| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Shary |
Posted - 07/30/2007 : 10:14:40
...totally, completely, 100 percent gone. After two long years of struggling with back, neck, shoulder and sciatic pain, I am finally painfree. I can do things, go places, exercise without fear, and not need 10 hours of sleep just to function.
The secret, at least for me, was to recognize I'd done all I could from a psychological standpoint, and that I needed to start being more PHYSICALLY proactive toward my own recovery. In that respect, I owe my thanks to a doctor who actually took the time to listen and to the anti-inflammatory drug he prescribed on a temporary basis. I hate taking drugs of any kind, but yes, there was a boatload of inflammation all over my upper body. If you have severely involuntarily contracted muscles over a long period of time, you are also going to have inflammation, even though it might not be visible to you. (This explained why I couldn't do even the easiest exercises without causing crippling pain. The anti-inflammatory agent allowed me to break the pain-motion-pain cycle I'd gotten bound up in.) I also received invaluable help from a Feldenkreis practitioner, a lady who does Cranial-Sacral work, and of course, from the writings of Sarno, who taught me to unload all the emotional baggage I'd been carrying around for a lot of years.
Most of all, I owe my recovery to the postings of Hillbilly, this website, for mentioning Hanna Somatics, which I'd never heard of. The Hanna book taught me that although the origin of my pain was psychological and/or trauma induced, nothing good (or lasting) would happen until I corrected the resulting physical problems; i.e., the screwed-up, crosswired input my tension-tight muscles were receiving from my brain. After beginning the somatics, recovery was rapid, including release of a frozen left shoulder.
I know there are those of you who will say I never had TMS in the first place. And you may be right. But if it wasn't TMS it was sure a dead ringer. I had all the symptoms and many of the equivalents. But in the course of finding daylight at the end of the tunnel, I found out that sometimes it isn't enough to think psychological.
To those of you out there reading this, you may very well have TMS. But sometimes, if symptoms are severe--or if you've gone through this more than once, as I did--it becomes necessary to PHYSICALLY address the physical aspects of psychologically induced pain. |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| kiwi |
Posted - 08/17/2007 : 21:42:47
FWIW I would like to support the OP's view.
I've had back / neck / etc pain for 20+ years and originally read Sarno 5 years ago. I've worked on Sarno stuff off and on with varying intensities and although it helped never quite made it over the hump.
I saw the reference to the Hanna material here 6 weeks ago and look it up on the internet and then got the book from the library. I am now much better than before although I'm still working on both the repudiation and emotional understanding elements to continue improving.
My personal theory is that Sarno is right about cause and about attacking the cause. But. When you've had the problems a long time you've learnt habits/movements/postures/tightness/etc that prolong the problems. The Hanna material is a way of educating your mind to recognize whats happening in your body. When you feel it better then you can recognize the problem better and apply the mental/emotional aspects better.
FWIW it has made a substantial difference for me too. May you all be well and happy.  |
| cheeryquery |
Posted - 08/14/2007 : 07:18:32
I absolutely believe my pain, etc. is TMS and have had enormous success in dealing with many different symptoms. Yet, tomorrow, I'm going to call a guy who does some kind of weird Japanese body work. Why? Because right now I am in the throes of challenging my ego with a huge whole house cleanup. My husband is a packrat and has finally given the okay to throw out some of his precious garbage and rearrange the rest. This has meant weeks of chaos and hard, hard work while he sits in his nightgown (he has a "bad" cold -- hah, hah) watching me work. The house is a mess, I'm exhausted and my TMS is kicking up all over the place.
Naturally I am freaking furious. Part of me would kill the bastard if it could (lucky for him, the rest of me still wants him around).
So, why the weird Japanese guy? Because there is no Hanna practitioner here (yes, it worked wonderfully for me when I was so enraged a few years ago that I could only hobble sideways instead of a normal walk) and I don't like the sacro-cranial therapist (yes, a previous one practically saved my life). And reiki, etc., are just a little too flaky for me. I prefer something that at least brushes up against science.
Will it work? Yes, it will. I don't know how, but I can tell about these things. LOL on me.
I quit posting here because I couldn't stand Tennis Tom's politics (although I like him, personally) and also I got sick of people telling me to leave my husband of 42 years. The point of this message board is, I hope, to provide info and support so that people can make their own progress towards health. Life is complicated. If something works for Shary or anybody else then so be it.
