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Suz
559 Posts |
 Posted - 08/08/2007 : 08:12:42
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Hi all,
I have been talking to a psychologist (very religous based) for the past couple of months - once a week. He diagnosed me with anxiety and I have started taking 25 mg of Zoloft - very very low and it has helped alot. However, strangely enough, as soon as the anxiety started to calm down, I got sick..very sore throat and feeling really really tired. I also have a horrible acne rash all over my back which is not getting better and my face breaks out. Since I got sick, my face has cleared a little. Luckily, it has been a long time since I got back pain.
My point is that I am wondering if this is just all TMS. I spoke to Sarno a while back who told me to go back to his psychologist. I stopped seeing her after 4 months 2 years ago. I talked about this with my current psychiatrist who said that he did not think it was necessary to delve into my childhood again etc. He felt that my current situation with my difficult work situation was causing my anxiety. He thinks this all comes from my lack of trust because of my parent's divorce years ago.
Ugh....I am not sure what to do. I think that I do carry a huge amout of repressed rage. I realize that because I over react to things and get very angry easily. I noticed this with my current boyfriend. He is very sweet and just says that he wants me to calm down and have peace in my life. I have this nagging feeling that I have to go back to Sarno's doctor. I hated the therapy - it was extremely uncomfortable and made me very angry towards my mother. |
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stanfr
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 10:21:29
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Hmmmm..."therapy made me extremely uncomfortable and veryangry toward my mother"
I understand your intent, but look at the way you phrased that. Therapy didn't cause the anger or discomfort! I think there's no question you have to explore the reasons you 'hated' it so much. |
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Littlebird
USA
391 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 16:48:20
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Hi Suz,
The comment from your post that Stanfr highlighted also stood out to me as very significant. It seems like you stopped that therapy because you were uncomfortable with acknowledging that rage towards your mother.
If your experience was anything like mine, you may have been thinking that you shouldn't be that angry at your mother because she did a lot of good for you as well as anything bad or neglectful that she may have done; or you may have felt that you shouldn't be that angry because she had her own emotional problems and couldn't help whatever it was she did to you, that she was only doing the best she could with her circumstances; or you may have thought that feeling so much anger means you are a bad person, and you don't want to be the kind of person who could feel such anger; or you may have thought that if you could feel that much anger at her it must mean you don't really love her.
I had to come to terms with the idea that what my unconscious mind feels is not necessarily rational from the perspective of an objective and mature adult, but the feelings we are suppressing and repressing need to be acknowledged if we want to make progress recovering from our physical symptoms, even if those feelings are distasteful to us and seem to be less than rational or seem to be unfair to our loved ones. It seems to me that when you discontinued that therapy you pushed those feelings back down again, so they are still affecting you physically.
Just my perspective on things. Hope all works out for you soon. |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 18:00:38
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Hi Suz,
It sounds like your present psychiatrist may not be addressing the issues you need to address. Divorce is a huge stressor (my parents separated when I was 23 and not even dependent on them anymore and I still have all kinds of knotty feelings about it!). And if your current situation comes from your parents' divorce, then I don't see why this wouldn't require dealing with your childhood stuff in some form. Also, if previous therapy brought up a lot of feelings, they are still there and need to be discharged. As others have said, these are difficult feelings to feel; that is why we get TMS and later need therapy, ie, help in dealing with them.
I think your replacement symptoms probably are TMS. Anxiety is a huge one and with that being forced out chemically, something else is bound to come up.
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Wherever you go, there you are. |
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dschid
USA
22 Posts |
Posted - 08/24/2007 : 13:21:33
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| I've been seeing one of Sarno's psychologists for about 8 months. Sure, at 4 months I felt like leaving, and right now I do as well. However, the psychologists that work with Sarno know what they're doing and have extensive experience with patients like us. I think you didn't give yourself enough time with Sarno's psychologist. As much as I get frustrated that some symptoms are still around, I see the value in conitnuing the work with someone who's experienced with TMS people. |
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Dave
USA
1864 Posts |
Posted - 08/24/2007 : 14:04:02
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You're supposed to hate the therapy. If you're having a cozy weekly conversation then it's time to stop. Therapy should make you uncomfortable as you are forced to uncover and confront the demons inside of you that are responsible for the rage.
You went off the path. You have to decide if you want to go back on. If you do, then trust your doctor's advice. |
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Suz
559 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2007 : 10:08:33
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Well.....the tiredness I was experiencing turned into full blown bronchial pneumonia. It was UNBELIEVABLE. I have never been so sick. I guess the relief of my anxiety symptoms led to my unconscious bringing down my immune system.
