TMS stuck in real ailment spots

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum (although I've been reading you for several years already). I first read Sarno's books 12 years ago, when I spent 6 months with a lower back pain that was completely paralyzing me.

I was wondering if some of you are prone to develop tms in spots where a real (diagnosed) ailment or injury happened previously, even though logically, you shouldn't be suffering from this ailment anymore. Through the years, I've had, like many of you, random tms attacks, but I now realize that it also happens where a previous injury or ailment occured. And since there was something real going on at that spot at some point in time, it makes me doubt even more about it being tms or the injury/ailment not being properly healed. It really plays with my mind a lot and I feel exausted from it.

Barbara

 

Hi BarbaraC,

Yes absolutely! What you describe is classic TMS. Those neuro pathways in the brain can get switched on and off at any time, depending on stress factors and our thought habits. It's very common that something you suffered from (even 20 years ago,) suddenly pops up again. Why? Because your brain remembers! It's just how we are wired so the only thing we have to worry about is how we respond. The key is to respond with calm ("hmm that's interesting") rather than fear ("oh no! Is it back? Did I do something? aaah!!"). Shift your focus from the physical sensations to the underlying emotions or thoughts. Do a little self inquiry and remind yourself it's just your brain, the sensations are harmless and will pass. And they do pass! Remember, "ALL injuries heal and scars don't hurt". Everything else is just the brain and we have control over that.

 

Thanks for your reply, Miffybunny. In a way, I know all of this, but you know, that little voice that comes and tells you that it might (might!) be something else. Sometimes, even when I'm 100% certain that it's tms and I treat it as tms, it can take up to ten days for the pain to disappear. I must have a very stubborn form of tms, lol.

 

Yes, our brains can be very opinionated! Sometimes we go through long periods of accumulated stress and then one day, a slight trigger can set off those old pathways. It's normal to panic because it seems so "out of the blue" and scary. When you really stop and think about the days and weeks leading up to it though, it makes sense that maybe your brain's danger alarms were triggered. As long as we know what it is, just TMS, and we remain unconcerned, it will fade out....even if it takes a week or 2, that's ok because we know it's not forever and nothing is damaged and we can't hurt ourselves. I had a really intense and scary flare up during this Covid time but once I realized "wow these months have been so stressful with the kids home"....(my son has autism and was home all day with no structure for months), it all made sense. Within 2 weeks I was back to normal. We are all human and stress happens.

 

I hear you about things being much harder since the start of the pandemic. I also have a 10 y.o. son on the autism spectrum (aspergers), who insists on having my constant - and I mean constant - attention, which can be very suffocating.

Thanks for your kind and wise words.

 

Oh how I understand!!! Without that break of the school day it's virtually impossible to get anything done, much less think straight. They are out of their routine and structure and for kids on the spectrum it's been especially tough. On top of that, the schools expect us to homeschool and do zoom lol! The house is a mess most of the time and cooking and cleaning seems to have quadrupled. It's really important to be kind to yourself and take the pressure off. I have to take lots of little breaks (for my sanity) and let things go more.