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Penny
USA
364 Posts |
 Posted - 09/01/2006 : 07:03:03
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Do any of y'all feel like you've switched neurosises (sp?) from focusing on symptoms to now obsessing about TMS and the psychologic reasons behind symtpoms? I'm not pain free, but the fact that I'm no longer living in chronic fatigue, in bed in excrutiating fibromyalgia pain, reeling in the belief I was going to meet our maker any moment is a HUGE leap for me. BUT I feel like while I've stopped focusing on the pain/symptoms, I now look at myself and everyone in my life for TMS and the causes. Is this right?
I told my husband his rye neck was really TMS b/c he just started a new job and he said "No, I just slept funny."
I (like many of you) get twitches all over my body, seems like constantly. I also feel like something is crawling on my head sometimes. I know I'm digressing here by talking about symptoms, but my point is ... everytime this happens I ask myself "What am I feeling? Am I repressing? Am I upset? What's going on?" and I feel like I've swapped obsessions. Is this part of the process? Am I doing it right? I even talk to the twitches and sometimes they stop, other times they continue.
Thanks for your input. It's invaluable to have this group as part of the healing process: Validation through others' experiences only makes me believe in the power of our brains and TMS even more.
Many thanks,
>|< Penny
Non illigitamus carborundum. |
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sonora sky
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - 09/01/2006 : 07:26:27
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Hi Penny,
Wow, I really identify with your post. I've been battling the obsession thing, too. I wrote about it on a recent thread:
http://tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2499
I hope my suggestions help. I tend to be a person where my thoughts sort of run off without me, so I've tried to be more mindful/conscious of keeping them under control.
That's funny you mentioned your husband with his wry neck: I've "slept funny" or "slept wrong" SO MANY times! Now I know it's TMS, and I can get it to go away much faster (within hours; it used to last a few days). I think it was in Marc Sopher's book that he mentioned how ridiculous it was to think we could possibly sleep in a certain way that would cause such a drastic reaction. These days, our beds and pillows are extremely comfortable. I always think about those hard, wooden or metal headrests you see in museums from places like ancient china and egypt--they would have propped your head up at such an extreme angle--I couldn't even imagine trying to sleep comfortably with one of those! But apparently they found those useful. Bottom line: our bodies can adapt to A LOT.
And, yes, surprisingly, I have felt things have been "crawling" on my head lately, too. With TMS, I get a lot of skin irritation, so I figure it's just part of that. Trying to ignore it. Got racing heart last night, just before going to sleep. I figure this new bout of symptoms is related to the fact that I'm starting a new fellowship today, and I have a bunch of papers (not yet written!) to deliver at conferences in the next few months... It makes so much sense. Plus, I've just began psychotherapy, so I'm sure that's bringing a lot of buried emotions to the surface.
best,
ss |
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Penny
USA
364 Posts |
Posted - 09/01/2006 : 07:58:04
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Thanks, SS. I just began psychotherapy too ... yesterday!!!! That's so awesome. It will be great to watch each other's progress thru the forum.
I've already made a lot of connections, just by the few questions the doc asked me (probed) yesterday. It's not pretty stuff, but I believe if I can allow myself to get unpretty for once in my life, (be unkind, nasty, rude, vulgar, all the things I NEVER have been) I'm on the way to dumping the gremlins.
Hugs to you and tons of luck on your fellowship and therapy. What an exciting (and challenging) time you are embarking on!
PS I LOVE that you correctly spelled wry ... the perfectionist in me knew I had misspelled it. hahahah! It's great to be in a group of my personality-type peers. LOL!!!!!
>|< Penny
Non illigitamus carborundum. |
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sarahfisher
United Kingdom
2 Posts |
Posted - 09/01/2006 : 08:20:21
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It's so funny to hear that! I keep telling people I know that their symptoms are caused by stress and some just think I'm a bit brainwashed- but hey if it's worked for me then there's something in the theories!
After reading 'the mind body prescription' I used hypnotherapy to help me deal with emotional issues and that really helped my TMS. I am now mostly pain free and just get the odd twinge, which I try and deal with at the time it happens by allowing myself to get mad or emotional over something. 'The Journey' by Brandon Bays is a great book and her technique, using hypnotherapy on CD to help you deal with old emotions, really had a big impact on me and after just 1 session I felt lighter and younger that I had in years!
Best,
Sarah |
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Penny
USA
364 Posts |
Posted - 09/01/2006 : 08:48:05
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quote:
Originally posted by sarahfisher
It's so funny to hear that! I keep telling people I know that their symptoms are caused by stress and some just think I'm a bit brainwashed- but hey if it's worked for me then there's something in the theories!
'The Journey' by Brandon Bays is a great book and her technique, using hypnotherapy on CD to help you deal with old emotions, really had a big impact on me and after just 1 session I felt lighter and younger that I had in years!
Best,
Sarah
Thanks Everyone! Sarah, does the book come with the CD? If not, what is the name of they CD you used?
