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plum
United Kingdom
641 Posts |
 Posted - 01/24/2013 : 03:03:48
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3. Worrying about or preoccupation with the symptoms (challenging, constantly evaluating them, reacting to them, or trying to make them better) makes you lose your ability to see that you're emotionally uncomfortable. Just use them as a sign that something's not right emotionally.
Interpreting the symptoms as anything other than a sign will impede your progress. Ask yourself, what agenda do I have right now? Is there anything I'm just trying to get over with? Look at the overall general picture to see how uncomfortable you may be.
Also ask do I always do the same thing when the pain is there or especially bad?
If the pain is especially bad ask, is there something different today from the other days (more work to do, deadline, event). Try to be as specific as possible.
Once you find out why, the recognition helps in itself and you can use directed mind power techniques (#10). |
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plum
United Kingdom
641 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2013 : 03:48:17
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A natural evolution from key 2, with the invitation to cloudwatch, and to resist the temptation to describe what we see. It is simply a sensation. I have attached a story, a world of stories to it.
"We use our minds not to discover facts but to hide them. One of the things the screen hides most effectively is the body, our own body, by which I mean, the ins and outs of it, its interiors. Like a veil thrown over the skin to secure its modesty, the screen partially removes from the mind the inner states of the body, those that constitute the flow of life as it wanders in the journey of each day."
~ Antonio Damasio,
The Feeling of What Happens. |
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Racer
USA
129 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2013 : 03:53:40
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Constantly evaluating, especially when the pain was chronic, is a real challenge.
I used to touch or press mildly in the places where I was having pain to see if there is any tenderness to touch. I never touch or test myself now a days. Despite, not having major pains, if I still go near the edges of a table or any object equal to the height of my hip, my mind automatically switches to the alert mode (a defensive mechanism), and increase the sensitivity. However, this again is much better than how it was in the past.
It is more like a habit, we acquired during the years of chronic pain. I believe we can quit any habit which is worthless. |
Edited by - Racer on 01/24/2013 03:56:28 |
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plum
United Kingdom
641 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2013 : 04:10:13
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Racer, you raise one of my bad habits: the touching, probing, rubbing, which never helps.
Ace1 suggests we look at what we do when the pain is especially bad and one thing I have done repeatedly in the past is to (aggresively) massage trigger points. It *worked* once and somehow I carry that into the justification for engaging in a practice that never helps.
I'm finding it difficult to resist touching the painful places, not the least because I do it without thinking or realising. A hard habit to break, and not something to fight but relinquish.
Thanks for flagging this Racer. |
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shawnsmith
Czech Republic
2048 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2013 : 05:16:46
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| I no longer touch, probe or rub those body parts which are hurting because: 1) It does not help alleviate the symptoms in the least, 2) doing so keeps me focused solely on my body which it the purpose of TMS in the first place, 3) I have come to learn that the specific hurting body part does not really matter. In other words, it makes little difference if my foot or arm is aching as it is all just TMS, period. |
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shawnsmith
Czech Republic
2048 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2013 : 07:30:33
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| I had a long post here and lost it. Well, it was not meant to be. |
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bryan3000
USA
513 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2013 : 12:17:23
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Similar to yesterday's Ace of the day, I'm a big proponent of this one. As I've mentioned before, Hillbilly challenged me to read success stories here and find the common thread. It wasn't journaling, it wasn't psychotherapy, it wasn't reading books... it was losing fear of the symptoms.
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chickenbone
Panama
398 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2013 : 12:24:14
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Yep, preoccupation with my pain symptoms has been a major issue for me in the past 4 months. Since my parathyroid surgery was 4 months ago, I assume I was hoping that my pain was caused by that (more denial and delusion). I knew all along that it wasn't.
In this last pain episode that began 2 days ago, I am happy to report more progress. This time I just let the pain BE. I did not create a story for it and I did not fear it anything like I have in the past. Consequently, I have not been totally preoccupied with it and with the "physical" of it. I am not, this time, worrying about it. I tell myself that I have been through this many times before and my worst nightmares about it have not come true. If I continue to react to it the same way as in the past, I will not get cured, so this time I really just did not react much to it at all. This change of thinking has produced some interesting results. I feel the pain/discomfort more as emotional/mental and much less physical. The pain feels more like it really is in my head. I am also being much more gentle with myself.
While focusing on my mental state, I was mortified to realize how much anxiety and anger I am constantly repressing. This came as quite a shock. I am still dealing with that by going back to Ace #1 tip and trying to be constantly aware of when I am feeling the slightest anger , anxiety or frustration. I am clearly seeing some of my more destructive patterns. For example, this morning, I woke up to the sounds of 2 of my dogs furiously scratching themselves. This is an anxiety trigger for me because my dogs have genetic problems that cause them to have constant skin problems. At least one is in the Vet every week. I caught myself experiencing anxiety (which will later lead to anger and victimhood). I decided to put this issue out of my mind until after breakfast when I could deal with it. After that and a good walk with the dogs, I examined their skin, put their collars on and applied their medication. I was able to skip the whole anxiety/anger/victimhood thing, at least over this issue. I think I was able to accomplish this because of Ace's #3 tip to not be preoccupied with the pain because this focus will only intensify the pain and I learned that by removing my focus from the pain diminished the pain so that I was able to take action. I now realize how preoccupation with pain in my life has made it so difficult for me to accomplish important tasks I need to do. |
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chickenbone
Panama
398 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2013 : 12:26:19
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Plum, thanks for posting that gem of wisdom. We can all benefit from it.
