| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Benny |
Posted - 07/26/2008 : 08:35:51
I just finished reading Dr. Sarno's "Healing Back Pain", it was recommended by a friend in NY as I was having a cripling crisis of back/leg/knee pain two weeks ago. I trully believe I am a TMS pacient. When this last crisis started I went to see my doctor for the first time regarding back pain (I used to deal with them with analgesic and antinflamatories) and as I enter his office I told him I know what I have: "I am overweight and extremly stressed", he laughed and said those do not cause that kind of pain, let me check you and go have MRI taken of your back -all these before reading Dr. Sarno.
Of course my MRI shows thwo "herniated discs" L4-L5 and L5-S1, which have been herniated -according to the MRI/doctors- for more than 5 years, so why do I make this terrible crisis now?
I am 37 now, my first crisis -I still remember- was in February 1994 at the age of 23 on the peak of my athletic life without any incident. It grabed me as I was getting on my bike to go to class. So I knew from the begining it could not be physical related.
As I was seating in the doctor's office and he asked me to tell him all about these pains since they started, I could relate almost each of the instances/crisis to a stressful moment in my life. Actually my last crisis was eigth years ago when I got divorced (a short 1.5yr mariage no kids). So I have been totally pain free for eight years. I thought at the time that it had to do with me loosing 40 lbs. and getting back in shape, but know I understand it was all about ending the anxiety/anger of a wrong marriage. There was nothing left to be dealt with, the anxiety was over.
Now I am happily married and blessed with three children.
So now that you know a little about my TMS background, let me ask the questions:
I live in Venezuela, which is about a 4.5 hour flight to NYC. I tried to contact Dr. Sarno's office to ask about how long is the treatment, but all I got was a voice mail. I understand that he only deals with out-of-tristate pacients questions via US Mail:
1.- Can anyone tell me how long is Dr. Sarno's tretament?
2.- Can the homework be done away from NY or do I have to stay in NY for the whole time the homeworks take place?
3.- I have read Dr. Sarno's book and I am thinking about buying the DVDs. Are these comparable to the lectures in NY? Will the DVDs be helpfull after reading the book?
4.- Shall I read other books from him to help me cure the pain -I read "Healing Back Pain".
5.- I read the book and it explains everything about TMS and how it is to be treated, but not the treatment. How do I find the anger in my subconsious?
Please Help!
Benny |
| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Benny |
Posted - 08/07/2008 : 18:57:04
Thank you all! You have been very helpful!
Benny |
| mizlorinj |
Posted - 07/28/2008 : 11:34:07
Benny. I think it's great that you can identify situations in your life with onsets of pain!
Dr. Sarno prefers to treat those close to NYC in case you need follow-up work. This is how treatment by Dr. Sarno goes:
You have appt with him, talk briefly, get exam. Talk more. he draws an overflowing beaker: 1/3 is childhood issues, 1/3 is current stressors or situations, 1/3 is your personality (perfectionist, goodist, etc.). He gives you several pages to read DAILY (also found almost verbatim in The Divided Mind book). You will need to make a list of topics that are bothersome (think about the 1/3s mentioned) and start writing out your feelings. Also there is a lecture to attend, which is similar to the lecture on the DVD from 2000. Currently his lecture is updated with more equivalents, etc. but basically the DVD lecture is great and reinforces how we need to change our thinking. e.g., your foot doesn't hurt because you walked on cement barefoot.
At this point you have the treatment plan.
Some people need additional therapy and there is a group option that I believe is covered by the initial fee you pay Dr. Sarno.
There is a Forum he runs monthly too where 4 people give their success stories and are open to questions. I went to one. But at that point I was recovered almost 100%. I have kept up with writing though as things come to me that I want to release before I get pain! Many, many psychologists, etc. recommend writing in a journal.
Best wishes for healing!
-Lori
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| RageSootheRatio |
Posted - 07/28/2008 : 09:02:52
Benny, you can definitely do the "homework" on your own, outside of NY. I haven't seen Dr Sarno's DVDs myself, but I've heard they are very good.
In terms of other books or resources, I personally really liked Dr. Scott Brady's "Pain-free for Life - the 6-week cure for chronic pain - without surgery or drugs." His own story was very inspiring and if you have high speed internet access, there is an excellent video of a presentation he gave:
http://www.forestlakechurch.org/upload/media/painfreeforlife_200k.asx
In his book, he also gives a complete "program" for working on TMS.
Others have mentioned Dr Schubiner's website and I also really liked his videos and information (although I've thought about registering for his course I haven't yet, so can't comment on that part:
www.yourpainisreal.com
Take good care!
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| Benny |
Posted - 07/27/2008 : 18:58:17
Thank you all! You have been very helpful! G-d Bless you.
Benny |
| armchairlinguist |
Posted - 07/27/2008 : 12:59:07
Hi Benny,
That's just my signature file -- it's not a question directed at you. Good one to ponder though. Sometimes TMS doesn't do what you expect.
--
What were you expecting? |
| HilaryN |
Posted - 07/27/2008 : 09:58:50
Hi Benny,
Reading Dr Sarno's books you can get the impression that recovery should be immediate. In fact it can take a while for many of us. For me it was 2 months before I noticed any difference, and 6 months before I made a complete recovery, taking it slowly. I didn't see a TMS doctor, I just read Sarno's book.
Have a read through the 12 daily remiders in Healing Back Pain - and read them daily!
All the best,
Hilary N |
| Benny |
Posted - 07/27/2008 : 08:07:53
Thank you for your kind answers.
"What were you expecting?"
I was expecting to learn if there are any kind of mental excersices that I might do to help me cure my TMS. Is it just about thinking? So it is not like a switch that makes the pain go away as sudden as it came? How long does it take?
Benny |
| armchairlinguist |
Posted - 07/26/2008 : 13:25:10
Benny -- you may find The Mindbody Prescription more helpful than Healing Back Pain for treatment suggestions.
I would guess that Dr. Sarno may not be able to treat you since you are outside the area. Please don't get too focused on getting treatment from a TMS doctor. Many people recover on their own after any serious medical conditions have been eliminated by testing (which it seems has happened for you since your MRI is not showing anything out of the ordinary).
quote:
could relate almost each of the instances/crisis to a stressful moment in my life.
If you can already do this then you already understand the principles here. The most important thing is deconditioning yourself from this reaction by not allowing the pain to distract you from thinking about and dealing with your emotions, and resuming normal physical activity.
It's really pretty basic, even though it's not easy.
--
What were you expecting? |
| iyusaf |
Posted - 07/26/2008 : 12:09:21
quote:
Originally posted by Benny
How do I find the anger in my subconsious?
Dr. Sarno does not prescribe a way to "find the anger in [your] subconsious [sic]" as part of the treatment. The treatment for TMS is education and knowledge of the TMS process. The details of this education are in the book you have read. Some patients are referred to qualified Psychologists if needed, but only if TMS symptoms reoccur. |
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