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Lizzie
United Kingdom
56 Posts |
 Posted - 12/18/2006 : 05:08:26
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| I have read Scott Brady's book and have been journalling most days for 6 weeks but without any great progress. I realise I have been calandar watching!! I feel part of my slow progress is due to the fear prone personality trait I have. I understand and believe the Sarno approach/TMS but am still afraid to try many physical things and still worry/am distracted by pain. The book suggests the least questions to assist journalling for the fear prone character trait. What questions have worked for others to help their in-depth journalling and what success have they led to? |
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shawnsmith
Czech Republic
2048 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2006 : 07:01:58
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Concentrate on the 3 areas Dr. Sarno mentions in his book and make a list and then write as much as you can on each one:
* Current stressors- if you are like anyone else you will have a lot. Be careful, when things ar going well that too is a stressor as it generates stress to keep it that way.
* Past trauma/ childhood- ie how were you raised by your parents? Are you a child of divorce? Strict religious upbringing? Victim of abuse? It idoes not have to be necessarily anything big.
* Personality traits as outlined in Sarno's book- ie perfectionistic, people pleaser, low self esteem etc
The point is to stop thinking about the physical and think psychological.
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ndb
209 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2006 : 07:48:18
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some which get me going, I think these are part of low self esteem
* Times when I felt embarrassed that I'm stupid and had to put myself out there for people to judge, and they didn't wholeheartedly approve of me
* Times when I felt I wasn't good for anything, not good at what I do.
* Thoughts of 'I'm not the best at anything'
fear:
* I'm a fraud and though some people might now think I'm not, someday it will all come out that I'm not good enough, and I'll be consigned to the rubbish heap where I belong
people pleaser:
* Times when I couldn't say no to something I dislike doing, like going out for an evening with people. I did it, and sat the whole night stewing in frustration and anger.
impotence:
* I really want to kill and beat up the people that I hate or have wronged me (even in minor ways), but I can't. Often I can't even let them know how much I loathe them.
You can try asking yourself if you have been having any experiences that would produce such feelings.
As for success, there have been times when thinking these thoughts and letting myslef feel the rejection and feelings of worthlessness has made physical pain in my jaw subside. I've had similar success with knee pain, and twinges in my back and neck. But I would say that the success is really more long term. By journalling you are emptying the reservoir of rage which is constantly getting filled, preventing future physical pain as a distraction from the feelings.
ndb |
Edited by - ndb on 12/18/2006 08:36:39 |
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HilaryN
United Kingdom
879 Posts |
Posted - 12/19/2006 : 13:44:45
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Hi Lizzie,
I can't give you advice on journalling, but I'd like to give you some encouragement. Don't worry about it taking longer than you envisaged - I'm sure you'll make progress. I know, I've been there!
Hilary N |
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Jodi
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - 12/21/2006 : 10:31:21
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Lizzie,
I have found that it helps me to just sit quietly with absolutely no distractions at all and just observe the thoughts that come. Just accept them. I can't believe how often I would push thoughts away. Once something comes to you (it may take a few minutes) then begin writing. I don't even care if it's legible anymore. Sometimes I can feel myself pressing so hard and writing so quickly because I'm pissed off, other times the tears just begin to flow and I can barely see to write at all. But, I just keep going. Also, another thing that has helped me a great deal is Dr. Andrew Weils Mindbody Tool Kit (I got mine at Costco). He talks about proper breathing and how important that is to good health. He's even been quoted as saying, "People who eat excellent diets and exercise faithfully are not always healthy, but the likelihood of being a healthy person who does not breathe well is slim." I have noticed that when I'm upset, or anxious, my breathing is shallow and quick. I'm just beginning to use his techniques, but I've found that it really does help calm me down. I think perfectionists are pretty tightly wound most of the time, at least I am.
I hope this helps you.
Jodi |
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westcoastram
97 Posts |
Posted - 12/23/2006 : 01:02:00
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Often times I will sit and write about my day and the stressors that come up in it.
Then I do two things:
If I find that I've exhausted writing about a stressor, I simply ask the question: why? Why do I react the way I do to this stressor? This has the advantage of digging deeper... trying to figure out what's underneath. Then... when I hit on something underneath... I ask "why" again... and again... and again until I'm sick of it. Oftentimes, I find a trail from one emotion to the next a mile long.
