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Jena
USA
195 Posts |
 Posted - 12/21/2005 : 09:19:16
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| Okay so i went to the neurologist yesterday and she concluded that she has taken every single test and theres nothing wrong with me! so why am i getting sciatica and muscle spasms? she said well i think its your brain doing it!!! i couldnt believe it because i have been studying sarno i asked if she heard of him unfortunately she did not. she is the top neurologist of W. hospital and knows her stuff! she said she has seen patients like me and unfortanately cannot recommend someone but to look for a doctor who specializes in psychosomatic therapy who can rid my problems forever. she said that i might of gotten injured years ago but my brain hasnt let it go... for emotional problems or stress! i asked her for pain killers for when my muscles spasms or i get the sciatica she said no it defeats the purpose of controlling the pain because you can full recover and be pain free so with this i came back online and looked stuff up and this is what i found which is very interesting...http://www.webmd.com/content/article/116/112111.htm and then another website that explains about muscle pain and why it happens and the only reason it always spasms is because of the brain! they mention the laundau reaction... its def worth the read and makes a lot a lot alot of sense ! i have been feeling better mentally because i know its def my brain that causes such pain but now i have to get help getting rid of it! i hope these articles encourage people and show them they can get better! because u can de condition your brain from pain.... oh yah the other website that i just spoke about is http://www.somatics.com/chronic_back_pain.htm |
Edited by - Jena on 12/21/2005 09:20:11 |
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Dave
USA
1864 Posts |
Posted - 12/21/2005 : 10:07:25
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It is refreshing to hear about a neurologist who is willing to consider a psychosomatic diagnosis.
Still, if you read Dr. Sarno's books then none of this should be new to you. I think it's clear that you really didn't believe it. Maybe you do now? |
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Jena
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - 12/21/2005 : 12:31:00
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| yeah im getting there... i mean i know i have to be taught to think a certain way and to recondition myself ... but i believe now more then ever its just a hard concept to believe that the brain can do this but ill have it under control one day (says my doctor) she also said itll go away forever its just my brain targeted this some people get headaches some chest pains and no heart attach .... shes like "you get muscle spasms" so i have to go see a psychosomatic therapist who specializes in this but im not sure if u read those articles but they are pretty convincing!! |
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Dave
USA
1864 Posts |
Posted - 12/21/2005 : 13:54:31
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Those articles are not consistent with TMS. They still talk about physical causes of back pain.
You really need to get completely away from any physical explanation if the TMS treatment is going to work. You must dismiss all structural explanation for the pain.
These articles miss the point: that the origin of the pain is psychological. That is the key to recovery. If you don't believe it, you won't get better. The pain has absolutely nothing to do with tight or overworked muscles. |
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Jena
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - 12/21/2005 : 13:56:51
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what article did u read? the one about spasms talks about the brain and how it causes it and how your brain is conditioned! just like sarno says. thats why u have to get it deconditioned. the somatics article was pretty much what sarno talks about.. yah it might not of gotten in debth with emotions but it says the brain is causing it...
if u read it again in says when you touch certain spots it has tight muscles just like sarno says when u touch cerrtain spots it hurts
"The major source of back spasms is the lifestyle of being "on the go" -- driven, driving, productive, on time, and responsive to every situation. This is a new idea for most people, so here's the explanation. " you see thats a personality trait driven productive.. its what sarno says... responsive to every situation... its not saying its psysical its saying its coming from the brain...
"This answer is a "good news/bad news" type of answer. The bad news is that your muscles are out of control, and it's your brain's fault! The good news is that your brain can be relearn to relax those muscles. " i know its the brain now in more ways then one... i do agree about the emotions and everything but sarno talks alot about what this article says .. have you bought his lecture on dvd?
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Edited by - Jena on 12/21/2005 14:07:40 |
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Dave
USA
1864 Posts |
Posted - 12/21/2005 : 15:32:37
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It is true, there are similarities with the TMS theory.
However, it lost me when talking about the "Landau Reaction" -- because that is clearly a physical explanation.
You see, it is absolutely imperative that when treating TMS your mind is not in the physical realm at all.
It is a fine line, but you need to know where that line is. If your mind is in the physical realm at all, you are not treating TMS. It must be considered a purely psychological condition. |
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Allan
USA
226 Posts |
Posted - 12/21/2005 : 20:09:01
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Jena.
May I suggest that between Dr. Sarno's book and his program, you have all the tools necessary to recover. This other research may be wasteful effort and prolonging your recovery.
I posted Dr. Sarno's program a few weeks ago. In it, he suggests continual reading of his book. Read it every day. When you finish, start over again. I read it over 40 times. He also lists nine reasons why most people get TMS to help you understand what is causing the pain.
I fully recovered from back pain and sciatica. I have been 100% pain free for five years now with no hint of pain.
I have had a second episode in a different area. This time it was knee pain, but it also has finally gone away. It took longer this time because for several months I thought that it was a physical problem in that I was recovering from a skiing accident. I finally got an x-ray showing no damage which helped a lot.
The key to recovery in both episodes was realizing that the pain was not caused by a physical problem.
You have to work on convincing yourself that the pain is psychological, that is, it is emotionally induced and not physical. This process can be extremely difficult particularly when one is conditioned over years that doctors are all knowledgable.
It helps, but it may not be essential that you be aware of the cause of the pain.
