| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| n/a |
Posted - 07/04/2005 : 12:28:14
Review the daily reminders
(Source: Sarno, John E. "Healing Back Pain" - Page 82)
This is an important strategy but one must be careful that is does not become a ritual. Patients are given a list of twelve key thoughts, and it is suggested that at least once a day they set aside fifteen minutes or so when they can relax and quietly review them. The are called the daily reminders.
-The pain is due to TMS, not a structural abnormality
-The direct reason for the pain is mild oxygen deprivation
-TMS is a harmless condition, caused by my repressed emotions
-The principal emotion is my repressed anger
-TMS exists only to distract my attention from the emotions
-Since my back is basically normal there is nothing to fear
-Therefore, physical activity is not dangerous
-And I must resume all normal physical activity
-I will not be concerned or intimidated by the pain
-I will shift my attention from the pain to emotional issues
-I intend to be in control - not my unconscious mind
-I must think psychological at all times, not physical
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| 5 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| art |
Posted - 07/08/2005 : 13:02:08
res wrote quote:
The fact that the pain changes in intensity and moves around at all rules out any structural/physical cause for the pain."
See, this is why this forum is such a terrific resource. I've read the book but had forgotten that particular quote. It will help me a lot as every pain I have fluctuates in intensity, so this is a major help. I'm human of course, and thus still prone to doubts. I injured my foot the other day by accidentally jamming it into a railroad tie. I've been struggling with whether or not I could use the TMS approach on it. Now I'm sure I can...
Many thanks. |
| n/a |
Posted - 07/07/2005 : 10:05:47
I think is it good to accepting and acknowledging of any doubts as being there inside you is the first step instead of trying to bury or deny that emotion. Just for a moment accept the idea - in a loving and non judgemental way - that this feeling exists and talking to yourself (your inner self) and telling yourself: "yes, I acknowledge and accept that you have these doubts and I am not judging you for this, but I will remind you that 'say the 12 reminders here or some other re-inforcement' and I request you calm down and relax and I will take care of the situation. I am in control and everything will be ok. There is no need to create pain and I will handle this in my own way."
BTW, that is the very advice that Dr. Howard Shubiner gives in his TMS meditation tapes. |
| res |
Posted - 07/07/2005 : 09:37:49
Art,
The approach that you take is more what Dr. Sarno seemed to prescribe initially. I think he said in HBP that originally he found that some patients that simply accepted the belief that there was truly nothing wrong (except TMS) got better. This approach has worked for me as well once I tackle any doubts. I will say that I did use a couple of quotes that helped keep my doubts at bay. One from the book that answered a question and one from someone else's advice. I kept them in my pocket and read them any time I had any doubt. One of them was, "The fact that the pain changes in intensity and moves around at all rules out any structural/physical cause for the pain." This helped me immensely in getting rid of my doubts.
Renee |
| art |
Posted - 07/05/2005 : 19:09:32
Thanks for those, Peter. Sometimes I berate myself for being a lazy TMS'er. That is, I do no journaling, and a lot of the time don't even bother trying to figure out the underlying emotional/psychological stuff.
For the most part, my self-treatment consists simply of an endeavor to believe that my pain is benign in its effect, and psychomatic in its nature. I further attempt to believe that accepting these two things will result in a cessation of my pain.
To an astonishing extent, this has worked. In fact, I sometimes also berate myself for not being grateful enough, or appreciative enough. I mean, let's face it, to the unitiated, that we relieve ourselves of often profoundly debilitating pain by the simple expedient of thinking about it in a certain way has the feeling and the flavor of, if not the miraculous, then at least the extraordinary.
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| Baseball65 |
Posted - 07/04/2005 : 14:06:41
Hi Peter.
I did these every day when I read HBP...even took the book to work with me after I recovered for those little demonic relapses.
One of the most important parts of recovery!
Baseball65 |
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