| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Phila-PM |
Posted - 08/08/2012 : 19:36:27
Hey all I'm new to this forum and also the idea of TMS and Mind Body Syndrome. I've suffered from migraines for 25+ years, and daily chronic headaches for what seems like the last 10 years. I've seen numerous neurologists, chiropractors, Ear Nose and Throat specialists, etc. Nobody can tell me why I get these headaches every day. All my MRI's and Cat Scans have come back normal. I've read the Mind Body Prescription and the Divided Mind, and I'm currently reading Unlearn Your Pain. I think my headaches are from TMS and MDS, but I'm not sure what to do to help relieve this pain. I'm trying to think more about the Physchological then Physical but its hard at times. Any ideas or advice on how I can work through this and how long will it take before I start seeing some relief? I've been at this for about 1 month now.
Thanks everyone!
Patrick |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Phila-PM |
Posted - 08/28/2012 : 13:26:12
Dustin I never got your email. You can email me at patrick.malone27 @gmail.com. |
| drh7900 |
Posted - 08/23/2012 : 17:14:48
quote:
Originally posted by Phila-PM
Dustin thanks for all your advice. It does sound like we're a lot alike. We should exchange emails or phone numbers and help each other out from time to time. Thanks to everyone else as well.
I sent you an email through the forum. If you haven't seen it, check your spam folder...even after I had received a few emails from the forum, gmail started sending them all to spam. I don't know what provider you use, obviously, but forum emails could be in spam.
--
Dustin |
| Phila-PM |
Posted - 08/23/2012 : 12:16:43
Dustin thanks for all your advice. It does sound like we're a lot alike. We should exchange emails or phone numbers and help each other out from time to time. Thanks to everyone else as well. |
| drh7900 |
Posted - 08/22/2012 : 11:04:52
quote:
Originally posted by Bugbear
Did someone mention laughter? This really made me laugh out loud when I first read it and hope it does the same for some of you.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/indian-court-tells-laughter-group-zip-it
They would hold their ear lobes, tilt their heads back, and stretch their faces wide into smiles. "Ooh ooh, ha ha," went the chant. Then they would sweep their arms to their toes and reach for the sky, opening their mouths wide to say, "Ha ha ha!"
That image made me chuckle lol. But some of this stuff made me take pause:
...Prabhakar Naidu, 45, who said that since he started laughing he's been able to walk up stairs without getting winded.
Manjula Raut, 68, said she joined the group after having heart bypass surgery. "I could not walk properly when I started," she said. "Now I'm feeling very nice. I come every day."
"I had a spinal cord operation," said F.B. Chavariya, 58. "Five, six years I'm doing this practice and now I'm OK."
Thanks for the article!
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Dustin |
| Bugbear |
Posted - 08/22/2012 : 10:22:43
Did someone mention laughter? This really made me laugh out loud when I first read it and hope it does the same for some of you.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/indian-court-tells-laughter-group-zip-it |
| tennis tom |
Posted - 08/22/2012 : 09:25:26
quote:
Originally posted by drh7900
I'm 32, been married almost 12 years, have a 4 month old daughter and a 2 year old son (both of mine are adopted and we got them both when they were just 2 days old,
--
Dustin
==================================================
Abracadabra and here they are:
DR. SARNO'S 12 DAILY REMINDERS: www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0dKBFwGR0g
Great post Dustin! And for adopting you get a direct ticket to Heaven where tennis is played bare-foot on the grass.
|
| drh7900 |
Posted - 08/22/2012 : 08:26:41
quote:
Originally posted by Phila-PM
I'm actually 31. I've been married almost 10 years I have a 1 year old daughter and a 2 year old son. To say things are stressful around here would be an understatement. I feel this TMS thing is winning and I'm fighting a losing battle. Ive only been introduced to this mind body concept for a month....again my impatient nature kicks in. I think my biggest struggle is the fear of the pain. It's been there so long I rarely remember having a day without it. I'd love to find a tms doctor I could speak with who might help discover some deeper issues I haven't thought of.
Seriously...are you an alternate universe version of me from a year ago? lol
I'm 32, been married almost 12 years, have a 4 month old daughter and a 2 year old son (both of mine are adopted and we got them both when they were just 2 days old, but with adoption comes the whole package of separation/abandonment found in babies removed from their mothers). I know how you feel! My symptoms may be different (low-back pain and sciatica for the last 13 years), but our stories are similar. I know what you mean by the fear of pain being a struggle. It's the fear of pain that finally led me to pursue Disabled Vet plates and handicap placards for my vehicles. Interestingly, that happened just before I found TMS back in May. So now I have them and never use them lol...before I always needed them and never had them. Oh the irony.
