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phrog
4 Posts |
 Posted - 06/28/2009 : 16:06:11
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I am long-time patient of Dr. Sano’s (referred to in a couple of his books) that is in the midst of dealing with a recurrence of TMS – the first in several years. My emotional reservoir filled-up and the back pain returned and unfortunately I didn’t recognize it for what it was. I got back into some bad habits (like listening to traditional back doctors and orthopedists). This time it’s been more difficult to banish. Found this web site while trying to get my mind around it all again. As I look at what everyone is talking about here I see a pitfall that I would like to warn everyone about – one that I have been guilty of in the past. It will slow your progress down. Over-management and obsession with TMS can become a real problem – especially to those of us that are a bit more analytical and whose brains don’t want to embrace the TMS diagnosis. I know it’s hard not to want to think psychologically all the time – to rid ourselves of the pain. But believe it or not, you can over do it.
In the past I have had the most success when I try to simply limit the concentration on TMS to one of two key times during each day. Do your writing, or meditating, or whatever you do to get in the TMS zone for 15 or 20 minutes in the morning or/and evening. Then you have to train yourself to put it aside. As Dr. Sarno has told me on my visits with him in the past “be careful about becoming compulsive about TMS” - compulsion is something that comes easy to many of us. In other words don’t spend every minute of everyday thinking about TMS – I know it’s hard but it can prolong your recovery
Be careful not to replace “having the physical pain” with “having the condition of TMS”. In my experience you can link the 2 things together and it almost becomes chronic. What you want to do is become aware of the causes of TMS, get rid of the pain, and then leave it all behind. If pain starts to come back later on, bring what you have learned to the forefront of your brain and work on it. Once the TMS is gone, try not to think about it. Move on and return to living. Keep it simple – believe me it works. I have had had periods of several years between occurrences of back pain (and have seen it masquerade as irritable bowel and frozen shoulder, and heartburn). Stick with it but don’t let the TMS thinking rule your life like the pain does.
Just my 2 cents.
Phrog |
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crk
124 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2009 : 17:25:12
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| This is exactly what my Positive Self Talk program has done for me (I started a thread on this but it has been pushed down the list). I now believe that Sarno's "think psychologically at all times" means to focus on your views of life and your Self and change those views. Ignore the pain means to see it as a signal that your thinking is wrong, set it aside, and concentrate on changing your thinking. |
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pan
United Kingdom
173 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2009 : 18:09:08
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quote:
Originally posted by phrog
I am long-time patient of Dr. Sano’s (referred to in a couple of his books) that is in the midst of dealing with a recurrence of TMS – the first in several years. My emotional reservoir filled-up and the back pain returned and unfortunately I didn’t recognize it for what it was. I got back into some bad habits (like listening to traditional back doctors and orthopedists). This time it’s been more difficult to banish. Found this web site while trying to get my mind around it all again. As I look at what everyone is talking about here I see a pitfall that I would like to warn everyone about – one that I have been guilty of in the past. It will slow your progress down. Over-management and obsession with TMS can become a real problem – especially to those of us that are a bit more analytical and whose brains don’t want to embrace the TMS diagnosis. I know it’s hard not to want to think psychologically all the time – to rid ourselves of the pain. But believe it or not, you can over do it.
In the past I have had the most success when I try to simply limit the concentration on TMS to one of two key times during each day. Do your writing, or meditating, or whatever you do to get in the TMS zone for 15 or 20 minutes in the morning or/and evening. Then you have to train yourself to put it aside. As Dr. Sarno has told me on my visits with him in the past “be careful about becoming compulsive about TMS” - compulsion is something that comes easy to many of us. In other words don’t spend every minute of everyday thinking about TMS – I know it’s hard but it can prolong your recovery
Be careful not to replace “having the physical pain” with “having the condition of TMS”. In my experience you can link the 2 things together and it almost becomes chronic. What you want to do is become aware of the causes of TMS, get rid of the pain, and then leave it all behind. If pain starts to come back later on, bring what you have learned to the forefront of your brain and work on it. Once the TMS is gone, try not to think about it. Move on and return to living. Keep it simple – believe me it works. I have had had periods of several years between occurrences of back pain (and have seen it masquerade as irritable bowel and frozen shoulder, and heartburn). Stick with it but don’t let the TMS thinking rule your life like the pain does.
Just my 2 cents.
Phrog
Could not agree with you more. Whilst I love this forum and always like to pop in to see how people are doing it really is no different at times from a plain old anxiety, BFS, chronic pain forum in that it is full of people who just get so hung up on the fine details of the concept that they forget to actually start applying it.
