may mean less flack, less steps... Less... is more. I don't think this reaction of "more fixing needed" is the intended result of the "pathways" augmentation, nor the way a physician would explain how the pathways are "improved," but I can see where a worrying perfectionist (like myself!) could get caught here!

 

[BeWell]

[Deleted at BeWell's request]

 

[MrRage]

You are not always respectful. In fact you have a made a few disrespectful posts in one topic belittling a user for their pelvic floor issues. This is not your personal website. This is a support group for people seeking treatment for TMS. The community here is incredibly respectful and open-minded and there is no evidence that would suggest to me that the administrators are being unfair or heavy-handed. If you don't like the way the website is being moderated, you are more than welcome to start your own forum. Let's not hold any illusions; membership here is completely and totally at the discretion of the owners.

That said, I do enjoy reading many of your arguments and even agree with many of them. I can also understand your cynicism with regards to doctors like Schechter.

 

[pspa]

As I understand Howard's model, one doesn't need to "fix" a pathway any more than one needs to "fix" reduced blood flow/tissue hypoxia under Sarno's model. Sarno too, let us not forget, has an ultimate physiological explanation for pain, it's not just some cosmic phenomenon in a vacuum. But in my opinion whether one chooses a neurological or a circulatory model (or metaphor) is essentially irrelevant.

 

[plum]

As I understand Howard's model, one doesn't need to "fix" a pathway any more than one needs to "fix" reduced blood flow/tissue hypoxia under Sarno's model. Sarno too, let us not forget, has an ultimate physiological explanation for pain, it's not just some cosmic phenomenon in a vacuum. But in my opinion whether one chooses a neurological or a circulatory model (or metaphor) is essentially irrelevant.

Aye. And arguing over the details is essentially a way of distracting yourself from healing (thank you @ezer ). Getting in a tizz over things on here is another manifestation of displacement anger much like Sarno's description of road rage. Fervent, fuming, febrile, foaming, furious, fervid and fiery forum exegesis (I ran out of f words), are tms equivalents.