I'm not yet fully recovered, and there are days where I feel like I lose ground I have gained, but overall, I am improving. Don't forget Sarno's daily reminders (if you need a link, they are in tennis tom's signature). DON'T focus on the pain. DO focus on what's going on inside your mind and emotions.
SteveO's book is an excellent testament to how someone with decades of suffering can recover fully. I'm glad you're reading it. I got the following checklist from SteveO as a sort of "Quick Healing Handbook"...maybe it can help you:
1) Have full belief in TMS. Don't ever think there is something wrong with your body.
2) Begin daily relaxation and breathing techniques from the gurus of relaxation. eg, DRMiller.com
3) Stay active, stay in motion, never let your brain keep you from doing something physical.
4) Don't underestimate laughter and music as healing tools. They add another stimulus to the brain that begins to unhinge the neural set that is associated with pain. In other words, add to the denominator of the rage to soothe ratio by increasing the pleasure in your life. This reduces tension along with the relaxation and breathing techniques.
5) Forget about your body altogether and go live. Read chapter 21 and the story of Marcellous. It was when he found his vocation and forgot about his body that he woke up one day free.
6) Don't underestimate the power of visualization and guided imagery. See yourself as healed and your body will follow your mind's eye lead.
7) Forgive someone that you need to forgive...let that pain go in your heart and your body will heal follow....
In a recent exchange with SteveO, we talked about laughter. He told me that at one point he realized he hadn't laughed in about 10 years. Laughter really is one of the best forms of medicine. When you find something that makes you laugh so hard that you can hardly breathe, you almost can't focus on ANYTHING but what's making you laugh. That forces you to live in the moment. That forces you to focus on what's happening RIGHT NOW. That's EXPERIENCING the moment...not just being in it.
As SteveO says, "Your body will heal in its own time". It's hard not to try to rush it...but the more you rush it, the longer it will take. Patience for people like us comes easier on the outside than it does on the inside, but we can't force it, and we can't rush it...we have to treat our symptoms as what they are...a signal that something within the mindbody isn't right and try to feel the emotions from which our brains are trying to distract.
--
Dustin |
| Phila-PM |
Posted - 08/21/2012 : 17:38:33
I'm actually 31. I've been married almost 10 years I have a 1 year old daughter and a 2 year old son. To say things are stressful around here would be an understatement. I feel this TMS thing is winning and I'm fighting a losing battle. Ive only been introduced to this mind body concept for a month....again my impatient nature kicks in. I think my biggest struggle is the fear of the pain. It's been there so long I rarely remember having a day without it. I'd love to find a tms doctor I could speak with who might help discover some deeper issues I haven't thought of. |
| tmsjptc |
Posted - 08/16/2012 : 14:40:54
SteveO, I like the reference to "tmsjptcxyz". I'm still getting a good laugh out of it as I write this response. My name is actually Tom and the long acronym is just me putting together the first letters of each person's name in my family. I appreciate all of your posts here and was always encouraged by the amount of issues and length of time you overcame.
Patrick, I don't know your age but am guessing that going back 25 years may have put you in a period of time that you weren't so worried about this job or financial goals. This isn't to say that this isn't your current stressor. But, we can harbor resentment and anger or anxiety about all kinds of things. For example, when I first learned about TMS and stopped blaming pseudo physical problems, I thought it was my boss that I was always seemingly at odds with. For me, one thing I learned is that deep down inside I wanted to be seen as super smart or the best at something. When my boss (or anyone else for that matter) would disregard my input, or worse yet did something without even asking my input, I would get unconsciously very angry and offended. But, my outward nature is to be calm, cool, and collected (the nice guy) so I didn't realize that I would automatically suppress the emotions. There were other things too, of course, but this was one simple thing I learned about myself. Do I still like to be right? Yes. But, now I am aware of my internal dialog and I tell myself that all I can do is my best. I cannot control how other people will respond to it. Hope this helps. Tom |
| drh7900 |
Posted - 08/16/2012 : 11:25:30
quote:
Originally posted by Phila-PM
Thanks tmsjptc and SteveO for all your help. Now that I think about what stresses me out it I think it may be related to my current job situation and financial goals. I have a good job but I'm not happy with it. I feel trapped in the fact that I'm the sole provider for our family and I have to keep this job to pay the bills. I've also always put a lot of pressure on myself to start a successful business so I can have the freedom to do something I enjoy. I know that I'm disappointed with myself for not already reaching those personal goals. I'm also a very impatient person and want instant results so I think that is another sense of tension. I noticed that personality trait in whatever I'm doing...dieting, exercising, financial goals. I just want results. Thanks again for all the support.
