| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| flyfishnevada |
Posted - 08/04/2014 : 12:00:18
I am a big fan of John Stossel and just watched his show about experimentation. He mentioned Dr. Sarno's book "Healing Back Pain" and though I'd seen it on Amazon, I never took a chance. Well, I bought it and read it. I must say, like so many others, I saw myself in there.
I've had slow onset sciatica for about three years, not counting the sudden attacks I have had from time to time over the years (less than five since I was 20) that resolved themselves quickly. I'd never thought about it until I read Dr. Sarno's book but the pain began right after my father in law took ill and died.
He lived 11 hours drive from us and his estate was a mess. He owed 20 years of back taxes, he was a hoarder and my wife and I went thought hell trying to deal with the mess he left us. A year later, my sister, nephew and my mom treated my wife and I rather poorly because we didn't want to visit them for Christmas. We were called obscene names (nephew), called selfish and our feelings were dismissed out of hand. I tried to be the adult which means I never expressed my anger.
Well, during all of this I developed leg pain and numbness. Doctors told me I had a herniated disc and a slipped vertebra. I almost had surgery (spinal fusion) but after much research and soul searching, I decided to try physical therapy. It helped marginally and I learned to live with the pain.
But the fear and anxiety crept in. Any future plans were seen through the lens of the pain. I became fearful of further injury and possible surgery. I became less and less active. I love to fly fish and hike (as my user name suggests) but rarely do it now out of fear. I've given up golf all together, told it was bad for my back.
Well, I'm done with that. I took Dr. Sarno's advice to heart. I use his twelve reminders. I talk to my brain and let it know I understand the pain is a charade. I have written about my anger, fear and anxiety. I stopped my back exercises and will go fishing and golfing when I can. I've always been good at dealing with my feelings, maybe too good. I think I've been repressing things I shouldn't, not just the irrational emotions.
I've already seen some changes and improvements. Numbness and tingling in my hips at night (something that is there only as I try to sleep but is gone if I wake up in the middle of the night making me sure it was TMS) wasn't there last night. I walked further than I have in months last evening with my wife. I had pain but I ignored it and talked about my repressed feelings instead. My pain is moving about and at times absent. I've given my brain a good talking too when I suspected some other twinge of pain was TMS related.
It's day 2 and I'm optimistic. I'd be happy with pain I could manage but I'm hoping for zero pain (or 48 year old fat guy level of pain anyway ). I believe in the idea of the mind healing the body and pain and illness being mentally generated. The timing of my pain is just too convenient. I am convinced it is TMS and I am working hard to convince my cowardly and stubborn subconscious of the same. |
| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| flyfishnevada |
Posted - 08/07/2014 : 22:03:20
quote:
Originally posted by tennis tom
FFN, I would still recommend reading Steve's book, he had a lot to be angry about. Due to a doctor's malpractice, his wife was left paralyzed for life during child birth. It would have been easily preventable but the doc was negligent and too busy to respond to the urgent calls by the hospital staff to come in and see what was happening to his patient. Steve's book is not only his personal narrative about overcoming his lifelong TMS but the most comprehensively researched and definitive TMS's books to date and I've read most of them.
I am reading it. Already Steve has written a few things that speak to me. His description of the 4th phase of TMS is me. A few other things as well. The more I read and think the more I see I've been repressing anger.
I've always tried to be the reasonable one is my family. The voice or reason. While my sister, especially, is the irrational one with all her demands and my mom tries to balance out her children by making excuses for her while dismissing my feelings. In my mom's mind, my sister has had a hard life (mostly of her own doing) and so her behavior is acceptable. I've had good, mostly due to my own good choices, so I have no excuse to get my feelings hurt. Good times!
Now I see that my attempts to be reasonable, give people the benefit of the doubt, assume their intentions are not malicious, has caused be to repress the real anger and frustration I felt with both women. I'm not worried about what to do about it. I'm just glad I have that knowledge now. I've not been listened to by either my mom or sister and that has generated a lot of anger. I got that from Steve's book. |
| tennis tom |
Posted - 08/06/2014 : 21:34:03
FFN, I would still recommend reading Steve's book, he had a lot to be angry about. Due to a doctor's malpractice, his wife was left paralyzed for life during child birth. It would have been easily preventable but the doc was negligent and too busy to respond to the urgent calls by the hospital staff to come in and see what was happening to his patient. Steve's book is not only his personal narrative about overcoming his lifelong TMS but the most comprehensively researched and definitive TMS's books to date and I've read most of them.
