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Scout
USA
20 Posts |
 Posted - 04/03/2005 : 16:04:41
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I have been posting the last week after an acute attack of TMS. I have been reading the forum and Sarno's books a lot each day. I also ordered Siegel's book on advice from some past post. Of all of the information I have gleamed the last week here is what is the most helpful for me presently:
1) I found the quote "do not speak of injured limb" on a past post. I have noticed that anytime someone asks me about my back it brings on more symptoms. In addition, anytime I discuss my symptoms it shifts my focus back to the physical. I am trying to not talk about the pain and focus on other things.
2) The concept of mindfulness comes up in Siegel's book and I think it pertains to a lot of the chronic problems I have been having. I am constantly thinking of next week, summer, year with back problems. Those thoughts are far more disturbing to me than what is happening right now. I will be exercising and feeling okay and immediately think about what might happen if I overdue it. I am using the technique to focus on my breath or say something over and over again whenever I am fixating on the future. I notice the present pain but I am trying not to attribute it to what might happen in the future.
Thanks for letting me write
Scout |
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Tunza
New Zealand
198 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2005 : 16:43:27
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quote:
1) I found the quote "do not speak of injured limb" on a past post. I have noticed that anytime someone asks me about my back it brings on more symptoms. In addition, anytime I discuss my symptoms it shifts my focus back to the physical. I am trying to not talk about the pain and focus on other things.
Hi Scout. I've found this invaluable too. What often happens to me is that one of my TMS-prone areas won't hurt for a while and then I'll think to myself, "Oh - my [whatever] hasn't hurt for weeks" and bam, next morning I'll wake up with it sore.
Crazy stuff this TMS.
Kat |
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n/a
374 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2005 : 05:54:23
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Scout - your post could have been me writing! I lived permanently in a haze of, 'What ifs' and agonising over situations that were long gone. Like you, I would worry away at my back if it wasn't painful - with the result that it would inevitably become so. It took a whole lot of reading, thinking and self-analysis to get to where I am today - in a much healthier and happier place.
I had to learn techniques for living mindfully - practising over and over until my brain reprogrammed itself. I used Jon Kabut-Zinn's ideas, but there are many other writers who are equally helpful, I know.
I've been reading John Bradshaw's 'Homecoming,' (Miehnesor has posted on Bradshaw's work - who advocates reclaiming your inner-child). Bradshaw says, "Unresolved emotion from the past is often turned against the self. "
He labels it, 'Acting In.'
He goes on to say, "Emotional energy that is acted in can cause severe physical problems including gastrointestinal disorders, headaches, backaches, neck aches, severe muscle tension, arthritis, asthma, heart attacks and cancer." As you can see, Bradshaw goes even further than Dr Sarno.
I didn't realise that there was so much good writing on anxiety conditions, until I began to recover from TMS after reading MBP.
Best wishes - the insight you have developed will carry you along the road to recovery.
Anne |
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Scout
USA
20 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2005 : 10:40:48
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What are some of the specific techniques that you use? I cannot believe how often my mind wanders when I am trying to focus on just breathing or a repeated phrase.
Scout |
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n/a
374 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2005 : 03:56:02
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Hi Scout
Like you, I found that breathing exercises and simple mantras alone were not enough to keep me focussed on the here and now.
I've become very good at it now, though. I'm off out for the rest of he day and won't be back till late, so I'll post the things that I tried and how I got on tomorrow.
One thing I'll say now though - the process of trying different things and reading books and other publications - ranging from very helpful to not helpful at all - was in itself a major factor in changing my mindset, so don't consider that trying something that doesn't work for you, is a waste of your time - it isn't - it will all help with the healing process.
Take care
Anne |
Edited by - n/a on 04/05/2005 03:56:36 |
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Colleen
USA
138 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2005 : 18:35:13
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Jon Kabat-Zinn's work out of UMASS Medical is great. The CD's on mindfulness really help.
Colleen |
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n/a
374 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2005 : 11:14:02
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Hi again, Scout
Learning to live in the present and get rid of the, 'What ifs', is a process of retraining your brain. You'll probably have been the way you describe since childhood, maybe had a parent who was like that - I did, my mother still is, in fact.
I was luckily in the position of being able to give up work and my children were both grown up and had left home, so I had plenty time to try things out.