There is nothing complicated going on here. The mind can somatise pain and physical symptoms...your pain is real but it is cured by an emotional/mind treatment rather than a traditional physical medical intervention. Knowledge is power and once you know that crucial fact you have the necessaary smarts to recover...know that and crack on! |
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Mindfulness
2 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2009 : 05:48:41
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Obsession, yes, that is what I am doing. However, with such intense pain, how can one prevent that? I feel like I need something to think about when I am in pain (which is almost all day long at the moment, in a flare up), and if it isn't "I am hurt" it is "it is just TMS." Inevitably, this is repeated all day long because the pain is there all day long.
I also struggle with the idea of telling the pain to go away. I realize my back pain is due to emotional causes, but I am not convinced that the pain should leave. Pain is a signal, right, so shouldn't it be there until we release the anger, grief, or whatever repressed emotions are trying to surface? I have a nagging feeling that just telling the pain to go away is more repression--I feel the same way about these positive affirmations. I am in pain--it feels like denial by saying I am not. My gut says just accept it, and in the acceptance (versus narrowing, fearing), it will wane. Too bad I just really want the pain to go away!!!
Wow, this feels like an obsessive, circular quandary to me!
I appreciate your suggestion and think you are right--I just don't know how to get there. Any suggestions?
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phrog
4 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2009 : 18:55:05
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Mindfulness poses a good question. What is the secret to not thinking about pain when you are in pain all the time? I don't know the answer exactly. But most of us that have been in pain and gotten better from going with the TMS diagonsis would probably say that when we were in pain it was pretty constant. It takes time, but once you get going on the TMS route, you will start to have little windows when you are not hurting so bad. When you realize that you are in or have just passed through one of those windows, you need to recognise it and tell yourself there will be more coming. It will be frustrating if another painless window doesn't come for awhile, but stick with it, build on each good time. During the painful periods there are many things you can do to just try and distract yourself (funny movies, friends, watching a ball game - everyone has something). You have to try and engage yourself in something. For some it doesn't work to just tell the pain to go away. Try telling it that you simply know why it's there and you will outwait it. And don't think that you have to identify the exact sources of the emotions that cause the pain -- you will never figure it all out - it is in your subcon. and it ain't supposed to come out. But you can imagine some of the general things that cause could be causing you anger inside and that is good enough. Don't obsess on finding out the details!
Coming out of it (the pain) for many of us is so gradual that we haIdly realize it. And from my experience, the TMS often gets worse and more constant when you are starting to get to the root of the emotions that are causing the problem - it makes your brain nervous and it really stuggles to distract you. It's always darkest before the dawn.
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Dave
USA
1864 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2009 : 09:26:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Mindfulness
I feel like I need something to think about when I am in pain
Think psychological. Dig to find the emotions you may be repressing. Focus on the things going on in your life that at first thought you might think you are OK with, but in reality are creating deep emotional conflicts that you are unaware of.
In other words, don't think about the pain at all .. address your emotional state since that is the true cause.
quote:
I also struggle with the idea of telling the pain to go away....I am in pain--it feels like denial by saying I am not. My gut says just accept it, and in the acceptance (versus narrowing, fearing), it will wane...Wow, this feels like an obsessive, circular quandary to me!
You got that right ... this is convoluted circular reasoning and it is a product of your obsession. I'm afraid you are making it more complicated than it needs to be. Your "gut" is right -- accept it.
Of course you are in pain ... you cannot deny that. But you have to stop focusing on it. Accept that the pain is benign and that it is safe to ignore. You can accept that the cause of the pain is emotional and that's where you need to focus. The more you focus on the pain, the more it will stay, because the brain is succeeding in its strategy to keep you focused on it, and thus to distract you from those emotions beneath the surface that are threatening to become conscious. Try to make them conscious on your own ... nullify the brain's strategy. |
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Mindfulness
2 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2009 : 06:16:35
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Thanks for all the good advice. I realize I am over thinking it--that's just what I do. The Presence Process, which I am currently working through, is certainly helping with this idea of surrender and calling it like it is: the pain is a messenger, nothing more or less.
It is amazing that while I "accept" the emotional diagnosis, I still stretch everyday to lessen the pain. It certainly helps, but it is temporary and, I realize, just treating the effect, not the cause. Still, it is such an ingrained belief (I teach yoga) that stretching releases physical tension that I am terrified to stop stretching, even though it hasn't made the pain go away for 3 years. I suppose I am a little more dense than I thought. That said, the stretching, really getting into the physical sensation (b/c it kills before it releases a bit) has helped me with being present with it (accepting) it without getting all worked up—practicing, that is, non concern and non judgment around it.
These are all good suggestions and I think what I need to do is stop the internal whining about how much the pain hurts and suck and just stop the stretching--clearly, it is not doing the trick.
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Obsessing on TMS?
