Why do some people get TMS and some don't??

Why do some people get TMS and some don't?

 

I feel like I remember reading - and maybe it's in Sarno's book - I can't quite recall, that everyone has TMS to some degree. Most people get headaches or feel physically off after stressful or emotionally wrenching situations. Maybe it's just that those of us who are more affected have the Type-T personality, which is really conducive to TMS becoming stronger.

 

Considering 8 out of 10 adults and 4 out of 10 teenagers get back pain and the rest get some other form of TMS or TMS equivalent, I have to say everyone experiences some kind of tension-related symptoms.

 

[Deleted at BeWell's request]

 

Yes but some people have very temporary pains and others have very chronic and sometimes even debilitating pains. If everyone has stress in their life, why do some have serious TMS and some barely have any?

 

Great question. Because it's not stress that causes TMS, but how we react to stress.

 

I think this really hinges on the concept of somatic amplification. I think that everybody generates or 'suffers' from psychosomatic manifestations in their life at various points but the crucial factor is how these symptoms are then perceived and acted upon.

I believe that the personality traits that Sarno highlighted as being typical of someone likely to experience TMS are also the very traits of the people who are likely to fixate upon their symptoms and catastrophize them to varying degrees...this becomes a big factor in giving legs to the symptoms and seeing them then become chronic and more powerful.

I recall going in to see my GP once who remarked that some people would go to see him with a splinter in their finger convinced them would get septicaemia and all sorts whilst others would literally have to be dragged in by a family member when they had a huge infection or whatever.

Whilst there are various arguments and theories over what causes psychosomatic symptoms I believe that the continuation of them and the development of having them as a chronic condition is in large part down to how we acknowledge the symptoms and deal with them...the bottom line is that us TMS'ers are just not very good at this.

 

Even newborns correlate signaling distress with getting their needs met. They wail, someone arrives to help. Before long their distress cries are produced even when there is no discomfort, because it gets attention. I think our TMS tendencies start week one. But, some acknowledge their true feelings while growing up and others are taught to repress them…which continues TMS reactions through life.

 

Marnster, I think some people get TMS and others don't because those of us who do get it are more sensitive and caring people. You know the others... they will take, take, take from you, and be mean and thoughtless,
and it doesn't seem to bother them at all. I don't consider those the lucky ones.

Also, for all we know, some of those who seem not to be in pain may really be hurting, and are just hiding their pain. They may not be able to admit to themselves that is not structural and is from their emotions.

 

"Yes but some people have very temporary pains and others have very chronic and sometimes even debilitating pains. If everyone has stress in their life, why do some have serious TMS and some barely have any?"

That's an excellent question and answers given above do provide good explanations. My take on it, based on what I have observed with my clients and others, is the following:

1. Your genes: Some of us are born hypersensitive to tension and stress. TMS may exhibit itself the same way in all the members of the same family. It could be back pain, or pain and numbness in arms and hands or hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

2. Trauma during pregnancy: It could be due to trauma experience during pregnancy. The hormonal changes could affect the development of the fetus's brain and how it reacts to stress.

3. Unhappy childhood: Perspectives developed in childhood can shape how we view the world and how we respond to it. Most TMSers grow up in dysfunctional families. Lack of love and support on the one hand and psychological and physical abuse on the hand can lead a child to become highly sensitive to life's challenges. A child can grow up to become extremely self-critical, perfectionist, obsessive, anxious, unhappy, depressed, and so on. All of these create a lot of repressed anger and rage.

4. Conditioning: this is a big one because no matter how the pain started once it becomes a condition response it can last for weeks, months, and years. In fact, I have treated clients whose pain was due to an actual physical injury and had become chronic due to conditioning.

5. Just because: Sometimes your subconscious, like a little child, decides that's how it is going to be and not let go of the pain.

The good news is that regardless of why you might be prone to TMS, it is possible to develop the mental and emotional skills to conquer it and move on. That's what I will be sharing in my upcoming free webinar on 11/10/16. I also plan to do a webinar in December of how to turn problems, stress, and tension into sources of energy and excitement. That is one of the best ways to stop tension from accumulating and causing pain.