| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Broke Back Guy |
Posted - 07/24/2013 : 14:51:59
Hi everyone,
I would love to give my whole story but it would take all day. Basically went from athlete over night to confined to bed for 2 solid months with back pain and in the last year it has slowly gotten better but still my life is over. I have been to 11 MDs, 3 chiropractors, 3 NDs and a dentist in the search for answers but none have ever come up. I have been told I am a freak of nature or medicine at every turn. I am the healthiest guy in the known universe. Used to be a trainer, raw vegan most of my life, fitness and vitamin guru, have never used a single day of sick leave in a 25 year career of being an airline pilot professionally and now I have not flown a plane in a full year for back pain.
If I sit too long thoracic is level pain 8-9, if I stand too long lower back is 8-9 if I lie down too long the same thing, if I look down at all, same thing. Xrays and MRIs looked ok. Nothing that should be putting me in this much pain. I just reached out to Dr Sarno after hearing about him from someone that has done his program and he was nice enough to respond albeit he is retired. I bought both books and am going through them now. First one is done the Mind Body Connection and half way through the second, Healing Back Pain.
My question as I am desperate to get started, is there a step by step, best practice checklist type thing of what you have to do daily to really maximize the treatment? From the books it just seems folks are all over the place with their own protocols. I know a lot of folks to EFT tapping and talk to themselves on it. Does this work here? I know some folks write stuff down and keep a journal. Others yell at themselves, others think things, AIEYA! I just dont know how to start.
My life has been over for a year now, I am just too stubborn to die and have tried EVERY single thing that anyone modern or alternative has been able to suggest and nothing has worked. My back is not perfect to look at the spine but my spine should be torn out for the pain I am in. I am going to take the next few weeks to read every single form post in here so maybe i will learn this in the process but I would LOVE to know from you all, what steps do you do starting tomorrow morning so that I can get the full benefit of this treatment.
Does anyone know a solid doctor that can help with this now that Sarno is retired? I will fly where ever I have to if needed as this pain is unbearable and the source on paper just does not exist.
I can not wait to hear success stories and make friends. Time to get this back to play by my rules it seems. I just need to know how you all have put the brain in its place with hands on step by step examples of what is the most effective.
I dont think I have rage of any kind, I am a really laid back guy when it comes to problems and emotional issues but that just means I know how to bury it I guess. I fit every single profile in the book of an A type personality with perfectionist and the lot so I think this might be my solution.
Thanks!
Broke Back Pilot! |
| 14 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| gigalos |
Posted - 07/25/2013 : 13:46:05
Hi bbguy,
Just some things that spring to mind, pick what you think might be interesting, ignore the rest if you think it's baloney (love that word).
I think inside you are very angry and anxious. Goddamn, I used to feel great and now this crap comes along. Why me? The most healthy guy in the world! (which I believe is a pretty subjective statement, but that's not important here  ) Is this what I have to feel the rest of my life? I seriously believe this alone can get and keep you in a cycle of pain. There may very well be an unconscious emotional onset that started it, but I believe it is at least also maintained by being angry and/or anxious about the pain, because you are feeding your emotions every day.
Accept that you are in pain. Be confident you will get better. Give yourself the time to get better and don't try to rush it. Don't get wound up about the pain. It's there and getting angry about it won't help and might only make it worse. Stop fighting it with searching the net, visiting doctors, taking vitamins or injecting ozone, I think that works counterproductive as the stress in the form of doubt, anger and disappointment from not healing by it is bad for you.
See this TMS guy or girl as he/she might uncover something you can't.
Hope it helps you in someway..
All the best to you! |
| icelikeaninja |
Posted - 07/25/2013 : 13:34:42
If the tms pain is chronic and things have been ruled out by doctors, i'd suggest therapy.
I have had an off and on again relationship with tms since 2004. Cured of the tms pain for several years and had a brief flare up.
Since I started therapy I feel much better about things. If it is a tms therapist all the better because they have seen people who are in similiar circumstances.
When I went to a regular therapist they implied that my pain was there to get a reaction from people when clearly this is not the case, that is when I personally saw Sarno got the diagnosis and saw one of his approved therapists.
Do not expect people to understand a mindbody concept out of here either. My mistake and I think this prolonged alot of things was looking up my symptoms, going on healthboards and basically paralyzing myself!
Another thing is to try and keep active and not lingering on this message board even though you do need questions answered. I am not going on here as much so I can heal. I feel like I am taking on everyone else's symptoms so I need a little break.
Pilot you say? Not for nothing but that is a big deal. I am sure somewhere in your mind that you were furious at the fact that you flew planes and experienced things like turbulance, circling the airport many times with traffic, and many other things that go into being a pilot.
When my tms was bad I actually took flight lessons and it was therapeutic for me but after 10 lessons or so my shoulder would freeze at the yolk and my right hand would become numb at the throttle.