My husband says I need a round of "therapeutic touching" every few years and it annoys him that I view him as "the problem", not the solution, in my life. Actually, I do know that the problem is me. If I didn't have him to enrage my narcissism then it would very likely be something or somebody else. |
| weatherman |
Posted - 08/13/2007 : 09:37:37
I agree, the mind/body thing absolutely goes both ways. Ask any compulsive aerobic exerciser (like me) what happens to their state of mind when they're stopped from doing it for any period - particuarly when it's because of an "injury" - real or imagined. There's certainly a chicken and egg aspect to the whole thing.
Weatherman
"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement." |
| h2oskier25 |
Posted - 08/13/2007 : 08:16:34
quote:
Originally posted by carbar
Shawn wrote:
quote:
Yeah, tell that to Tennis Tom.
ShawnSmith = The New and Improved Tennis Tom. Deal with it.
Except Tennis Tom's posts were interesting and funny. I mean, really, TT had a greater sense of humor than anybody I've seen on this board.
Don't flame me --
I like a lot of things ShawnSmith says, but sometimes he's patronizing and annoying with his quiz question like posts.
The entertainment value of TT is not even closely matched by Shawn.
Beth |
| Woodchuck |
Posted - 08/11/2007 : 14:13:12
quote:
Originally posted by sensei adam rostocki
The end certainly justifies the means...Congrats on being pain free, regardless of how you got there. My best for your continued good health! - Sensei
CURE-BACK-PAIN(dot)ORG
DITTO on whatever works! Good for you Shary!
Woodchuck |
| Penny |
Posted - 08/07/2007 : 10:06:20
Congrats Shary!!!!! That's encouraging news. Be sure to post your story in the success story folder too.
>|< Penny
"Feeling will get you closer to the truth of who you are than thinking."
~ Eckhart Tolle
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| carbar |
Posted - 08/05/2007 : 21:17:36
Shawn wrote:
quote:
Yeah, tell that to Tennis Tom.
ShawnSmith = The New and Improved Tennis Tom. Deal with it.
LOL   |
| shawnsmith |
Posted - 08/02/2007 : 20:06:44
quote:
Originally posted by armchairlinguist
If anything, non-purists are are ones who are maligned on this board.
Yeah, tell that to Tennis Tom.
*******
Sarno-ize it!
Read chapter 4 of Dr. Sarno's "The Divided Mind." It's all you need to know in order to recover. |
| JohnD |
Posted - 08/02/2007 : 19:42:03
ACL,
Totally agree about using both paths. My attitude is that we should open ourselves up to all avenues of improving ourselves and our health. I think some people especially TMS beginners need to be attached to the "physical exercise has no benefit except for general health" idea....and that is fine, its where some need to be. But for me, I don't just want to be tms free, I want to feel great in my body as well as my mind, and in order to feel great physically (which is different from being pain free) most people need some sort of physical modalities and interventions since we all have various kinks in our bodies |
| armchairlinguist |
Posted - 08/02/2007 : 17:53:12
Shawn, you really seem to enjoy playing the part of the much-maligned, misunderstood purveyor of pure and complete TMS wisdom.
Give me a break. If anything, non-purists are are ones who are maligned on this board.
--
Wherever you go, there you are. |
| shawnsmith |
Posted - 08/02/2007 : 16:55:59
Sarno purists are always maligned, especially on TMS boards. Having a great day!!!!
*******
Sarno-ize it!
Read chapter 4 of Dr. Sarno's "The Divided Mind." It's all you need to know in order to recover. |
| CrystalP |
Posted - 08/02/2007 : 14:14:27
I just want to offer one word of caution about Celebrex. I was on 200 mg twice daily for about 6 months, then reduced the dosage to one per day for about 3 months until I finally stopped using the drug, mostly from fear of the increased risk for stroke and heart attack. I can honestly state that I do not feel any worse since I stopped using the drug, therefore I have to conclude that the drug was doing me no good and I didn't want the risk without the benefit. Celebrex, as with all other NSAID class of drugs comes with some pretty nasty side effects. Weigh the risk and the benefit carefully. As Shary says.. it worked for her without long-term use or dependency. Great news and congrats! |
| armchairlinguist |
Posted - 08/02/2007 : 12:02:34
I think that techniques like Somatics, Feldenkrais, and Alexander, that work with the bodymind, can work well with Sarno's mindbody techniques. The conjunction of the two can be more powerful than either alone. Having done a lot of this kind of work when I was in pain, I noticed what HilaryN mentioned, which is that the two kinds of release/improvement tend to go together. Without the bodywork I did, I doubt I would have ever been in a state fit to start thinking about Sarno.
