Words of support please folks

Evening all,

I just wondered if I could have some advice/support.

Its been about 3 months since I found out about TMS now. I have definitely had some success and my pain has been subsiding, but has come back a little worse over the last couple of weeks. I am still having some good days/mornings/evenings, and am still taking only no more than 4 (2 x 2) of my painkillers a day, but I feel like my progress has stalled.

I journalled a lot near the beginning and am on around day 19 of the structured educational program. I do still work through a day every week or so. I am first wondering if this is too little and I should try and do some more often again. I guess I slowed down as I was so happy with the reduction in my pain I started using my time for things I enjoyed more such as cooking, walking with my son and gaming.

However, even though I am doing all sorts such as visualising healthy spinal discs and blood flooded with oxygen going to them, deep breathing and being positive, I am stalled in my healing. I am trying mindfulness where I can and keeping active. I am walking more and am trying to swim for the enjoyment and health benefits of it rather than for 'helping my back'.

I am also trying my best not to put a time frame on my healing, but my question is this. How can i get over the terrifying fear of physical activity? As I mentioned I am trying to be active, and am enjoying it. But for example, when I life my son on a slide, I panic incase it makes the pain worse. I have not tried running for the fear of the pain getting worse. I will not play any other kinds of sports what so ever for the fear of it getting worse.

I'm sure others can relate, but I cam remember in the Summer/Autumn last year hobbling around the house and being incredibly depressed due to the severity of the pain. I couldn't life or play with my son. I couldn't cook for the family as I love to do as I couldn't stand for long enough. I am terrified of getting anywhere near that again, and as such am still fearful of these things DESPITE all my education and acceptance of TMS. I know that this is my subconscious still fighting the diagnosis and not really accepting it even though I want to. How on earth do I get past this?

Please help folks.

Thanks,

Adam

 

Hi Adam,
My TMS healing was stalled for about 6 months, so I know how frustrating it can be. However, you have made a lot of progress in a relatively short time, so it is important to keep that in mind. Accepting the diagnosis seems to be your most important task right now. When that occurs, the fear of injury from physical activity will dissipate. In your review of the techniques you are using currently, I didn't see knowledge therapy. As Sarno says, this is the penicillin needed to fight TMS. So I suggest reading and re-reading all of Sarno's books, listening to Healing Back Pain on audio, reading Steve O's book and any other TMS books, as well as reviewing the success stories on this Forum. And do this for 30 minutes a day.

Also, in my opinion, your visualization of healthy spinal disks and sending blood with oxygen to them may be supporting a structural diagnosis of your pain. If you have TMS, there is nothing wrong with your spine and I believe focusing on it is counter to believing in a psychological cause. Remember to "think psychological" at all times. Maybe visualizing yourself doing physical activity without pain would be more productive.

And keep up all the great stuff you are doing. You've come a long way. Don't get discouraged. You can keep moving forward. Best wishes....

 

Hi, Adam. Ellen gives you very good advice. Pain relief with TMS can take its time, especially if a person
still harbors fears of making it worse. If you haven't yet read Steve Ozanich's book, The Great Pain Deception, I recommend it. He tells how he overcame more than 25 years of pain through TMS knowledge of repressed emotions and ignored his back and leg pain as he went about walking and golfing. I sure approve of you being active, just don't gauge pain while doing things.

 

Adam, I think it is pretty typical to go through periods of stalling out. Changes take a while to filter through the whole mind. Sometimes just stopping trying for a while and finding something you enjoy doing, anything you can do to just shift the obsession with the pain, is the best idea. I second Walt's suggestion of reading The Great Pain Deception. He covers every imaginable angle of this process and you are sure to find yourself in there somewhere. Be reassured that for many of us, especially if we have had longstanding pain, this is a process that takes a while. Meanwhile, know that you have made great progress, and even though it seems like you are stalled out, you are not! Progress will continue and be sporadic but eventually you'll be out of pain.

 

If you haven't consulted with a TMS practitioner yet, this seems like a good time for you to do so. If you're in the UK, there's Georgie Oldfield, MCSP, that people here have been mentioning being knowledgeable of TMS for years now. There may be others, look at the TMS doctors and practitioners listings at this site.

g'luck!
tt

 

Adam, you could get some free online advice from one of the TMS therapists who now offer to help those in the TMSWiki.org.
Go here for help on this:

http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/forms/ask-a-tms-therapist.1/respond .