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im2bob
USA
7 Posts |
 Posted - 03/08/2012 : 07:44:04
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Sarno's last daily reminder is to "think psychologically at all times". Yet, he cautions us not to obsess over the specific emotions at the root of our TMS. This seems a little contradictory to me. Can anyone (particularly those who have had success) share what "think psychologically" means to you? What do you set your mind on?
Update on me. I am about a month into my TMS healing. My pain has gotten worse. I am optimistic that this is in fact a good sign, that my unconscious is fighting my progress. |
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Hillbilly
USA
385 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2012 : 08:55:46
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I believe this is one of the main sticking points with regard to his recovery program. If you'll permit me, I will attempt this explanation. Disclaimer: I am not a fan of Sarno's theory or treatment program because it wasn't clear enough for me to follow. In other words, I felt more confused about what to do after eight months of attempting to implement the treatment plan as outlined in the DVD. It was one of the worst times of my life because I kept doing things as written but being more and more confused and filled with a sense that it wasn't going to work. I think this is common from my reading here on the forum.
I believe the exhortation "think psychological" means do this instead of thinking "physical." One of the problems that has to be overcome when you have a psychosomatic condition (physiological symptoms that result from mental stress) is that people develop a health anxiety that clouds their judgment. The body sends out false alarms as a result of the mental state we are in, and we misread them as physical or even organic disease (disk problems, cancer, MS, ALS, the list is endless) when in fact nothing is wrong except the nervous system is making noise and is reflecting our mood, anticipating a "bad" outcome that needs to be avoided, for instance.
So "think psychological" is a cornerstone of recovery because we are to think this way instead of the other. He could have put it "don't think physical," but that violates some of the old maxims about how the brain registers information. If you try not to think about something, you must think about it. Kind of paradoxical.
Here is something you can do instead of worrying about what emotions you might be stuffing in your unconscious. Think about the barriers to your happiness and write them down. Then think about the importance of the way others think about you and your behavior, the effect harsh judgment of a parent or siblings has impacted you throughout your life. These barriers are not real. They are conditioned avoidances that you have accepted as being as real as the fence at a prison camp, but they are completely self-imposed and erasable. You are doing the same with your physical symptoms presently.
If you'd like to go for a jog, you can come up with a million reasons why you shouldn't at the speed of light right now, probably all related to your physical pains. There is only one thing keeping you from doing it, though, and it is your attitude toward suffering. If you aren't willing to suffer through the discomfort of jogging in order to get the benefits, no amount of reading and journaling is going to cure you of the fear and avoidance that surrounds the thought, much less the act of jogging.
That's why it is so important to return to physical activities and challenge your fears. We have all heard throughout our lives that fear must be confronted in order to be defeated, but many pass from this life still cowering from their own imagination. You can rise above this condition by disciplining your mind and body to do as you wish and to hell with what people think and to hell with how your body reacts. It will react as it does based upon expectations that you've created anyway. This is the reprogramming you must do now.
I've come to believe over the years that belief is the strongest word in the English language. I think this because what we believe is often more powerful than what we know (for evidence of this, see any political debate). What we believe convicts us and drives our behavior more than any other factor, IMO, and if we believe that avoiding the negative consequences we fear occurring when we visualize basic, average, normal everyday human activities and interactions are more important than the peace, joy, happiness, sense of accomplishment and success we really desire, we will live very dull, sullen, albeit safe lives.
So, the bottom line is don't think there is something broken or damaged or catastrophic afoot as you go about your activities. That is incorrect thinking. If you had cancer it wouldn't ease the pain to stay home from the party. Likewise if you had a broken vertebra. Instead of thinking about what might be bothering you or what might be wrong physically, think about the glory that awaits you and the relief of living the life you've always wanted to, free of the silliness of doubt and fear.
I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.
