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res
USA
53 Posts |
 Posted - 10/28/2007 : 07:45:38
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In reading the books and success stories, it seems that the people that get better quickly are the ones that are able to accept the TMS diagnosis without doubt or question. I will accept the diagnosis for a day, until something starts up or I feel more pain, etc. I think that my biggest struggle is not reverting back to thinking physical. Even though I have sciatica, I worry excessively about an old SI joint problem as well. If it hurts in my buttock or at the SI joint location, I think did I "throw it out". I know that this is the old way of thinking and I try to avoid it, but I know that my biggest struggle is in rejecting the physical. I think that I when I accomplish this, my battle is mostly won.
Does anyone have any suggestions of how to make progress in rejecting the physical?
Renee |
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JohnD
USA
371 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2007 : 08:22:50
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I think this is one of the most misunderstood areas of recovery.
Some people think that when you have pain that its time to tell yourself "its not a physical cause, etc.. etc..". That approach didn't work for me.
What worked for me was analyzing the pain/numbness/tingling patterns I was having, and seeing if it all added up. I kept a daily journal of my pain and actually found that at some points during the day it was a shooting pain, and at other points it was just some tingling. The problem was that if I wasn't conscious of the tingling, I would continue to label it "pain" and therefore think I was getting worse. When I became conscious of all the different sensations that I labeled as pain, I began to realize that they weren't pain, I just interpreted it that way, and they continued. So a little tingling here or there became just that...some tingling that I didn't have to worry about.
I began to find so many holes in the explanation of the structural diagnoses, in combination with some success I was having using the TMS methods and this began a process in which I became more and more confident over time. Note that I didn't have an epiphany and become immediately better, it was a gradual process that took about 3-4 months until I knew I was ok, and it took about 3 more months until the symptoms completely went away.
I would recommend that someone with a certain structural diagnosis should actually go to medline or one of these health info sites that have the list of symptoms for their diagnosed structural issue, and then every time you experience something that isn't in line with the symptoms of the diagnosis, make a note of it and use it to increase your confidence.
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lidge
USA
184 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2007 : 09:01:41
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Res- I'm going through the same thing as you- believing it is TMS, but then doubting again when the pain kicks up. Since I feel the pain round the clock in some form, that leaves alot of time for doubts. I am struggling as you are.
For me, I feel I need to see a TMS doctor. I often wonder if my body has internalized the messages from the medical community. Last year, before the back pain but with neck pain, I went to an orthapedist. He promptly gave me 24 hours pain meds. I did not take them at that time as my pain was not 24/7 (in my neck). But think about the message, essentially it was you should have pain round the clock! Then, recently I went to physical therapist and asked him is there a relation between neck and back pain and he says, Oh yes people who have neck pain usually have back pain. So more nocebo effect. And it goes on and on.
I feel I have to find a way to counter all this, but it is a struggle-
I just want to feel better fast - today!
John- you give such good advice. I have had some mental "epiphanies" as to why my body might be doing this. But like Res, you sort of want to see "steady' improvement or at least noticeable improvement. I know you have to expect setbacks and a slow climb out of this. I think its also hard to accept more "months" of suffering. But somehow it would be easier to bear if you were 100% sure you were headed to complete recovery.
I also find a sort of "surreal" quality to all this- like I can't quite believe pain could be so bad and last so long without some physical explanation.
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2007 : 11:09:25
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lidge, the real mystery is how pain could last so long FROM a physical occurrence. The body evolved (or was designed, pick your choice) to deal with rigorous physical challenges. It is execellent at healing itself. Persistent chronic pain unable to be treated by many physical interventions and without obvious physical cause? That's what it's hard to believe is caused physically.
One of the most helpful ideas I ever came to was "Why did this happen to me, and not everyone else, if the causes are physical?" There's no answer to that question, so that helped me reject physical explanations.
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It's not 100% belief that's required, but 100% commitment. |
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lidge
USA
184 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2007 : 11:57:03
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Oh YES ACL! That is the exact question I asked myself.
I have pretty well concluded that the back pain is TMS. I think it is a distraction from
other physical problems which were also "treatment-resistant" And to distract me from that it had to be a whopper. I'm still struggling with the other pain issues as you know.
