Tips for forgetting posture?

Hi All,

I've still got it stuck in my head that bad posture causes injury, wear and tear, accelerated deterioration, etc of the spine. Of course, I obsess over it and essentially always feel guilty because my posture is less than ideal and that therefore I'm doing more damage. I think that that's always in the back of my head.

Can anyone help me take posture less seriously? I need to subvert its power to scare me. I look around and notice that people don't sit perfectly, and they're probably not terribly worried about it. To me, it's become such a big deal. I need some evidence that bad posture doesn't ruin your spine.

Thanks,
Eskimo

 

Hi, Eskimo. I am not a doctor but I don't think you will become the Hunchback of Notre Dame because of your posture. It should not scare you, and it is really easy to correct. Why don't you do a google search for information on correct posture. Isn't it just a matter of shoulders back and sitting straight?

 

I was recently researching what doctors think of the placebo effect and I came across some sites where they were saying that most of the problems on back pain and spinal problems can be cured by a sham operation, i.e., a placebo.

So this really says that there is nothing wrong with the spine but the people are thinking there is a problems so end up with symptoms like pain and /or inflammation. After the operation they believe that the operation made them well and that is why they get well.

What I was wondering is why do you think that your posture is bad?

 

Bad posture is bull shit! The best thing you can do is read and re-read the Good Doctor's books until you believe him and not all the propaganda spouted by those who have been deluded by old wive's tales, the mass of ignorant media talking heads or those who are trying to get into your wallet and sell you something. ALL your fears and concerns have been addressed and written about by DR. SARNO! Your inner gremlin is preventing you from seeing and believing. Maybe you need to be hypnotized into believing it--I think Dr. Sarno mentioned hypnotism can work for TMS. I'd try it but I'm afraid I would begin running around like a chicken.

G'luck!
tt/lsmft

 

I agree wholeheartedly with Tennis Tom. We've all been conditioned by the media to believe that bad backs are caused by bad posture, RSI caused by the over use of a computer etc etc.

The fact that we just happened to be carrying out an activity during its onset, makes it that much easier for our mind to associate it to a task. This is all part of the primitive minds strategy to keep us preoccupied with the symptom and believe it's a real injury.

 

ON the other hand...I can't get rid of this last shred of pain, upper trapezius or neck. It is TMS, but my tension has been stored in this area for decades.
I had my annual physical today, and my doctor agreed that allopathic medicine quite possibly just throws out placebos because that's what people want. I told her about my discovery of Sarno, and the healing process, and she is going to get familiar with him. WHY is Dr. Sarno so invisible? I have my suspicions.
My healing is neither total or immediate. It is easy to fall back on structural explanations because of my computer posture, and also because I can't raise my arm to paint on an easel.

I don't think I agree that accepting TMS means that it is fine and dandy to sit over a computer for hours without a break!

 

When I discovered Dr. Sarno I cannot tell you how happy I was to stop going to physio. For years they had been telling me my neck problem was due to my bad posture. Even before I read about tms I knew intuitively that this didn't make sense.

At one point I was working out a lot, doing karate, and my back and abs were super strong. My posture was great, too. But guess what? I was in the most pain of my life! I found Dr. Sarno not long after that, and only then did I start healing. Now I sit, stand, sleep in whatever position feels most natural. It's nice not to worry about my posture anymore.

Good posture is great though. It makes me feels better about myself in general. Maybe you could start associating good posture with something positive for you. Just a thought.

 

Thanks Walt. I think I've just let myself scare myself with this posture thing. The truth is that my posture isn't actually even 'bad'... I just obsess over it because I'm so afraid of degeneration and aging in general.

 

Somehow I turn everything into an anti-placebo. My posture isn't really bad. I do a lot of sitting and I obsess over it. Also, sitting is generally when my pain is at its highest, so there's this strong association and I have a tendency to feel guilty about it, blame it on posture, worry about the damage I've done from years of sitting at the computer all day...

 

Thanks Tom, I've got to call BS on my brain. It's so full of hogwash... posture is just one more hang up. What's happened a couple times now is that I'll be feeling a little better / less pain and then I start thinking about my posture.... as in "I better do everything right now and avoid damage so that I never have to go through that again!" ... Obviously, just fear and TMS.

 

Yes, I think I've latched on to posture because my pain is so strongly associated with sitting. Also, I tend to feel guilty about sitting at the computer all the time which further aggravates things.

 

".. I just obsess over it because I'm so afraid of degeneration and aging in general."

Degeneration is a natural process in aging, just learn to be with and accept it. The fear and worry of aging can only but speed up the process.

 

This is where my pain is too. It doesn't want to give up easily.

I think you're probably right that sitting over a computer all day isn't the greatest thing for you, but I've exaggerated it into a whole other thing. Surely it's important to move about and get your blood moving, but I have a tendency to wallow in utter despair and think that I've done some permanent damage just because I sat on a less than ideal chair for an hour. It's like healthy eating... good to practice, but not to obsess to the point of despair.

 

This is the catch 22. I'm worried because I'm worried because I'm worried that my worry is causing accelerated aging and degeneration.

 

T

I use to work at a computer for hours at a time some times while I was working. Now I am retired and for the lasts 15 years I have worked at my computer for much longer hours than I did while working. Every night, typically, I work from about 7pm through to about 3 or 4 am continuously. The only time I get up is to make some coffee or grab something quick to eat like fruit, ice cream, chocolate or nuts.

I do sit on a low box for a seat so that I am not bent over the computer keyboard and I look straight ahead at the computer screen. My posture is good but not perfect. My back is good and strong and feels good and I am in my mid to late 60s! I don't think posture has anything to do with back pain. It has to do with ideas that are mistaken for beliefs.

So for instance if there is an idea that something is "back breaking work" then when the person does that particular work and buy into the idea then they will get back pain. If they can laugh at the idea and go one working, then any pain that they feel will disappear, depending on how strongly you can reject the false idea and stop reacting to it.

 

I relate! I was recently diagnosed by Dr Rauchbaum as having TMS.

Hi, I so understand how you feel! For me I believe my hangup with correct posture/body alignment has been compoundedi by the fact as second time around career I teach Pilates. If you are at all familiar with the practice it's all about body mechanics, alignment, core strength and of course posture...I know all about anterior tilts, posterior tilts, forward head which all adds up to goodcorrect /posture!

My diagnosis by Dr. Rauchbaum is very new to me and I struggle with not blaming myself.

 

Hi Susan1111, I can see why you are in conflict with accepting Dr. Rash's TMS dx, it's in direct conflict with what you are teaching, pilates. I read your bio and you mentioned your disc "degeneration" imaging. What did Dr. Rash say about that? Do you have TMS or "degeneration"?

 

Tom thank you so much for not only your reply but looking at my bionasvwell. Perhaps I didn't write it clearly as Dr Rauchbaum did give me a diagnosis of TMS. Yes there is severe degeneration in my cervical spine and Arthritis, he wasn't concerned about either. I've neck issues my whole life which is why I believe him but yet there is a little voice inside me that still thinks that all my tension in my neck (and the need to move it around to release the tightness has caused my problem along with forward head and not being aware of my posture until after the damage was done. I hope this makes sense!

This morning I had an interesting break through... I woke up with shoulder pain, something different than I've had...I could barely make my bed...I decided to breath through it and tell myself it was merely harmless TMS. With that I decided to do a workout and the pain didn't affect me and was gone....although of course my neck is still stiff.

 

"severe degeneration" in Sarno-talk translates to normal spinal anomalies due to aging or "gray hair of the spine"--you gotta' get used to the lingo.

 

Thank you!