Ralph Waldo Emerson |
Edited by - Hillbilly on 03/08/2012 08:59:57 |
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im2bob
USA
7 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2012 : 09:18:49
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Thanks Hillbilly. What a great response. Interestingly, it is pretty spot on to my thinking. I've been coming to realize that I am too much about my "persona" and not enough about "self". I've been living the life that I think others want me to be living. And I'm doing a pretty damn good job of that. Unfortunatley, I've been denying my self of what I am starting to believe is something pretty fantastic and original. But boy is that a hard mold to crack.
Interesting that you would mention running. I ran my first marathon on Sunday and did it in under 4 hours. I am definitley being physical. My pain is always worst when I am at work, sitting and especially standing. Despite being able to run a marathon, it is excruciating and life altering. It is so hard not to fear it and be affected by it.
Anyhow, I have been journaling and I am going to take your advice and write down my "barriers to happiness".
Thanks for the lengthy and well thought reply.
Bob |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2012 : 09:25:16
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quote:
Originally posted by Hillbilly
Disclaimer: I am not a fan of Sarno's theory or treatment program because it wasn't clear enough for me to follow. In other words, I felt more confused about what to do after eight months of attempting to implement the treatment plan as outlined in the DVD. It was one of the worst times of my life because I kept doing things as written but being more and more confused and filled with a sense that it wasn't going to work. I think this is common from my reading here on the forum.
Hillbilly, did you ever think you were not ready to let go of your TMS physical or affective pain distraction symptoms because your subconscious needed TMS as a protective defense mechanism? I see NO difference between anxiety as a TMS symptom or a frozen shoulder. It's a distraction from facing present problem(s) because our subconscious decides it for us.
The Good Doctor's theory is beautiful in it's simplicity. Once you're diagnosed by a competent doctor that nothing structural is wrong, accept it as TMS/psychosomatic: pain as distraction caused by the subconscious mind, benign, painful none the less, but not to be feared--perhaps to be thankful for and wondered at. Thinking psychologically means ignoring the pain as best one can and looking at what is going on in one's life causing the build up of tension, stress, anxiety, whatever one wants to call it, they are all synonymous.
When people aren't sure what's bothering them they can look at the Rahe-Holmes list of life's stressors for scientific psychological evidence. If some people are stuck, impatient with doing it on their own or are verging on being "clinically" dis-functional, they should seek help from a professional versed in TMS preferably.
Cheers
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DR. SARNO'S 12 DAILY REMINDERS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0dKBFwGR0g
TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale
Some of my favorite excerpts from _THE DIVIDED MIND_ :
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2605
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Edited by - tennis tom on 03/08/2012 09:26:25 |
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Hillbilly
USA
385 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2012 : 10:56:47
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quote:
Hillbilly, did you ever think you were not ready to let go of your TMS physical or affective pain distraction symptoms because your subconscious needed TMS as a protective defense mechanism?
No. Just now was the first time I've ever considered such a question. I consider myself a fairly intelligent person and cannot possibly understand the notion that we need a protection. What is so dangerous? Distraction? From what? You get additional emotional pain when you have physical pain. It doesn't protect you from anything at all. It piles on.
I answered a thread somewhere in the last year that Dave wrote about this very subject of "thinking psychologically." He wrote out some steps that included when you become aware of pain, try to think about what might be bothering you instead of the pain. But if the pain is a result of the things that are bothering you, it only serves to upset you if you think about them, which adds to bucket of noxious chemicals you are attempting to bail when recovering from stress problems. It is simply illogical to my mind.
I am working with a similar problem at present that has to do with the world's crumbling financial system and its impact on the local economies of my state and community. Many of them are following conventional "wisdom" in the financial world by taking out more debt to solve their debt problems. It doesn't solve anything. It just eases the breathing for a few months or years, only to constrict again once the interest bills mount and can't be paid.
That's a really long way of saying you can't solve a debt problem with more debt. And you can't solve a stress problem with more stress. Negatives need positives for balance, equilibrium, homeostasis.
I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.