Either way, I think that question is at the crux of it all. And whether everything is in fact a distraction from underlying issues, anger etc. |
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kelvin
USA
103 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2007 : 13:13:05
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quote:
Originally posted by JohnD
What worked for me was analyzing the pain/numbness/tingling patterns I was having, and seeing if it all added up. I kept a daily journal of my pain...
JohnD, I must say that your suggestion (as well as the idea from smashist about "Gathering evidence") is right on target. I found that journaling helped me a great deal and adding your suggestion will make that process more focused.
For me, accepting the TMS diagnosis was not a problem - but, retraining my brain to think differently about pain and other symptoms took time. I think the reason it takes longer for some people than others is that training the brain is like training any other part of the body.
Someone who is already athletic could train for a marathon a lot faster than someone who is not. The key is train regularly and don't get discouraged because of how long it is taking. I find that it works the same way with making our thoughts obedient to what we know to be true. I don't think anyone can just decide "I am going to think differently" and suddenly no longer have doubts - we must put in a daily effort and be patient with the results.
Kelvin
Additional TMS files and links http://kelvin.gunnells.net (may not work with FireFox browser) |
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JohnD
USA
371 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2007 : 15:33:32
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| Kelvin - right on with the marathon analogy. I think some people are naturally more analytic than others, and this can allow some to really grasp the TMS concept analytically and they just "get it". Others may be more emotional by nature and have a harder time accepting the idea when it doesn't exactly correlate with how they are feeling. These types need to work harder in order to recover, just as someone who never trained their body would have to put in more work to run in a marathon. |
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lidge
USA
184 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2007 : 15:51:13
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I think the marathon analogy is a good one too- I recently spoke with someone who does
hypnosis and he said he cured himself of back pain merely after reading one of the books.
Of course I was jealous, but thinking about it, it makes sense that someone so in tune with the unconscious would "get it" faster than me.
I also think though, that human beings do not handle uncertainty very well. The sooner you can come to a "certain" diagnosis, right or wrong, the easier it will be on your psyche, and the faster your overall recovery. JMHO. |
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JohnD
USA
371 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2007 : 16:01:09
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Lidge and Kelvin - thanks for the positive feedback about my suggestions.
Lidge - I didn't have 100% certainty and that was one of the harder things to get past. Do you think you could just give TMS theory a shot for the next few days with your security blanket being that you are seeing a TMS doc next week. What I mean by this is that every time you get pain, you immediately go into your mind/emotions and either think about things that are bothering you or bring up the feelings especially anger. Even if you could do this for a few hours, I bet it would be good. You don't even have to have certainty, you can just start applying the techniques religiously and see what happens for you. So instead of focusing on the uncertainty, focus on your anger and what else could be bothering you, and also acknowledge how much the uncertainty is bothering you as a contributor to your rage.
A good book that some have found helpful with TMS treatment is by eckhart tolle....I forgot the name, but it talks about how you can be your own observer. |
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JohnD
USA
371 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2007 : 16:11:48
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| The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle |
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Carole
USA
49 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2007 : 17:31:37
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The Power of Now and Healing Back Pain go hand in hand.
I've often wondered if Tolle and Sarno know one another.
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stanfr
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2007 : 22:55:39
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Well, id personally like to keep TMS theory as far from new age philosophy as possible. I thought PON had some good points, but if you don't feel like spending an hour to read it i can give you the readers digest version: Stop thinking about the past and future, live in the now. There ya have it!  |
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mamaboulet
181 Posts |
Posted - 10/29/2007 : 06:36:40
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quote:
Originally posted by stanfr
Well, id personally like to keep TMS theory as far from new age philosophy as possible. I thought PON had some good points, but if you don't feel like spending an hour to read it i can give you the readers digest version: Stop thinking about the past and future, live in the now. There ya have it!
Ha ha!! Dogs live in the now, so I can shorten it even more.
Be a Dog!! |
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JohnD
USA
371 Posts |
Posted - 10/29/2007 : 12:59:01
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I wouldn't downplay the value of the the Power of Now that much - some may find it of value. There are some good techniques that can be used with overcoming TMS and/or in everyday life.
Your summary of it is the equivalent to those who claim that Sarno says that the pain is "all in your head" |
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rejecting the physical explanation
