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mala
Hong Kong
774 Posts |
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eric watson
USA
601 Posts |
 Posted - 12/01/2012 : 04:22:17
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At some point during my three years of chronic pain, I had stumbled on a book by Dr. John Sarno on Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS). I bought the book, read the first couple of pages, and then tossed it aside as quackery. There it sat on a bookshelf for over a year, until one December morning in 2010 I reached a state of desperation—I had tried everything, I was going to a physical therapist weekly, I was spending hours on my back each day, and my pain was as bad as it ever was. So I finally dusted off the Sarno book and started reading. I was in a desperate hurry to understand my pain, so after a few pages I went to my computer and looked for videos online that would deliver a large dose of "convincing" in a short period of time. I watched a video of a 20/20 segment on TMS by ABC News anchor John Stossel, where he examines the condition through his own personal experience with back pain. The segment was excellent, and I found that it helped me overcome much of my skepticism. I then went back to the book and read some more, with an open mind and a willingness to take it seriously.
I wasn't very far into the book before I had to get to work that morning. Between the Stossel segment and what I had read of Sarno's book, I had acquired a new sense of hope and a nascent belief that I finally understood what was going on with my back. As I walked to work, I put into practice some of what I had learned that morning: I simply talked to my mind. "Stop it!" I said to my subconscious. "I know what you're doing! You are trying to distract me from something else! I'm onto you!" Within hours, and despite what started as a "bad pain day," the pain promptly melted away for the rest of that day!
That uncharacteristically warm December morning in northern California saw the beginning of the end of my years of back pain. Over the next few weeks, the pain would come back regularly, often severely. But each time it came back, I used the strategies I was learning from several books on TMS to beat it down (more on these strategies in the next section). The pain did not want to go: when I conquered it in my upper back, it would come back in my lower back, pretending to be something new and unrelated. When I conquered it there, it would move to my neck, or even morph into a headache. During those few weeks, the pain often became particularly severe, as if it knew that it was losing the battle and was trying to fight back. But I stuck with the treatment, as I believed deeply that I knew what my condition was: my subconscious mind restricting blood supply to specific muscles in an attempt to cause pain—pain that would distract me from worries which were uncomfortable to tackle directly. That is TMS, and the key to defeating it is knowing thy enemy, and appreciating that it is as intelligent and cunning as you are.
After a battle that lasted perhaps a month or two, I had won. I was pain free, day in and day out. I could sit at my computer, I could hunch over, and I could do anything I pleased like a normal person. I no longer spent hours each day tending to my back. This was more than a year ago, and I remain victorious. Sure, every once in a while after months of pain-free living, the condition would attempt to rear its ugly head. But all I have to do is remind myself of what I was dealing with and it would promptly melt away, often in a matter of minutes
mala thanks for the great post-this part reminds me so much of what ive been thru.... |
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Peregrinus
250 Posts |
Posted - 12/01/2012 : 06:29:46
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Mala:
Thank you for pointing out this excellent testimonial. It is really well written and by a fellow mathematician. I recommend it strongly.
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 12/01/2012 : 08:57:47
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quote:
Excerpted from: http://www.pgbovine.net/back-pain-guest-article.htm
...read the first couple of pages, and then tossed it aside as quackery.
...I reached a state of desperation—I had tried everything, I was going to a physical therapist weekly, I was spending hours on my back each day, and my pain was as bad as it ever was.
...I watched a video of a 20/20 segment on TMS by ABC News anchor John Stossel...The segment was excellent...
...I then went back to the book and read some more, with an open mind and a willingness to take it seriously.
...I had acquired a new sense of hope and a nascent belief that I finally understood what was going on with my back.
...I put into practice some of what I had learned that morning: I simply talked to my mind.
..."Stop it!" I said to my subconscious. "I know what you're doing!
...You are trying to distract me from something else! I'm onto you!" Within hours, and despite what started as a "bad pain day," the pain promptly melted away for the rest of that day!
...Over the next few weeks, the pain would come back regularly, often severely.
...The pain did not want to go: when I conquered it in my upper back, it would come back in my lower back, pretending to be something new and unrelated. When I conquered it there, it would move to my neck, or even morph into a headache.
...During those few weeks, the pain often became particularly severe, as if it knew that it was losing the battle and was trying to fight back.
...But I stuck with the treatment,
...my subconscious mind restricting blood supply to specific muscles in an attempt to cause pain—
...pain that would distract me from worries which were uncomfortable to tackle directly.
...That is TMS, and the key to defeating it is knowing thy enemy, and appreciating that it is as intelligent and cunning as you are.
...After a battle that lasted perhaps a month or two, I had won. I was pain free, day in and day out.
...I could sit at my computer, I could hunch over, and I could do anything I pleased like a normal person.
...I no longer spent hours each day tending to my back.
...Sure, every once in a while after months of pain-free living, the condition would attempt to rear its ugly head.
...all I have to do is remind myself of what I was dealing with and it would promptly melt away, often in a matter of minutes
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Edited by - tennis tom on 12/01/2012 09:02:13 |
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Dr. Zafirides
189 Posts |
Posted - 12/01/2012 : 18:01:12
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This story is a perfect example of the amazing strength and power all of us possess.
Just beautiful. Thanks you for sharing this link with us, Mala.
Don't ever doubt your strength. You will triumph over the pain of TMS.
-Dr. Z
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Edited by - Dr. Zafirides on 12/01/2012 18:01:24 |
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An encouraging tms story
