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Monte
USA
125 Posts |
 Posted - 01/11/2010 : 16:48:17
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Hello Everyone,
Fear is the easiest way to get stuck in the tms strategy – This applies to newbies and tms vets!
What is up with yoga teachers and tms? It's not the yoga practice!
Practice sitting with your emotions - this is a powerful way to release stuck emotional energy!
Most of us fear a lot of things in our life: We fear something tragic happening to loved ones, we fear job loss and financial crisis, we fear becoming ill with disease, we fear exposing our feelings, we fear anything that can affect our survival. No question that these types of fearful patterns generate inner tension which over time will manifest into symptoms if we do not address them.
However, it is the fear of a recurring pain symptom, the fear that I won't be able to train/race/practice, and the fear that I don't know why this is happening or how I can fix it, that the pain strategy in TMS takes hold of and gets you stuck!
If you are a tms newbie you must learn about this disorder and the pain/distraction strategy that is at work keeping you in pain and frustration.
If you are a tms vet you need to pay attention, remember that you have successfully reversed symptoms before and bring the "I know exactly what is going on here, thank you for the reminder, I don't need you anymore, get out of here now" confidence and conviction to this strategy immediately. Confidence, conviction and acceptance of what is taking place, followed by mindful, undistracted action will reverse the strategy. Fear, doubt and physical distraction will get you stuck!
I have been working with no less than 4 yoga teachers over the past month, all of which are struggling with tms. Why would a mindful, in-the-moment breathing, inner energy focused, lock holding human machine struggle with tms? Because yoga teachers also practice perfection, striving, controlling, worry, people pleasing, anger, holding stuff in and being self-conscious. If you work on a computer all day, what is the best way to get your attention? carpal tunnel. Sit all day? Make it uncomfortable to sit. If running is the most important thing in the world to you, how is tms going to get your attention? Affect your running. If teaching yoga is "who you are, what you are known for" how does tms get your attention? By making it painful to teach/practice yoga. The lesson that we all need to remember and pay attention to--It's not about our work activity (typing, sitting, lifting) or our physical activity (running, swimming, lifting weights, practicing yoga). It is always, always about how or who we are being in our emotional/mental being.
Sitting with our emotions as a way to release or dissipate our emotional energy.
The willingness to be with, to befriend our emotions is key to releasing tension or stuck emotional energy.
1. Have it your intention to be mindful of your feelings. Be genuinely interested in how you are feeling.
2. Acknowledge to yourself how you are feeling. I feel..., and state how you feel. It could be angry, sad, lonely, depressed, scattered, stressed or guilty. Do not allow yourself off the hook by saying I don't know what I feel. This isn’t about knowing what you feel it is about feeling what you feel.
3. Be present with whatever you are feeling, take a few deep mindful breaths and stay out of thinking and be with whatever feeling is present within you.
4. As you are being with your feeling, resist the urge to avoid or deny it. It is going to come as a thought like: I don't really need to do this I need to get back to work, or I think I will search on the internet, or I think I will call a friend or I think I will get something to eat, or I think I will read about this again and then try it. This is the uncomfortable part of this practice. Be with the feeling and be with the uncomfortable-ness and do not allow yourself to slip away.
5. As you stay with the feeling, whatever is there, keep breathing into it and being present with it. Avoid the need to analyze it, judge it, find blame or negotiate with it. Stop any of the reasoning stuff and be with your feeling.
6. That's it. When the uncomfortable-ness is gone you are done. A final note to help make this effective and efficient, don't look for the payoff or reward. No agenda and no timeframe. When you let go of any expectation you will experience positive progress and the transformation has begun!
Stay the course everyone. If you are stuck let me know and we'll work through it.
Monte Hueftle
TMS Mind Body Coach
818*486*8525
www.runningpain.com
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marsha
252 Posts |
Posted - 01/11/2010 : 21:42:05
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I think Monte that your posts have saved me.
