| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Carolyn |
Posted - 06/14/2005 : 21:32:23
I am just wondering how many people have tried psychotherapy and what type of experiences they have had with it (both good and bad).
I have been at this for a year and a couple of months and my improvement has been dramatic. My original pelvic pain which was completely disabling bothers me now only rarely. Once my TMS started moving around, I've had a mind-numbing array of different symptoms all of which I have been able to bring under control with a little work. Presently I am battling with Mitral Valve Prolapse and horrible anxiety. I am finding it disheartening that I don't seem to be able to eliminate whatever repressed emotions are causing my problems, I just keep shifting it around or sending it into temporary hibernation.
I wonder if a psychotherapist could help me change whatever thought patterns may contibute to my anxiety. I know that usually people here suggest a Freudian psycholgist to get at deep repressed emotions but has anyone had any success using Cognitive-behavioral therapy rather than psychoanalysis. Either way, can anyone recommend a therapist familiar with TMS or general mind-body theory in Connecticut?
Carolyn |
| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| johnnyg |
Posted - 06/17/2005 : 14:24:00
One thing that helps me to see the difference between CBT and psychotherapy is the theory propounded by Ken Wilbur, author of the "Spectrum of Conscousness". CBT speaks to the conscious mind and psychotherapy speaks to the unconscious, thus they do not compete with eachother; rather, they complement each other nicely.
Essentially Dave was right, except I would say that psychotherapeutic concepts provide the "cure" for TMS, whereas CBT can help us to produce less stress and anxiety (and thus less unconscious rage). Technically from my experience, they both provide a treatment. However, keep in mind that without Freud's discovery of psychotherapy, we would still be searching for a cure for TMS. So CBT is just icing on the cake. |
| Fredarm57 |
Posted - 06/17/2005 : 07:04:38
Psychotherapy was very helpful to me. It took a couple of years to really beat my inital episode of TMS. I occasionally get recurrances and psychotherapy is very helpful in overcoming those. Now I'm over them in a matter of weeks. |
| ssjs |
Posted - 06/17/2005 : 06:55:22
Therapy has changed my life in ways I couldn't imagine. And I am pain free (not problem free) for almost 20 years. If you have the right therapist, there is no one who wouldn't benifit!
Sandy |
| celestica |
Posted - 06/17/2005 : 03:05:17
Oh yes and I disagree with Dave on CBT being completely useless for treating TMS. I have found it to be a useful tool in unhooking the process of automatic thoughts causing pain...i.e.,
automatic thought: my SI joint hurts because I have structural damage from a ski injury...which I counter with a more
rational thought: there's nothing wrong with my body, it's just my mind playing tricks on me
then the pain goes away. Then I have a good laugh at how silly I can be.
Amelia |
| celestica |
Posted - 06/17/2005 : 02:32:59
Hi Carolyn,
as a child and family therapist who has also been a client of various types of therapists I can vouch for both CBT as well as more introspective methods. Many therapists use an eclectic approach using elements of each.
I found CBT amazing in overcoming serious shyness and social anxiety in about 6 sessions, with an experienced practitioner who gave me cool homework...like going to a public speaking group (Toastmasters). He also helped me to unmask and defuse the automatic thoughts I had that contributed to the physical reactions I was having...people are looking at me, they are judging me, nobody likes me...blah blah blah.
A psychotherapist was good for helping with the tougher, childhood stuff, like exploring the reasons I felt inadequate in the first place.
What you can do is get a good psychotherapist who can guide you with both methods, or try a bit of one and then the other. There are many excellent books on both childhood trauma/repression and great CBT workbooks you can use yourself to gain insight into automatic thoughts and how to change them. Just ask people on the board for advice.
regards,
Amelia |
| Dave |
Posted - 06/15/2005 : 09:22:41
CBT teaches you to recognize negative thought patterns and change them. The problem with TMS is that it is an unconscious reaction by the body to repressed rage. It is imperative to connect TMS symptoms to that rage, and analytical psychotherapy helps you learn the reasons for the rage.