Non illigitamus carborundum. |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 09/01/2006 : 10:35:06
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quoteing Penny:
"I know I'm digressing here by talking about symptoms, but my point is ... everytime this happens I ask myself "What am I feeling? Am I repressing? Am I upset? What's going on?" and I feel like I've swapped obsessions. Is this part of the process? Am I doing it right? I even talk to the twitches and sometimes they stop, other times they continue."
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Hi Penny,
You are on the right track. Nothing wrong with being obsessed with something, if it is a positive obsessesion--there-in lies creativity and personal transformation.
I recall the Good Doctor, mentioning early-on when he was a med-student, suffering from migraines. He would switch thinking about his migraine symptoms to thinking about the emotional--what was going on at the moment that was triggering his TMS symptom--the migraine.
He was able to stop the migraine, in it's tracks, during the initial stage of the vision distubances. He stated, that he could not always determine, what was troubling him on the psychological level--yet none-the-less was able to STOP the migraine in it's tracks!
Given this, I would think, just changing the pattern of thinking, is enough, to often disrupt the TMS causation. Whether it's caused by polyneuropeptides, the endocrine system or whatever form of physyiology the gremlin chooses. |
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drziggles
USA
292 Posts |
Posted - 09/01/2006 : 14:31:54
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| People with anxiety (like most TMSers) are more sensitive to all sorts of odd sensations in the body that most people barely notice. The key is to stop paying attention to them! If you feel something strange, just let it go--focusing on it can make it persist and then leads to the usual crazy stuff. You don't need to TMS every symptom to death, just try to ignore them... |
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iamwhoiam
12 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2006 : 18:46:29
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quote:
Originally posted by tennis tom
Hi Penny,
You are on the right track. Nothing wrong with being obsessed with something, if it is a positive obsessesion--there-in lies creativity and personal transformation.
Hey Penny,
Wow, i can so sympathise with that right there, i think its one of the final steps before success, its always what i find myself slipping to. Bloody obsessions, then i get a grip, and it goes to my hand instead, ouch. Laughs though, Sonara made a great post on that other thread about it. I tend to agree and disagree with Tom though, as the obsession is 'bothering' you, it is thus distracting you, so although it would seem harmless, its not, no way, as its causing you distress. Being 'obsessed', like the lighthearted term used like 'oh im obsessed with Nsync', not that id ever say that :o), is different to actually being 'obsessed' to the point of distress to the obsessor, get me :o).
Its no biggy though, its just TMS :o) See through the bull5hit |
Edited by - iamwhoiam on 09/02/2006 18:47:01 |
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cheeryquery
Canada
56 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2006 : 20:17:58
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I was a desperately anxious child then, around age 13, started having ocd symptoms like having to count in patterns before I could go to sleep. I really had to fight against the patterns or they would have overwhelmed me. As a teen, I had bad stomach pains relieved only by motorcycles and alcohol. So, not much surprise I grew up prone to TMS.
Seems to me this is going to be a lifelong problem with tension and anxiety that manifests in physical symptoms. Dr. Sarno's books give hope and a method. Obsessing about the method is a big improvement on obsessing about the pain.
Right now, I am trying to reconcile "goodist" tendencies with my belief system. Being a *itch makes me feel better physically but doesn't feel right.
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sarahfisher
United Kingdom
2 Posts |
Posted - 09/03/2006 : 07:24:33
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Hi Penny,
The CD is also The Journey. First I read the book and then I bought the CD, which you need really in order to try out the methods in the book.
Good luck!
Best,
Sarah
quote:
Originally posted by Penny
quote:
Originally posted by sarahfisher
It's so funny to hear that! I keep telling people I know that their symptoms are caused by stress and some just think I'm a bit brainwashed- but hey if it's worked for me then there's something in the theories!
'The Journey' by Brandon Bays is a great book and her technique, using hypnotherapy on CD to help you deal with old emotions, really had a big impact on me and after just 1 session I felt lighter and younger that I had in years!
Best,
Sarah
Thanks Everyone! Sarah, does the book come with the CD? If not, what is the name of they CD you used?
Non illigitamus carborundum.
Best,
Sarah |
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Kimakim
17 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2006 : 13:24:41
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quote:
Originally posted by drziggles
People with anxiety (like most TMSers) are more sensitive to all sorts of odd sensations in the body that most people barely notice. The key is to stop paying attention to them! If you feel something strange, just let it go--focusing on it can make it persist and then leads to the usual crazy stuff. You don't need to TMS every symptom to death, just try to ignore them...
I love this...my husband calls my hypersensitivity my
"narrow envelope". It's good to know I'm not the only one. It's amazing what the mind comes up with as distractions. I realized the other day it just keeps throwing out thoughts and strange sensations to see what will stick. Ignoring both the stressful thoughts and the sensations seems like a good option. Also, I find The Work of Bryon Katie VERY HELPFUL in questioning my stressful TMS thoughts and finding out that basically all my stressful TMS thoughts are not true. |
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The ole switcharoo
