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westcoastram
97 Posts |
 Posted - 07/17/2007 : 23:44:03
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I don't know if anyone can say with certainty that there's just one way to go about this thing called TMS. Sure, there are fundamental and foundational keys to Sarno's approach but everyone's different and more than likely could stand from having an approach taylored to them.
That being said, I'd like to share what worked for me to get from the 50-80% better I had gotten from reading a book to 99% that I'm at now (I have flare-ups on occasion). After having read the book and seen Dr. Schecter (which I think helped a great deal in building my resolve that this was right), I went to see a psychotherapist. My improvements with a psychotherapist took some time but they got me the rest of the way to being healthy. And let me just say, there were things that came up and emotions that surfaced in that room that I would probably never have gotten to through journalling alone.
So - if anything - if you feel stuck in your recovery and haven't tried a therapist... perhaps it's something that would be beneficial to you.
And finally, a technique that I stumbled upon that has worked quite well for me in both my initial pains, my flare-ups and my equivalents is a simple list that I have devised. Whenever something happens that I think is TMS, I begin a list of reasons why I think it's TMS. The amazing thing is, the list always seems to grow and as it grows my certainty grows with it. My belief is exponentially strengthened... if you get a page full of reasons to look upon and you realize all the things on it rule out structural, physical, environmental causes... well then, it can only be one thing - TMS. And that friends, is a powerful tool for me. It's a great cheat sheet for when you have some pain, look at the list and notice the reasons... although, never forget to think about the emotions behind it too.
Best,
WCR |
Edited by - westcoastram on 07/17/2007 23:44:41 |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 07/18/2007 : 12:46:15
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WCR, great post! If it's not too personal, can I ask what kind of techniques you and your therapist used in therapy to bring emotions out? Was it standard talk therapy or something else?
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Wherever you go, there you are. |
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westcoastram
97 Posts |
Posted - 07/18/2007 : 17:24:45
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Not much in the way of technique I'd guess. I think it was just some straight up analytical stuff. She's quiet most of the time which makes you search to fill the void.
For me, it may have been the fact that I had to tell someone else the things I was journaling about, for in doing that, I was legitimately acknowledging my insecurities and faults. The process of admitting them to someone else ultimately brought closer to the underlying emotions than any amount of self inspection.
I suspect one of the reasons therapy can be helpful is due to one of the characteristics that TMS prone individuals share: insecurity. In a way, insecurity can only be ultimately repudiated when we have to lay ourselves bare in front of another person.
No one is insecure in a vacuum, we are only such when we compare ourselves to everyone else. |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 07/18/2007 : 22:17:51
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Very apropos after my session today, which ended up being about my tendency not to trust myself in complicated emotional situations, but to be inclined to take the view from the other person's side and think about ways I could have messed up. I don't think I would necessarily have realized that on my own, without having someone ask me things like "What did you want out of this situation? Doesn't what he did not really make sense? How could you know what would happen?"
It is really having someone there to provide acknowledgment and a different perspective. I'm also going to start working with her on inner child work, so I had just wondered if you had experience with that or other techniques. But sometimes it's just the experience I guess.
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Wherever you go, there you are. |
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stanfr
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2007 : 01:26:00
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| Very true. A lot of my progress so far has come from the huge number of dreams ive been having. While dream interpretation is a tricky biz, ive missed a lot of obvious symbolic/metaphoric clues that my therapist has easily picked out. |
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HilaryN
United Kingdom
879 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2007 : 01:40:05
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Thanks for sharing, westcoast.
Hilary N |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2007 : 12:13:20
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stanfr, thanks for the reminder on dreams. I've gotten pretty good at seeing what is going on in some of my dreams since starting TMS work, but I need to keep writing them down and maybe sharing them with my therapist.
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Wherever you go, there you are. |
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Stuck at 50-80% better