From various events terrorism, Hollywood movies, we experience so much horror when it comes to flying. You might want to look into that and how demanding it was on you even if it was a job/passion. |
| Broke Back Guy |
Posted - 07/25/2013 : 10:15:24
Thanks Dave. There is a lot to take in there. I have really been racking my brain trying to think of any issues I have and bring them to the surface but in my head there is nothing that seems so critical that it is worth addressing. I have been going over and over in my head, each of the issues that I have come up with and telling myself that I release them and I am ok with them or I know they are there and I accept them but nothing so far. I did read the book cover to cover and I read his second one as well. I skipped the break down of each illness and how it pertains to TMS as I dont have cancer or I dont have a plethora of other diseases I just have back pain that migrates around my body. I do EFT tapping at night saying I know there is nothing there, it is just the brain playing games, tried yelling at my brain telling it off and saying I am not playing around! hehe. Refreshing to tell yourself off now and again I would say. I will read some of the links here with the suggestions and try and do something every day. For those that write about it, how do you structure that, do you just write on whatever comes out or do you take issues one at a time and write your feelings down on them etc? I seem to have a long road ahead. |
| Dave |
Posted - 07/25/2013 : 07:42:14
quote:
Originally posted by Broke Back Guy
...My problem is that if I have rage, my brain is doing just a bang up job of hiding it from me...
I suggest you read Dr. Sarno's book (The Mindbody Connection or Healing Back Pain) repeatedly until the concepts set in.
For one thing, the "rage" that Dr. Sarno describes is not like the conscious rage you may feel. It is a metaphor for a dark pool of repressed emotions that simmers at an unconscious level. It is rage felt by the "child inside you" who resents the pressures you put on yourself to be a good or perfect person. Feeling this "rage" is impossible, as by definition it is unconscious. All you can do is try to figure out what might be contributing to it.
Since this rage represents repressed emotions, it is not the feelings you are aware of that contribute to it. It is the feelings you don't feel that add to the pool of rage. It is due to things going on in your life that affect you emotionally on a deeper level than you realize.
In any case, it is not necessary to identify the sources of the inner rage, even if it were possible. Recovery from TMS is primarily a reconditioning process. You must learn to think differently about the symptoms. You must treat them as a benign sensation, not as an indication that something is physically or structurally wrong in your body. You must react to them by trying to identify potential psychological triggers that might be leading you to repress negative emotions. You must live your life normally, as if you did not have the symptoms, including physical activity. You must take a long-term view of recovery and not expect immediate results. You must embark on a life-long change in your thoughts and behavior towards the symptoms. The process takes diligence and time.
There is no "step by step checklist" to recovery. Everybody is different. There is no magic cure. Dr. Sarno's book provides all the information you need to get started. The rest is a personal journey. |
| mala |
Posted - 07/25/2013 : 00:26:31
Hi Broke Back Guy,
You seem to be really keen to get started on your healing and who wouldn't be. Here is what I suggest.
Read both books carefully & write down your thoughts,feelings, your concerns & any questions you may have. At this early stage reading too much in my opinion will just complicate things for you & this is a great forum but now is perhaps not the right time for information overload. It could actually prove detrimental in the long run.
Then take this list & your medical reports to a good TMS doctor. There are a few names that keep popping up & you can also visit their websites. Dr Schubiner seems like a good place to start since he is a medical doctor & is big on TMS. I feel from what I have heard about him & read about him that he is very able .
Go see someone as soon as possible because you need a clear diagnosis that what you have is indeed TMS. Once you have the diagnosis & any doubt is removed I am sure that you & your doctor will be able to formulate a plan that is right for you. And you will begin your healing.
BTW what was Dr Sarno's response ?
All the best
Mala
"It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know
what sort of disease a person has." ~ Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.)
Mala Singh Barber on Facebook |
| Broke Back Guy |
Posted - 07/24/2013 : 20:53:14
I actually live in Utah, I know that is pretty much the strategic center of no where when it comes to this but if anyone has heard of anyone in Utah I would love to hear about it, else a road trip might be in order! hehe |
| Broke Back Guy |
Posted - 07/24/2013 : 20:48:42
You guys are all awesome! Thanks so much for sharing. I will snoop into all of this into and post the results.
Again many thanks!
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| tennis tom |
Posted - 07/24/2013 : 18:25:11
TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale
TMS PRACTITIONERS:
John Sarno, MD
400 E 34th St, New York, NY 10016
(212) 263-6035
Dr. Sarno is now retired, if you call this number you will be referred to his associate Dr. Rashbaum.
