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LadyBug
USA
54 Posts |
 Posted - 06/10/2007 : 13:05:04
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Having been well versed in Sarno and knowing my back pain is not structural, I have over the last 4 or 5 weeks begun to increase physical activity. I remind myself to "think emotional" while pushing myself and feeling great pain. I am trying to increase the time I put in while doing that, knowing I'm not going to die because my back is in spasms and agony. Today I pushed severely to the point of feeling like I would vomit from the pain. I know that when I lie down for 20 minutes it will pass. So as I begin to really turn a blind eye to the pain and knowing why it is there, I wonder....does pushing yourself this hard have good results? If it does, I will continue. I will do whatever I have to. Thoughts? Experiences? I appreciate it.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished |
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shawnsmith
Czech Republic
2048 Posts |
Posted - 06/10/2007 : 13:17:11
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quote:
Originally posted by LadyBug
Today I pushed severely to the point of feeling like I would vomit from the pain.
Are you taking any pain meds? If you have such intense pain it is completley acceptable to take these meds while still doing the mental work. Dr. Sarno warns that, due to conditioning, not to push yourself too much at first, not because you will hurt yourself but that you are still conditioned to have pain with certain movements. Conditioning is very powerful.
Keep telling yourself- via self talk- that the pain is due to TMS and NOT to a structural abnormality, and that the pain is due to conditioning and not a physical problem. I know there is a deep desire to work the pain out through vigorious physical activity but in doing so you are, ironically enough, still concentrating on the physical and not on what is taking place in the psyche.
Here is a quote from Dr. Sarno's Healing Back Pain (page 75)
Talk to Your Brain Another useful strategy sounds silly at first, but has great merit. Patients are encouraged to talk to their brains. So many patients reported having done this on their own with good results that I now routinely suggest it, despite lingering feelings of foolishness. What one is doing is consciously taking charge instead of feeling the helpless, intimidated victim, which is so common in people with this syndrome. The person is asserting himself, telling the brain that he is not going to put up with this state of affairs—and it works. Patients report that they can actually abort an episode of pain by doing this. The woman whose case was described under "Current Therapeutic Concepts" did just that and experienced an immediate cessation of pain. It’s a very useful strategy.
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Sarno-ize it!
Read chapter 4 of Dr. Sarno's "The Divided Mind." It's all you need to know in order to recover. |
Edited by - shawnsmith on 06/10/2007 13:33:37 |
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LadyBug
USA
54 Posts |
Posted - 06/10/2007 : 13:40:07
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Thanks Shawn. I have a cabinet full of pain meds, they never helped. Even meth and morphine. Pretty obvious that TMS is stronger, right? I think I'm doing what is necessary, actually talking to this unseen part of my brain. I tell it: I don't need you to be distracting me, I can deal with all the emotional issues you are trying to protect me from. There is nothing wrong with my back (and I truly know this to be the case) and there is no reason for you to be creating this pain. Go Away! This is the right track to be on, right?
Coincidentally, I just finished Chapter 4. I plan to read it again!
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished |
Edited by - LadyBug on 06/10/2007 13:42:11 |
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electraglideman
USA
162 Posts |
Posted - 06/10/2007 : 15:11:29
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LadyBug, I think your on the right track. Keep a record of what your doing and try to make small gains every day. When you look back six months from now you will be surprised at how much you have improved.
I think it's ok to set goals on increasing physical activity but I would not set goals or set timelines on pain reduction. Just keep in mind that pain reduction comes from beating back the Gremlin  that's lurking inside our head.
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How Much is Too Much?