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Ace1
USA
1040 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2013 : 12:51:41
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| Im impressed chickenbone, you understand exactly what I mean. You are on the right track. Keep it up. BTW, your dogs itching is not really a genetic problem, but a learned strain from you. I know this because other tension things like myopia was found in only domesticated dogs by Dr. Bates. He was able to look in their eyes with a retinoscope and see it. Look at figure 40 on this link http://www.central-fixation.com/perfect-sight-without-glasses/chapter-9.php I really dont know how to treat an animal for this but I wonder if as you get better, that somehow helps them too. |
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plum
United Kingdom
641 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2013 : 12:59:58
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| Ace1, that turns my mind to Cesar Milan. |
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shawnsmith
Czech Republic
2048 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2013 : 13:07:15
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| Ace1 -- I never understood that Dr. Bates reference in relation to TMS. I read the article and was left scratching my head in perplexity. |
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plum
United Kingdom
641 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2013 : 13:15:18
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quote:
Originally posted by bryan3000
Similar to yesterday's Ace of the day, I'm a big proponent of this one. As I've mentioned before, Hillbilly challenged me to read success stories here and find the common thread. It wasn't journaling, it wasn't psychotherapy, it wasn't reading books... it was losing fear of the symptoms.
Says it all my dear.
Nothing to fear but fear itself. |
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balto
839 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2013 : 13:34:12
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quote:
Originally posted by bryan3000
Similar to yesterday's Ace of the day, I'm a big proponent of this one. As I've mentioned before, Hillbilly challenged me to read success stories here and find the common thread. It wasn't journaling, it wasn't psychotherapy, it wasn't reading books... it was losing fear of the symptoms.
That was exactly how I got rid of my tms/anxiety for good, no more fear no more symptoms.
usually thoughts of the past started our symptoms, thoughts of the future keep our symptoms alive, kill them both and keep our thought in the present and we'll be free from symptoms.
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No, I don't know everything. I'm just here to share my experience. |
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Ace1
USA
1040 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2013 : 14:30:47
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| Shawn, the problem is really a strain not some unconscious process that dr sarno talks about. The strain becomes habitual and more intense and I guess at the point it feels normal to the patient and I guess you can call that unconscience. The problem with nearsightness is the same thing - a mental strain leading to a strain with the eyes. A lot of his articles talks about how strain is the problem not the use of the eyes but the way they are abused by forcing them to work past their capability. Similar to tms. Just read underneath figure 40 in the link above and see if you still have questions. |
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eric watson
USA
601 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2013 : 16:23:34
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this is awesome -its how to know your stressors
and the clues to how and find them.
then what to do to get rid of them
mind power. at its best-
thanks ace
thanks plum
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Edited by - eric watson on 01/24/2013 16:25:58 |
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chickenbone
Panama
398 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2013 : 16:35:36
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Ace1, I think you are right about my dogs, especially the one that is the closest to me emotionally. I have noticed that she doesn't scratch much when she is with my husband or others. I seem to be somehow transmitting this mental strain/anxiety to her. And then, poor thing, I get irritated with her for scratching. I will keep this in mind and it will give me added impetus to recover. That will help her also.
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eric watson
USA
601 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2013 : 17:35:22
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good thoughts chickenbone-i just recently learned
how our loving animals start to act like us over time-
i think in my sisters house all the dogs got tms-i go over and its really funny-the bunch comes out acheing and hurting and the dogs do too.ive tried to tell them about tms healing but as steveo said-thats almost impossible if they dont want to hear it-its the defense mechanism working fine for them.i really break in my heart for them knowing that they can heal but the work of the sabatoer persist-
if they just knew -the mechanism is there most powerful allie |
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chickenbone
Panama
398 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2013 : 20:13:10
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| That's right Eric, my poor puppies!! |
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plum
United Kingdom
641 Posts |
Posted - 01/25/2013 : 05:03:34
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chickenbone,
My brothers dog recently had behavioural therapy. I laughed my *** off and kindly told my brother that the little dog is fine and that he's been driven insane by city living and my brothers anxiety. I'm going to send him a copy of one of Cesar Milan's books. He's a dog whisperer. Have you ever seen his show?
He bases his philosophy on three principles:
Exercise. Discipline. Affection.
And the firm belief that animals never go nuts in the wild and only ever inherit our neurosis when domesticated.
My brothers dog also had skin problems, had to be put on a special and very expensive diet, saw a doggie shrink...and it's not him. Poor little fella. |
Edited by - plum on 01/25/2013 05:10:10 |
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shawnsmith
Czech Republic
2048 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2013 : 04:43:38
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| Bumping this up to the top for discussion. |
Edited by - shawnsmith on 02/25/2013 14:48:06 |
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Topic |
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Ace of the Day - Day 3