Here's the TMS practitioners list from the TMS Help Forum:
http://www.tmshelp.com/links.htm
Here's a list of TMS practitioners from the TMS Wiki:
http://tmswiki.org/ppd/Find_a_TMS_Doctor_or_Therapist
Here's a map of TMS practitioners from the old Tarpit Yoga site, (click on the map by state for listings).:
http://www.tarpityoga.com/2007_08_01_archive.html |
| RageSootheRatio |
Posted - 07/24/2013 : 17:47:19
Welcome, Broke Back Guy!
Alan Gordon has been very generous in creating and offering his program, and there was a recent thread where it was also discussed:
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8657
(THANKS AGAIN ALAN !!!)
~RSR |
| alangordon |
Posted - 07/24/2013 : 17:21:01
Hi Mike,
Given your symptoms, I'd recommend a first step of meeting with Dr. David Schechter in Los Angeles or Dr. Howard Schubiner in Michigan.
Either of them can determine from looking at your MRIs, etc. whether you fit the TMS diagnosis. Additionally, getting confirmation from a physician can serve as a huge psychological intervention. Accepting that your pain isn't structural is one of the most important elements of recovery, and getting that diagnosis from an experienced doc can help you achieve that more easily.
Additionally, I recently created a pretty structured (free) online recovery program that can help you work toward recovery in a more step-by-step fashion.
http://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/TMS_Recovery_Program
There's also several tms therapists I work closely with that specialize in Skype therapy, if you feel like you needed that extra help.
Feel free to email me alantgordon@yahoo.com if you wanted that information.
Alan |
| Broke Back Guy |
Posted - 07/24/2013 : 15:43:35
Good heavens, Peregrinus, honestly in my entire life I have never even thought of that. You are probably right. I think I have a lot of digging to do but again just not the qualified person to do it. Maybe I need to go to a mental health professional of some kind and see what gets hauled out. Honestly outside of this pain I have never been sick or really am a pretty content with life kind of guy, good or bad. I have never really thought about my own identity, it has just been this is the kind of bloke I am and that is that. Maybe I need to look into some deeper probing therapy to see what someone can pull out. So much to learn now. |
| Broke Back Guy |
Posted - 07/24/2013 : 15:40:23
I was really shocked to see so many people coming in here and looking at my post. In a few minutes the numbers just kept going up and up. I read the first book but it does not really set out a plan step by step. My problem is that if I have rage, my brain is doing just a bang up job of hiding it from me. I have had a few events in my life that were stressful but from my chair I seem to have moved on from them. I dont feel like if I were to bring them up they are going to be enough to make me bust our crying or anything but I keep saying over and over in my head that I accept this event in my life and I accept that event in my life and I have done a bunch of EFT tapping on it but nothing seems to be working. Again I can start writing it all down I guess every morning but I should run out of things to say pretty fast I should think.
I just dont think on my own I am qualified to make a difference. Has anyone gone to the protege of Dr Sarno? I think it was Dr Abe Friedman or something like that. Does he give the same lectures that Dr Sarno did?
Does anyone have any experiences of physical acts that they did where it brought about a positive change? I have been trying to talk to myself, shouting at my brain telling it to leave me a lone, from an outsider perspective it would seem I have run completely mental but nothing yet.
Any hints on particular strategies that folks have used that have worked better than others I will definitely try. I am reading through the forum now but honestly it is just too much info to ingest. Shocking to see so many folks suffer from this. Hopefully through sharing info the answers will come out.
Any further thoughts would be appreciated on what has worked for others.
Thanks!
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| Peregrinus |
Posted - 07/24/2013 : 15:38:02
BBG:
The best way to get started is to identify the source of your psychological stress. You managed to write a long post without mentioning any emotional problems. Your proud statement about being a vegan and a vitamin guru indicates you are looking for an identity: you’re not happy with who you really are. Telling us about your great physical condition and being a pilot is an obvious attempt to deny your real problems. Your physical symptoms are interesting but we have heard it all before. Cut the crap. The problem is between your ears and not with your back.
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| GTfan |
Posted - 07/24/2013 : 15:14:13
Welcome,
I can sympathize with your story in a lot of ways. I'm a lot younger than you (23), but I've experienced a lot of the same stuff. I'm no practitioner, but from what you've posted, I'd say it is pretty obvious that you have a blatant case of TMS.
My groin pain was awful in many different positons. I couldn't decide if standing up or sitting down was more painful. I had lifted weights religiously and taken vitamins, supplements, the whole 9 yards. The thing you have to realize is that your mental health is just as important to your body as your physical health. You can put the healthiest stuff in the world into your body and still have TMS running rampant through the you.
As far as a step by step plan, there isn't one set in stone. We all heal differently. I wouldn't suggest reading every post on this forum all at once. This sounds like obsessive behavior that probably got you into this pain in the first place. I would suggest just starting with reading your Sarno book and going from there. That will give you a good foundation and answer most of your questions. |
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