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mchan
USA
75 Posts |
 Posted - 09/18/2012 : 14:56:57
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| I had a very traumatic childhood, lots of abuse and abandonment. I suffered with depression my whole life until I was 25 years old. I managed to get my life together fairly well, the depression under control but after I felt pressured to have an abortion 7 years ago, I developed interstitial cystitis - a very painful bladder disorder. It started out mild and then after I married a year later it got much worse. I went to countless doctors both natural and western. I thought I had a chronic step infection at one point, which is what I thought caused it. I also developed food allergies, joint pain, and I suffered with IBS my whole life. Hence why I convinced myself I had a chronic infection. I did show high strep titres at one point on a blood test and even had a CD57 test (they use for Lyme) show up in the 20's witch is SUPER low and suggests chronic infection. This test is confusing though because they are not even really sure what it means. Through diet changes I have managed to control the gut issues. I noticed on some days when depression comes back, my bladder feels a lot better. Also, the pain in my pelvic changes all the time to my urethra, then to my left side, then my bladder. Different types of pain too, like stabbing one day, burning another. I have convinced myself that different foods cause all these different pains. I wake up and feel good, its not until I start eating that my symptoms begin. I KNOW my past and emotions have something to do with the bladder disease, I just don't know if its all of it. I do notice foods effect my bladder. So my question is "Can all the symptoms and disease be real (such as autoimmune and food allergies), but the CAUSE is the mind body syndrome?" So the actual physiological issues are real in my body causing the symptoms but it is the unconscious mind causing it? I am just trying to fully understand how foods can effect my symptoms if they are caused my the mind. So, how do you know for sure if something is mind body syndrome? I have convinced myself that food allergies, overuse of antibiotics and weakened immune system due to stress caused an autoimmune disease in my bladder. I feel like I need to "unlearn" everything! |
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SteveO
USA
272 Posts |
Posted - 09/18/2012 : 16:34:24
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Abandonment is the cause, that and the "fear of abandonment."
I had interstitial cystitis too, it used to drop me to the floor.
Food allergies, IBS, joint pain, you have the TMS gamut going. The jumping around of your symptoms is the signature characteristic of TMS.
The IC is not a disease, it's an effect. Yes, all these "things" autoimmune, food allergies, etc, are mindbody reactions, or overreactions by the immune and nervous systems. I've seen all of them dissolved through TMS healing.
These things are all real, and are caused by the unconscious conflict, which is anger over fear of further abandonment; overlain by your current daily stressors.
I don't know if you can ever unlearn anything that is stuck in your neural network, the body holds all memory in cells. But you can certainly teach your brain to react differently, this has been proven.
Good luck
Steve |
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mchan
USA
75 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2012 : 07:58:04
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| When you say we cannot unlearn anything, I am assuming that means we can still heal though. How long did it take you to see results? I have convinced myself that all these symptoms are due to food allergies, I need to UNDO, I guess. I just received Sarnos book in the mail, cant wait to get started! |
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SteveO
USA
272 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2012 : 10:47:39
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Yes, you can heal, I've seen it hundreds of times. Many of the people I worked with who healed from pain also lost their food allergies at the same time. They are one in the same; overractions to external and internal stimuli--with conflict as the driving force.
Once something is learned it remains forever in the mindbody as memory. It can't be unlearned. CBT folks would say you can "relearn."
It took me about a year and a half to heal all the way. But you can't go by me, you can only go by you. Everyone heals in their own time, and you only heal when you stop trying to heal. So "trying" to heal paradoxically stops healing.
The tiny bird can't fly until it lets go of the branch. The branch is its current knowledge. You must forget everything you know regarding health and healing, if you want to fly.
Steve |
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art
1903 Posts |
Posted - 09/20/2012 : 08:39:47
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quote:
Originally posted by SteveO
Yes, you can heal, I've seen it hundreds of times. Many of the people I worked with who healed from pain also lost their food allergies at the same time. They are one in the same; overractions to external and internal stimuli--with conflict as the driving force.
Once something is learned it remains forever in the mindbody as memory. It can't be unlearned. CBT folks would say you can "relearn."
It took me about a year and a half to heal all the way. But you can't go by me, you can only go by you. Everyone heals in their own time, and you only heal when you stop trying to heal. So "trying" to heal paradoxically stops healing.
The tiny bird can't fly until it lets go of the branch. The branch is its current knowledge. You must forget everything you know regarding health and healing, if you want to fly.
Steve
Poetic and Zen-like, and I agree for the most part. However this is pretty advanced stuff for a newcomer who no doubt is asked herself, "how do I stop trying to heal?"