Ralph Waldo Emerson |
Edited by - Hillbilly on 03/08/2012 10:59:07 |
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Stryder
686 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2012 : 11:14:18
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I consider myself a fairly intelligent person and cannot possibly understand the notion that we need a protection. What is so dangerous? Distraction? From what?
Good point. There is a lag between the evoultion of the ego / superego and the evolution of the id. The id is lagging behind, thats why the id is primative.
The id is more hard wired to your brain stem, responding automatically (unconscious) without consulting the intellect (conscious). You could say its built in by the DNA.
You are correct, there is no benefit to this condition, its just "piles on" as you stated.
The id must be terribly bored. Unless you have recently had an encouter with a sabre tooth tiger or wild boar, the most dangerous thing outside your front door is probably the in-laws coming for a visit. The whole fight-or-flight portion of our nervous system is completely rusted, unused and hypersensitive in the 21st century.
In a couple million years or more through natural selection the TMS condition may work its way out of our gene pool. Or it could stick around a while longer like our appendix or wisdom teeth.
Take care, -Stryder |
Edited by - Stryder on 03/08/2012 17:27:23 |
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Dave
USA
1864 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2012 : 11:36:04
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quote:
Originally posted by im2bob
Sarno's last daily reminder is to "think psychologically at all times". Yet, he cautions us not to obsess over the specific emotions at the root of our TMS. This seems a little contradictory to me. Can anyone (particularly those who have had success) share what "think psychologically" means to you? What do you set your mind on?
Good question.
One should not try to uncover "specific emotions" that are causing TMS, because this is impossible. The process that produces symptoms is not so logical. Even if there is one specific emotion that is triggering a flare-up, there is no way for you to know. Therefore I find it best to treat the symptoms as random, and flare-ups as a signal that there is something going on that you are pushing down or glossing over.
To me, "think psychological" is a reconditioning exercise. When aware of the symptoms, divert your attention to your emotional state. Think about what negative emotions you might be repressing. Even things that seem not to be bothering you on a conscious level might be producing negative feelings that you are not aware of or avoiding. Try to figure it out.
Note, I said "try" because this is all you can do. It is the act of trying that is important. This reconditions your response to the symptoms. Instead of focusing on the pain, or fearing that it will get worse, or that there is something structurally wrong, you accept that the symptoms are benign and have a psychological origin. By "thinking psychologically" at that moment you reinforcing that belief. Over time, the acute attacks of TMS symptoms will become fewer and far between, and of lower intensity. |
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Hillbilly
USA
385 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2012 : 11:59:27
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im2bob,
I'm with you. In my previous job I saw myself as a thoroughbred yoked to a plow. I was in the wrong place, underutilized, and mainly compensated for my ability to keep the peace and watch the suffering my company unleashed and blithely regard it as "just business."
I don't know your situation, but please know that most people in today's world see themselves in the wrong place in terms of their careers. Scary stuff to try something new, but worth it in my case. My family isn't as free to do things as we once were, but at least dad participates fully as opposed to being there in body only.
I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.
Ralph Waldo Emerson |
Edited by - Hillbilly on 03/08/2012 12:00:06 |
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Darko
Australia
387 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2012 : 15:30:03
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Guys...interesting conversation.
I can see both your side TT and also Hillbilly's.....I'm not sure if I've read into something here but it seems, and correct me if I'm wrong Hillbilly, that you're more about the action than the looking at emotions?
Instead of pondering what it is that's causing you the angst you chose to confront it and actually deal with it.
Personally I think this to be incredibly important, it's one think to acknowledge the stresses and causes of TMS but it's another thing entirely to actually deal with them. I found dealing with them very much helpful, be it rubbish thoughts or life situations.
Success in ANY area of your life comes down to the level of CONFRONT you're willing to take on. Success with TMS means confront....confront the pain, fear, thoughts and all mental barriers to success.....kind of like life in general.
This is why I say that TMS is one of the best personal development "enablers" that is forced upon us. You have to go in swinging, and have a strong mental attitude to win.
