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Alan has completed the new Pain Recovery Program. To read or share it, use this updated link: https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/painrecovery/
Diana-M
Beloved Grand Eagle
Hi Steve,
I think OCD is a form of anxiety. And TMS is almost always anxiety-based. So I think OCD is TMS. Just one more form of it.
If you don’t mind sharing, I’m curious about your religious OCD? What are your symptoms and how did someone diagnose it? (I wonder if I have it?!)
stevow7
Well known member
Hi! I have a psychologist (therapist) who diagnosed me with OCD. It started with contamination (washing my hands frequently) then moved to more serious like religion which is always praying until I get a relief (which is the compulsion, the praying part) and it got more worse.
Symptoms are several like mental fatigue, rides of emotions, etc. But I’m doing better
JanAtheCPA
Beloved Grand Eagle
@stevow7, after all these years and your many posts which indicated extreme OCD, I'm very glad to know you are getting therapeutic help. I appreciated the post you made not long ago. I have some thoughts about your question, which is a good one.
Back in the 1980s when Dr Sarno first described the brain dysfunction that he labeled TMS, he thought that it only applied to muscle pain. This is why he used the word Myositis, which in Latin has something to do with muscles, I think. I've heard that in later years, he said that "TMS" might as well refer to "The Mindbody Syndrome" because he later recognized that our brains will use just about ANY kind of physical symptom in order to distract us from experiencing emotional vulnerability. By the time he retired, I think that he had also started to theorize that mental disorders might also be forms of TMS, and it would have been really interesting to see how he would have adjusted his theories once again with the advances in neuroscience we have had in recent years. But I digress.
We all know that anxiety and TMS have a strong connection. I think that in the case of simple, or common anxiety, it's kind of a circular relationship and sometimes hard to figure out which came first.
However, when it comes to the severe forms of mental distress, specifically depression and OCD, and probably the extremely disabling forms of anxiety, my personal (and unprofessional) observations from 13 years on the forum have led me to believe that these are the mental versions of physical TMS, because they seem to primarily affect people with significant childhood adversity. We often recommend that people take the "ACEs quiz" to see if childhood adversity is a factor in their adult suffering, whether it's physical or mental.
By applying Dr Sarno's theory of emotional repression to depression and OCD, I think that the TMS brain mechanism is using these extreme mental disorders to completely block the ability of the individual to experience any kind of honest emotional vulnerability. The reason the TMS brain would do this is because, in the experience of the young child, having emotions was somehow dangerous to their physical or emotional survival. I could come up with different scenarios in which this would happen, depending on the nature of the adversity faced by the child.
It is my firm belief that emotional vulnerability is required in order to recover from all forms of TMS. Emotional vulnerability is not easy for the vast majority of humans, and achieving it is harder for some than for others, but I have faith that it can be done.
Back in the 1980s when Dr Sarno first described the brain dysfunction that he labeled TMS, he thought that it only applied to muscle pain. This is why he used the word Myositis, which in Latin has something to do with muscles, I think. I've heard that in later years, he said that "TMS" might as well refer to "The Mindbody Syndrome" because he later recognized that our brains will use just about ANY kind of physical symptom in order to distract us from experiencing emotional vulnerability. By the time he retired, I think that he had also started to theorize that mental disorders might also be forms of TMS, and it would have been really interesting to see how he would have adjusted his theories once again with the advances in neuroscience we have had in recent years. But I digress.
We all know that anxiety and TMS have a strong connection. I think that in the case of simple, or common anxiety, it's kind of a circular relationship and sometimes hard to figure out which came first.
However, when it comes to the severe forms of mental distress, specifically depression and OCD, and probably the extremely disabling forms of anxiety, my personal (and unprofessional) observations from 13 years on the forum have led me to believe that these are the mental versions of physical TMS, because they seem to primarily affect people with significant childhood adversity. We often recommend that people take the "ACEs quiz" to see if childhood adversity is a factor in their adult suffering, whether it's physical or mental.
By applying Dr Sarno's theory of emotional repression to depression and OCD, I think that the TMS brain mechanism is using these extreme mental disorders to completely block the ability of the individual to experience any kind of honest emotional vulnerability. The reason the TMS brain would do this is because, in the experience of the young child, having emotions was somehow dangerous to their physical or emotional survival. I could come up with different scenarios in which this would happen, depending on the nature of the adversity faced by the child.
It is my firm belief that emotional vulnerability is required in order to recover from all forms of TMS. Emotional vulnerability is not easy for the vast majority of humans, and achieving it is harder for some than for others, but I have faith that it can be done.
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stevow7
Well known member
Hi! Yeah sorry for my OCD posts. It was kinda like OCD itself controlling me, but me as well asking for help. I’m a LOT better now and have applied TMS as well. I want to thank everyone in the forum for being supportive as well.
Like you said, we need to be able to feel our emotions and be vulnerable to them. So many human (especially men) don’t cry because they feel is weakness when in reality is just expressing another emotion.
Thanks for the post and I hope you and everyone are doing well!
Sita
Beloved Grand Eagle
Regarding religion, this is interesting. I noticed myself that if I meditate or read spiritual uplifting books for too long, something is off. I always have to keep a certain balance. A balance between these types of activities mentioned above and something else. Like watching silly stuff on YouTube or cleaning the toilet ha ha. It can be anything, just not spiritual things anymore. A balance is needed in my case and I presume, for other people as well.
An hour of x and then something else. The tendency for OCD is real. And it can manifest in different areas of my life. I just have to be vigilant, that's all. Probably in time, I'll do it automatically. Without having to pay attention and to remember to switch from activity x to activity y.
An hour of x and then something else. The tendency for OCD is real. And it can manifest in different areas of my life. I just have to be vigilant, that's all. Probably in time, I'll do it automatically. Without having to pay attention and to remember to switch from activity x to activity y.
Diana-M
Beloved Grand Eagle
Excellent advice! I have the same capacity to overdo.
I struggle with religious OCD too but it hasn't been that bad for the past few years. I used to reread and recite prayers over and over again for fear that I didn't do them correctly and therefore God would not actually save me.
I still am very scared of death and it wouldn't nearly be as scary if I didn't worry about going to hell afterward. I try to tell myself I shouldn't think this way if I've truly trusted God all this time and we've had a relationship.
I still am very scared of death and it wouldn't nearly be as scary if I didn't worry about going to hell afterward. I try to tell myself I shouldn't think this way if I've truly trusted God all this time and we've had a relationship.
Diana-M
Beloved Grand Eagle
That’s quite a good thing! Maybe ask Him to help you get peace?