Some people work better in one direction, some in the other. No point in being too pure if it doesn't work.
--
Wherever you go, there you are. |
| JohnD |
Posted - 08/02/2007 : 09:50:36
Hilary,
Did you ever experience a shift in thinking/emotions etc... from a physical method? |
| skizzik |
Posted - 08/01/2007 : 16:43:03
quote:
Originally posted by shawnsmith
Hanna Somatics = placebo. Sorry
I love quotes like this from shawn, they make me crack up (i'm niether agreeing or not) like House's comments.
If it is a placebo effect, at least Shary knows it is/was absolutely TMS since she's no longer in pain.
Again, this is great news Shary. To me its a bummer there arn't more success stories here. I've gone back and read many of your posts from May and you were struggling but persistent, I'm happy for you! |
| HilaryN |
Posted - 08/01/2007 : 16:07:27
Shary, I’m glad you’re better. Congrats!
quote:
(JohnD)if there is a mindbody connection then whos to say there isn't a bodymind connection
Agreed. I have several years’ experience of Alexander Technique, and it’s common for people who get a physical release to also experience a mental release at the same time. I think that’s what made it easy for me to believe Sarno’s book.
quote:
(Shawn) Hanna Somatics = placebo.
Having a bad day, Shawn?
Who cares if it’s placebo – as long as one is pain-free. If you mean that something else could pop up in its place – well, the same could be said of a TMS cure.
By the way, does anyone know why Hillbilly removed his posts? Seems a shame. But as long as he’s better, that’s the main thing.
Hilary N |
| stanfr |
Posted - 08/01/2007 : 15:14:30
Congrats, Shary--that's great news!
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| JohnD |
Posted - 08/01/2007 : 14:38:16
I don't anything about Hanna Somatics, but calling it a placebo may or may not be incorrect. What I'm saying is, what if Shary eliminated all her TMS pain, and then used a physical modality to improve her body, and therefore could also improve her mind which in turn improves her body...mindbody to bodymind and back to mindbody. Ok thats a mouthfull, but if there is a mindbody connection then whos to say there isn't a bodymind connection (which 99.9% or possibly 100% of medical/chiro/PT interventions aren't able to provide because they are based on falsehood). I mean after all, long before yoga and variations of it became a something you do at Bally's for 30 minutes on Wednesday, there were people who used it as a tool for enlightenment.
Now of course this goes a little beyond what people are coming to this website for, as most only need to learn the basic tms techniques to get what they need/want.
Not sure if anyone is following what I'm saying or even wants to and thats ok, but I think a quote that Wayne Dyer said sums up what I'm saying...."Have a Mind that is Open to Everything and Attached to Nothing"
Having said all that. Hanna Somatics is probably very well a placebo when it comes to TMS pain. But anyone who is well developed person knows that there are many facets to being a well developed person. Mental, emotional, spiritual and physical development are all necessary aspects of oneself to develop. Someone who develops all these aspects of herself doesn't need to rely on a TMS theory and swear off all physical modalities because they don't need to. They won't fall into a bottomless pit of pain, sort of like an alcoholic who has one drink and can't stop. They instead would just have an inner trust and knowing about what is helpful to them etc...
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| shawnsmith |
Posted - 08/01/2007 : 14:10:24
Hanna Somatics = placebo. Sorry
*******
Sarno-ize it!
Read chapter 4 of Dr. Sarno's "The Divided Mind." It's all you need to know in order to recover. |
| Shary |
Posted - 07/31/2007 : 10:57:51
Mala,
I took two 200 mg. capsules a day for a week or so, then dropped back to one a day for a while. As of a few days ago I no longer need it, probably because my muscles have freed up and begun to respond to movement and exercise. The doctor prescribed Celebrex for me because other drugs make me bleed, even the OTC stuff. Celebrex didn't do that.
This is what worked for me but everybody is different. Something else might be better for you. Try to give the Sarno system a fair chance first, if you can. |
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