I couldn't agree more with this statement.
quote:
I've come to believe over the years that belief is the strongest word in the English language. I think this because what we believe is often more powerful than what we know
Beliefs are what shape us...period. If you're life isn't working in some what, dig around and see what your beliefs are. Beliefs are simply repetitiousness thoughts you think to be real, challenge them!
D |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2012 : 17:17:51
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All my Sarnos are loaned out and AWOL so I googled "Sarno and TMS Protection" and got back a 2004 interview where he explains the TMS as "PROTECTION" notion, here's a quote:
"Medscape: Just to clarify: You're saying that a lot of these conditions are due to a translation of stresses, anger, rage in the brain to physical symptoms?
Dr. Sarno: No. It's not a translation, the brain is doing this as a protection. Protecting you from the unconscious rage and other bad feelings you might have. The reason childhood things are a factor is because -- and we've known this for over 100 years -- the unconscious has no sense of time. In other words, things that happened to us when we were 8 or 10 years old, if they're emotionally powerful, are still there at the age of 40, 50, 70, or 90."
Here's the interview, it's a good TMS "knowledge booster":
An Expert Interview With Dr. John Sarno, Part II: Pain Management ...
www.tms-mindbodymedicine.com/medscape2.htm
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Edited by - tennis tom on 03/08/2012 17:43:41 |
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Hillbilly
USA
385 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2012 : 20:59:31
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quote:
Most patients in the United States cannot accept this diagnosis. So I calculate that I'm working with representatives of perhaps 10% or 15% of the population. Secondly, 99.999% of the medical profession does not accept this diagnosis.
So does the problem then lie with the population or with doctors or with the explanation of what is going on? Perhaps Dr. Sarno is not aware of the fact that there are currently 45 million people in the United States alone who have been given a diagnosis of anxiety disorder. If only half of those accept their explanation of what is happening to them, the numbers quoted above are completely inaccurate.
I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.
Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 03/09/2012 : 09:10:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Hillbilly
So does the problem then lie with the population or with doctors or with the explanation of what is going on? Perhaps Dr. Sarno is not aware of the fact that there are currently 45 million people in the United States alone who have been given a diagnosis of anxiety disorder.
In the immortal words of Pogo: "We have met the enemy and he is us". The problem lies with reading comprehension. I think the Good Doctor is well aware of the amount of anxiety in the kulture, he's in NYC. Maybe Bloomberg should ban Starbuck's as well as salt--maybe he should make pot mandatory in primary schools along with graham crackers and raw milk to combat ADD.
A couple of citations from "THE DIVIDED MIND":
Page 43: "Generally, people now tend to have either a physical or an affective symptom--either TMS (or one of its equivalents) or emotional manifestations like anxiety, depression, phobias, or obsessions."
Page 176: "These interpretations of Jame's dream may have resonated with him, but over the previous few weeks his pain level had increased slightly. This is not uncommon in the course of treatment and often can be a positive sign that the person is coming closer to embracing an emotion. The increase in pain is intended to further distract the person from the anticipated greater emotional pain that is considered more dangerous that the physical pain. This is a paradox that is often difficult for patients to grasp: that the physical pain is intended to protect them, not to harm them."
I hope these two quotes help clarify Dr. Sarno's views on anxiety and TMS as a protective defense mechanism, at least as of the time he wrote "THE DIVIDED MIND".
Sig: "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti
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Edited by - tennis tom on 03/09/2012 09:14:43 |
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Hillbilly
USA
385 Posts |
Posted - 03/09/2012 : 09:47:52
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Tom,
Well, I think most medical schools require reading for their classes, and I think I needed to be able to read in order to get through school as well. What is happening, though, is that Dr. Sarno is rejecting diagnoses that were in existence long before him to explain myriad syndromes that seemed related to stress and superimposing his Freudian explanation of distraction, protection, etc., then crying foul because he is ostracized by serious medical minds. Have you read Dr. Clarke's stuff here about what has happened with trying to rename the thing?
