Why don’t most people suffer from TMS?

[Davideus85]

I’m just trying to understand why some people suffer from TMS and others don’t. I know a lot of people who are perfectionists, are hard on themselves, have had traumatic experiences, lead very stressful lives, are not very connected to their feelings, etc and yet they do not suffer from chronic pain. While many of us here suffer debilitating symptoms for many years, even after discovering TMS and putting in the work to change our emotional/fear response to it, treating ourselves with compassion, and being mindful of what’s going on internally. If TMS is a defense mechanism of the human brain, wouldn’t everybody be getting it all the time? Most people find ways to cope with the stresses of life and stuff their feelings down and go about their lives as they need to and seem to get along just fine. It just doesn’t make sense. What am I missing here?

 

[miffybunny]

It's actually incredibly common. The pain management industry is a 6 billion dollar a year industry in America so that should tell you something. The stress of modern society has been reflected in an epidemic of back problems, fibromyalgia, etc etc etc that were unheard of centuries ago. When you consider the resilience of humans who have been on the planet for over 200,000 years living in the most extreme circumstances, it becomes quite obvious that we have an epidemic of fear in society. This is propagated by media, medicalization, and collective false belief systems. There are millions of people suffering from chronic pain conditions but they are not aware that it stems form the brain. they are under the false belief that it's due to structural or genetic causes. Many people who fit the personality type of TMS exhibit depression, anxiety and other mental health issues (OCD, Bipolar, borderline, insomnia etc). Many people also cope through substance use or other addictions (workaholism, video games, gambling etc). We can only judge people by what they present on the surface but if you were to examine deeper or look behind closed doors, there is great deal more going on. People who fit this personality profile are incredibly good at faking it and appearing just fine. They are "hyper copers" in the sense that they almost cope too well. It's usually a matter of time before a tipping point is reached. There is also the variable of the danger/alarm center in the brain. Some people are simply more sensitive and go into fight/flught/freeze response faster.

 

[HattieNC]

I would say that 95% of the people I come into contact with on a daily basis have absolutely no idea I have almost debilitating muscle spasms. This is my last lingering TMS manifestation. If you read my profile, you will see how far I've come since 2014. I'm an expert at smiling and covering up physical and psychological pain. I believe that almost all people have TMS. It just manifests in different ways. For some it's psychological, for others it's physical. I can't think of a single family member or friend that doesn't have one or the other (or both) going on.

 

[mbo]

I would say that 95% of the people I come into contact with on a daily basis have absolutely no idea I have almost debilitating muscle spasms. This is my last lingering TMS manifestation. If you read my profile, you will see how far I've come since 2014. I'm an expert at smiling and covering up physical and psychological pain. I believe that almost all people have TMS. It just manifests in different ways. For some it's psychological, for others it's physical. I can't think of a single family member or friend that doesn't have one or the other (or both) going on.

I fully agree !!!!!

 

[TG957]

I would say that 95% of the people I come into contact with on a daily basis have absolutely no idea I have almost debilitating muscle spasms. This is my last lingering TMS manifestation. If you read my profile, you will see how far I've come since 2014. I'm an expert at smiling and covering up physical and psychological pain. I believe that almost all people have TMS. It just manifests in different ways. For some it's psychological, for others it's physical. I can't think of a single family member or friend that doesn't have one or the other (or both) going on.

I agree with what Hattie says, but my answer would be more nuanced. Dr. Sarno defined "TMS personality" for a reason. By our nature, we are predisposed to pushing our emotional pains inside. There is so much in the genetic makeup of humans, no wonder we all are so different. Not everybody is a highly responsible people pleaser, or a stoic never-complainer who carries the weight of the universe on their shoulders. Those who were fortunate to be born on a different side of the spectrum, who live in the moment, worrying only about what happens today, not saving a buck for the future, not thinking about saying a wrong or offensive word, not feeling a hormonal rush of panic over scary things that may never happen anyway - they live their lives mostly pain free but facing other problems that we may never encounter.

 

[Cap'n Spanky]

It's a great question, Davideus85. I'd say almost everyone experiences at least a mild form of it. They get unexplained pain or symptoms that may come and go. But to your broader point, there is a large portion of the population that doesn't suffer from chronic, debilitating pain and symptoms.

If I were to guess why, I'd say it has something to do with an over-active fight or flight response and the resulting learned neural pathways. Also add in the TMS personality that TG957 noted.

 

[Baseball65]

If TMS is a defense mechanism of the human brain, wouldn’t everybody be getting it all the time?

Go and read More Sarno. Most people do have a defense in place .... it's called 'Physicophobia' and Sarno coined the term. When I tell other 55 year old guys I am playing baseball, to a man "Oh...man I'd love to play but once I threw my arm out and I am permanently....." "Dude... Be careful, you might hurt your....." "I can never lift stuff because once I had a back problem and they told me that...."

It's all over baseball. I see it on the field... young guys worrying about hurting their arm. Talking about it at a sort of non stop, low rate of story telling - anxiety... Every time you see a major leaguer on a pitch count or icing their arm.... Physicophobia. Every guy in a loading dock wearing a back brace. Every weekend warrior with orthotics.

I have banned it at work, but most jobs are another place to pass around mythology about 'how to lift right' and how their back if jacked and yada ca dida ca dada.

It's easier to talk about pitch counts and RSI and shoulder injuries than my bad marriage, my kids and their problems, my financial problems and the fact that I have to kowtow to spoiled trophy wives and rich millennial kids.

What am I missing here?

Your not missing anything. society is. We have devolved into a whining mass of self deprecation. TMS is so ever present it has become invisible. Stupid warnings that are unnecessary about regular activity's that people have done for millennia before us. Funny (or not) only very wealthy city dwellers with access to diagnostic toys have these problems.