| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| jellybean |
Posted - 03/27/2006 : 20:07:28
hi,
I was reading some of the other posts and noticed every now and then someone would say that this or that was the "key" to finally getting well. Maybe some of you who have recovered or are vastly improved could comment on what the "key" was for you personally. I realize that everyone is different but hearing others' experiences is very helpful. |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Singer_Artist |
Posted - 07/25/2006 : 20:38:43
I hear you Jay, makes sense...I am trying the same approach... |
| wolf29 |
Posted - 07/25/2006 : 19:15:12
I don't feel the need to experience the repressed emotions. In the last couple of weeks I've done better than in the last 3 years just by buying more into the fact it's only TMS and not physical damage. I do have a good idea of what those feelings are so acknowledging them seems to be good enough for me at the moment. I don't care to feel the anger as I don't feel acting it out will do me any good and may end up straining relationships around me.
Bottom line though.. whatever works for the individual. If having a fit of anger helps a person get over the physical pain, then by all means let it out. |
| Singer_Artist |
Posted - 07/25/2006 : 18:09:03
Wow, I got alot out of reading these particular old posts...But they also raised some questions I wanted to put out there to everyone...Many talk here about the necessity to FEEL the repressed emotions and actually release them...Of course, whenever possible through therapy or other techinques it is important to feel and express one's emotions..BUT.. from my understanding...Dr. Sarno specifically says that it is not NECESSARY for our healing from TMS to FEEL these buried feelings..IT is only necessary to acknowledge that they are there and explore through journaling what things in your life contributed to your particular reservoir of rage...In fact, he goes on to talk about the one patient out of thousands that he knew that actually had a catharsis/breakthrough wherein she experienced and let go of terrifying feelings about incest she experienced as a child...ONce she did that, the pain left..BUT..he clearly states this is not a necessity to get over the TMS...
Guess I am feeling a bit guilty for even starting the Thread about AL Gore's movie...Although I am sure there is a reason for it and good will come out of it...I wanted to focus back on the reason we are all here...To get over TMS and help others to do the same...Please tell me your thoughts on the above...
Thanx,
Karen |
| optimism |
Posted - 04/08/2006 : 10:08:43
Indy, I am in Canada as well, in Toronto. Where are you? |
| Indy |
Posted - 04/07/2006 : 20:26:26
Wrldtrv, Optimism, Miehnesor
My apologiies for not responding sooner but my computer was in "techy" hospital for a couple of days.
Wrldtry
My experience with Rebirthing Therapy was a complete positive one. There certainly is the element of trust not only with the process but also with the therapist who is facilitating your release. Maybe you weren't ready for emotional healing at that time of your life, or maybe the therapist was not the right one for you. In any case, why not try it again and place your faith in the process and not with the man who developed the technique.
Optimism
Thank you for your interest in my journaling workshops. I teach in Canada. Where are you?
Miehnesor
Check out the following site for a good description of Rebirthing Therapy. petrene.com/consultations/rebirthing.html
Blessings to you all
Indy |
| miehnesor |
Posted - 04/03/2006 : 11:33:11
Indy-Could you expand more on "Rebirthing Therapy" or point me to where I can learn more about it. It's probably not likely that I will change my process right now since it does appear to be working but i'm just curious about it. I use visualization in therapy now to access the emotion but this sounds very different. |
| optimism |
Posted - 04/03/2006 : 08:02:04
Indy, you wrote
"I am beginning to teach workshops on this writing technique, so any feedback you can give me would be great."
Where will you be teaching the workshops? What city?
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| wrldtrv |
Posted - 04/02/2006 : 23:15:31
Indy--Again, thanks for your knowledge and insight. I remember Rebirthing from the late 70's. I actually did a session or two of it, but thought it was bogus because all you're doing is hyperventilating. Whatever "emotional release" or sensation I attributed to the effects of too much oxygen in the brain. Furthermore, during the same period I was pretty familar with other "therapies" from the same guy, Leonard Orr, who came up with Rebirthing. Some of those things were even more questionable--no, simply outlandish, such as his belief in physical immortality. He actually used to give workshops on the subject. Not to be isolated to the spiritual realm, he also gave workshops on money, getting rich, "prosperity consciousness" as he called it. We were a gullible lot in those days. I, and several others I know got conned into investing money into a couple of "investments", which of course we never saw a dime. One particular investment was arranged by his second in command, a really polished con artist named, Fred Lerhman.