I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.
Ralph Waldo Emerson |
Edited by - Hillbilly on 03/09/2012 09:55:43 |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 03/09/2012 : 17:51:19
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Hillbilly,
No I haven't read Dr. Clark, although I think I have his book still wrapped in it's Amazon cover from a year or two ago and hope to read it before I die. I've seen some of the discussion renaming it TMS/PP something. Dr. Sarno uses the term TMS and psychosomatic interchangably. I don't think he really cares what it's called as long as his patients and humanity overcomes unnecessary pain. He doesn't care what causes it just the process of improvement. Everyone understands "psychosomatic", renaming it to gain acceptance with "medical professionals" to me just seems silly--a rose by any other name. You can put a Cadillac badge on a Chevy but it's still a Chevy underneath.
Straight out, I think your're a good guy Hillbilly, but I don't understand your obsession with the anxiety thing. To Dr. Sarno, it's one of several affective emotional symptoms to be treated through the same TMS protocols. I have enough to deal with getting my head around all the great ideas presented by the Good Doctor and other TMS authorities. I have no desire to disprove his theory, only to understand it and live by it. Since a fundamental of TMS is to fully accept it and not be on the fence, I don't understand how undermining belief in the Good Doctor's life work helps anyone get better, me, you or anyone else here. What do you have to gain by finding fault with his theory unless you are a fellow doctor, clinician or professor of psychology? Anxiety, tension, TMS, psychosomatic, it's all the same to me and Dr. Sarno uses the terms interchangeably.
Regards,
tt |
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Hillbilly
USA
385 Posts |
Posted - 03/09/2012 : 23:09:10
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quote:
What do you have to gain by finding fault with his theory unless you are a fellow doctor, clinician or professor of psychology?
The satisfaction of getting scores of emails from people who are doing well after reading my posts and contacting me.
And Tom, if the theory is sound and solid, no scraping on the rock will harm it. If my questions and statements undermine the theory, it is the author's and the theory's problem, not mine. Seeing as that I am not a physician, nor psychologist, just a dude, what do you think those with a proper education and thousands of patients in their memory banks can do to it? This fact makes it even more imperative if you want to spread the word that the holes get filled before you send up the balloon. I will be cheering you on.
I wish you peace.
I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.
Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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lynnl
USA
109 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2012 : 02:19:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Hillbilly
It was one of the worst times of my life because I kept doing things as written but being more and more confused and filled with a sense that it wasn't going to work. I think this is common from my reading here on the forum.
If you're filled with a sense of "it isn't going to work," then you're absolutely correct! It isn't going to work. Dr. Sarno makes the point repeatedly, you must come to know that the problem is not physiological but rather mental/emotional. He acknowledges that through an initial interview process he weeds out patients that are not likely to accept the TMS concept, because it is crucial to successful resolution of the pain symptoms.
He also makes the point that the unconscious mind is very slow to grasp or comprehend an idea that our conscious mind can take in immediately.
In my case, after studying the book Healing Back Pain for a few days:
a. I comprehended (consciously) that, yes indeed, what he was saying described my pain pattern and experiences exactly.
b. I comprehended (consciously) that if in fact my unconscious mind was intentionally, through the autonomic nervous system, restricting blood flow for the express purpose of keeping me distracted from my emotions, then it was only logical that once I demonstrated to my unconscious mind that I would NOT allow that distraction to continue, then the game would be up and my pain would stop. I accepted that fully!
c. Now I admit, I too was very confused as to just how to go about this "psychological thinking." So, based on the old stereotypical picture of the psychiatrist asking the patient if his parents beat him, I sat and started trying to recall my childhood and how my parents treated me. Well, they would give me "whuppings" now and then when I'd misbehaved badly, as was the norm back in those days, but I didn't attach any particular significance to that. However, as I sat there and really started dredging up my earliest recollections, I recalled an incident when I had just started first grade. An older cousin, a high school boy, grabbed my cap and started teasing me and keeping it away from me. Looking back it was really trivial, but I was able to recall the intense anger and rage and helplessness I felt at the time. I could almost relive the moment. As I sat recalling that, other little bits of my childhood experiences started creeping into my consciousness, to the point that I was totally involved in those recollections.
