| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
hambone
USA
41 Posts |
 Posted - 10/18/2008 : 17:12:02
|
| When friends ask why my hamstring hurts I reluctantly tell them the truth- I have psychosomatic pain caused by repressed emotions. It makes me feel like a nut case, but if I tell them I "hurt" my hamstring in the gym, my subconscious is listening and hears me buying into the "injury" cause, which will cost me bigtime. What do you tell friends to explain your pain and disability without looking like you've got some mental illness? I try not to care what they think but I've just met say a woman I'm interested in, my tms must sound weird as hell to her. Steve |
|
|
winnieboo
USA
269 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2008 : 17:58:16
|
Yeah, this is always tough. Even some of my best friends don't fully get it. And psychosomatic is an off-putting word.
If it's a new friend you'd like to see more of, it may be best to keep it light, but truthful. How about: "I've got a stubborn hamstring injury, and I just got into reading Healing Back Pain, by John Sarno." You can say your source for the book is (pick one that sounds like you, or better yet, that is truthful)
1) a friend
2) you stumbled upon it at Amazon or the book or health food store
3) you got it from your enlightened massage therapist, p/t, whatever other health professional the public relates to
4) your macho friend/business colleague recovered from all his slipped discs after reading the first chapter
Summarize that the book incorporates a "mind over matter idea" that seems to be really helping. In the meantime, you're "pushing through the pain" at the gym, on the trails, whatever your thing is.
If it's love (or safe or just worth it in general), you can go into the whole story... |
Edited by - winnieboo on 10/18/2008 18:13:52 |
 |
|
|
mizlorinj
USA
490 Posts |
Posted - 10/22/2008 : 15:35:42
|
Hammy, I tell them I tried an approach I learned about in books by Dr. Sarno. Some go look him up, some don't.
One bought his books and called him. She's doing better!
I avoid "psychosomatic" because people think it's only in your head. I would use psychoneuroimmunology but that's a tongue twister! |
|
|
|
Webdan65
USA
182 Posts |
Posted - 10/22/2008 : 17:05:57
|
Generally when I talk to friends, I tell them that my back pain is stress related that there's nothing "broken". If they ask me what I mean, I'll dig right in and tell them until I see that glazed look in their eyes.
It's at that point where I usually change the subject and make the whole conversation more comfortable for both parties.
Once in a while I'm surprised and people ask me for more information or what book to read. Surprisingly few people actually do anything with my recommendations.
What's even worse is that with my family, I don't hold anything back. I'll tell them everything I know. My father, brother, sister and mother all have TMS type of symptoms and NONE of them will even crack the books I've bought for them or lent them. Amazing...
In the end, worrying what others will think of you might be part of the syndrome in the first place. But it's human nature and I'm sure many of us have the same dilema. "To tell or not to tell..."
|
Edited by - Webdan65 on 10/22/2008 17:10:28 |
|
|
|
hambone
USA
41 Posts |
Posted - 10/24/2008 : 08:48:23
|
Thanks for your ideas. I learned on this website about a great psychotherapist in washington dc. The Sarno trained doctor in DC and even Sarno's own psychologist in NYC were totally unaware of the Washington School of Psychiatry's training program in Short Psychodynamic Therapy- Sarno's preferred method which he discusses in his last book- Divided Mind or something like that.
The level of ignorance in the medical and psychiatric community is staggering- even among Sarno practitioners! (Getting in touch here with anger~!) Even among Sarno practitioners the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. I've been searching in vain in the DC area for twenty years for a shrink who really understands TMS and how to bust through my defenses- and all the while they were there but I had no way to find out about them- until I came to this website. Thank you everyone for sharing your knowledge.
PS Sarno's former long time TMS program psychologist went out of her way to trash this website, without every having seen it, when I told her this is where I get really helpful information.
STEVEN T HAMBLIN |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
How to explain my pain/disability to friends?