I have lived the past three years looking over my shoulder waiting for the pain to attack. I opened the door and in it came. When it appeared I fought it and when it wasn't there I was afraid of it.
I watched your videos and read your posts and can't explain when, where or why but I stopped being afraid.
I don't think any one can will away their pain..and that is where I became stuck. Days without pain for a while I thought were out of reach. Not any more.
With the most sincere thanks for your generosity of spirit.
Marsha
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Edited by - marsha on 01/11/2010 21:43:27 |
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tcherie
72 Posts |
Posted - 01/13/2010 : 13:53:40
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I just wrote a topic about being confused over a relapse, but this really helps me to understand what was wrong with my thinking. I almost saw that having symptoms again was a failure on my part somehow, and not recognizing that it is an indication that something is on my unconsciousness whether I recogize it or not. I have been fighting that something is bothering, rather than recognizing that something is bothering me and allowing that feeling to be there rather than the thought that I need to ignore it.
Thanks for the insight. |
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catspine
USA
239 Posts |
Posted - 01/14/2010 : 15:20:36
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Hi Monte
I like your post a lot and in particular what you say about where TMS will affect you primarily if I consider my own history with the condition:
You wrote:
If you work on a computer all day, what is the best way to get your attention? carpal tunnel. Sit all day? Make it uncomfortable to sit. If running is the most important thing in the world to you, how is tms going to get your attention? Affect your running. If teaching yoga is "who you are, what you are known for" how does tms get your attention? By making it painful to teach/practice yoga. The lesson that we all need to remember and pay attention to--It's not about our work activity (typing, sitting, lifting) or our physical activity (running, swimming, lifting weights, practicing yoga). It is always, always about how or who we are being in our emotional/mental being.
It is true most of the time and I was experimenting with this again recently. I thought it would be feasible because my nervous system is so oversensitive at the moment that I go through changes in intensity in the good direction or the opposite very quickly(usually a couple of days at most)and it is sometimes pretty scary but the good thing is I'm gaining experience in the process and getting better at sitting with the feelings.
So to find out I was trying to see if TMS would affect a new spot according to this principle if I was able to put enough focus on it and it did. It also went away easily as "the cause" was easy to find. The most interesting part is that some of the other light symptoms vanished in the process too and I have no explanation for that yet.
Einstein said that only a sense of humor will save us so I also thought about choosing doing nothing as my main focus in life but of course then nothing came out of that!
Two days ago I had a huge release of emotional energy and it was difficult( spasms, shortness of breath etc... ) which I was able to identify quickly because I did it in the past intentionally using a Hawaiian technique that served me well called Lomi Ha which works with the breath.
This time the release came because I just let it happen when i felt it coming to see what would happen even if it was to be inconvenient. It was intense and scared my wife and myself as we were not really ready for it.
The side effects of these 'unexpected' releases on everyday life can force someone into difficult choices to make because of the life style it imposes on the person subject to them.
Accepting things as they are and letting go of expectations will provide relief and it is clear that repressing/suffering in order to preserve a life style is not the answer but in our society our spiritual or emotional and consequently physical well being is often eclipsed by the requests of family life and productivity just to name these two and how to deal with this can become stressful too leading straight back to another round of TMS. Is there an alternative ?
If you wish to do so I'd like to hear your comment on this please.
Thanks
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patils
72 Posts |
Posted - 01/14/2010 : 23:40:48
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Hi all,
catspine has pointed one good point that when working on computer where should be out attention ?
It is really difficult to divert attention from pain.
Can some expert guide over this who have overcame from computer related pain.
Most people have pain only on computer and nobody knows from wehere it is comming.
Also will this pain will go away completely ?
I am oscillating between pain free to pain. Pain is only after sitting on computer.
I will appreciate Hilliby's response over this. |
Edited by - patils on 01/14/2010 23:46:38 |
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catspine
USA
239 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2010 : 00:07:52
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Ooops!
