| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| NicoleSachsLCSW |
Posted - 05/20/2013 : 14:07:35
Hello lovely TMS Forum folks!
My name is Nicole, and perhaps you've heard a bit of my story. I'm here today because after an insanely busy and difficult time, it seems I have a moment to sit down and write. From time to time I am able to read people's concerns here, and on related sites.
I am an alumnus of Dr. Sarno's, and a speaker on his panels in NYC for years before his retirement. I struggle to convey the depths of my belief in TMS, as each of your posts are SO VALID, and still all I want to do is beg you to believe that TMS is as real as your reflection in the mirror. Without this certainty, it is nearly impossible to heal fully.
Let me tell you why: (and I will skip my WHOLE story, as many know it and it is written in full in my book, so I could never do it justice on a post.) I can tell you, however, my story TODAY. My story is that my death sentence was lifted the day I embraced TMS fully and healed with Dr. Sarno 10 years ago, but as I am human and flawed like you, I still must work hard daily to combat the reality of this phenomena. I may be healed, but my body still is a little pain in the ass, and bugs me with pain when I am too stubborn to look at my issues and my truth.
Don't get me wrong - I no longer fear that something is physically wrong with me. I'm just a stubborn Taurus and sometimes I just don't feel like slowing my own pace to look at my truths in the face (which I KNOW to be the only road to enduring healing.) The curse of my life is that I can't even pretend to go to a pain management Dr. or do the research on why I am hurting. I know TMS is real, as I've lived through a transformative life experience which leaves no question. It is the purist definition of "real" I've ever felt, but that doesn't mean I don't fight with it! I say, "I'll deal with you tomorrow! Leave me alone!!!"
It says, "Fine. No worries. You'll just hurt til then!"
UGH!!! TMS I HATE YOU!!!
Yet, i appreciate you, because my life is my own. I am not afraid. And largely, I am pain free. When my pain comes, it comes in a predictable pattern (as I've already let it know that it can't trick me anymore,) and I look at it like an old frememy who drives me nuts but I love too much to cut off. We argue. I say, "Leave me alone! Can't you see that I just want to have a nice afternoon with my mom!!!" It says, "You know you're not dealing with the way you FEEL about your mom." I say, "F You." It says, "No worries, I'll just keep you in pain." And so on. We like to do this dance...
Then eventually, I've had enough. I turn to my journal, or my therapist, or my own quiet thoughts as I lay in bed. I excavate my truth as I've learned to do. I am unafraid (I can teach you how to do this for yourself as well as I do it,) and then my brain relents. "Ok, you've got me." It says. I say, "I know. I just wasn't ready 'til now."
And so it goes, until our next battle.
I'm sure that this won't make perfect sense to some people, but my message is this: If you can bring yourself to embrace what I'm saying, and cultivate the bravery to seek your deepest truth without fear or apology (no one needs to hear but you,) I PROMISE you, you can heal. No, really. I actually promise. I've been doing this for over 10 years and I watch it all the time in my body. I know it works. Your body will be your proof.
Two things that can explain this further:
1) I wrote a book, and it's not perfect or the best TMS book out there, but it's honest and raw, and for you. It's called The Meaning of Truth. You can get it on Amazon or iTunes or B&N or Lulu.
2) Stephanie Browner (my dear friend and my former Sarno Alumni pal) and I are donating our time to Dr. John Stracks of Northwestern University and the Northwestern Integrative MindBody Medicine Program to recreate an Alumni Panel for people who would like to experience it virtually on May 30th from 6-8pm, Eastern. The flyer link is below. Maybe you would like to check it out. I'm not sure if there is a price for simply calling in, but Dr. Stracks' office can let you know. I'm not receiving any compensation, so I can't be sure of the money thing. I just want every person interested to have the info.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/19KwHywHJNrWS2hivkroAvwQaYItp6wBxvc8DC_b2zusFnu0CApifa13c3M2Q/edit?usp=sharing
I offer every person reading this my most heartfelt support. I know how hard this is, and how much you hurt.
Much love,
Nicole J. Sachs, LCSW
Embrace your Truth, Create your Life. |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| NicoleSachsLCSW |
Posted - 05/27/2013 : 13:30:58
Thank you Mom2Two. You remind why I try so hard to help, even when it feels so hard. xo to you.
