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Monte
USA
125 Posts |
 Posted - 05/01/2012 : 11:11:20
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Communicating Effectively to the TMS Pain/Distraction Strategy
What causes most people to become stuck in TMS? Without question it is the strategy. A person can accept the mind-body relationship for many of their aches/pains/symptoms but not believe in or understand the strategy! Or a person can accept the TMS diagnosis completely but have no idea how to communicate effectively with it in order to reverse it. Both cases will undoubtably lead to major stuck-ness and frustration.
The other day I was speaking with a TMS Sarno Veteran of 23 years. This woman has been successful numerous times of ridding herself from TMS pain. The last major back/neck episode for her was 4.5 years ago. We were speaking because she had been struggling the past 8 weeks with a new and slightly different back pain that had been progressively getting worse. For the first month she was convinced it was TMS but now doubts were beginning to surface and she was searching for a new diagnosis, testing out new treatments and looking to speak with anyone else who had experienced the same symptom.
Later the same week I spoke with a man that had just learned about TMS. The TMS diagnosis resonated with him for his back pain but not for the other pain symptoms he continued to struggle with (piriformis, sciatica and plantar fasciitis). He stated that he accepted stress was a part of his back pain, but he wasn't ready to believe that a subconscious strategy was also involved. Physical therapy, special stretches, activity rest and a huge fascination to figure out how all this works was consuming him.
I could provide any number of additional examples of stories from people with all varying backgrounds in mindbody and TMS whose life situations reflect a misunderstanding in the purpose of the strategy and confusion in how to effectively communicate to this intelligent, creative and powerful component of TMS.
Dr. Sarno's absolute genius over 40 years ago was telling us that this pain strategy exist And that the key to reversing it was to Think Psychological and not be distracted/focused on the pain symptoms. Sarno told us that the strategy was in place to protect us from experiencing unpleasant feelings. That of course was correct then and still is today.
As my understanding of TMS has evolved I have found it to be beneficial to expand on the purpose behind the TMS strategy. Yes, the strategy is trying to keep attention away from unpleasant feelings but it is also
working to get your attention focused on how you are being so you can make some beneficial changes. If the strategy was speaking to you today it would be saying, "hey, why are you so uptight, why are you worrying all the time, why are you holding stuff (emotional) inside, why are you striving, perfecting, pleasing and controlling all the time, you are so unbalanced and inflexible in how you are being. I'm going to keep bugging you (back pain, spasms, piriformis, sciatica, neck pain, IBS, migraines, etc.) until you take a look at how you are being and begin to incorporate some changes in your life. I want you to enjoy your life and as soon as you genuinely understand this and really start incorporating more balance, presence, openness, allowing and flexibility into your life I'll leave you alone. And another thing, quit thinking something is physically wrong with you each time you get a new/different symptom. The symptoms are part of this to Signal you to take a look at how you are being. Remember this is mind-body, so the symptom even though it is physical is a Signal to go psychological (how you are being). Here is my promise to you. When you "get this", I mean really Get IT, I'm gone. I may come back once in awhile for a little visit (reminder) when you get off track, but once you Get It, I'm gone"
Strategy Points to Remember:
1) Intelligent - it will pick the perfect moment to initiate a symptom and it will move the symptoms around. Begin believing in TMS and genuinely start Thinking Psychological and it may increase the intensity of your symptom as a way to keep you distracted.
2) Creative - it will find the best way to get your attention. Example: Work at the computer all day? - Wrist pain; Playing music is your passion - Ear challenges; Teaching yoga is your big thing? - no downward/upward dog for you; You figured out back pain is TMS - try this new IBS symptom for awhile.
3) Powerful - Give the strategy an inch and it will take a mile. When you give a little bit of attention, doubt, fear or searching to a symptom you are feeding it and there is no reason for it to subside.
4) The strategy is not going to respond/act the way you think it should. We like to think logical, it should make sense to us, to our way of thinking. This just might be what throws people off more than anything. We have read about TMS, we have experienced it, so now we understand how it works. Well, that would make this much easier if true. However, Realize that we are speaking about two very different parts of our mind at work here. The strategy is part of our subconscious (innermost, intuitive and hidden aspects) and we are trying to understand it and communicate to it as this rational, reasonable, logical or sensible part of us. This type of communication not only doesn't work, it can easily play right into the intelligent hands of the strategy, keeping you distracted with doubts, fear and searching.
