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robbokop
United Kingdom
75 Posts |
 Posted - 05/11/2005 : 08:40:27
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I'm confused.
I can't work out how I managed to cope with my Mother's suicide without any physical symptoms, and a year later when my girlfriend moved out and left me(she moved in with someone else after two weeks after telling me they were just friends when we were together) and yet now my hands are painfully cold a lot of the time and I'm supposed to put this down to repressed emotion. Surely those events would have caused near disability if the Sarno theory is applied? My life has stresses now, but nothing near that scale. Any advice greatly appreciated.
Rob |
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Dave
USA
1864 Posts |
Posted - 05/11/2005 : 08:54:33
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With such a traumatic event, only a professional therapist is in position to draw conclusions. So take this for what it's worth.
Generally speaking, TMS is not about conscious stress. It is about unconscious pressures and fears. The suicide affected you on an unconscious level in ways you do not realize. Your girlfriend abandoned you which stirred the unconscious feelings, such as fear of abandonment.
The pool of rage has many ingredients. Stressful events might add to the pool, but if it is not in danger of overflowing, TMS symptoms do not occur. It's when the pool threatens to overflow that TMS kicks in to protect you from feeling the rage. |
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Baseball65
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - 05/11/2005 : 11:29:27
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Hi Rob.
In regards to : quote:
Surely those events would have caused near disability if the Sarno theory is applied?
One of the things to remember is that certain traumatic emotional events are impossible to repress...Mom's suicide,Girlfriend cheating and leaving...these are both very significant upheavals...Sarno does talk about situations which are so stressful that the repression mechanism doesn't engage because there is already enough 'distraction' inherent in the event.
I had no TMS through many events(going to jail,2 trials,friend hit and killed right in front of me,cheating girlfriend,being 'hunted' by a rival 'crew')...all of these were sooooo painful and scary that there was probably very little repressed anything.
When I had my 'reynauds'-like symptoms it was relatively minor stuff like irksome bosses,working cruddy night shifts,etc.
In fact,at the time I knew nothing of TMS and only thought I had a circulatory problem....I tried Niacin flush once and got that nasty Niacin 'rush' and STILL had ice cold feet.
After discovering Sarno and reynauds as a conversion symptom,when it happened I just ignored it and it went away....good thing I never went to a doctor!
Remember,it's just the knowing that it's trying to distract you that makes the symptom stop....you don't always have to figure it out.
I am sorry to hear about your Mother....I worry about mine all the time and it terrifies me to think of losing her.
peace
Baseball65 |
Edited by - Baseball65 on 05/11/2005 11:31:10 |
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robbokop
United Kingdom
75 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2005 : 07:31:14
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Thank you both for your kind and helpful words.
I am feeling a whole lot better today, and more ready to take on whatever comes my way even if I have to do it with cold hands for the time being!
Rob
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miehnesor
USA
430 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2005 : 14:16:20
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Rob- Dave's explanation sounds pretty reasonable to me. It is helpful to try and understand why your symptoms come and go because it can help you identify what the repressed stuff is all about. When the feelings get closer to surfacing you will have more TMS symptoms. I try to take advantage of the increased symptoms to try and feel the rage. When i've got really bad symptoms the rage is actually very easy for me to trigger. It's harder to access when the symptoms ease.
I had a friend many years ago who committed suicide and I can remember first feeling a lot of sadness but then later feeling a lot of anger that he would just leave this world and the people that he knew and loved (even though I knew he was manic depressed and was a sick person).
Abandonment is probably an issue for you. Under your cercumstances I don't see how it could not be. Abandonment I suspect is a big issue for me as well. It's probably a big deal for many TMS'ers. |
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robbokop
United Kingdom
75 Posts |
Posted - 05/13/2005 : 10:18:58
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Hi guys.
I agree with your points - I also think that once you get in the cycle of thinking about the symptom more and more, all you do is exacerbate the problem even if there is no particular emotional issue. In my instance, the cold symptoms initially started a few months back when I came into work and then would warm up when I left to go home. I'm sure there were underlying emotions there then - however, the symptoms have increased and become obsessive. In other words, I am saying that the initial emotional reason might have dispersed because you have worked through it but it may be possible for the symptom to live on as a conditioned habit. What do y'all think?
Rob
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Edited by - robbokop on 05/13/2005 14:07:43 |
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Confused