If something unrelated comes up, I don't censor myself and begin to write about that. I find that often times, if I'm writing about a stressor, I'll segue into another one that seems unrelated and typically less obvious. Less obvious is advantageous. |
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YogaKym
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 01/01/2007 : 11:17:51
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quote:
Originally posted by kelvin
You can download the guide and other files/links here: http://www.etex.net/kelving. This is not a commercial site and I am not selling anything.
Kelvin
First, Kelvin, thank you so much for the above link of http://www.etex.net/kelving I downloaded your journaling guide and have started using it this morning. (I read Dr. Sarno's book for the first time last week and have been applying it. I also ordered the lectures.)
I had repetitive stress injury symptoms last year (initial numbness and tingling, pain in hands, shoulders, neck, muscle weakness) which were resolved for the most part thru the neuro-muscular treatment with the same therapist who resolved my TMJ symptoms back in the early 1990's. I was able to continue my job last year in spite of my RSI, and I have slowly improved over time to about 95-99%. Today there really isn't much of anything I can't do physically. My visits to the neuro therapist are infrequent now instead of 2 times a week like back in 2005, and my neuro therapist and I plan to eliminate the visits altogether soon, just like I had done back in the early 1990's, once my TMJ symptoms would stay away over time.
Also, I haven't taken any prescription medication for this; I always felt the whole idea of anti-inflammatories for something like this was b.s. and avoided them, just like I avoided going to a typical M.D. who would have had me take a bunch of carpal tunnel tests, MRIs and all that b.s. I figured my problem had to do with poor circulation/oxygen, just like my neuro therapist said it was before, when I was having the TMJ symptoms in the early 90's, and the fact that I got better without surgery/drugs to me proved it was indeed the same type of issue!
But--big but: Tomorrow morning I return to work, at a new computer job. Although my symptoms have been pretty much non-existent by most RSI sufferer's standards, I have been wondering why I still have occasional muscle tension in my shoulders during the day (even with optimal ergonomics on the PC and so on). It was this same type of tension in my neck/jaw/head that led to my TMJ symptoms, long ago.
I still feel that I still have a REAL problem that has not been addressed and which ultimately caused both: chronic muscle tension, involving something that I need to deal with if I ever want to feel like this is truly behind me.
I found Dr. Sarno's book on the internet and read it last week, and have started applying it. I accept that I have this inner rage and fears, like we all do, and I want to deal with those things appropriately so that they doesn't affect me physically any more. (Although there was nothing extremely traumatic in my childhood like some people have had, there were of course problems in our family, and I certainly have many of the personality traits--driven to succeed, high desire to be liked, accepted, impatient with people.)
When I feel muscle tension, I have been doing all the things on the list in the book, including talking to my brain. I say:
'Brain, stop hurting me. When you cause me physical pain, it's not helping me, it's hurting me. I am starting to dealing with my inner anger/fears, and I will continue to improve on that. Restore the good circulation and oxygen back to normal in my shoulder (or other body part) RIGHT NOW!'
And I've found that it works! (at least to a point). I just have to keep noticing and repeating it throughout the day when it happens again.
HOWEVER .... last Friday afternoon, the pain I had in 2005 in my hands/fingers returned. And it's been coming and going since. I'm still applying the book and doing my journaling and the other stuff. There's no legitimate reason for this return of pain; my physical routine hasn't even changed! So it must be that my brain is at war with me more now that I'm applying Dr. Sarno's principles.
But this morning I had a really rough time. I was having the hand pain again, arguing with my brain, and trying to think about what was bothering me. And I thought about my impending job tomorrow. And that it was scarry and what would I do if I couldn't perform well enough because my symptoms got ridiculously worse or something--like numbness, which to me is the ultimate pain. (I only had numbness about a week in 2005 and only prior to purchase of temporary wrist braces, which I wore on/off during the day for the first few months. I HATED that numbness.)
Then, this morning, I started having what I think would classify as an anxiety attack. The last time I remember having something like this, I was about 16 years old and bees were chasing me, while I was on a roof and couldn't get down. It was ridiculous. I got more and more nauseous this morning, and finally threw up in the bathroom, majorly. This NEVER happens to me. The last time I threw up like that was when I had the flu one winter about eight years ago.
After that, I took a shower/bath and turned on a space heater. Then I sat down at the internet, found your link, downloaded your file, and did more journaling, using your specific questions. I'm better now, and the pain in my hands is almost non-existent, even though I've been typing emails and this for almost three hours.
Have you had anything like the above throwing-up happen to you, during this process? This would be NOT GOOD if it happened at the office tomorrow. 