-n.
quote:
Originally posted by Mom2two
Nicole, me again, the one who used to watch you live on the panels. I just re-read your original post. I had read it right after you wrote it, but was pain free. 2 days ago a small pain started in my lower back and hip and I ignored it. Now it is screaming at me and I am relenting. Reading your post again makes me laugh, because I am the same way! I tell it to go away, (most times that works) but sometimes, the emotional issue is just too big...and it needs to be dealt with....but...when I am ready. I am stubborn!
So...good for you, for not engaging in all of this banter back and forth....which has nothing to do with you. Just know that the one woman who was meant to read this, and remember what she has to do to get better saw it. I bet a lot of others who needed it saw it to, and might be afraid to comment. Who would blame them?
I am off to spend some quiet time with my journal!
Embrace your Truth, Create your Life. |
| Back2-It |
Posted - 05/26/2013 : 07:02:53
Regarding Dr. Stracks.
He works for Northwestern Memorial Hospital, in Chicago, and uses their facilities, their conference room, their IT, their IT guy, etc. That's high rent. Not all who come to see him at these sessions are patients, so in a sense he is donating his time and is covering his costs. He chooses, I guess, to not contribute on a forum, but in another way. There is nothing wrong with that. He is not making money on these sessions, I can assure you.
He is actually very generous with his time, and a caring person. I know this first hand.
How much is the average cell bill per month?
"Bridges Freeze Before Roads" |
| Mom2two |
Posted - 05/26/2013 : 04:08:18
Nicole, me again, the one who used to watch you live on the panels. I just re-read your original post. I had read it right after you wrote it, but was pain free. 2 days ago a small pain started in my lower back and hip and I ignored it. Now it is screaming at me and I am relenting. Reading your post again makes me laugh, because I am the same way! I tell it to go away, (most times that works) but sometimes, the emotional issue is just too big...and it needs to be dealt with....but...when I am ready. I am stubborn!
So...good for you, for not engaging in all of this banter back and forth....which has nothing to do with you. Just know that the one woman who was meant to read this, and remember what she has to do to get better saw it. I bet a lot of others who needed it saw it to, and might be afraid to comment. Who would blame them?
I am off to spend some quiet time with my journal! |
| NicoleSachsLCSW |
Posted - 05/25/2013 : 15:04:07
Tom - No worries...
As for the rest of this thread, might I just say.. Let's all just play nice and work on being kind to ourselves and others.
Happy Holiday Weekend!
Much love,
Nicole
Embrace your Truth, Create your Life. |
| tennis tom |
Posted - 05/24/2013 : 12:25:47
Here's a few zenish, rhymes with tennis, thoughts from the internet to help get through the Memorial Day weekend, hope Nicole doesn't mind me hi-jacking her thread:
http://zenhabits.net/12-essential-rules-to-live-more-like-a-zen-monk/
Chop wood, cook rice, do the laundry, hit tennis balls, that's what I'll be doing.
Cheers,
tt/lsmft
==================================================
DR. SARNO'S 12 DAILY REMINDERS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0dKBFwGR0g
TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale
Some of my favorite excerpts from _THE DIVIDED MIND_ :
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2605
==================================================
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti
"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." Author Unknown
"Happy People Are Happy Putters." Frank Nobilo, Golf Analyst
"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." Mark Twain and Balto
"The hot-dog is the noblest of dogs; it feeds the hand that bites it." Dr. Laurence Johnston Peter
"...the human emotional system was not designed to endure the mental rigors of a tennis match." Dr. Allen Fox
======================================================
"If it ends with "itis" or "algia" or "syndrome" and doctors can't figure out what causes it, then it might be TMS." Dave the Mod =================================================
TMS PRACTITIONERS:
John Sarno, MD
400 E 34th St, New York, NY 10016
(212) 263-6035
Here's the TMS practitioners list from the TMS Help Forum:
http://www.tmshelp.com/links.htm
Here's a list of TMS practitioners from the TMS Wiki:
http://tmswiki.org/ppd/Find_a_TMS_Doctor_or_Therapist
Here's a map of TMS practitioners from the old Tarpit Yoga site, (click on the map by state for listings).:
http://www.tarpityoga.com/2007_08_01_archive.html |
| tennis tom |
Posted - 05/24/2013 : 07:47:53
Posted by Forest- 03/12/2013 : 14:14:48
Hi everyone,
I thought you all might be interested in an interview that I did with Nicole Sachs, LCSW, author of The Meaning of Truth. She told her story just the way that she used to tell it on Dr. Sarno’s Alumni Panels, but in greater depth because we had more time. Her story is inspiring and powerful and while it took forever to wrangle the video, I thought that her personality and enthusiasm about TMS really came across.
Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIlADyoGeqw
Enjoy!
|
| tennis tom |
Posted - 05/24/2013 : 07:10:36
quote:
Originally posted by alix
... knowing that you are not cured.
alix, let's get back to this, what do you mean by "CURED"?
BTW, what are you here to be "cured" of? |
| tennis tom |
Posted - 05/23/2013 : 20:36:07
Alix, who the hell said life was fair? Aren't you the son of a hollocaust survivor? Me too, what was fair about the hollocaust?, the past ones and the ones to come? Speaking in terms of "cured" betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of TMS. As long as one is a member of the "human condition" as the Good Doctor calls it how do you know that you will not need TMS as a PROTECTOR against life's vicissitudes?
Hey Alix, I don't know what your life is like but mine is very full and I'm happy and looking forward to the future and don't have a whole lot of regrets about my past. Maybe you are projecting your life onto mine. I'm too busy at the moment to list all the things I'm grateful for, involved with and looking forward to doing tomorrow, this weekend, this summer and in retirement. I'm on my way to the the hot-tub, the pool to run for a half-hour and then spend time with my beautiful gf (she's beautiful on the inside as well as the outside BTW). Tell me about your life. But don't judge me superficially by my limp or what you think you know about me. I'm not here asking anyone for help, I'm the one giving it, sorry you guys don't like my style at times but in this life you get what your pay for and I'm not your TMS urgent care, ask your credit card company for a charge back if you feel I've gyped you.
Cheers,
tt/lsmft
==================================================
DR. SARNO'S 12 DAILY REMINDERS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0dKBFwGR0g
TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale
Some of my favorite excerpts from _THE DIVIDED MIND_ :
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2605
==================================================
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti
"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." Author Unknown
"Happy People Are Happy Putters." Frank Nobilo, Golf Analyst
"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." Mark Twain and Balto
"The hot-dog is the noblest of dogs; it feeds the hand that bites it." Dr. Laurence Johnston Peter
"...the human emotional system was not designed to endure the mental rigors of a tennis match." Dr. Allen Fox
======================================================
"If it ends with "itis" or "algia" or "syndrome" and doctors can't figure out what causes it, then it might be TMS." Dave the Mod =================================================
TMS PRACTITIONERS:
John Sarno, MD
400 E 34th St, New York, NY 10016
(212) 263-6035
Here's the TMS practitioners list from the TMS Help Forum:
http://www.tmshelp.com/links.htm
Here's a list of TMS practitioners from the TMS Wiki:
http://tmswiki.org/ppd/Find_a_TMS_Doctor_or_Therapist
Here's a map of TMS practitioners from the old Tarpit Yoga site, (click on the map by state for listings).:
http://www.tarpityoga.com/2007_08_01_archive.html |
| alix |
Posted - 05/23/2013 : 19:53:04
tt, you wrote several times that some of us over-complicate things and if we would just "get" the Sarno theory instead of looking for supplemental methods, we would be cured. I think it is really unfair.
When I came back on the forum as a lurker last fall (and still in pain looking for answers), I read your posts. While they had all the right buzzwords and jargon, I took them with a grain of salt knowing that you are not cured. I know it sounds harsh and none of it is your fault but it is how I felt. |
| tennis tom |
Posted - 05/23/2013 : 18:20:11
Posted by Nicole - 02/10/2013 : 17:05:35
This is "The Journey" by Mary Oliver, my favorite poet. My dear fellow TMS'ers, these words are from me to you...
The Journey
One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice--
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do--
determined to save
the only life you could save.
Embrace your Truth, Create your Life. |
| bryan3000 |
Posted - 05/23/2013 : 18:10:11
Great post Pspa. |
| gailnyc |
Posted - 05/23/2013 : 18:04:27
quote:
Originally posted by pspa123
I think there is a natural tendency for a person for whom something worked or who has seen it work for others to believe it will work for nearly everyone, if only applied correctly. One sees that here not only from people very close to Dr. Sarno's approach, but also from people with more behavioral/thought control approaches, if that's the right term. At the end of the day, though, we may not be dealing with a unitary phenomenon, so perhaps it's best to keep an open mind and recognize that just like the disease, the treatment may not be one size fits all.
I agree with this one hundred per cent. I only wish people would be a little more self-aware and a little less dogmatic. Sometimes it's hard to see clearly through the haze of bickering here. |
| tennis tom |
Posted - 05/23/2013 : 18:01:17
quote:
Originally posted by alix
Well compared to what Ace, Dr.A, Balto, Monte etc... have been posting in the past, it is not exactly earth shattering.