Patrick
Sounds like we might be kindred spirits! I'd have thought you were describing me here!
--
Dustin |
| Phila-PM |
Posted - 08/16/2012 : 08:37:41
Thanks tmsjptc and SteveO for all your help. Now that I think about what stresses me out it I think it may be related to my current job situation and financial goals. I have a good job but I'm not happy with it. I feel trapped in the fact that I'm the sole provider for our family and I have to keep this job to pay the bills. I've also always put a lot of pressure on myself to start a successful business so I can have the freedom to do something I enjoy. I know that I'm disappointed with myself for not already reaching those personal goals. I'm also a very impatient person and want instant results so I think that is another sense of tension. I noticed that personality trait in whatever I'm doing...dieting, exercising, financial goals. I just want results. Thanks again for all the support.
Patrick |
| SteveO |
Posted - 08/15/2012 : 17:43:40
That was nice of tmsjptcxyz to come back and tell you that Phila. Very nice post by him or her. To give back is to recognize the gift which has been given.
It was also very well written and phrased, that person is a good writer.
Me rite good two.
Steve |
| tmsjptc |
Posted - 08/15/2012 : 17:34:03
Patrick, the first is to realize and acknowledge that the source of your headaches is not anything you have been blaming them on. You will want to deny that they are stress related because you think to yourself "I had stress before and didn't have these so that must not be it". But, they aren't from conscious stress. They are from unconscious stress (anger, fear, resentment, worry, etc) that you currently aren't even aware of. It sounds crazy at first but it is so true. You have to start asking yourself, "what am I upset about or anxious about right now" even though you think there is nothing. There is. The headache is proof of it. You just haven't been experiencing those negative emotions in an emotional way. They are being hidden by your mind because your mind doesn't want to admit they are there. But, it has to do something with them and it does so by having your body experience them as pain. Any pain will do. It varies from person to person. You and I just happen to be headache sufferers. Your mind has been successful in using these headaches on you to get rid of unexperienced negative emotions. It won't stop until it realizes this isn't successful anymore because you have figured out what is happening. Sometimes when you do, you may find your mind finds another pain to try on you instead. It happened with me. Don't be afraid of that. Be happy that you now have proof that there was no physical problem and that this is just your mind working on you. That new alternate pain will go away too. As far as tips that help while you are waiting for your mind to stop doing this to you, I used warm showers, nature walks, listening to peaceful music, playing games like solitaire (it keeps your mind busy on something besides fear and anger), icy/hot patches on the back of my neck (to increase blood flow to my head), and icy/hot balm on my forehead. Sometimes I would still take OTC meds but they gradually were needed less and less. Oh, and coffee isn't a bad thing, at least not for me. The caffeine actually speeds up your heart rate a bit and I think for this reason it helps in getting more blood and oxygen to your head. Everything else everyone says about TMS helps too (journaling, breathing, etc). Good luck! |
| Phila-PM |
Posted - 08/14/2012 : 13:51:04
tmsjptc can you give me any tips on what you did that helped resolve the headaches? I really don't know where to start. I feel like most of the books I've read tell you about what TMS is but don't give you details about how to resolve the issues. |
| tmsjptc |
Posted - 08/14/2012 : 12:02:10
Patrick, I don't respond often to threads anymore because there are enough great folks on here that already do. But, I feel inclined to respond to yours simply because of my similar history. Although I had some back and neck pain (and other stuff too from time to time), my number one complaint and longest standing concern (16 years) was chronic tension headaches. I just want to let you know that they are a form of TMS and most definitely can be resolved completely by following Dr. Sarno's books and the advice of others on this site. I found that it took me longer than the 6-8 weeks mentioned in the books. I know now that is because I took a while to get to 100% belief level. For me, headaches were harder to resolve because I simply couldn't laugh at them and know that my unconscious mind was doing this. I think this might be because not only did my head hurt, but also because my thinking felt "foggy". Maybe this is because of the reduced oxygen in my blood to my head (as Dr. Sarno explains is the cause of your pain). With other things, even if it hurt, I would laugh at it and found that it went away pretty quickly. But, the headaches it took longer. Nonetheless, it did work and I am feeling better than ever. I wish you the best of luck. |
| tennis tom |
Posted - 08/14/2012 : 09:52:26
quote:
Originally posted by TaylorJoh
Hi SteveO,
I'm finding it impossible to read small print. I don't want to go the prescription glasses root as I'm having a TMS flare up and from what I understand the vision problem might be that. But TMSers are raving about the book and so I think I should have it. Just wondering if it is available on audio or downloaded online? BTW, I don't have Kindle.