After a bit of time, maybe 10 or 15 minutes, I noticed something. I wasn't hurting. For the first time in over three years my sciatic pain had vanished. That eliminated any last vestige of doubt. Sarno's TMS model is exactly right. That was the greatest relief I've ever felt in my life! I was euphoric! Ah ha! I am no longer a prisoner of this pain; I'm now in control!
Well, in a few minutes the pain started back, but I found I could extinguish it just by switching my thoughts again and concentrating on emotional issues rather than the pain AND reassuring myself that all is OK.
As time went on (several weeks) the pain would return less often and with less intensity. And it ALWAYS responded when I switched my thoughts and reassured myself. It was exactly like having a toggle switch, with which I could control the pain. After some weeks, it got to the point where I really didn't have to do any emotional thinking, just simply start to think that way. I had the very distinct sensation that just the threat of thinking emotionally served the purpose.
I was very much aware of the relationship between my thoughts and the pain control. The relationship was every bit as pronounced as the interaction between my mind and bodily movements, e.g. lifting my hand. That awareness persisted for several years before gradually fading.
Bottom line is: I can attest to the validity of Dr Sarno's model. It worked exactly as advertised for me.
Now as to Dr Sarno's Freudian interpretation, he states that his psychology collegues provided him with that portion of the model.
As to what's really going on in the mind. No one has a clue for sure; everything is just a model. In fact everything mankind "knows" is really just a model. (Except for mathmatics and language, since we invented those, and I guess history.) We develop models that describe all of the observable aspects of a system or entity, and as time goes on and something is observed that doesn't fit the model, we then modify that model or discard it and come up with something else. I imagine there are refinements that could be made to Dr Sarno's TMS model. But for me and thousands of others, his model is close enough.
Lynn |
Edited by - lynnl on 03/10/2012 02:25:05 |
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Ace1
USA
1040 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2012 : 06:38:41
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Dear Lynn.
Did you challenge your pain as hillbilly did or just do as your post said and when the pain was gone then you did everything normal? So when you thought psychologically, did you think of psychological things that may have precipitated the current symptom or did you (or do you think you could you have) keep using the childhood incident with the same success? When you did this did you always try to feel as you did when the incident occurred or just the thought of the event was enough? What do you mean by threaten the pain to think psychologically? Do you have any medical conditions now or any pain? Lastly, do you think calming or peace had anything to do with your recovery?
Hillbilly if you got a gi symptom as part of you tms complex, what did you do (i.e. diarrhea), you obviously can't challenge that? Did you try avoiding going to the bathroom to avoid its effect on you? Crazy question I know but would like to see how you would handle this as part of the way you treated things
Thanks in advance guys |
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lynnl
USA
109 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2012 : 12:12:38
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quote:
Originally posted by Ace1
Dear Lynn.
Did you challenge your pain as hillbilly did or just do as your post said and when the pain was gone then you did everything normal? So when you thought psychologically, did you think of psychological things that may have precipitated the current symptom or did you (or do you think you could you have) keep using the childhood incident with the same success? When you did this did you always try to feel as you did when the incident occurred or just the thought of the event was enough? What do you mean by threaten the pain to think psychologically? Do you have any medical conditions now or any pain? Lastly,
Challenge the pain? - No, I did not challenge the pain.
I see people here talking about running marathons and such, which makes me wonder just what their pain intensity is. As for mine, on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 equating to a finger smashed in a car door, my pain was about an 11 or 12, or at times more. I know that because a short while later I DID smash my finger between a 3ft long 4" round steel bar and concrete floor. I would've gladly traded that sciatica for 4 smashed fingers.