While in no way rejecting SteveO's elegant and compelling metaphor, it might be easier mchan, to think in terms of fear/no fear. My experience has been that fear is the fuel that keeps mind-body symptoms going. Reduce the fear substantially enough (which is what would occur when adopting SteveO's general approach), and your symptoms will likely disappear as well. |
Edited by - art on 09/20/2012 08:43:12 |
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andy64tms
USA
589 Posts |
Posted - 09/20/2012 : 18:20:14
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Hi mchan,
Welcome to the forum, I hope you stay. Yes you can heal and be pain free. It happened to me in 2000 when I ran against my chronic lower back pain. Within two days I was pain free from that area to this day.
I know now that I was in a minority for this to happen, and very rare. When this happened I was basically acknowledging that my pain was not structural and was cause by my emotional physiological unhappiness at that time.
I know this healing was a physiological issue for sure. In fact it is the one thing that anchors me to this forum. Here there are many people unsure about many aspects of TMS, that’s why they are here.
I also used to think in terms of unlearning my past, my direction was to journal about my past dysfunctional family in the hope memories would be purged, but guess what? It did not work and I forgot to look into my own personality, which is quite quaint by the way, ask my wife!- Honesty is the best TMS policy.
I wish you luck, stay with us
Andy
Past TMS Experience in 2000, with success.
Taking a break from Wiki Edu. due to windsurfing priorities
Charlie horse on neck for 20 years. (to be evicted soon.)
Books:
Healing Back Pain
Unlearn your Pain
The Great Pain Deception |
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balto
839 Posts |
Posted - 09/20/2012 : 19:32:55
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I agreed with what Art posted above. In my experience dealing with tms/anxiety, fear is the biggest enemy, it is what keep the MB symptoms alive. If you can stop fearing your symptoms, you would elliminate or reduce your symptoms by 90%.
At tmser's, It is difficult for us to be sure if the symptoms is tms/anxiety or not. Conventional medicine and mind body medicine are usually at odd with each other. We got stuck in the middle not knowing who to believe. Usually we don't start to accept tms/anxiety diagnosys until conventional medicine gave up on us and after years of suffering.
Try to search and read about your symptoms at this forum, read about other people's success dealing with their IBS, joins pain,... It will help you believe more that what you have is tms or not. You will realize that you're not alone with your symptoms and others have cured themself using tms treatments.
Tell yourself not to fear your symptoms even if it is not tms. Fear does not do any good for you in your fight against any illness, tms or not. When you are calm, relax, and at peace you help your body fight of any disease much faster, healing come easier.
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No, I don't know everything. I'm just here to share my experience. |
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mchan
USA
75 Posts |
Posted - 09/21/2012 : 19:25:34
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| This is great advice. I made an appointment to see Dr. John Stracks in Chicago, who deals with mind body syndrome. I would really like a for sure diagnosis. For the past 4 years I have been on numerous diets/supplements/ and natural treatments trying to heal. Right now I thought I would "add" the mind body stuff to my current sugar/grain/dairy free diet, and ozone treatments (to get rid of toxins). Are you saying that if I include thinking about these other things, I am messing up my healing? I do the sugar free diet out of fear that I will not get well unless I do. Others with this illness that I know have only improved by following very strict regimes. I find fear behind a lot of my obsession with healing, but I have felt it was due to the physical pain I am living in. I have never been able to stick strictly to the diet for longer than 3 months time without binging and cheating. I get down on myself because I fear I will never get better because I dont have what it takes to get well (being so strict). I have researched a TON about natural healing, so that adds fear that if I do not stick to very healthy diet I will get sick one day, even worse then what I am. The interesting thing is my bladder feels a LOT better while I am eating sugar, but then the natural docs tell me that I am "feeding the yeast and bacteria that cause the autoimmune process" and making myself worse. I don't feel totally better when eating sugar, but while I am not eating it all my symptoms are a lot worse. I convinced myself this was because I was "feeding the bad bacteria and when they were happy they do not hurt me, but when I stop feeding them they die off and create more pain". I use to use sugar as comfort and was highly addicted growing up. Anyway, I appreciate all your advice, the more info I have the better. I cant find too many people who have gotten better from the type of IC I have. I have to pee 20-40 times a day! UGH. Stevo: How long did it take your bladder to improve, and did you do any diets? |
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mchan
USA
75 Posts |
Posted - 09/23/2012 : 18:48:29
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| Can someone tell me where I can find SteveOs book? What is the name of it? |
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andy64tms
USA
589 Posts |
Posted - 09/23/2012 : 20:03:14
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Hi mchan
The book is called "The Great Pain Deception".
Here is the link to Steve Ozanich web site. I bought my copy
here.
http://paindeception.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=156
You can also get it from Amazon.
You can also get Kindle copy from Amazon.
You won't be dissapointed. Perhaps read Sarno first.
Glad your still with us.
Andy
Past TMS Experience in 2000, with success.
Back on Wiki Edu Program day 12
Charlie Horse on neck for 20 years. (to be evicted later.)
Books:
Healing Back Pain
Unlearn your Pain
The Great Pain Deception |
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How can I be sure