I've seen many people I've helped here to stay on the TMS track, get well and move on, never heard from again.
Do you know for a fact they are healed? Really, as an ex mod on a "symptoms" forum, I have seen my share of people that were gung ho on Sarno and gave up.
You're right alix, I've been here who know how many years, thousands of posts, but who's counting? Probably killed a few delicate flowers, TMS malpractice. Yes I've never given out one word of sound advice or referred anyone in the right direction to a TMS doc or practitioner. I'm gonna' have Price-Waterhouse issue refunds for all my selfish filthy lucre gathering I've been guilty of here. But I'm gonna' really miss doing all the proctological palpatations to rule out real pains in the ass. I hope I never gave you or Bryan the benefit of any of my fundamentalist Sarno opinions but I bet I did. But it wasn't all for naught, I learned how to use a computer, keyboard, and how to insert a paragraph here or there.
Thanks for your many kindnesses alix,
tt/lsmft
==================================================
DR. SARNO'S 12 DAILY REMINDERS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0dKBFwGR0g
TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale
Some of my favorite excerpts from _THE DIVIDED MIND_ :
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2605
==================================================
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti
"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." Author Unknown
"Happy People Are Happy Putters." Frank Nobilo, Golf Analyst
"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." Mark Twain and Balto
"The hot-dog is the noblest of dogs; it feeds the hand that bites it." Dr. Laurence Johnston Peter
"...the human emotional system was not designed to endure the mental rigors of a tennis match." Dr. Allen Fox
======================================================
"If it ends with "itis" or "algia" or "syndrome" and doctors can't figure out what causes it, then it might be TMS." Dave the Mod =================================================
TMS PRACTITIONERS:
John Sarno, MD
400 E 34th St, New York, NY 10016
(212) 263-6035
Here's the TMS practitioners list from the TMS Help Forum:
http://www.tmshelp.com/links.htm
Here's a list of TMS practitioners from the TMS Wiki:
http://tmswiki.org/ppd/Find_a_TMS_Doctor_or_Therapist
Here's a map of TMS practitioners from the old Tarpit Yoga site, (click on the map by state for listings).:
http://www.tarpityoga.com/2007_08_01_archive.html |
| pspa123 |
Posted - 05/23/2013 : 17:50:37
I think there is a natural tendency for a person for whom something worked or who has seen it work for others to believe it will work for nearly everyone, if only applied correctly. One sees that here not only from people very close to Dr. Sarno's approach, but also from people with more behavioral/thought control approaches, if that's the right term. At the end of the day, though, we may not be dealing with a unitary phenomenon, so perhaps it's best to keep an open mind and recognize that just like the disease, the treatment may not be one size fits all. |
| alix |
Posted - 05/23/2013 : 17:27:50
Well compared to what Ace, Dr.A, Balto, Monte etc... have been posting in the past, it is not exactly earth shattering.
I've seen many people I've helped here to stay on the TMS track, get well and move on, never heard from again.
Do you know for a fact they are healed? Really, as an ex mod on a "symptoms" forum, I have seen my share of people that were gung ho on Sarno and gave up.
tt, I struggled 2 years with pure orthodoxy including seeing a TMS doctor and a TMS psychologist. It is only when I pursued a different track that I finally improved. In no way do I dispute Sarno's theories. I just think that for many of us the cognitive aspect is not enough to heal.
I was just reading Abigail Steidley's fantastic free ebook. She also bases her method on Sarno but expands it. |
| plum |
Posted - 05/23/2013 : 16:57:40
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8450
|
| tennis tom |
Posted - 05/23/2013 : 16:42:49
posted by Nicole- 03/24/2013 : 21:14:49
Hi Sylvia,
Where are you located? Have you visited the TMS Wiki site that Forest runs? I know that TMS providers are listed there throughout the country, and perhaps the world... I think that the most important function of therapy is to make each person feel heard and comfortable. To that end, if a therapist is open minded and able to embrace the concept of TMS, you have a good chance of feeling understood.
Always happy to help if I can. Feel free to contact me through my website.
Best,
Nicole
quote:
Originally posted by Sylvia
I need your advice. But of course what you write will guide folks for years to come.
I will be able to pay for some therapy soon. (will be finding cheaper housing)
I have had completely disabling CFS/Teeumass for 25 years, unable to work. It is time for therapy to help me get over on this and change. So far the work I do alone with teeumass has not been the full treatment.
What do I want a therapist to do?