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TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale
Some of my favorite excerpts from _THE DIVIDED MIND_ :
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2605
==================================================
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti
"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." Author Unknown
"Happy People Are Happy Putters." Frank Nobilo, Golf Analyst
"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." Mark Twain and Balto
"The hot-dog is the noblest of dogs; it feeds the hand that bites it." Dr. Laurence Johnston Peter
"...the human emotional system was not designed to endure the mental rigors of a tennis match." Dr. Allen Fox
======================================================
"If it ends with "itis" or "algia" or "syndrome" and doctors can't figure out what causes it, then it might be TMS." Dave the Mod
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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.
"...there are so many things little and big that are tms, I wouldn't have time to write about all of them": Told to icelikeaninja by Dr. Sarno
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
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| alix |
Posted - 08/06/2014 : 16:06:32
Steve's book is good. I felt that it dealt a lot with anger so I did not connect very well with it.
You need to feel your emotions and not to think about them at an intellectual level. |
| flyfishnevada |
Posted - 08/05/2014 : 22:13:40
Thanks for the supportive replies. I promise I won't read too much, Alix. I'd like a different perceptive is all. Even Dr. Sarno talked about expressing the messages in different ways to find what works for an individual.
Yes, Peregrinus, it is a common misconception that there is no water in Nevada. I assure you, there is some if you know where to look
I actually affirm my butt off. I walked tonight, 2 miles with some pain but not bad. I even jogged a hundred yards or so just to prove I could without hurting myself. I talked to myself the whole time about my emotions, the nature of my pain and how it often reveals itself to not be caused by any back injury, stuff like that. The challenge will be to keep this attitude when I have setbacks and to recognize when I'm angry or anxious and deal with it. |
| Peregrinus |
Posted - 08/05/2014 : 14:28:32
Flyfisher:
You are willing to face your obvious psychological stress and that is a great start. There are a lot of people on this forum who only want to talk about their symptoms and their medical history. Your attitude on the other hand will bring rapid results.
I too recommend Steve O’s book. In addition I think you should start working on two things. The first is affirmations of your health. This can be done several ways: the simplest being repetition of affirming phrases such as “ I’m OK”, “There’s nothing wrong with my back”, and “I going to get over this”. The second is to examine the sources of your stress which you seem to have already started. The troubling events that you mentioned were not your doing. You didn’t cause your dad’s death and it isn’t your fault that your relatives are small minded (a common trait of relatives). You must work at letting go of this stress that is caused by events beyond your control.
By the way, Nevada is my favorite state but I didn’t know it had any water!?
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| alix |
Posted - 08/05/2014 : 14:18:35
I am not sure you need to read more books ffn. It can become a full time distraction that takes you away from healing.
At this point you seem to get it very well. So to progress, you need to really feel your emotions or sit with your emotions as Monte describes it. That is the most important part IMO. |
| flyfishnevada |
Posted - 08/05/2014 : 12:18:54
Thanks Tom. I was considering further reading but there are so many. I will look into that title.
I have continued to confront my anger and anxiety and to think psychologically. I must remind myself a hundred times a day that the pain is not due to my supposed back injury but due to my repressed emotions.
I've wondered long before I found Dr. Sarno's book how mankind survived if back pain was so debilitating and common. It made no sense. Now I know.
Today I have a headache and my shoulders feel tense. Could be I slept funny or the weather (it's been raining) but I suspect it is my unconscious trying to find another way to distract me. I will not let it. |
| tennis tom |
Posted - 08/05/2014 : 09:20:24
Great post FFN, you get it! If you want to read one more TMS book just to fully imprint your re-conditioning to TMS thinking, I recommend Steven Ray Ozanich's well researched compendium "THE GREAT PAIN DECEPTION: FAULTY MEDICAL ADVICE IS MAKING US WORSE". He is also a golfer and may help to inspire you to get back into the game.
Cheers,
tt
==================================================
TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale
Some of my favorite excerpts from _THE DIVIDED MIND_ :
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2605
==================================================
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti
"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." Author Unknown
"Happy People Are Happy Putters." Frank Nobilo, Golf Analyst
"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." Mark Twain and Balto
"The hot-dog is the noblest of dogs; it feeds the hand that bites it." Dr. Laurence Johnston Peter
"...the human emotional system was not designed to endure the mental rigors of a tennis match." Dr. Allen Fox
======================================================
"If it ends with "itis" or "algia" or "syndrome" and doctors can't figure out what causes it, then it might be TMS." Dave the Mod
=================================================
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.
"...there are so many things little and big that are tms, I wouldn't have time to write about all of them": Told to icelikeaninja by Dr. Sarno
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
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