| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| lmcox |
Posted - 10/12/2007 : 12:05:28
Hello hello!
This is my first "official" post-- I'm working on my story for the "success stories" section, but I just wanted to throw this out there to this very knowledgable group. I've been visiting the forum for about two years, and have learned so much!
My deal is this-- in 2001, after a five year long history of "throwing out my back" whenever I got really stressed out, I read Healing Back Pain and was blown away. Within weeks my "back pain" was gone, and I've never even had ONE TWINGE since then. Amazing, right? I totally identified with the "TMS personality."
Here's the thing, though-- some of the other TMS equivalents are still around, and despite my ability to totally overcome back pain, anxiety attacks, IBS, and anything else that crops up, I'm not sure how to make this one go away. Specifically, I'm talking about stomach problems (mostly nighttime GERD that wakes me up), and general insomnia/ noise sensitivity that makes it hard for me to go to sleep/ stay asleep.
This sounds so strange, but I feel like the pain part of TMS is almost easier to get rid of, because at least you can quantify this--like "Am I still in pain? Well-- then I should keep doing it!" Not so much for nighttime GERD and waking up during the night, which happen WHILE YOU'RE ASLEEP.
Has anyone had any luck with getting these issues under control? Given the fact that I had such success with the Sarno method on my other issues, I'm trying to figure out a way to treat these (obviously TMS) issues equivalently. I have no problem accepting the diagnosis--I just have no idea how to get the idea to my subconscious mind that I'm "on to it," so to speak, while I'm asleep (or trying to go to sleep).
Of course, goes without saying that I've been "diagnosed" with anxiety problems, hiatal hernia, IBS, <fill in all of the other TMS equivalents in the list>. :) Honestly, I have everything under control-- except at night, when my subconsious has a big old party.
Any thoughts? |
| 7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| armchairlinguist |
Posted - 10/15/2007 : 21:40:23
quote:
Have you tried asking your subconscious (before you go to sleep) to send you dreams that would help you process whatever it is that is there to process?
I've done this. It doesn't always happen, but it can be incredibly helpful.
--
It's not 100% belief that's required, but 100% commitment. |
| justme |
Posted - 10/15/2007 : 20:45:57
shawnsmith-
Thanks for all the info from Sopher's book. I have not yet read it. Interesting that my dad had an ulcer in the late 50's and now i have GERD in the early 2000's. . Everywhere you go you see prilosec posters. You know neither H2 blockers or proton pump inhibitors work for me.
I am so convinced GERD it is in vogue. The two most "in vogue" conditions I see these days are "ED" and "GERD" - hey they even rhyme!!
thanks again,
just me |
| shawnsmith |
Posted - 10/15/2007 : 19:13:44
Here is what Dr. Marc Sopher writes in his book:
"TMS most commonly affects the back, neck, and legs, but can
affect any part of the body or organ system. Some common TMS
disorders include headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, dyspepsia,
gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), carpal tunnel syndrome
(CTS), plantar fasciitis, temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ),
and fibromyalgia. Using today’s popular lingo, TMS is a mindbody
disorder – the symptoms arise from the mind and are experienced by
the body. Thus, The Mindbody Syndrome is an appropriate title." (Page 17)
And Chapter 22 reads:
AN UPSET STOMACH – BEYOND ULCERS; IRRITABLE
BOWEL SYNDROME, REFLUX AND DYSPEPSIA
Yes, people still get ulcers, but the incidence has declined thanks
to H2-blockers (medication) and the fact that gastroesophageal reflux
disease (GERD, or simply “reflux”) is now in vogue. When ulcers
were in their heyday, most acknowledged the role of stress in their
formation. Not so with GERD, thus creating fertile ground for its
ascendance. The most common symptom of GERD is heartburn and
the H2-blockers that worked so well for ulcers don’t work so well for
this. That is why Prilosec (a proton pump inhibitor) is now the #1
selling medication in the world. If you had doubts about the epidemic
status of GERD, this fact alone should take care of that.
Unfortunately the managed care companies are a little slow on the
uptake and often refuse to fill prescriptions for proton pump
inhibitors, insisting we prescribe H2-blockers, a much lower cost
medication. With GERD, the acidic stomach contents reflux or
regurgitate back up the esophagus. This is not pleasant or desirable.
The lining of the esophagus is not meant to tolerate the low pH of the
gastric material; thus, it can cause burning or other painful sensations
(it is, after all, acid) when contacting the esophagus. Ordinarily, the
lower esophageal sphincter (LES), a muscular band at the junction of
the esophagus and stomach, remains closed after the ingestion of food
or fluids. A closed LES prevents reflux. There are certain substances
that can allow the LES to relax (or open) – alcohol, caffeine and
nicotine – as well as certain medications. There is also no doubt that
an overly full stomach, causing gastric distention, can result in
increased pressure that overwhelms the LES. This effect can be
magnified by laying down with an overly full stomach.
However, GERD symptoms often persist even when the obvious
accommodations to the above information are made. So, what is
going on? From my experience, in this situation psychic factors are
affecting the LES.