This has definitely made me rethink going back to Sarno's therapist. I just absolutely hated the uncomfortable feelings they brought up. I am in a twelve step program and part of the cause of my addiction was rage so it is very hard to go back to focusing on anger again. It goes against my program. This is why I stopped in the first place.
The solution of the program is a spiritual one.
I am really torn as to what to do. |
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stanfr
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2007 : 13:59:37
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Could you explain how exactly it 'goes against your program'?
I'm not awaere of how TMS drs approach the subject, but "focusing" on anger does not mean "embracing" it. It means acknowlegement, and if necessary a means of dealing with it. |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2007 : 14:28:18
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Hi Suz,
If part of the reason that you turned to an addiction was rage, then it seems that it would be essential to address that rage in some other way so that you can truly move on from the addiction. I would guess that acknowledging and processing it in a safe space such as a therapist's office would be good way to do this.
If you have not yet read any of John Bradshaw's books, you might find them really helpful. His orientation is very much toward those who have struggled with addiction (he is one himself) although he also addresses the larger class of people who have wounded inner children for other reasons. He also has a significant spiritual aspect to his approach, so I think his ideas will resonate with that part of you as well.
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Wherever you go, there you are. |
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miehnesor
USA
430 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2007 : 15:51:14
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Bradshaw is terrific for TMS and his cassette tapes are another way to inexpensively do the IC work.
My opinion is that sooner or later you will have to address the rage and I think the sooner the better. You can't run away from it. That only preserves is destructiveness and misery in your life. It's paradoxical that diving into the rage is the best way to alleviate it. |
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sborthwick
87 Posts |
Posted - 02/12/2008 : 14:10:54
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Dschid,
I wanted to revive this topic again because I am still toying with the idea as to whether to go back to Sarno's psychologist. I understand that Don Dubin in CA is very good - and apparently it doesn't take that many sessions to see results. My problem with Sarno's psychologists is that it appears to take years - years delving into all the pain.
I would love to know your experience as I know you have been seeing one of his psychologists.
I suffer from anxiety and when that is taken care of by medication, I get the back pain again. I saw Sarno 4 years ago and know for sure that it is TMS - no doubt in my mind. I have been seeing a religious based psychologist for the anxiety but don't think I have changed much.
Are you in a constant state of anger? How do the sessions make you feel?
Thanks
Suz |
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Odrog
27 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2008 : 07:05:16
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For those that either can't afford, or don't want to see a psychologist, I recommend the Lucinda Bassett "Attacking Anxiety" program. Its not really very expensive considering all that you get, and you can often pick it up used on eBay (pass it along to someone else when you are done with it) or even from your local library for free. It helped me years ago before I had ever heard of TMS. But as I wrote in another post, it's also not complete - I didn't know about the symptoms moving around, or that lower back pain and many other symptoms were related to anxiety - I only found that out recently after reading Sarno's books.
Now that I have gained more of an understanding of all these things, I think I'm better prepared to deal with it. In the past I was more focused on the symptoms and getting rid of them instead of focusing on what was causing the symptoms to manifest in the first place.
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2008 : 11:42:10
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I also like the book Women and Anxiety. Some aspects are specific to women but most apply generally.
quote:
My problem with Sarno's psychologists is that it appears to take years - years delving into all the pain.
I wouldn't want to go to a therapist like this either. You should be able to see progress within six months (even if you are not 100% resolved) or maybe that therapist is not right for you. I am about 9-10 months into therapy and my therapist recently remarked that we are at the beginning of the final phase. I saw progress as early as 3-4 months after starting. I don't have too much serious stuff in my past, so I can imagine it taking longer if you do, but still. Find someone who's right for you, don't worry if they are recommended by Sarno or not.
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It's not 100% belief that's required, but 100% commitment. |
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sborthwick
87 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2008 : 14:16:35
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| sounds good armchair. Have you been seeing a specific TMS therapist - or have you been doing phone sessions. I hear that Don Dubin is really good in CA and was hoping to talk to him |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2008 : 15:53:40
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No, my therapist is not knowledgeable about TMS. She hadn't heard of it when I started with her, which wasn't very important to me because at the time I had already gotten out of pain. She is insight-based and follows some of John Bradshaw's methodology, working with the inner child metaphor. I learned about Bradshaw on this website and have really appreciated the two books of his I read, so I was comfortable working with someone with that background, and we have developed a good rapport. It definitely is not easy though. You have to be willing to do some work and digging on your own patterns.
I certainly have seen quite a few positive reports on Don Dubin, but because I have a dislike of the phone, I would not be comfortable doing therapy by phone myself, so I looked only my local area.
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It's not 100% belief that's required, but 100% commitment. |
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symptom imperative