What got me started on the whole living mindfully idea was while I was still treating my TMS back pain as something physical, I was having weekly physio sessions with a physiotherapist who believed that pain could be made worse, or even caused by psychological factors. I'd brought up the fact that I was coming round to the idea that stress etc was involved in my pain.
It turned out that she was a great fan of Louise Hay and she lent me some of her books. Louise Hay goes too far for me and I didn't really find her ideas helpful (although I know that some people who post here do).
The next thing she suggested was that she teach me Autogenic Training. It's a form of deep relaxation. This I did like very much. It had a lasting calming effect. It does need a fair bit of time devoted to it every day at first and I'm not sure how I'd have got on if I had taught it to myself from a book. Autogenics seem to be more popular in Europe than in America.
Here's a website address that will tell you more about it if you are interested -
http://stress.about.com/cs/relaxation/a/aa030501.htm
During the time I was seeing that physio and practising autogenics, I found out about TMS and Dr Sarno's work. I read MBP and made a huge step towards recovery. However, I kept having relapses and was still very anxious/depressed. I stopped all physical treatments on reading MBP and a few months later began psychotherapy. My therapist identified very early that I had trouble living in the present and she put me on to Jon Kabat-Zinn. I agree with Colleen. His methods are great.
I read his book, 'Full Catastrophe Living', then sent for his relaxation and yoga CDs. The great thing about the CDs - you can just put them on, relax and follow his voice. He is an expert in teaching living mindfully techniques.
As well as programmes designed to help, I worked out other ways to help myself. I read somewhere that certain activities are very good for relaxation and keeping a person in the here and now. They need to be able to keep one's attention, but not so difficult that they can induce stress.
Activities like knitting, embroidery, painting, drawing - basically the traditional type of hobbies.
I loved knitting as a child, so I started that again - my first efforts were dire, but that didn't matter.
Another thing that I did - I went out walking every day. I am very lucky to live in a beautiful part of Scotland, so that was no hardship, and I'd take one photograph with my digital camera. Later that day, I'd write a description of what I'd photographed and just wrote whatever came into my head.
Gradually, I managed to re-train my brain. I'm convinced that it's not so much the programme that you choose (all of them that have been around for a long time and are tried and tested have merit); it's the process of reading, thinking and exploring ways to keep you focussed on the present that does the trick.
Don't be afraid to chop and change - if one method isn't what you are after, find out about something else until you find something that really appeals.
I worked with the Kabat Zinn programme for around a year, then I read Rick Carson's 'Taming Your Gremlin'. Now, if I feel the need to 'revise' , I just breathe along to his Gremlin Taming mantra. This would definitely not have been enough at the beginning, I needed things that were more intensive, but it's all I need now.
Best wishes
Anne
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Scout
USA
20 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2005 : 12:05:14
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Thank you very much for taking to the time to post this information!
Scout |
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Stryder
686 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2005 : 21:04:07
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quote:
Originally posted by AnneG
Don't be afraid to chop and change - if one method isn't what you are after, find out about something else until you find something that really appeals.
Hi Anne,
Nice quote, "chop and change". Helps me to stop obsessing about things and get rid of old useless thoughts and baggage.
Thanks, -Stryder |
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miehnesor
USA
430 Posts |
Posted - 04/07/2005 : 17:46:18
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quote:
Originally posted by AnneG
I've been reading John Bradshaw's 'Homecoming,' (Miehnesor has posted on Bradshaw's work - who advocates reclaiming your inner-child). Bradshaw says, "Unresolved emotion from the past is often turned against the self. "
He labels it, 'Acting In.'
He goes on to say, "Emotional energy that is acted in can cause severe physical problems including gastrointestinal disorders, headaches, backaches, neck aches, severe muscle tension, arthritis, asthma, heart attacks and cancer." As you can see, Bradshaw goes even further than Dr Sarno.
Anne
Anne- Your post reminds me of a discussion I had with John Bradshaw during one of his workshops. It was a couple years ago when I discussed with him my chronic TMS and that I had numbed out starting in infancy. (At the time I hadn't discovered some of the repressed emotions that I've subsequently felt.) I told him of my situation and his response shocked me. He said something like - For that kind of problem you need to look at body work - another words focusing on the muscles instead of the psyche. It's too bad that he has that attitude because the inner child concept that he supports I think can be very helpful with problems such as TMS.
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2 Things that have helped me!