I guess the point is, if the same guy who was responsible for all these con games also invented Rebirthing, I know all I need to know of it.
This is not to dismiss other therapies that try to get at painful emotions and release them. But let the buyer beware when it comes to this stuff. |
| Indy |
Posted - 04/02/2006 : 09:23:17
Wrldtrv
I believe that healing repressed emotions is a different experience for everyone. You have to find the process that works best for you in terms of "stirring it up and releasing it". And it is a process. I can only speak from my own experience. I spent a lot of time a few years ago praying for healing, and I've been getting my prayers answered now for nearly 6 years.
To "stir it up" because I had no memories of my childhood experiences, I spent many years in psychotherapy; I took any workshop that I could find that explored healing emotionally; I'm open and committed to personal healing; and I've been journaling for over 10 years, mostly dialoguing with my undominant hand for insights into my past. To answer your query about journaling as a release technique, what journaling does for me, besides giving me insights, is create an "internal emotional environment" for me to release. It can make me emotionally vulnerable so I can express the feelings by screamaing, crying, etc. The writing in itself I don't find releases much emotionally unless you're feeling and expressing it.
To release the painful emotions, the best therapy that I know of is Rebirthing. It is a breathing therapy where the therapist facilitates your breath to move the energy to the surface so you can express it. It gets pretty wild and crazy sometimes when the rage expresses itself, but rebirthing therapists are well trained to handle anything. Some people even throw up if the "emotional explosion" as Dr. Sarno calls it is dramatic. I also use a visualization technique that my therapist showed me, but it doesn't always work on my own. Other than that, whenever I feel unexplained anxiety or saddness, I sit down, write, and try to understand what it is that I'm feeling and release it. You're never too old or mature to cry and scream.
There are other therapies that claim to release and heal emotions - some that come to mind are EFT, TFT (discussed earlier), kinesiology, various resonating frequency machines... Keep this in mind - if you're not feeling the anger, saddness, rage, shame, grief, etc. and expressing it in some way, then whatever you're doing "ain't gettin' the job done". This is only my opinion, of course, but I have had a lot of experience with this, personally and professionally as a holistic therapist.
Hope this helps
Blessings
Indy
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| wrldtrv |
Posted - 04/01/2006 : 21:00:13
Indy,
Thanks for the explanation of TFT and more. Based on what you say about the necessity of confronting the painful emotions and then moving them out of the body, what would you consider to be the very best therapy or technique for this purpose?
I find journaling a great comfort as well as technique for exploring these painful emotions (and I've done it continually for many years), but it doesn't do what you say is necessary: confront and move these emotions out. It is mainly an intellectual exercise. It would seem one has to get much more emotionally involved with the process. How? |
| Indy |
Posted - 04/01/2006 : 06:20:57
Wrldtry
As far as I know, Thought Field Therapy (TFT) is the same as Emotional Freedom Therapy (EFT) in terms of what the therapist is trying to accomplish - diminish the emotional upheaval - give some relief - get through the mud and the mire. There are other names for this technique - Gallaghar Technique being the original, I think - some practitioners give a different "handle" on their way of doing it. Again, my take on it is that is gives only temporary relief, but relief that is necessary at the time - just like a pain-killing drug - the pain eventually comes back if the root of the problem is not addressed.
I'm always thinking in terms of "energy". The energy of painful emotions is not released from the body with these techniques; it is only subdued for a while until it resurfaces the same way as before or finds a new location in the body to reek havoc. The "key" to permanent healing, I firmly believe, besides doing the TMS work is feeling the pain and releasing it, the "pain" being the energy of the dreaded emotion. You have to move the energy out. Simple as that, but difficult to face. And journalling is one way to help a person get in touch with the painful emotions. This is the greatest challenge to healing - people do not want to "face" themselves or their past. Most people do not want to do the work that is necessary for permanent healing; they go for the quick fix. I say "Face the Fear and Do It Anyway" (great book, by the way).