Do I say that I want a therapist to keep me being emotionally honest, call me on every defense, and have a belief that a psychosomatic disorder is the cause of CFS? Or what do I say?
How do I interview therapists in my neck of the woods so I don't waste money and time?
Thank you.
Embrace your Truth, Create your Life.
|
| alix |
Posted - 05/23/2013 : 16:30:04
Of course Bryan. I was just comparing apples to apples in the sense that Dr.A has a book. It was a rhetorical question. It is obvious that the "Buy my book, just buy it now!" is not exactly the proper approach around here.
There is some fantastic material here. |
| tennis tom |
Posted - 05/23/2013 : 16:29:15
bump
quote:
Originally posted by maccafan
You don’t have to be totally cured from every symptom of TMS to consider yourself a success story. The vast majority of TMs sufferers will continue to have pain or discomfort of some kind here and there throughout their lives. Their original TMS pain may even try to come back at times. The difference is and their success lies in the fact that they now have acquired Dr. Sarno’s knowledge and they know how to stop the returning or new symptoms. By having been able to stop their past pain they now have the confidence and trust in themselves to stop any future pain. Some even though they have been able to stop most of their symptoms may still have one that hasn’t stopped or completely gone away (YET). But now they have the tools to continue their work thanks to authors like Dr. Sarno, Steve O. and Nicole Sachs, to eventually succeed. Steve O. still has occasional symptoms and Dr. Sarno, himself still has ocular migraines and something else that I can’t remember right now and look what he has done for us all!
I consider myself a great success story even though I still have tinnitus, which I’m still working on and old past symptoms sometimes try to return. I’m a TMS success story because with Dr. Sarno’s knowledge I have been able to STOP these incredibly painful symptoms:
* lower back pain (no visible disc between L4 and L5)
* knee pain
* teeth and gum pain
* vulvodynia
* interstitial cystitis symptoms
* levator ani syndrome
* IBS
* frozen shoulder (both)
* feet pain
* wrist pain
* neck pain
* hiatus hernia pain
* pain from site of past breast biopsy
* hot flashes
* headaches
* dizziness
* sharp shooting pains anywhere on the skin and ears
I’m a success because whenever one of these symptoms even tries to return I now KNOW WHAT TO DO! Before Dr. Sarno I was running to this and that doctor trying to get the answers and help for my nightmare of pain and NEVER finding any. And this costs me way more than any $30.
I think Dr. Stracks intention is TMS education and getting the word out to those who may not have any TMS knowledge yet. And to provide examples of some who have been successful with the knowledge. I want to see and hear (not just read ) what the panel members say about their own experiences with TMS. I don’t think Dr. Stracks is trying to get rich and retire off his webinar. Pspa 123 is right about Dr. Stracks.
Ace, I don’t care if you think I’m a success story, healed, cured or not. Most posters here are not what you consider totally “healed”. But they are still on this forum seeking help and TRYING TO HELP OTHERS and deserve to be listened to. That’s what this forum is all about. Whether someone is letting the forum know about a true TMS book (and what it costs), a true TMS Webinar (and what it costs) or a free TMS web chat, it’s all good.
Also, Ace I’ve noticed that you have been negative towards Nicole Sachs at times but not as horribly as Bryan. And I’ve wondered if that is because you are thinking of or are writing a book yourself about “strains or whatever” and will want to advertise it here on this forum. And I wonder if you think because you’ve done time spreading your opinions here that it would be different for (you) to do this? NOPE, it wouldn’t be. And if this does happen, I’ll let you know now that I will be as nice and fair to you as Bryan has been to Nicole Sachs and others. Just Sayin’.
MACCAFAN
|
| bryan3000 |
Posted - 05/23/2013 : 16:19:20
quote:
Originally posted by alix
tennis tom,
While you keep mentioning Steve and Nicole as victims, you fail to mention Dr.Alexander that is totally in line with Sarno but expands on the theory and offers extra tools. Dr.Alexander has not been vilified by anybody and every one of his posts has been welcomed warmly by the community.
Why do you think that is?
Don't forget Dr. Z, along with dozens of regular posters who have taken a leadership role here... offering their time, advice and words of wisdom while asking nothing in return.
People like Balto, HIllbilly, Ace, Art and a host of others who have made healing people their priority.
There are scores of great, charitable people from all walks to celebrate, here. I'm nearing total healing partially because of help I received from a member of this site... one who refused anything in return. You can find stories like mine all over this place.
We're all free to believe what we want, and post our opinions as we see fit. That's what makes forums like this so helpful to people.
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