Where to start?

Hi all I know this has probably been posted before so I apologise.

From what i can see there is a few programs on here. I am just getting my toes dipped in and would love to know which program is best to start on and if certain programs build on others. I know there's Alan Gordons multimedia one or is the pain recovery program, the 21 day program and then there's the structured education program too.

Can someone who's been here a long time best advise what I should be doing. I don't want to commit my life to this if that makes sense and obsess via program after program but I would a general roadmap I can follow that has been very successful for others.

If it matters or anyone cares I have had issues with "rsi" for years now and more issues just popped up.

 

I think the structured educational program is a good place to start, as well as reading a book by Sarno to get some more foundation.

everyone is different and finds success with different methods, some swear by Sarno some swear by PRT some love journalling some hate it.

I’m not fully recovered, but I’m in the best place I’ve ever been mentally in my entire life and feel the best physically since my debilitating chronic symptoms began nearly 1.5 yrs ago. Dan Buglio’s methods laid the foundation for me that I still use today. I’ve done a few methods (SEP, Journal speak, a little of Alan Gordon’s) , and personally I regret jumping around. I also really regret spending any time digging up the past but again everyone is different. If I were to talk to myself 1 year ago (when I became TMS aware), I’d say believe in and accept the TMS diagnosis (requires some foundation which the SEP or books can provide), find joy and try and live life as best you can, and start a dedicated non guided meditation practice. I’ve made more progress with 2.5 months of dedicated spiritual based meditation than I did in nearly a year of trying to dig up some hidden trauma or unprocessed emotions. Meditation leads to shifts in daily life, one of them being seeing past the bs of thought patterns that fuel TMS.

 

Rabscuttle's point about not jumping between programs is really worth taking to heart - I wasted months looking for the perfect method rather than going deep with one. JanAtheCPA's note about honesty and vulnerability in the exercises is key too. What helped me alongside whatever program I was doing was paying attention to how my body feels in ordinary moments - not to fix it, just with curiosity. That kind of gentle, non-judgmental attention to physical sensation seems to support whatever else you are working on. Good luck UrbanQuest, you are asking the right questions.

 

Hi @UrbanQuest, welcome to the forums!

Theories about why we get symptoms and how they arise differ. However, over the years, I’ve come to see that all roads out of mind–body suffering share a lot of common ground: recognising, acknowledging and feeling and safely expressing emotions; being authentic, setting boundaries when needed; learning to self-soothe; bringing small joys back into life, and carrying on with daily living as best we can despite symptoms. Taking gentle “baby steps” and being patient is key—the road can be bumpy, and improvements are rarely linear, but recovery does come.

Believing (or at least being open to believing) that symptoms are mind–body in nature—or being willing to suspend disbelief long enough to do the work—is essential.

If I were in your shoes, I’d ask which approach resonates with you most:

• Dr. Sarno’s view—that symptoms serve as a distraction from difficult or “dangerous” emotions (covered in the SEP, and Sarno's book The MindBody Prescription is, imo, a great place to start if you’ve not read one of his books), or
  
  
• Alan Gordon’s model—that symptoms stem from the brain sending a false alarm driven by fear.

Starting with what feels like the best fit is usually the gentlest (and most effective) way forward, because you’re not battling your own resistance.

Given what you’ve said here, if you’d like to “hedge your bets”, this is a daily/weekly rotation plan I put together that covers most mind–body bases to help do that: https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threa...to-cover-most-mind-body-approach-bases.30322/

From what you’ve written, it’s clear you get it—that the specific symptoms themselves don’t really matter, because they’re not the root cause. So many people struggle with this realisation, but you see it, so you’re already well on your way!