For those who do not understand the term "energy", think of it as a vibration or frequency, just like sound waves. Harsh sound - wild and crazy frequency. You wouldn't want to listen to it for long. Painful emotions of anger, rage, quilt, shame, grief - vibrations that are not healthy and not in tune to your own natural body's healthy frequency. If that unhealthy frequency remains in the body for a long time, it alters the body's natural rhythms and causes pain and disease. Just as you can project sound waves great distances, you can also move the unhealthy vibrations that are in your body and project them out. That is the intention of all "energy healers" - to restore the body's natural vibrations. This is the very reason that so many contributing to this forum are "hitting the wall" after feeling well and doing a lot of TMS work. The pain comes back for no reason and they felt so good for so long and they ask "Why is this happening to me again?" New emotional upheavals will trigger the old unhealthy vibrations that still remain and hence the expression "that really pushed my buttons." People who are clear of repressed emotions do not have any "buttons" to push - none!
Permanent healing requires a holistic approach - one needs to address the mental aspects, feel the emotional upheaval and release it, do what you can to support your physical body, and restoring the body's healthy energy patterns.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it. It's my passion; it's my life.
Blessings
Indy |
| ssjs |
Posted - 04/01/2006 : 05:48:56
Sometimes I would be thinking and thinking about the things that bothered me, and I would be depressed and I would walk into my therapists office and she would bring up something I haden't even thought of and a bell would go off inside of me and the pain would be gone!
Had I journaled from now to the end of time without someone helping me sort things out, I wouldn't have gotten much better and would still be searching.
Sometimes my therapist would say things and they would not ring a bell, and then at least there would be other insights.
I was always the type who needed some guidance.
I think if people are writing for hours, and getting no relief, maybe they need some guidance too?
Sandy |
| Jim1999 |
Posted - 03/31/2006 : 22:55:50
Jelene,
I never had chronic fatigue syndrome. My main symptom was widespread pain and I had some pretty severe stiffness.
I suppose I spent 5-10 hours a week on journaling. I don't know that I did it every day, but pretty close to that. What types of journaling have you done? It might help me to give you more ideas if you described more about what you've done.
I was just looking over my "journals"...actually, they're just individual sheets of paper stored in folders. It looks like the longer I've done journaling, the wordier I've become. The stuff from my recovery period can be pretty terse and changes thoughts abruptly. The stuff I've written since then (to keep TMS at bay) is more organized into complete sentences and paragraphs. Maybe I'm trying to make my journaling too story-like now, providing more details to round out the story, details that don't get at the heart of the repressed emotions.
Since you say you've done a lot of journaling already, I was wondering how much you've done: pages, hours, etc. Having done a lot might be an indication that you need psychotherapy to really get at your emotions.
Jim
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| wrldtrv |
Posted - 03/31/2006 : 22:18:49
Indy--I heard about something called Thought Field Therapy (TFT) on NPR (National Public Radio). The guy who invented this therapy claims it completely heals depression permanently with one session(that in itself sounds laughable). It involves the patient imagining the stressful situation and then tapping on or around the eyes, I think. That's it; cured. (right!)
Apparently there are teams of these practitioners who have gone down to New Orleans to treat the victims of Hurricane Katrina. NPR interviewed one who said it worked great at first, but pooped out later (sounds like the placebo effect, for sure). NPR concluded that the therapists, who had paid a lot of money to be trained in this therapy, were actually very sincere, really believed that the therapy was working. |
| Indy |
Posted - 03/31/2006 : 15:09:25
Miehnesor
You think like I do - "emotion is relentlessly trying to come into consciousness and just needs some encouragement and safety for it to come out." That's my experience. It's like your soul yearns for you to heal and feel the freedom of being emotionally clear. I work a lot with the body's subtle energy field, and I know that it doesn't clear easily. It moves around and finds another place to reek havoc. If you try a therapy or a technique and you feel better mentally and emotionally, that doesn't mean you've healed it completely, as in EFT. The repressed energy may have moved to a different location, but you're led to believe that the work of healing has been done. One therapy that I know clears repressed energy permanently is Rebirthing, a breathing and release technique. I've also used a visualization technique with my psychotherapist which has moved energy out, but it never seems to work when I'm alone.
