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What do YOU Say to your Brain??

ladyofthelake said:
All of the above. I find telling my brain to stop the pain doesn't work at all. I often repeat in my head "that shooting pain my feelings that my brain decided to feel physically in the present, that isn't necessary but it is ok for awhile" or the thing that works the best is trying with all my might to mentally increase the pain...usually causes it to melt away. So weird.
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Yes to this too Lady, I've learned what "mindfulness" actually is and mimdful meditation while learning about TMS. Other replies here have also stated what I would describe as "witness" to a pain rather than "participating in" the pain. This has been HUGE for me.
 
Bodhigirl said:
I am usually kind to my brain. "I know... you're scared. Angry. Stressed... feel the feelings, ok? Feel them instead of hurting, ok?"

These days my stress levels are through the roof. Accepting things as they are is so difficult for me. Allowing so much anger and even rage to surface is so unattractive!
Yet I always get symptom relief when I assert Sarno's words "There's no magic trick here. The pain is a distraction or substitution from feelings. There is no rabbit in the hat!"

I seem to need a rabbit. I want to punch a hole in the wall every time the news goes on in our living room. I just cannot listen much these days. I have nightmares. I know I am traumatized by the selling of conflict, drama and bad news.

It's not an easy time to stay current with my emotions. I wish it were.
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This is a good demonstration of mindfulness. Just a witness. Not a participant.
 
I've been using the Fake News!

Although, during certain moments I simply try to accept things exactly as they are, without trying to change them, and I suppose that is mindfulness?
 
Jennifer_K said:
I've been using the Fake News!

Although, during certain moments I simply try to accept things exactly as they are, without trying to change them, and I suppose that is mindfulness?
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You got it. You are just watching and accepting rather then judging. Once I learned what it was I could practice while walking to work and my knee was hurting. Just observe and accept.

And to get better tuned into what mindfulness is you can do many of these guided meditations. There is so much out there on this now. There are many apps and YouTube videos. I get particular about a persons voice so I search for ones I like. Now I can do my own mindful meditation without the guidance (but I still go back to them). The focus is simply on your breath to tune out your many thoughts. You WILL drift off into thought, so you just bring it back to your breath. Your breath is the easiest thing to focus on because its just always there. I can tell you I slowly improve and this was a big part of it. Huge.

There is also some research suggesting changes within the brain with mindfulness and mindful meditation. Growth similar to that of learning a new craft or language. Synaptic growth I think?
 
i tried the cursing a little bit but it really goes against my moral sensibilities so i ended feeling a little guilt from it. but i see how it could work for some people. one thing that's worked is telling the pain 'i'm not afraid of you'. and say it with confidence because you know that TMS is harmless. it's important to be confident because fear is what drives the pain. you may have to fake the confidence for a while but keep working at it. the ability to be confident will come easier over time.

in general, especially after you've had a significant reduction in symptoms, being nice to yourself and meditation is a really good daily prescription and a good way to recondition.
 
Yes, being kind to oneself is important, I think. I beat myself up automatically, so that is something I am trying to stop. I also agree with faking confidence.

Fake it til you make it! :D
 
Un0wut2du said:
This is a good demonstration of mindfulness. Just a witness. Not a participant.
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Thank you for hearing me. Often times it feels as if things go too fast for us to hear and be heard... and a great trigger for abandonment and primitively anger dressed up as a belly ache or worse.
Peace.
 
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