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chester
49 Posts |
 Posted - 12/15/2007 : 14:36:29
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I'm trying to get my arms around the conditioning concept and how it applies to me. For a while, walking made me feel good, sitting caused notable pain, and I would always wake up at around 3:30 a.m. in discomfort. It seemed like this was what I was conditioned to. Now, the pain has become constant and nerve-like, but not as bad as before, and the awakening pain seems to have gone away.
I thought I knew what I was conditioned to, but now I'm confused. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Thanks. |
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MAbbott
USA
27 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2007 : 20:26:48
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Chester,
You are focusing on your physical symptoms. Try to step aside and look completely to the psychological. Start writing about the inner life, your childhood issues, your grief and rage and turn away from the complaints of your body. Just go ahead and do that and keep it up every day. Read books by Sarno, Clarke, Brady and/or Sopher. Every day!
Keep us posted.
Mabbott |
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chester
49 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2007 : 08:43:01
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I've been trying to focus away from the physical, but I guess not hard enough. It's difficult not to notice when the symptoms change like this.
I figure it's one of two things - either I have the pain "on the run" (which I was kinda hoping someone here would say), or the pain has me on the run (mentally). I'll keep working at it. |
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chester
49 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2007 : 14:37:50
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Well, I shoveled wet snow for over an hour this afternoon, and felt better than I have for months. Almost 100%. Then I sat down at the computer and tensed up again in less than 10 minutes.
I guess I'm meant to get off both my arse and the Internet. |
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electraglideman
USA
162 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2007 : 15:32:31
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Exercise always reduces the physical pain for me and it will snick back when I'm sitting around. It think the exercise gets the blood flowing to those body parts that the brain has targeted for oxygen deprivation.
Just keep reading and journeling. It takes time to reprogram the brain. |
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chester
49 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2007 : 19:29:51
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quote:
Originally posted by electraglideman
Exercise always reduces the physical pain for me and it will snick back when I'm sitting around. It think the exercise gets the blood flowing to those body parts that the brain has targeted for oxygen deprivation.
Makes sense, but I'm concerned that I'll start to view exercise as a placebo, like stretching.
quote:
Just keep reading and journeling. It takes time to reprogram the brain.
Will do. I'm a very impatient person, and I guess I'm still frustrated that so many people have recovered by reading just one book, while I've read a few and seen a TMS doc but I'm still not there yet. |
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electraglideman
USA
162 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2007 : 20:47:20
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"I'm a very impatient person, and I guess I'm still frustrated that so many people have recovered by reading just one book, while I've read a few and seen a TMS doc but I'm still not there yet."
Chester I'm a very impatient person also. I want to see results fast in every thing I do. Frustration sets in when I don't see results. It's our built in perfectionist trait. Our TMS gremlin loves it when we are frustrated and when we get little or no results from our reading and journaling fear sets in. The gremlin feeds and grows larger on fear. The moral of this story is do not set time tables for recovery.
I don't look at exercise as a placebo. When I exercise and I have a reduction in pain it reinforces my belief that there is nothing physically wrong with me. |
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kiwi
New Zealand
6 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2007 : 04:58:35
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The fact that exercise reduces it supports the view that its TMS (more blood circulating and distracting your brain from causing yourself pain ==> reduced TMS effect).
The structure of the pain moving supports the view that its TMS (you will chase it around your body / around situations as you get better).
Just keep telling yourself its only TMS. Keep telling the blood to go to the problem areas. Keep ignoring it and doing things. Keep working on your issues. Its all good. |
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mamaboulet
181 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2007 : 07:30:13
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Exercise is not a placebo. It is something our bodies were MEANT to do. Just watch out for obsessing about it or turning it into one of those perfectionist things by putting expectations on it.
I used to be an obsessive runner. And in recent years my foot problems gave me a mental block against walking.
I now define and verbalize my exercise goals with a little bit of structure and some flexibility, in order not to set off my TMS personality issues.
ie:
Walking for about a half hour, 3 or 4 days a week, is a reasonable and healthful goal, and I will continue to work toward it, even though there are weeks I won't achieve it. And I would like to regain a bit of strength and flexibility in my upper body, mostly by just not avoiding doing stuff with my upper body like I used to.
Those are my exercise goals, framed in such a way for me to avoid self pressure and encourage the positive thoughts that help produce a positive habit. |
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MAbbott
USA
27 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2007 : 07:58:50
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I think it is important to also recognize that if you do a lot of exercise at once and you have been previously "deconditioned" by avoiding exercise, it would be normal to have some aches and pains after. If they last more than a couple of days, you know the TMS monster is after you.
I think everyone is supporting the idea that you move away from constantly checking your physical well being -- and check in on your emotional well being instead.
Everyone on this list knows how difficult it can be when there is pain to look the other way, but it can be done and will be done by you because you are determined. Onward! |
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mamaboulet
181 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2007 : 08:03:48
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| Yeah, genuine muscle soreness from using muscles that haven't been used much, or from regular old daily stuff like shoveling snow or digging holes or carrying a bunch of boxes or moving furniture, is something that many TMS people have forgotten. It takes a little getting used to. |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2007 : 08:38:05
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Calendar syndrome of wanting to recover sooner is a big source of pressure. If you are having doubts and need some clarification and reinforcement, can you contact the doctor you saw again?
It's common for pain patterns to change as you work through recovery, as well. The fact that your pain has completely changed suggests that it has no physical basis (if it did, it could not change so fast), so it should reinforce your belief in TMS.
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It's not 100% belief that's required, but 100% commitment. |
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chester
49 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2007 : 10:14:00
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Thanks all for your feedback. It really does help me quite a bit.
I'm trying find to focus without overthinking, and that's a challenge for me not only regarding TMS, but other areas of my life as well. And since much of what I do professionally is problem-solving, I instinctively try to "cut to the chase" too soon.
I woke up this morning with stiffness across my lower back, in both the TMS and non-TMS areas. It was good stiffness - from shoveling snow. After showering and moving around, the pain is virutally gone. This is the best day I've had in weeks if not months, and I'm sure the comments on this thread (and others) have contributed to it. |
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Topic |
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Conditioning question