As far as Dr. Sarno is concerned, his ideas are groundbreaking and have obviously helped many and is the reason why we are all contributing to this forum. But keep in mind that he is medically trained. He looks at dis-ease in the body from a clinical perspective, but he does recommend that people work with a psychotherapist if the issues are many and deep rooted.
And you are absolutely right about the energy "needing some encouragement". A person needs to give clear intent to release the energy, and that means feeling the pain - yes - all over again. That's the difficult part for people. In fact, it downright scares most. So, intention, privacy and safety, courage to face your fears, willingness, trust in yourself and spirit that you will be safe, and lots of kleenex.
Indy |
| Indy |
Posted - 03/31/2006 : 14:40:31
Jellybean
Yes, I am familiar with Emotional Freedom Therapy (EFT). It does seem to help people who are experiencing a rise of painful emotions. But it never seems to be permanent with people. A close friend of mine is really into it, and she agrees with me that EFT never really clears the energy of a particular emotion forever. But it gives her relief at the time. Maybe it does for some people and not for others. There could be unseen factors which make this so. All I can say is try it. If it helps, great. I see it as a bandaid solution, something to help you get through the rough times when you're feeling crappy. Personally, the only way I seem to heal from repressed emotions is to feel them and allow myself the time and privacy to release them. Whatever works. Healing is such a personal thing.
Regarding journaling with the undominant hand, my experience is that it doesn't work for everybody. It seems to work best with people who are visually orientated. But that's not to say it can't work for you. I see it also as a skill. The more you do it, the better you get at it. At first your responses with "the other hand" will be brief, sketchy, and maybe unclear. Think of this technique the same way you would if you were to meet someone for the first time. At first your conversation with that person will be short and "surfacy", but as you get to know that person, the conversations will be much more revealing. Think of "the other hand" as that new person in your life that you are beginning a dialogue with, and try to keep the conversation going and on track. Hope this helps. Let me know how you make out. I am beginning to teach workshops on this writing technique, so any feedback you can give me would be great.
Blessings
Indy |
| jellybean |
Posted - 03/30/2006 : 12:40:09
Jim,
I read your post about the jounaling, thank you. I have done a lot of jounaling but have never tried a short stroy approach. I like that idea. I am sure you have written somewhere about the symptoms you had but I can't find it. Could you tell me what symtoms you dealt with? You said you were diagnosed with fibromyalgia - did you have chronic fatigue as well? I am preetty sure I am dealing with both. It seems if the pain isn't too bad, then the fatigue is and vice versa. ABout how much time did you spend a day journaling? I look back over all my journals and am at an end to knowing what is left to write about, and when I re-write stuff I feel I just keep drudging it up without really dealing with it.Maybe the story method will help, as well as what Indy wrote about writing with my non-dominant hand, maybe it will help come up with something I am missing. THanks again!
Jelene |
| miehnesor |
Posted - 03/30/2006 : 12:18:22
Indy- I appreciate the validation! You bring up a point that i've made before wrt Dr Sarno's work which is that he doesn't advocate trying to feel the emotion because he says that it is not really doable- after all it's repressed and we can not feel it. My case, while perhaps unusual, goes counter to what he is saying. Feeling repressed emotion is to be sure difficult but it is definitely doable. For me it absolutely required psychotherapy. I required a very safe environment because the dreaded rage is terrifying to the self and my unconscious was not about to just abandon its TMS strategy unless it felt safe enough to do it.
I think a helpful way to look at it is to realize that the emotion is relentlessly trying to come into consciousness and just needs some encouragement and safety for it to come out.
You also bring up another point which is something that i've wondered for a long time. Sarno's healing program doesn't require feeling the emotion because for most folks they can presumably banish the symptoms using just the conscious mind. This is astonishing to me but it must be true since Sarno's work is just an observation of reality. However I wonder whether the brain just resorts to some other form of distraction since the underlying emotion is still there and the energy of it has not been dissipated. Seems like in some cases a different distraction takes hold and in others it doesn't.
