maybe it's the polyvagal theory, the vagus nerve... that's what I'm learning about these days. Wish I'd learned it sooner. It's wonderful stuff for mind body medicine.
Hi Bodhigirl, thanks for the reference. I looked it up and found a nice article about the role of the vagus nerve in the nervous system, and a brief outline of Dr. Porges' polyvagal theory:
https://www.verywellmind.com/polyvagal-theory-4588049 (Polyvagal Theory and How It Relates to Social Cues)
It highlighted the interplay of the vagus nerve with the human stress response and with the determination of states of danger and safety. Useful stuff for understanding the underlying neuroscience and causes of chronic pain/TMS. The evolutionary origin of the role of the vagus nerve was also fascinating as early humans dealt with stressors in their environment. Had me thinking about another poster's comment that the stressors back then were more episodic, and that modern humans have developed a perception of continual stressors, and thus are in a state of chronic stress (leading to chronic pain).
I was always fascinated by Dr. Sarno's examples of the historic rise of chronic pain "epidemics" in a modern environment that was much less physically stressful. Another poster was just reminding me of Dr. Sarno's example of the rise in the past couple decades of RSI injuries of the wrists despite the much more ergonomic design/behavior within modern offices using word processors. He didn't find reports, medical or anecdotal, of chronic pain of the wrists from the 1950s when typists worked 10 hour days with minimal breaks on heavy-duty, mechanical typewriters that required much more force. I remember his comments about the rise of chronic back pain in the 1990s (something to the effect): Did the human back, after two million years of evolution, suddenly weaken in the course of a decade to lead to a 16 times increase in the reports of chronic back pain? Again, he found little historic evidence of debilitating chronic back pain in the 20's and 30's when most of the working population was still performing physical, manual labor with significantly less mechanical support.
Glad you were able to come upon this helpful material and share it with us.
Does this make sense to anyone?
Did someone spike me with an acid tab?
Hi LexyLucy, I'm almost 6 years late to respond, but I'm going on Bodhigirl's encouraging remark that "TMS discussions are TIMELESS!" Whew! Amazing episode, almost dreamlike, and quite illustrative. YES it makes sense! So cool that you were able to suss out a meaning for yourself and benefit from the insight gained about the pain residing in the heart (emotions) and no longer needing to follow the strings (maybe nerves) into your body. I laughed at the image of you chasing the pain and it running away from you. It reminded me, metaphorically, of my own TMS recovery experience back in the 90s when it felt like I was chasing chronic pain throughout my body from one previously injured, "vulnerable" area to another (Dr. Sarno's "symptom imperative"?)...having to re-treat it repeatedly (but, thankfully, for shorter periods each time), as it moved from lower back (landscaping), to neck/shoulder, to right elbow (tennis), wrist (carpentry), and later knees, shins, and feet (running). Fortunately, it finally ran away and has mostly left me alone for over twenty years (except on rare, stressful occasions, it has tried to sneak back, but I know its tricks now (by heart
).
Probably not! Sounds like your imagination is doing just fine naturally without an acid tab!
Looked at the date of your posting and saw that it fell on my peoples' (the Fools) holy day. Hope this upcoming one finds you healthy and wise.
