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Sprout
USA
1 Posts |
 Posted - 11/06/2006 : 19:26:34
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Hi everybody!!
I just found this forum tonight after my most recent visit to the doc. (Randy Cohen in Lancaster PA....EXCELLENT doctor who I am very grateful to have found!) I've been doing mega-web searches checking out the info he gave me. I've been seeing him for several months and knew of his involvement in and support of this program but, as he explained, he doesn't "hawk" the program but instead, he suggests it to those who are open to it as they are the ones who will be successful.
After months of trigger point injections that were helpful for short periods, high strength medications, referals to a chiropractor, use of an inferrential tens type device and a friend with fibromyagia visiting him and reading the Mind Body Prescription and reccomending that I do the same, we finally decided to take this route.
I know I have many pent up emotions and constant stress at work so this does sound reasonable and very hopeful. I look forward to the success that I'm hoping it brings.
A basic rundown of who I am:
The middle child. Gifted. Family of chronic under-achievers in a tiny, southern, rural town that puts no value on intelligence, extremely redneck environment. Moved to Lancaster PA 5 years ago to live with my "wife". Degree in Math and Physics. Went to college on a Presidential Scholarship based on achievement and test scores (not spelling LOL). Did the engineering tract with a separate teaching degree. I chose to go into education because I was born to be a teacher. I teach in an inner city district in the alternative school, perhaps the most stressful environment available for a teacher. My district is extremely corrupt, corrupt to the point that it should be taken over by the state, but with enough powerful people that it won't be. Representative for teacher's union, trying to hold corrupt administrators accountable. Mother in law lives with us due to her own health problems and enjoys getting under my skin on a daily basis.
My life is full of stress, there are very few times that I am not under some sort either from others or from myself because I refuse to play the games that one apparently must play in order to be a teacher. I'm ever-fighting for the rights of my students and staying in trouble for it every minute of my day even from the students themselves who are alternative students who have met failure after failure ..until now. Regardless of anything else, I AM making a difference in their lives.
I want this to work to alleviate not only my physical pain, but also my emotional pain.I plan to go through the program in addition to seeking the psychological help that will make a difference in my life. Until this, I wouldn't consider it as I'm not "crazy", well, not in a psychotic-crazy sort of way. Sometimes I'm crazy for doing the things I do and trying to change the world around me. I have no intention of discontinuing my attempts to make the world a better place (probably the ultimate "goodist") but I do have intentions of handling it's impact on my own pyschological being.
Guess that's it for the introduction. I'm very happy to have found this forum with people who are going through or have gone through some of the same types of things and can finally understand the pain I feel every day. I do not want to take oxycontin for the rest of my life and I don't want to hurt for the rest of my life. This may be the solution I have searched for and I hope to God it is.
Dr. Cohen is the first to have offered any type of relief at all since I moved north. Before that was a nurse practioner ("doctors" didn't help much at all) who was making some progress in treating both physical and emotional but didn't know about Sarno's work. Of course I'll be sending the information about it to him and I'm sure it will be useful in his work with others. He's also a fabulous healer (now doctor after attending more college...he has more degrees than any other doctor I've dealt with and is extremely open minded).
I'm happy to see Dr. Cohen's name on the directory, he is very remarkable and I'm very happy to have found him up here. Without him the pain would still be unbearable and there would still be little hope in sight.
I look forward to talking with everyone!
What is popular is not always right. What is right is not always popular. |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 11/06/2006 : 22:20:36
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Welcome Sprout!
Your're on the right track. Your background and your current pressure packed environment fits the TMS profile. My ex was a special ed teacher in SF with similar corruption and thanklessness, so I can empathize with your lot. Teachers are at the bottom of the public education totem pole.
