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marytabby
USA
545 Posts |
 Posted - 07/18/2006 : 18:12:18
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| When I dream at night, I find I awake to realize I am dreaming about what's most prevalent in my life right now, which is my job, which I love but it's really challenging. Anyhoo, I notice that when I awake to realize I was dreaming about work (obsessing in my sleep on work) or when I am having a bad dream, my TMS pain can tend to be worse. This all makes sense considering that when we go to sleep our unconcious is at work doing all the playing that it can't do when I am awake. Obviously it's good that I'm dreaming because I'm releasing the negativity and rage in an "appropriate" manner. So with all this being normal to TMS, how do you suppose we can get relief from the pain when we cannot control what we're dreaming about? How does one get over the TMS induced pain if it's out of our control because it's not concious? I will lie awake and talk to my brain, I say "subconcious/unconcoius brain, I know you're playing tricks again, stop it right now." Of course the pain does not stop and has not for several months. Thoughts? |
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Bat Ears
USA
14 Posts |
Posted - 07/18/2006 : 19:34:58
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| Yep. When we are asleep the TMS gremlin (our subconscious mind) is In Charge, and busy setting us up for whatever it wants us to experience when we wake up. (This is my own idea.) I have dreams about TMS, and about telling others about TMS, and also dreams that can be interpreted as the horrible repressed bad emotions trying (or succeeding) to get out (like a terrifying wild animal in a dark room escaping when I open the door). When I awake, I respond to this by consciously being glad that I understand what is going on in my mind, and mocking the stupid gremlin, getting up and starting to have a good day. The morning pains and IBS are almost negligible now. This is a serious fight with a determined enemy but I shall whip his butt. |
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Jim1999
USA
210 Posts |
Posted - 07/20/2006 : 22:43:27
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Maryalma8,
Freud called dreams the "royal road to the unconscious". In other words, he thought that interpretting dreams was a very important way to reveal repressed emotions. To me, the fact that you're having so many dreams about your job seems to indicate that you have some inner conflict about it.
On pages 175-178 of The Divided Mind, a psychoanlayst gives a case study of one patient whose dreams were a key to his recovery. This patient's pain had been getting a bit worse during psychotherapy, which the psychoanalyst considered a positive sign. The pain increase was a clue that the patient was getting closer to his repressed emotions, so the unconscious mind created more pain to keep the emotions repressed. The psychoanalyst taught him how to consciously talk to one of the characters in his dreams, and that led to a big breakthough that dramatically reduced his symptoms.
The best section on dreams that I've seen in a TMS book is pages 174-183 of "Freedom from Fibromyalgia" by Selfridge and Peterson. In this section, the authors discuss more techniques for using dreams. For example, they give techniques for remembering more about your dreams and taking some control over what you dream about.
I hope this helps,
Jim |
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marytabby
USA
545 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2006 : 04:14:53
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Jim,
Thanks for the reply. I did read about that guy in the Divided Mind book, how the crab represented conflict with his parents. I am re-reading the book now so I'll be sure to re-read that part closely. I really like my job, it's just got new challenges because I've never been a manager until now and it presents new challenges and of course, the perfectionist in me is probably enraging the child in me who probably wants to be left alone from the sometimes challenging parts of my job (managing people afterall is not an easy task). Anyway, I have no plans to leave my job over the dreams, I just need a new, fresh perspective. I also keep dreaming about an ex-lover from 18 years ago who I had an intense relationship with. So since I cannot change how that all panned out, I won't be doing much about that either. I have to somehow learn how to address the conflicts in my mind, so we're all at peace with each other when I go to sleep. |
Edited by - marytabby on 07/21/2006 06:49:36 |
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art
1903 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2006 : 04:29:04
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Sometimes I hate my dreams, especially those that feature ex-flames... one in particular..That she lives down the street from me doesn't help...It's just so stupid to feel the same painful emotions over and over when clearly it can do no good...My mind can be so dumb sometimes.. , but I suppose we can't help ourselves...the heart wants what the heart wants, and it's not about to give up just cause this little thing called reality gets in the way...
I hate that awful, sad/yearning feeling that seeps into dreams and is probably always there, but gets covered over by the distraction of every day living...