The notion of trying to run more than a few steps at that time would've been preposterous. Once I started getting control of the pain, then yes I did start resuming normal activities ...with no fear of relapsing, I would add.
Subsequent psychological thoughts - Early on I did return to those same early childhood memories. But through the normal day to day thought processes, I quickly (within just a couple of weeks or so) came to realize that the exact subject matter made no difference. Any intensely emotional thinking worked just fine. Though I steered away from anger and rage related thinking. I do agree with Hillbilly on that issue.
NOTE: In the 3 years of pain, I had attended several funerals of close family and friends, and had noticed that during those times my pain would abate somewhat. That was one of the facts that enabled me to see and accept the validity of Dr Sarno's ideas.
As to "feeling" vs "just thinking OF" the events - initially you have to start with just "thinking of," but I've found that that's not sufficient. I have to dwell on the events/incidents/situations/etc. for a prolonged period until my mind sort of transports me to that time and place so that I do experience the emotions.
NOTE ALSO: This became continually easier as time went on. Also the range of workable emotions/events/etc. seemed to become much broader. That's kind of what I meant by "threaten" to think psychological. It became automatic that I only had to "intend" to shift my thinking, for the desired effect to take place. It was just as if my unconscious could anticipate what I was going to do consciously. I firmly believe that is in fact the case!
To fully appreciate what I'm saying here, you must understand something; all of this was not just taking place in a vacuum. It was not just simply a case of the pain stopping or easing, as we've all experience throughout life. I was fully aware of the process. As the pain would start to try to return I was aware of that, even before the pain would set in. I was likewise aware of my immediate success in aborting it before it could progress. To get an idea, as you read this, start clinching and opening your hand repeatedly. Can you "feel" or comprehend how you're controlling that hand? That's exactly how I could comprehend my control of the pain!
The truth is, my successful experience with Dr Sarno's methodology, FAR surpassed my initial expectations that his words had given me when I first started reading his HBP book. I now view my sciatica as the best thing that ever happened to me. Granted, I sure didn't view it that way until after I conquered it. But without it I would've never discovered Sarno. And with the discovery of Sarno, I now feel that I'm in control or at least potentially in control, not just of the sciatica, but of a myriad of other both major and minor ailments.
<quote> ...do you think calming or peace had anything to do with your recovery? ...<end quote>
Calming and peace and tranquility and love and tenderness and inner spirituality and such related states of feeling and emotion, ...they have EVERYTHING to do with it. For me at least, those things are the absolute essence of the whole issue.
After a few months I came to realize that I had found a new, dear friend that I'd never known before. Myself. I mean that literally. I'd discovered a 'me' that I never had met. ...or more likely, had lost along the way from childhood.
I welcome comments and questions, and especially would like to know how my experiences compare with others who successfully won their TMS battle.
Lynn |
Edited by - lynnl on 03/10/2012 12:16:42 |
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Ace1
USA
1040 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2012 : 13:11:56
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| Lynn but you would think back to things that upset you or were hard when you had pain and that stopped the pain. How then did relaxation and peace have some thing to do with it? It seems you didn't think of good things or relax. Thanks for the clarification. You post was awesome by the way. You didn't mention if you have any residual pain or medical conditions. It would help me understand if it cures other things too, thanks |
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Aussie
Australia
87 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2012 : 13:40:06
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Lynn,
You tell an amazing story of becoming painfree, Very inspirational.
I am at the stage where i have a good understanding of TMS,Can completely see that i fit the TMS profile, Have read all the books but am stuck on the emotional stuff. I have no idea where to even start.. Sure i had times through my life that were hard and upsetting, But when i try to go back into that situation i feel nothing and am confused as to what im meant to be feeling or trying to feel. Take my parents divorce for example, I was 8 and yes it was upsetting, But when i go back in my mind it's like i feel ok about it all. Not upset or hung up on anything. It's the same when i go back to breaking up after a long term relationship or any memory that i can recall being upset about at the time, But i feel completely fine about now. It feels like the only thing that has upset or angered me in a very long time is the fact that my back hurts! Im sure im missing something here but the whole "Repressed anger" thing is really confusing me. What am i supposed to do if i cant think emotionally and get results doing this?? The only thing im upset about is my back pain, I just want to get back to doing the sports i love and get back to a normal life. If someone who reads this can offer anything for me at my current "stuck" stage i would be very grateful.