Sorry Patils
I was quoting Monte in the paragraph where working on computers is mentioned so the good point goes to him . I 'll put the person's quote in color next time ... |
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catspine
USA
239 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2010 : 01:10:34
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Patils
In order to eliminate this possibility I assume you know all there is to know about posture and set up while using a computer so the next question is what is the trigger?
Whatever your need to use a computer for must generate an emotion that you tend to repress consciously or not .
In order to find out I would simply use a simple trick such as typing for a period of time that usually leads to pain but without turning it on or if it's on without going on line and then see what happens... It may sound silly but for example:
If you develop the pain after using it while being offline you will know that it does not have anything to do with interacting with other people
If you type while the machine is turned off you will know that it does not have anything to do with actually accomplishing something with the machine.
and if you turn it back on and the pain comes back , Bingo! you'll be one step further with maybe some new questions...
This was just an idea to discover the real trigger as I do not have experience with carpal tunnel syndromes so I hope you get something out of this test. If it works you might be able to identify the emotion(s) more easily and work with it.
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yogaluz
USA
81 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2010 : 09:39:40
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Monte, thanks for a wonderful post. I love what you had to say about yogis. Yes, we are attempting to be mindful, inner-energy focused, deep breathing beings but many of us came to yoga because of our fears, our striving, our anger and self consciousness. Many of us are works in progress and by no means have I, through yoga, reached some pinnacle of peace and most likely never will.
So it seems you are a 'pain' guy and I will tell you that I have successfully beaten my TMS pain syndrome which started over 20 years ago. It took many years but when my back starts spasming, I go to yoga, keep moving on and the pain goes away.
But over the last two years I have been dealing with a symptom I can't get a grasp on: vertigo/dizziness. It waxes and wanes and it oddly seems to coincide with some sort of seasonal allergies - when the trees start blooming, I get congested, fluid builds under my eyes and whammo - I'm dizzy again. It can take months to go away no matter what I do. I have had a complete workup with MRI, CT scan, blood work, neuro exam etc. and all checks out fine.
I had been dizzy free for many months when I had a severe case of it on Friday just after a yoga class as I was laying down. Every time one of these periods has started, it seems to have been exacerbated by a yoga class. My mind instantly believes that the inversions and the heat are causing this to happen and then it goes to that place you describe so well below: yoga is my life, it's the only form of exercise and meditation I love, what if I can't do it anymore? And now I'm back in the fear cycle.
It makes sense that my subconscious is preying on my yoga to get my attention and I know that at least part of my symptoms are TMS equivalents/anxiety but there is that cloying worry that indeed, standing on my head and twisting myself around every day could indeed be causing problems for my inner ear. And with this symptom, I can't simply go to yoga class and ignore it. I literally fall over and can't function. I worry about driving home. Scary and very anxiety provoking.
On the physical side of things, I've decided to finally go to an ENT and if they can't find anything, I'm done with trying to find a medical cause.
On the emotional side of things, I'm going to follow your advise today and really sit with my emotions. I've been holding them in for the past year because I felt I had to to function. My husband was unemployed for almost a year and I, having been at home with my children for many years, could not find a job myself with the damn recession. We almost went under financially and it had a huge impact on my marriage. It also brought up a lot of guilt feelings about not having contributed financially all those years while simultaneously I felt resentment at the prospect of having to go back to work and spend less time with my children and less time on my yoga and my art. I still haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up and I don't have that many years left to decide. I chide myself for being much like a spoiled child, unwilling or fearful of taking on adult responsibilities. I am truly at a life crossroads and this may be the way all those emotions are manifesting. And of course, now that things are improving (my husband is working again, I'm doing some great writing and art, my yoga practice is in full swing, etc.), my old friend TMS comes along to remind me not to get ahead of myself. It's a strange thought but I often feel as though TMS purposely sabotages my happiness and that's a component of this disorder I simply don't understand and don't much like.
Anyway, thank you so much for the post and if you have any insight/thoughts on vertigo vs. pain, I'd love to hear them. Warmly,Y.
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runningpain.com update, message from Monte Hueftle
