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Mobius
USA
32 Posts |
 Posted - 07/08/2004 : 22:30:05
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| I have been working with the Sarno TMS concept for about 6 months now and have had mixed results. Sometimes it gets a little better and then it lapses back to the same old painful grind. I have evidently not hit upon the source of the repressed emotion yet. It seems to me that since the pain of TMS is specifically designed to get us to focus on that pain as a distraction then if we were to totally ignore that pain then the ploy would fail and there should be a release of the pain. Just a conjecture on my part. Sometimes it's the simple things that seem to work best. My question for the forum members is this: Have any of you tried this strategy of just going about all your normal activities confidently and totally ignoring the pain for two or three weeks? I'm going to give it a try for that period of time but thought I'd check first with the rest of you for input and see if any of you have tried it. Please let me know. Thanks, Mobius |
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Sarah Jacoba
USA
81 Posts |
Posted - 07/09/2004 : 01:11:35
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I've done alot of ignoring, with mixed success (but definitely some success). Doing your normal activities is critical because it keeps you normal, and it speaks a strong message to your subconscious that you still are healthy and strong (i.e. actions speak louder than words). Pain and fear have, in the end, a hard time persisting in the face of normal confident behavior. However, for me, ignoring the pain wasn't as effective as refocusing on something else: joy, gratitude, and humour -- i.e. focusing on things that literally start the flow of positive biochemicals and emotions. Just ignoring something like pain without a substitute focus is pretty damn difficult.
--Sarah
"When dream and day unite" |
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Dave
USA
1864 Posts |
Posted - 07/09/2004 : 07:26:11
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quote:
Originally posted by Mobius
I have evidently not hit upon the source of the repressed emotion yet.
You may never hit upon it, nor is it accurate to think that there is only one source. Treating TMS is mostly about reconditioning, it's not necessarily about discovering the actual source of the repressed emotions.
quote:
Have any of you tried this strategy of just going about all your normal activities confidently and totally ignoring the pain for two or three weeks?
Absolutely, that is an important step. Do not give any "life" to the pain. Just accept that it is there and understand its purpose. Use it as a signal to explore your feelings. Over time the episodes of pain should be fewer and less intense, though don't have any expectations. Think long-term and follow the process. It will take months before it all sinks in to your unconscious. |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 07/09/2004 : 09:22:12
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Dear Mobius,
JUST DO IT!
That's Sarno's point. Once a "real" medical condition is ruled out by a "qualified" medico, then go about your lfe without fear of doing. That was the point I got, that fateful day in my life, when I stumbled upon Sarno's first book. It was in the "Bad Back" section of the bookstore. Leafing through the small paperback, I was impressed with the testimonials from people who were in excruciating pain. In a very short period of time they resumed normal activities. One that comes to mind was the patient who was scheduled to go on a bike-tour vacation and was flat out in fear. After seeing Sarno he completed his vacation sucessfully.
I had tried every physcical (and meta-physical) remedy from A to Z and TMS thinking is the only thing that I really feel made a substantive change. Many of the therapies were placebo and some were soothing and enbaled me to stay on the right track--but the only thing that really worked and continues to is Sarno's theory.
By all means, go about your daily life or try to. If you are stopped by excrusciating pain or fear, check in with the board and give details and maybe someone can give you some tips on getting some relief. Keep reading Sarno's books until you know them by rote. I read all three of his books, twice each, word for word slowly. I am probably due for a re-read now. I was surprised recently when I read the page on hips. I had read this page many times beore and found a whole new meaning in it that the TMS gremlin had me ignore previously.
So Mobius, JUST DO IT! NO FEAR!
tt |
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Suz
559 Posts |
Posted - 07/09/2004 : 11:24:36
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Mobius,
Do you totally believe in your heart of hearts that your body has no structural problems - that there is absolutely nothing wrong with you? This is the key to accepting that it is your mind that is causing the pain. Can you confidently answer yes to that - keep reading the book, work with a therapist if you know it is emotional and the pain is still there - it will go.
Go about your life doing anything you want physically - laugh/mock the brain - challenge it - it is no longer the boss.
It will work - I was physically crippled and now have no pain at all. If I get twinges I just say "stop it - I have no time for you!!' and it goes. |
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Irish Jimmy
USA
52 Posts |
Posted - 07/09/2004 : 17:38:53
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| Mobius, My best advise to you is to think Psychological and not physical, this has helped me. Also remember and believe that the pain can not really hurt you. Oh, it hurts, and it will get us doubting and wondering, but it can't "damage" us physically. Although you may never find out what it is in your unconscious that is causing the pain,-continue to dig, I feel this keeps the TMS on its' toes so to speak. Also, I don't know if you have read Fred Amir's book. Amir's book offers some helpful suggestions; some of his ideas weren't for me, but he has some stuff that I found good and you can mix it in with Sarno's stuff. The most important thing to remember is your not alone, just look at this board, we all go through the same stuff. Good Luck. |
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Mobius
USA
32 Posts |
Posted - 07/09/2004 : 22:16:55
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Thank you all for your interesting comments. If you don't mind, I'd like to respond to some of them.
IRISH JIMMY: I ordered the Amir book yesterday from Amazon but it takes from 2 to 3 weeks to ship so it must be a good read.
ALEX; "I don't think you should set any time limits here; it should become your lifestyle". I agree, I shall continue with this strategy until it either proves out or fails.
DAVE:"You may never hit upon it, nor is it accurate to think that there is only one source. Treating TMS is mostly about reconditioning, it's not necessarily about discovering the actual source of the repressed emotions". Excellent post Dave. Deconditioning is a major part of what I will be doing. Fortunately I have only been afflicted with TMS for just under one year so I can still remember how it feel to function normally. Looking back over the last 20 or 30 years I can remember episodes now that identify with TMS perfectly and somehow I must have gotten thru them. I have identified all of the conditioned reactions that I have subjected myself to in the last year and, although it's not easy,I am erasing them as I go. I was conditioned to expect pain whenever I got out of a chair, when I bent down to pick something up, etc, etc ad nauseum. I have read all three Sarno books and have his Video and believe totaly in the concept. I feel that after six months that this conviction should have seeped down into my subconscious mind. You must be right about it not being necessary to identify the repressed emotion(s). I believe this because I doubt very seriously if any of Sarno's testimonials from folks who have just read the book and their TMS symptoms disappeared immediately could have had time to identify their repressed emotions. I think that totally believing in the concept and imbedding it in your mind daily is primary to recovery.
SARAH; "I've done alot of ignoring, with mixed success (but definitely some success). Doing your normal activities is critical because it keeps you normal, and it speaks a strong message to your subconscious that you still are healthy and strong (i.e. actions speak louder than words)". Good post Sarah, I like what you had to say, and working hard at staying alert and confidently doing everything I can in a normal and confident manner works wonders for my morale and allows me to have a means of control over the TMS instead of the other way around. I know that TMS will be a long-term concern for me as for others who are prone to it so I too will keep after it and I will keep you all posted on my progress. Thanks again. Mobius
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Ignore the pain of TMS?