I'm sure CBT has its place but not in treating TMS. I am reminded of the infamous Seinfeld episode where George's father learns to cope with his anger by saying: "Serenity now!" Of course, this doesn't work, as former mental patient Lloyd Braun points out: "Serenity now, insanity later."  |
| Lou |
Posted - 06/15/2005 : 07:29:29
I also had good early success after seeing sarno, but I also slipped with sympton transference. As my original problem (leg/back) went away, a bunch of new stuff appeared. I went to some of Sarno's follow-up meetings, and after a few more months, I had a bad flare-up. After which I spoke with Sarno, who reccomended that I see one of his therapists from NYU. He has been a great help in uncovering many issues that were right in front of my face, but I was not seeing or acknowledging! I have been seeing him for over a year, and its been a somewhat tough road, but I have no regrets as I have been seeing and reacting to things very differently then in my past.
You may want to call his office to see if he can reccomend someone who may have an office in CT. My guy is on staff at NYU, but lives on Long Island and has an evening office where I go.
Good luck. |
| Carolyn |
Posted - 06/15/2005 : 07:28:16
Anne,
Thank you for sharing your experience. I also think I am likely to try what my insurance will pay for first. It hadn't occurred to me that CBT could actually be seen as just another distraction from what I should really be focussing on. Since one of my current symptoms is anxiety, I was thinking that therapy might give me tools to deal with that. However, I guess that is really not much different than going to physical therapy to treat TMS induced back pain- just treating the symptom and continuing to distract you from the cause.
I did try counselling once when my closest friend was dying during the height of all of my TMS symptoms and I was really not coping well. It wasn't a good experience for me. I just felt like I would pay all this money to go in and chit chat with the therapist. I think he saw himself as just a shoulder to cry on- well I had friends for that that I didn't have to pay. I never felt like he was guiding me in any way and I never felt like I got any insights. At one point, he started making small talk about when my ancestors had immigrated to the US and telling me about his family. That was when I realized I was just wasting my time and money. So, I am a little skeptical about how to find a legitmate therapist.
Carolyn |
| n/a |
Posted - 06/15/2005 : 02:29:44
Hi Carolyn,
I did sessions of cognitive behaviour therapy - recommended by my GP, so I didn't have to pay anything towards it (being Scottish I couldn't resist a bargain like that); but it was not helpful. Because the therapist concentrates on helping you find other ways of reacting to things and doesn't explore the reasons why we react in a certain way; it didn't help me uncover what was really going on at all. All it was encouraging me to do was find other ways of avoiding what was going on deep inside - a form of avoidance really. I needed to take a good look at what was making me react the way I did; CBT was counter-productive to that.
Also, my therapist worked with a pre-set programme - it was not tailored to what I felt I needed at all: ie - dealing with the back pain as well as the anxiety. It's not designed to get at deep repressed emotions - it's an avoidance technique - good for people getting over addictions and for conditions such as agaraphobia and OCD, apparently, but not helpful for TMS.
Psychotherapy, on the other hand, was extremely helpful. It's not fashionable in the UK at the moment - so it's very difficult to get NHS funding for it. It cost an arm and a leg, but it was money well spent .
My therapist helped me uncover and experience the deeply suppressed anger - it definitely contributed in a major way to my recovery from TMS. The first few sessions were extremely painful (in the emotional sense). Somehow she got me talking about things that I hadn't even realised I felt. It was very strange - memories, long supressed, from my childhood came back. I don't know exactly how she did it as I did nearly all the talking.
If you do decide to opt for psychotherapy, make sure that you find someone who believes strongly that physical pain can be caused by supressed negative emotions. Phone around until you get someone you think you have a good rapport with and don't be scared of changing therapists after one or two sessions if you don't feel you are getting any benefit - it was apparent to me very quickly that my therapist was 'hitting the spot'.
Best wishes
Anne
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