In addition to all the good information in the book and in Kelvin's PDF/Word file, I appreciate the other suggestions on this topic from you folks.
Kym |
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YogaKym
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 01/01/2007 : 16:55:37
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Thanks, Kelvin. I appreciate your sharing your experience with this, and will try to remember those things that helped you, if I run into any problems tomorrow.
Kym |
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jcohen
5 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2007 : 07:45:53
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Yogakim, I find your story quite interesting. I had surgery about 2 and a half years ago for a herniated disk. I have basically been in good shape since then. However, I am unhappy at my job and want to make a move to another field. I have not found anything yet, and this is of course, quite frustrating. I took the last 2 weeks of December off for vacation, and spent a lot of time thinking about my job situation. Interestingly, on January 2, the day I was supposed to go back I woke up with excruciating pain in my left leg and buttock. I went to work, but had to leave, because the pain was unbearable. I went to get an MRI the next day, which showed that I still had a herniated disk. While I was put on steroids and pain killers, it was at this time that I was introduced to Sarno's materials. After reading his materials and meeting with him, it would seem to me that my unconscious was sending the pain to my legs and buttock so I did not have to deal with the unpleasant experience of having to go back to a job I do not like. It was like the unconscious was giving me an opportunity to avoid having to go to work and deal.
I see some similarities in your own experience. I am new to the TMS materials, but find it fascinating. I am hopeful that it will all work for me. I still have to attend the lectures and panels, but I am quite anxious about doing so. |
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YogaKym
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2007 : 09:05:01
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jcohen, I can definitely relate to your recent experience. Wishing you the very best, as you go forward in the coming weeks.
(With regard to my much-earlier TMJ symptoms in the 1990's, I probably should have also mentioned that an oral surgeon at of this country's top hospitals took an MRI and tomogram x-ray back then. He told me I needed surgery--and I have that in writing. I never had the surgery, and yet I stopped having the TMJ symptoms once I completed the neuro-muscular treatment in 1992 that a second oral surgeon (local) suggested as an alternative. As a result of this experience, I found it extremely easy to believe that section in Dr. Sarno's book where he talked about the percentage of people who have had x-rays/MRIs that show some kind of structural abnormality, and yet those same people never had any symptoms.)
Ok, it has now been two weeks since I started my new job, and about a month since I first read The Mindbody Prescription book, and I have so much to be thankful for. (I also have completed the two video lectures.)
First, I haven't thrown up once since Jan 1. AND those pains in my hands/fingers from 2005 that initially came back shortly after I started applying Dr. Sarno's book went away the first week of work and haven't been back since. The muscular tension in my shoulders/arms has been almost non-existent, and when it does come, I'm usually able to talk to my brain and get rid of it.
I've resumed additional normal physical activities: 1) I'm now carrying ANYTHING into the house--even a giant plastic container of cat litter in one hand now--without fear 2) I'm not propping my arms up on pillows when driving in the car anymore, which was scarry at first. I'm so glad to be rid of this crutch that I no longer need! I've also been able to more quickly increase the weights I use for free weights. (As a result of inactivity and not using my arm/shoulder muscles anymore than I had to back in 2005 with the RSI, I've had to do some work in building up my muscles again.)
The one remaining item on my list is fear of doing all-out yoga positions which involve a lot of weight on the wrists. I have missed enjoying doing the downward-facing dog position for so long. In late 2006 I had tried again, but had symptoms afterward. So I'm still struggling in my head a little with the idea of putting my full weight on my hands with my wrists bent. But I'm planning to tackle it this week.
For me, I think the vomiting that one day must have been a GOOD thing. Like some kind of 'exorcism' of what I had been going thru in my head (or NOT going thru) over the last few years. Work has been going fine. Even though it's been a month since I initially read Dr Sarno's book, I'm going to continue to journal whenever I run into muscular tension again, just to play it safe. And every morning I try to remember to tell myself on the way to work that 1) I'm physically healthy now, 2) It was psychological, due to unconscious rage 3) unconscious rage is perfectly normal for people in our society to have.
Kym
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jcohen
5 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2007 : 15:20:41
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| Yogakim, glad to hear that you are doing better. The more success stories I hear, the more encouraged I am about the program. I am going to my first Sarno panel tomorrow night, where people who have successfully adopted the Sarno method share their experiences. All seems very cultish, but if it works, so be it. Have my Sarno lecture next Monday night. Cannot wait. |
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Journalling questions that work?