Thanks,
Taylor
Edit: Here's a website that explains it and has lists of eye docs who are schooled in the Bates method:http://www.bettervision.com/msbio.html
Not being able to read small print is part of the normal aging process beginning in middle-age. Fearing you will do harm to your eyes, by putting on a pair of readers, is part of the TMS fear process. I've read several books about vision/VISION by the noted behavioral eye expert Dr. Robert Michael Kaplan. I found the books complementary to TMS theory, teaching me how vision/VISION works. Your eyes have muscles too, which can lose tone like everything else. I'm not going to wait ten minutes in the aisle at Safeway, for my eye muscles to warm-up, to read the calorie count on a package--I put on my readers for that.
Here's a link to Dr. Robert Michael Kaplan : http://www.beyond2020vision.com/
The two books I read by him that taught be a lot about vision/VISION that are complementary to TMS are:
"THE POWER BEHIND YOUR EYES" and "SEEING WITHOUT GLASSES"
After reading his books, I don't worry about seeing.
I can see the big fuzzy optic yellow spheroid, that is a tennis ball, just fine. Watching the ball IS my eye exercise and my first thought on the court is to warm-up my eyes--at Safeway I put on my readers. Like the back, and the rest of the body, the eyes are strong and you won't damage them by looking through some cheap readers for a while. Read a book by Dr. Robert Michael Kaplan and he will explain it.
If you do get some glasses, go to a behavorial eye doc for a proper pair, I paid about $500 for my first work-up and pair at about age 50. They have two different strengths, one for each eye to balance out the weaker one and make it work. In fact, I'm typing this with a pair I got last year, forgot all about it, 'til this moment. I keep the cheap Costco readers strewn about for quick reads. You can buy them in three packs for $20 and keep bringing them back for free as they break exchanging them for new ones. I've posted before about this and if you google you can find eye-doctors who do therapy exercises and rx properly--look-up Blake method docs and there should be a list of them. Mine's in Novato, CA., Dr. Larry Jebbrock and he's a good tennis player. |
| drh7900 |
Posted - 08/14/2012 : 09:26:55
quote:
Originally posted by TaylorJoh
Hi SteveO,
I'm finding it impossible to read small print. I don't want to go the prescription glasses root as I'm having a TMS flare up and from what I understand the vision problem might be that. But TMSers are raving about the book and so I think I should have it. Just wondering if it is available on audio or downloaded online? BTW, I don't have Kindle.
Thanks,
Taylor
You don't need to own a Kindle to buy the Kindle version. You can buy the Kindle version and read it "in the cloud" (using your browser). Through the browser, go to read.amazon.com and sign in with your amazon account (you'll have to create an account to buy the book if you don't already have one). Then you can read the book on your browser and you can even change the font larger/smaller and change the color scheme (black on white, white on black, sepia tones) to help create a more soothing reading experience. Hope that helps!
Oh...and if you get a Kindle or iPad or other tablet that can use the Kindle app, it'll be available for you to download on your device. Very convenient.
--
Dustin |
| SteveO |
Posted - 08/14/2012 : 09:07:12
Taylor I started working on an audio version but I had to stop for several reasons, so that project isn't done, but I will resume it again in the near future.
If you are unable to read I don't know how you can get the book material. I understand the problem with reading small print I've had 2 eye surgeries recently. You may have to wait until I finish recording it.
I would suggest reading non prescription reading glasses, or having someone read it to you.
Steve |
| TaylorJoh |
Posted - 08/13/2012 : 21:59:52
Hi SteveO,
I'm finding it impossible to read small print. I don't want to go the prescription glasses root as I'm having a TMS flare up and from what I understand the vision problem might be that. But TMSers are raving about the book and so I think I should have it. Just wondering if it is available on audio or downloaded online? BTW, I don't have Kindle.
Thanks,
Taylor |
| SteveO |
Posted - 08/13/2012 : 16:16:36
Whether you take meds or not depends on whether you can do without them, of course. I'm just saying that the otc meds and coffee could be triggering your pain through association. Plus you think you need them right now and that's important for delaying healing.
I do know that Dr. Sarno often told people to get off the meds because they didn't need them (once they were diagnosed with TMS). You may think you need them so getting off of them could make your pain worse. When you finally determine that you don't need them at all, at the unconscious level, you will not need them anymore. You create your own reality by your perceptions and deepest beliefs.
If you believe that your pain is caused by an emotional process you won't need any medication, eventually. But be patient and open your mind to a new paradigm.
Read away
Steve |
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