Good luck and here's for a speedy TMS "cure" to you.  |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 11/21/2006 : 13:29:29
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From page 182 Dr. John Sarno's THE DIVIDED MIND:
"Not uncommonly, patients develop entirely new symptoms that are part of TMS but do not remember my admonition at the end of the lecture to call me should that occur. Since the symptoms are unlike anything they have experienced before (this is the symptom-imperative at work) they do not think of TMS. Occasionaly, the result has been unnecessary surgery." |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 11/21/2006 : 13:36:34
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From page 182 of Dr. John Sarno's THE DIVIDED MIND:
"Another important therapeutic reality emphasized in the lecture is that the unconscious will resist change so that one must work on the program consistently, and be patient. It was beautifully put by Edna St. Vincent Millay:
Pity me that the heart is slow to learn
What the swift mind beholds at every turn |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 11/21/2006 : 13:47:27
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From pages 181-182 of Dr. John Sarno's THE DIVIDED MIND:
"When a patient states that he is finding it difficult to believe that his pain is emotionally induced, I know that there are strong intrapsychic forces feeding that denial. Since the purpose of symptoms is to keep attention focused on the body, if the patient can be convinced to ignore physical symptoms and focus instead on psychological matters, the psyche's strategy will have been defeated. Therefore, the psyche will work hard to promote disbelief and maintain the status quo." |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2006 : 12:35:41
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Form page 198 of Dr. John Sarno's THE DIVIDED MIND:
"A key principle of this paradigm is that it is not day-to-day stress that causes hypertension. It is instead that which has been repressed, which, without conscious perception or outlet, persists within us for a lifetime, and produces long-standing rather than transient stimulation of the SNS, [sympathetic nervous system], leading ultimately to sustained blood pressure elevation. Viewing the emotional distrss we feel as a prelude to hypertension has not provided the answer to the mindbody link of hypertension. Looking instead at what is hidden beneath a calm veneer tells us much more." |
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Fox
USA
496 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2006 : 13:05:38
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| Hey Sprout - I visited Dr. Cohen several years ago for confirmation of my sciatica being a TMS thing. He was really wonderful. He did give me the TMS diagnosis. My sciatica is now 90% better. I would have kept up with Dr. Cohen but it was a 7 hour drive for me just to get to the closest TMS doc. |
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Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2006 : 14:23:37
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Hi Tom,
I know you and I have had our disagreements in the past..But I just wanted to say that I was touched by how you were trying to help the people who posted here..You really are very knowledgeable about TMS and I have also gotten alot out of your posts to me months ago, b4 we had our misunderstandings..Thank you for your continued contribution here..
~Karen |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 12/01/2006 : 11:11:29
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No worries Karen, I don't hold a grudge. The "Al Gore-Global Warming, Dr. Andy Weil, Marijuana", thread set an all time page record here, before Dave thankfully jetisoned it into the cyberspace wastebasket.
That thread had it's moments of angst and levity, signifying nothing in the end. I've heard transcripts of it are selling for thousands on e-bay. I have had requests to liven things up again but Art seems to have disappeared.
Let us know if you see anymore good movies and maybe we can have some polite off-topic political debate for some TMS catharsis.
I am hopeing BaseBall and Laura will come back to liven things up.
Cheers,
tt |
Edited by - tennis tom on 12/01/2006 11:13:44 |
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h2oskier25
USA
395 Posts |
Posted - 12/01/2006 : 13:45:15
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Tom, speaking of livening things up, I'm surprised you aren't weighing in on the Walmart slip and fall thread.
This one has possibilities 
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 12/01/2006 : 14:33:04
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It's tempting H20, but I have to preserve my political captal here so have refrained, but off the record, (I doubt Dave checks this thread out much), I'm with you on Walmart. Unless there were some extreme negligence on Walmart's part, I'm for people taking personal responsiblity for their trips and falls.
That case about the lady making a living off of her "accidents" and fianacing her house additions is getting all too typical. It's all over for a democracy once the voters figure out they can vote their own pay-raises, and we are there.
As someone in business, I'm out there everyday waiting for someone to sue me for their neglegence. The insurance companies settle out of fear of losing before a jury rather than fight claims they know are fraudulent and pass the costs on to the ratepayer.
A great thing Gov Arnold did here in Cal was lower the sky-high Workman's Comp rates appreciably. My business fell victim to an out-and-out scammer a few years ago who has been getting away with murder all over the country--but that's another long TMS reservoir filling story.
I'm also tired of Walmart getting bashed for providing what the
Demos are always asking for, entry level jobs. CNBC airs a constantly looping, Walmart bashing, docmentary. If you repeat a lie often enough people, will believe it.
Walmart does very little different than it's box-store rival Costco, accept Walmart contributes money to the Republicans and Costco to the Demos. This is all politicaly motivated. It's amusing to me how on one hand the democratic party can demand the creation of jobs and at the same time black-mail and destroy the self-same busineses that create those jobs.
I speak from personal experience on this one as I've unsucessfully fought the tidal wave of government regulation out here in frisco. I am now on strike and will not waste anymore of my energy without a fair return on investment. I'm just waiting around for the house of cards to topple Argentina style. And this is spoken from a life-long registered Demo. Tennis anyone?
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Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 12/01/2006 : 15:30:04
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Thanx Tom,
I don't hold grudges either..:)
The movie I really enjoyed was the one shawnsmith recommended on here about the Law Of Attraction..don't know if you saw it..ANyway..Can you believe I fell down a stair today coming out of an OA meeting!? A could be true injury but I am trying to stay positive and not let TMS add to it..nothing broken, just jarred my neck and minor sprain on the ankle..Will have to ice/rest/elevate and see how it is tomorrow..Possible the neck is just extra tight due to TMS, I am hoping..