Why am I convinced that GERD is part of TMS, a mindbody
disorder? Well, when I began my medical training nearly 20 years
ago, GERD was not a common disorder. Over the past 10 years the
incidence of it has skyrocketed, hence the boom in sales for Prilosec
and its cousins. GERD is the 2000’s answer to the ulcers of the
1960’s and the 1970’s. I have had many patients eliminate their
reflux symptoms when they recognize it as psychologically induced.
Dyspepsia, also known as nonulcer dyspepsia, is another upper
gastrointestinal tract disorder. Symptoms may include upper
abdominal bloating, fullness, cramping or “gassiness.” Sometimes it
is made worse by meals, other times better. Work-up fails to reveal
an ulcer, GERD or other physical process, hence the name, which is
really just a description of the symptoms. Nothing helps reliably, not
H2-blockers, antacids or proton pump inhibitors. What does this tell
you? What I think is that this will be the next upper GI disorder to
become epidemic. I presume the pharmaceutical industry is hard at
work . . .
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the reincarnation of “spastic
colon.” The good news here is that many physicians believe that
there is a psychological component; the bad news is that they don’t
know how to teach their patients to address the psychological cause.
It’s not about stress management or positive thinking. It’s about
understanding how psychology can affect physiology – how lower
abdominal cramps, bloating, gassiness and diarrhea or constipation
are all symptoms created as a distraction. Focused on the bowels, an
individual cannot then contemplate those unpleasant things stashed in
the unconscious.
IBS sufferers, like those with FMS and CFS, often have a
thorough evaluation (perhaps including a colonoscopy – a procedure
in which a 140 centimeter fiberoptic tube is introduced through the
rectum and can visualize the entire colon, or large intestine) that fails
to reveal a physical process. Good advice includes plenty of exercise,
increasing intake of fiber-containing foods and water – hey, that’s
smart for anyone. Unfortunately, symptoms usually persist until IBS
is recognized as TMS and treated as such.
Bonnie is a 33-year-old married woman with severe low back pain
that developed after a complicated pregnancy. Pain could travel into
either leg and she also described intermittent pains at other locations,
sometimes severe. She was told that her symptoms were due to leg
length discrepancy as well as multilevel disc disease, diagnosed on
MRI.
When she saw me, she had failed all traditional therapies and was
fearful that she would be unable to care for her child or return to work
(as she desired). In retrospect, she identified her history of panic
attacks, irritable bowel syndrome and previous episodes of back pain
and paresthesias more than ten years prior as earlier manifestations of TMS.
She gave up her lift (meant to treat the leg length discrepancy) and
was much better within several months. Three years later she
contacted me to provide an update – not only was she feeling well,
but the irritable bowel symptoms that had plagued her for fourteen
years were gone too.
*******
Sarno-ize it!
Read chapter 4 of Dr. Sarno's "The Divided Mind." Also chapers 3, 4 and 5 in Dr. Scott Brady's "Pain Free For Life" are very important. |
| justme |
Posted - 10/15/2007 : 18:52:45
Imcox -
I too suffer from what doctors call GERD as a result of hiatal hernia. Through many experiments of my own I have proven that my GERD symtoms are in fact TMS. The only thing that relieves them in klonopin. I have recently taken up yoga since I believe that yoga is a mind-body approach that allows for the processing of emotions with the facilitation of body poses.
An interesting thing came up during my last private yoga session. I was doing a standing arm stretch up against the wall and was supposed to be pressing into the wall with the tips of my fingers. Well, I felt a lot of pain concentrated right behind my pinky. My yoga teacher asked me if I felt it radiate up my arm. I said no. She said this was a little strange that there must be some kind of block there. Interestingly enough, I get numbness in my pinkies every night. (No signs of significant ulnar tunnel entrapment on diagnostic tests.) Have not been able to knock it for 5 years now. Maybe the block my yoga teacher is referring to is rage at my father's death from 35 years ago. He we electrocuted and voltage entered his body through thumb and exited through pinky. I was only 8 years old at time.
I even think my GERD symptoms are related to my dad's death. He suffered from an ulcer when he was about my age.
Have you tried asking your subconscious (before you go to sleep) to send you dreams that would help you process whatever it is that is there to process?
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| lidge |
Posted - 10/13/2007 : 11:55:05
Mamaboulet-
Just wanted to send you my condolences for your pooch. I had this happen a few years ago and was overwhelmed. I'm so sorry |
| mamaboulet |
Posted - 10/13/2007 : 07:00:59
I've had stomach issues since age 12 and was recently finally diagnosed with GERD. I have no doubt that it is a TMS equivalent. I am having some minor success diminishing it (I take meds every other day now instead of every day), but a lifetime of conditioning makes it a tough one for me. It's like some industrious gremlin has been busy pushing heavy boxes in front of the door to the stomach emotion journey and it seems easier to sit down on a box and take a pill.
Not that I've been working on ANYTHING this week. My beloved hound had to be put to sleep on Tuesday evening after a very sudden illness. The only thing I'm working on is equilibrium and getting through the day without taking another xanax (I don't normally take such stuff and had to borrow it from my mother). |
| JohnD |
Posted - 10/12/2007 : 12:32:28
Just from my experience on this forum, I've seen many people recover from the ailments you've mentioned using TMS theory. Balanced and savy nutrition can always help too when TMS affects the digestive tract. Supplements such as Primal Defense, and Omega-Zyme by Garden of Life can help with the IBS and GERD. |
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