Thanks for reading. |
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balto
839 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2012 : 14:18:34
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quote:
Originally posted by lynnl
I welcome comments and questions, and especially would like to know how my experiences compare with others who successfully won their TMS battle.
Lynn
Just want to share my experience conquering my pain.
In my experience, working with childhood memories doesn't help me at all. Reliving those childhood memories only brought back sadness, anger, and more pain. I think maybe it worked for you is because you totally shifted your mind's focus onto something else instead of your pain symptoms. Your thought is on something happen in the past, not on what is bothering you at the moment, and once the focus is not on your pain, the fuel for the pain ran out and the fire burn itself out. If you're fan of the "distraction" theory then because your focus is no longer on the pain, the distraction lost your attention, it is no longer doing it's job so it leave you.
One of my observation also made me doubt that my childhood have anything to do with my symptoms. I saw that my dad and many of his friends never have tms/anxiety. They've been through hell. They lost many of their family members, the survived countless hardship and wars. They were practically slaves under the Japanese and the French. They were torture physically and mentally, they were always hungry.... long story short, their life is the kind of life you pray you never have. And yet, they never have back pain, sciatica, tinnitus,... That made me thought, if Freud was right then they would all be paralyzed with pain and anxiety forever. Their life is doom. The same would be for millions of those people all over the world in Somalia, India, Cambodia, North Korea... It doesn't make sense isn't it? tms rarely happen to them. Then why we blamed it on our childhood?
I know some people suffered from tms for 10, 20, even 30 or more years. If our mind is smart enough to create these pain symptoms to distract us from some painful thought in our unconscious mind about something happened long ago when we were 6 years old, why it is not smart enough to stop the pain like, say after 5 or 10 days? What keep this distraction in place for 20 years? Why can our unconscious mind switch from that painful thought to some other more pleasant thought? Why did it has to get stuck on that one stupid painful thought? This doesn't make sense to me.
Another observation, if you think about it, all those "programs" that dealt with mindbody health out there have one thing in common when we use them to treat our tms/anxiety, they all have one goal: which is try to help us shift our focus away from our pain, our symptoms, onto something else. Programs from Dr Sarno or Dr Claire Weeke. Programs like yoga, meditation, positive selftalk,... They all do that, help us not focusing on our pain/anxiety. Help us not fear it. Help us not allow the symptoms over taken our mind, our thoughts.
When your symptoms became insignificant, when it no longer the center of your thought, it just died out. For the pain symptoms to last months and years, we have to get stuck in a pain <-> fear loop. What better at holding our attention, our focus than fear? Pain created fear. Fear made all these changes to our body's chemistry which produced more pain, more fear, more pain, more fear, more.... you get the picture. Now if we can just remove one of those 2 components, our problem will be solve. Remove the pain there will be no more fear. Remove the fear, no more pain. If there is a drug that would completely remove all pain from our neck, our back, our legs... would we still be here discussing about tms? Well, we don't have that drug yet so the only thing we can do now is to remove component: Fear. We have to think of the pain/anxiety like a rubber snake. It look scary until you realize it is not real. If we can accept that the pain/anxiety is not real, it is not harmless or permanent, we're on way to a pain free life.
So my formula to conquer my pain/anxiety is:
- Remove my fear of my symptoms.
- Work on de-conditioning my body to rid myself of that left over 10% pain.
- Remove as much stress and negative thoughts from everyday living as possible to prevent tms/anxiety from coming back.
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What does "think psychological" mean?