I hope his new book addresses some of these issues in more depth. |
| jellybean |
Posted - 03/30/2006 : 07:42:40
Indy,
Thanks again so much - I am looking forward to giving the type of journaling you mention a try. HAve you ever heard of EFT. That is something I have been doing on and off for awhile now and do find it very helpful. My understanding of it is that you are getting rid of the "stuck" energy by tapping on ceratin meridians, while thinking about the issues, always ending with an type of affirmation.
For example: "even though I have all this rage about my mom leaving me when I was little, I deeply and completely accept myself" , and after a few rounds of this you feel yourself relaxing and take on another issue. Point being, it is a way to release the negative energy without actually reliving it or physically expressing it. Do you have any thoughts on this? Just thought I'd ask since you seem so knowledgable about dealing with the repressed issues.
Jellybean |
| Indy |
Posted - 03/30/2006 : 06:47:48
Meihnesor and all
You are absolutely right about the "key" being "feeling the feelings buried in your unconscious". You can do everything else "right" like tell your mind that there's nothing wrong with your back, neck, whatever, journal til the cows come home, see a psychotherapist, all of that - which I've done and you probably have too.
What all of these techniques do is stir up the energy of the repressed emotions, but unless a person has the courage, motivation, and determination to feel the emotional pain and release it - by screaming, crying, pounding your pillow, etc, the energy of that pain still remains in your body in a real physical way. This repressed energy (vibration) will move from one part of the body to another; the mind will find another convenient location, and this can take hours, days, weeks, or months.
As a bodywork therapist, I see this all the time with my clients and I see it with myself. A client may feel better mentally and emotionally - and physically - from "doing" the journaling or TMS work, for example, but the energy of the emotion is still in the body if they don't give themselves permission to release it. This is the only part of Dr. Sarno's work that bothers me. When the brain realizes that you figured out the emotional source of your back pain, for example, it will say "OK, I can't create pain in the back/leg etc. anymore, so I'll create a subtle disease or grow a tumor that doesn't hurt but will distract her." The brain will find another way to distract your attention because the repressed diseased emotional energy is still there. And I firmly believe that is what Dr. Sarno calls "the physical equivalents".
Facing your emotional fears and releasing the energy around them is the only way to be pain and disease free. My experience is that you have to reeeeally want to face your emotional pain and that's difficult. And the number of people who actually do the "real" work of processing emotional pain I believe are few. You are to be congratulated for your courage and strength of conviction.
(Jellybean, this is for you) Others reading this may say - But how do I do that when I don't even know what it is that's bothering me? I say - You don't have to know (mind) what's bothering you; all you have to do is "feel" it. Flashbacks (remembering memories) help a person understand and will trigger emotions, but do nothing as far as releasing the painful energy. What I'm saying is that you don't have to "know everything" to heal from everything.
As I'm journaling and a painful emotion is surfacing, I ask myself with my right dominant hand "What emotion am I feeling right now and what do I need to do to release it?" Then with my undominant left hand, I'll get a reply like "Scream you fool" or "Your inner child is hurting and she needs to cry". I follow my own advice and emotionally purge for as long as it takes for me to feel calm and at peace with myself. The journaling stirs it up, and the screaming/crying releases the energy that is reeking havoc. And this works so well with doing the mental work that Dr. Sarno talks about.
A healer that I went to many years ago told me something that has remained in my mind and I think is relevant here. He said that there are four steps to feeling self-loving and radiant health. First, acknowledge that there is something emotionally wrong, even if you don't know what it is at that point. As Dr. Phil would say "You can't change what you're not willing to acknowledge." Second, understand where it is coming from - psychotherapy, journaling, etc. will help a person see the situation more clearly so that you don't fear it anymore. We always fear what we don't understand, and that's what keeps the pain suppressed - fear. Thirdly, accept it. Accept what you are learning about yourself and say "I am willing to accept that this is what happened to me, how I survived the experience, and doesn't have to influence me anymore". Fourth, love yourself for who you are and where you've come from just like you would love another if he/she told you his/her story.
My! I do go on sometimes. But this is so important - it's the "key" as you say, Miehnesor - to be pain-free and disease free. I would like to hear from others who know what I'm talking about.
Blessings
Indy
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