Effective Communication:
1) Be confident while you Stop treatments aimed to fix a broken or degenerate body. Instead, you go genuinely psychological with conviction.
2) Be confident while you Resume normal activities while keeping your focus out of fear and away from your body/symptom. If you are in an activity and the strategy has you distracted, stop and go psychological. This is not giving in to the strategy, it is choosing to ignore the body/symptoms and address the cause.
3) Accept and understand that it is this intelligent, creative and powerful strategy that makes this syndrome TMS. Everyone has mind-body experiences and effects, everyone! Not everyone experiences chronic mind-body symptoms in a pain/symptom cycle with the strategy playing the major role!
4) Be really okay with knowing that you are not going to know and understand everything about the how/why/when/where of the strategy in action. You don't have to understand all of the ins/outs of the strategy. Your job is to effectively communicate acceptance of the psychological cause while not being distracted.
5) Your response to pain/symptoms/strategy should be natural and spontaneous with confidence and conviction. What does that mean? It means there is no doubt, no searching or wondering about what is going on. It means pain/symptom is a signal to think psychological with no distraction. What does that mean?
5-A) It means that you automatically, naturally, spontaneously check in with how you are being- (ask yourself what is bothering me, where is my attention, what is stressing me, why am I worrying, how am I feeling). This is your genuine response without an inkling of distraction on the body/symptom or TMS thinking. You know this is TMS, you get it! The strategy is getting my attention so that I can make a change here or there. So that I can be a little more open or flexible or balanced in how I am being.
5-B) Your response could also be, instead of a think psychological question, to be with your feeling, your emotional state and nowhere else. Be with your feeling of (anger, stress, anxious, pressure, frustration, etc) with no thinking and no voices (no investigation, questioning or justifying). Again without even a twitch of distraction going to the pain, symptom or strategy. Since the strategy is designed to protect you from unpleasant feelings, your response is to be with these feelings. This is supreme communication to the strategy that you are not distracted, that you get it!
5-C) Another response could be to get present moment based or mindful of where you are, what you are doing or who you are with. Again this is spontaneous with no searching or doubt about what is going on.
When your responses are genuine because you understand and get it, really get and accept that TMS is a mind-body syndrome with an intelligent/creative strategy attached to it, you will be effective. Remember this strategy is in place to distract you - keep you from unpleasant feelings And it is in place to get your attention, so that you can make some beneficial changes to how you are being. When your responses come from this understanding they are supreme communication back to the strategy that you are not distracted and that you are accepting the Signal to Think Psychological, Be with feelings, Make changes and Get present.
The TMS strategy lives in the past and in the future. The most effective and efficient communication or response from you is one that is mindful and present moment based on your self and how you are being.
Healing one's body or one's life challenges requires daily practice and present moment attention. Master your responses so that they are genuine, natural and spontaneous ways of being instead of trying to control them as a means to fix something that is wrong.
Stay the course,
Monte Hueftle
TMS Mind Body Coach
www.runningpain.com
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Wavy Soul
USA
779 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2012 : 17:18:29
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Thanks Monte.
You are SO on it.
This quote...
" Be with your feeling of (anger, stress, anxious, pressure, frustration, etc) with no thinking and no voices (no investigation, questioning or justifying). Again without even a twitch of distraction going to the pain, symptom or strategy. Since the strategy is designed to protect you from unpleasant feelings, your response is to be with these feelings. This is supreme communication to the strategy that you are not distracted, that you get it!"
...is very true from my experience. In fact, I have often told that when the very worse feelings of my life were inescapably happening, one terrible thing after another (divorce, betrayal, legal financial disaster, loss of friends all at once) I noticed that I was in so much unavoidable psychological pain that I had no symptoms.
I smelled a TMS rat.
Love is the answer, whatever the question |
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Communicating to the Pain Strategy, a message...