Blessings,
Karen |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 12/01/2006 : 19:34:56
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A minor sprain of the ankle should be good to go in a week or two guess-timating. I would recommend wrapping in a "Koban" type of Ace bandage. It's a semi-disposable type of bandage that will give the ankle some support and compression to stabilize it and are more comfortable to walk on than the thicker style bandages. They can be found at any pharmacy or where Ace type bandages are sold.
Good Luck |
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Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 12/01/2006 : 20:00:33
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Thanx Tom,
I will check into it if it deems necessary..Since it happened I have been icing on the hour, all 3 areas, ankle, neck and knee..I am hoping the ankle isn't as bad as an actual sprain, so far the ice and elevation seems sufficient..I am going to try and stay off of it for the most part til Sunday or Monday..As for the knee, it seems the best of the three so far, these types of things have to be watched over 72 hours..The neck is the worst of the 3..hoping it's just TMS..It is shooting into my arms and left hand..APpreciate the feedback, as always..:)
Thanx,
Karen |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 12/02/2006 : 10:08:17
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From page 198 of Dr. John Sarno's THE DIVIDED MIND:
"The emotions we repress are often much more powerful and painful than the emotions we consciously experience. These emotions make much better sense as the link to hypertension both because they are more powerful than the emotions we experience and because, unlike the emotions we feel we never rid ourselves of that which we have repressed. Yet everyone--from patient to physician to reseach psychologist--focuses on the milder distressful emotions that we feel and report as the cause of hypertension, without seeing the role of the much more powerful emotions repressed within us."
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Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 12/02/2006 : 14:12:59
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Thanx Tom,
Good quote..My BP is just fine..It was just temporary and due to stress...I have a few injuries from the fall but i will heal..:)
Hope your doing well,
Karen |
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spacegirl74
Italy
27 Posts |
Posted - 12/03/2006 : 10:46:22
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| Thank you for posting this excerpts, TT. I've ordered the book last week and I should get it in a matter of days *crosses fingers* |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 12/23/2006 : 23:44:47
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From page 243 of Dr. John Sarno's THE DIVIDED MIND
Quoting Ira Rashbaum M.D.:
"...the physiology of TMS is relatively unimportant. It is basicly a psychological disorder with physical symptoms. Undoubtedly, the brain could create pain in a variety of ways, so focusing on the physiology is unnecessarily diverting from the important question: why does the brain-mind do it? There is no doubt we have not written the last word on that question. To quote the Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh song, 'The Best Is Yet to Come.'" |
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miehnesor
USA
430 Posts |
Posted - 12/24/2006 : 11:31:05
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quote:
Originally posted by tennis tom
From page 198 of Dr. John Sarno's THE DIVIDED MIND:
"The emotions we repress are often much more powerful and painful than the emotions we consciously experience. These emotions make much better sense as the link to hypertension both because they are more powerful than the emotions we experience and because, unlike the emotions we feel we never rid ourselves of that which we have repressed. Yet everyone--from patient to physician to reseach psychologist--focuses on the milder distressful emotions that we feel and report as the cause of hypertension, without seeing the role of the much more powerful emotions repressed within us."
That is so true. Thx for posting that TT. |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 12/24/2006 : 22:58:39
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From page 249 of Dr. John Sarno's THE DIVIDED MIND :
Quoting Andrea Leonard-Segal, M.D. :
"Their symptoms are often triggered by nothing or a very minor physical incident that could be construed to be normal physical activity. Even though the patient may think he has injured himself, there is no objective evidence to support this contention. For example, the involved area is not bruised, bleeding, swollen, red or exceptionally warm to the touch. The physical complaint does not resolve in a timely way like a true injury; the pain lingers unlike what would occur with a true injury. Further, the patient has no physiologic condition that would interfere with the ability to heal normally and reports that his cuts and brusies heal just fine. A broken bone, a ruptured tendon, or a postoperative site, for example, would heal within a couple of months. That is what our bodies are designed to do; they are resilient. But often, a patient who has experienced a true injury that has healed normally continues to have pain and does not think about the lack of logic of the continuing pain until it is pointed out to him."
From page 250 :
"Thus, even though the patients look very healthy from the view of the physician, they feel frail and vulnerable. I often tell my patients that they need to come to view themselves as I see them, healthy and strong rather than as they have been seeing themselves. Patients are often surprised to hear this comment from me. Generally, I am the last in a long line of doctors they have seen and none has said anything like this to them before."
From page 252 :
"Some patients are so afraid that they essentially stop doing everything physical and are consciously aware of virtually every physical motion they make and how their body parts are aligned with respect to one another."
"By contrast, this degree of fear and obsession with the physical symptoms is not typical, in my experience, even among patients with serious, deforming arthritic conditions like gout or rheumatoid arthritis."
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TMS IN A NUTSHELL