When you read Dr. Sarno, please read it for understanding. Get the meaning of each paragraph. Absorb it. I believe that you will benefit greatly if you concentrate your recovery effort on reading his book and following his program.
Allan.
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Stryder
686 Posts |
Posted - 12/21/2005 : 21:04:36
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Hi Jena,
I also think its good that you have some confirmation that your pain is caused by your brain. It sounds like you are about to turn the corner.
This is good because it is true. You have TMS. This is your wake up call.
You can go down these other paths (articles) if you want to, but in the end you will end up back here in TMS land with Healing Back Pain or The Mindbody Prescription.
Also, the painkillers are just to jump start your recovery (to take off the edge) while you do your TMS work. I'm sure your doc didnt understand that and thought you wanted them to "cure" your pain, which will not happen with painkillers alone.
Have you started journaling?
Take care, -Stryder |
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wrldtrv
666 Posts |
Posted - 12/21/2005 : 22:52:26
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I seem to be having the same problem as Jena--getting COMPLETELY on the TMS bandwagon. Despite reading the book over many times I guess I'm not completely convinced. What that would take, I don't know. I guess some concrete results in my own situation. I've done the journaling along with the reading, but maybe not consistently enough. One hindrance might be that I am pretty knowledgeable about the body and how it works, as many hypochondriacs are. I am used to associating X symptoms with X disease. While so much of Sarno's theory makes sense and intuitively seems true, I am bothered by the lack of hardcore experimental evidence to back it up. Oh yes, I know Sarno explains why with TMS this is so difficult to do as he distingishes between the "hard" and "soft" sciences (Mind Body Rx); TMS theory being in the "soft" category and therefore lacking experimental weight, but nonetheless valid... Still, I am conditioned to view the one as superior to the other.
Okay, now I'm curious about something. I'm wondering how many people who have no doubts about TMS and buy into it 100% and do all the reading, the journaling...have been completely cured. Because then, I could understand such confidence. But for the rest of us who have not seem such results, doubt seems natural. |
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Dave
USA
1864 Posts |
Posted - 12/22/2005 : 09:05:17
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quote:
Originally posted by wrldtrv
...What that would take, I don't know. I guess some concrete results in my own situation...
It's a Catch-22. If you can't believe it, you won't get consistent results.
quote:
...I am bothered by the lack of hardcore experimental evidence to back it up.
That's the problem with medicine today. If it can't be proven in a lab, it isn't taken seriously. Dr. Sarno backs up his theory with clinical evidence.
quote:
Okay, now I'm curious about something. I'm wondering how many people who have no doubts about TMS and buy into it 100% and do all the reading, the journaling...have been completely cured. Because then, I could understand such confidence. But for the rest of us who have not seem such results, doubt seems natural.
Of course doubt is natural. In The Mindbody Connection there is a success story about someone who didn't believe in TMS but gave it a try because he had tried everything else and figured it was worth a shot. This man was completely cured.
You can't force yourself to believe something. But you can allow yourself to take a leap of faith and truly do the work. Act as if you believe it. Don't waste time trying to convince yourself. Just do the work. |
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JohnD
USA
371 Posts |
Posted - 12/22/2005 : 13:39:48
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quote:
You can't force yourself to believe something. But you can allow yourself to take a leap of faith and truly do the work quote:
The above strategy has worked for alot of people. Then there are still some that this doesn't work for, or there is that last bit of doubt that keeps us from truly believing 100% in the theory. When you find youself in this category I suggest that instead of letting your preconditioned beliefs run the show, that you give your rational mind an opportunity to start running the show. What I mean is, to actually gather your own information and see which theory makes more sense. Asking questions to yourself like:
-which theory (sarno or mainstream) makes more sense when my pain waxes and wanes?
-if it was truly a structural problem, howcome I have good and bad days (or good and bad hours)?
-howcome a broken leg heals in 6-8 weeks but my ________ (insert injury here) has felt this bad for _______(insert length of time here)long
-howcome sprained ankles swell up and hurt so bad yet they heal in 2 weeks when my tendonitis hasn't gotten better in 6 months and it never swelled up in the first place?
And the list of questions goes on......
Atleast this way you can be sure that you are really looking at it for what it is, instead of basing doubts on assumptions that may not be true. |
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Jena
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - 12/22/2005 : 14:21:03
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| Thank you everyone for the replies... Dave, i understand what you are saying but im not thinking this is a physical problem but i do believe the brain is causing a physical symptom... i have been feeling a little better the last few days maybe now because i know im going to get better and im not putting a time on it... no i havent been journaling.. i will though because school just ended today THANK GOD and ill have time to do that now. thank you guys for listening..have a happy holiday!! |
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Curiosity18
USA
141 Posts |
Posted - 12/23/2005 : 22:30:28
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Jena,
I think that you are confusing the brain with the mind. If you would thoroughly read MBP I think that you would better understand that the brain is strictly a physical organ which requires the mind to create TMS. Although the articles that you suggested propose that the brain is responsible for chronic pain,it does not necessarily assume that underlying emotions and the unconscious mind are involved. Dr. Sarno discusses what he calls the "black box", the unknown area whereby psychological emotions meet with the brain, thus creating abnormal autonomic nervous system activity. I wish you the best on your TMS journey, and as Dave suggests, patience is critical to recovery.
Curiosity
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interesting...id read it