I actually think that stuff is more in play for me re TMS than the rage thing, though one could debate that forever I suppose...
EDit: JUst to add, I very often have increased pain at night..Last night for example I woke up to excruciating knee pain that scared the hell out of me...Now this morning it's fine...This TMS crappola is nothing if not weird, eh? |
Edited by - art on 07/21/2006 05:06:55 |
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Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2006 : 07:47:26
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My pain pattern is to increase significantly at night as well..Mornings are always best, so I take advantage of that by doing my 30-40 walk...The improvement since my art reception is behind me continues, but the slightest tense words spoken between myself and a friend almost immediately increases the tension in my neck and tightness...So I have a ways to go...Almost done w/ Dr. Sopher's book, on page 183 of Fred Amir and in the beginning of The Divided Mind..Have read MBP a million times...it is falling apart...Watch the Sarno videos over and over as well...The only way I am a slacker is with regular journaling..but I feel I am going to be better about this today...
Regarding dreams, I believe they are very significant for the reasons mentioned here...I typically dream alot about deceased loves ones that I miss terribly..ie..my parents, friends, boyfriend, etc..Sometimes they are pleasant and then I wake up to reality sad...sometimes they are not pleasant...When I am dieting I dream of junk food, lol...that would be alot more pleasant if I had my sense of taste in a dream...:)
I do think, Maryalma that ultimately your dreaming will help you release repressed emotions from your unconscious mind...Dreaming is so necessary and healthy for many reasons...:)
Hugs and God bless,
Karen |
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Logan
USA
203 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2006 : 10:05:37
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Maryalma,
The very reason I'm on the board this morning is dreams and TMS. Last night I tossed and turned and had anxiety dreams about working on stories (I'm a writer) and woke up with the most severe TMS neck pain I've had in years.
The good news is having this pain makes me realize just how well I really am, how I don't feel this way all the time anymore, how I used to LIVE like this which is almost impossible to comprehend now.
The bad news? I don't know if there is any. I'm not surprised that I'm having some anxiety over writing. I feel like I've made a breakthrough as an artist lately, that I've found my "voice," but this of course is scary as hell both consciously and subconsciously.
Good writing, at least to me, means writing honestly and as a "goodist" that's challenging because it means taking the "nice" mask off and writing some stuff about me and others that is potentially hurtful to my family, husband etc.
I write fiction but even fiction has its roots in reality, the characters are similar to those you know etc. and even if it doesn't people wonder, where did she get that from? Is that her or the narrator talking?
And also, there's that inner child who doesn't want to be bothered with writing or anything else. There's that pressure I put on myself to be a great writer, the expectations and judgments of editors, professors et al.
And oh, yeah, I start grad school and teaching underclassmen this fall, which is terrifying and exhilarating all at once. There's no escaping the reality that I am going to be The Teacher, a grown up, an authority figure of some sort to 18 year olds freshmen. Even consciously, I'm struggling with this Adulthood; I don't feel that old. : )
I would guess that maybe you are having some anxiety/rage over the responsibility your new managment position entails. There's nothing more "grown up" than being in charge of others and your inner child, id, whatever you call it, is probably pretty pissed about carrying that burden.
I'm going to take the advice I'm giving you. Punch something, repeatedly. Scream and shout. You probably don't feel angry but the anger will come up and out.
Hey, that rhymes. : )
Sweet dreams. |
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moose1
162 Posts |
Posted - 07/24/2006 : 08:36:41
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There is no question in my mind that the reason my low back pain is worse in the morning is because of what has "leaked" out - or tried to leak out - of my unconscious during the night. Because these nasty thoughts, memories and emotions are less repressed during sleep and come out in dreams, the mind sees them as even more of a threat, and must therefor step up the pain to keep the concious mind distracted, even though the conscious mind is off-duty. One thing I've noticed is that if I go out and have a few drinks during the night, I never wake up with back pain the next day. After reading a bit about sleep I learned that alcohol supresses REM sleep (the stage during which we dream), so this makes sense as well.
I used to have dreams about work when I had a job I hated and would wake up in the midst of an anxiety attack, so it's clear that sleep can reveal a lot about what's going on down there.
Moose
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Conundrum - dreams make pain worse
