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tennis tom
USA
4746 Posts |
 Posted - 12/29/2006 : 00:05:01
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PLEASE READ THE CHAPTER : "A RHEUMATOLOGIST'S EXPERIENCE" IN THE DIVIDED MIND.
It's possibly the best explanation I have read anywhere of how TMS works, what can cause it and how to 'cure' it. |
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tennis tom
USA
4746 Posts |
Posted - 01/01/2007 : 06:35:23
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From Page 283 of THE DIVIDED MIND by Dr. John Sarno :
Exerpted from: Chapter Eight, "My Perspective on Psychsomatic Medicine" By James R. Rochelle M.D.
"There is a strong tendency for pain loci in TMS to move from one place to another. I used to see patients with back pain for several months. After resolution of the back pain, I would see them later for shoulder tendinitis and still later for neck pain. I now realize they were having location substitution. This is typical for TMS; Dr. Sarno refers to it as the symptom imperative, meaning that if the psychological need for physical symptoms continues, the brain will continue to produce them until the psychological situatuion changes for the better." |
Edited by - tennis tom on 01/02/2007 07:40:14 |
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Littlebird
USA
391 Posts |
Posted - 01/01/2007 : 15:07:55
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Tom, just want to say that I particularly enjoyed that chapter too. (A Rheumatologist's Experience)
I especially appreciated the comment "Patients for whom we care are our best teachers; we cannot fool them. When they do not improve, they are teaching us either that our treatments are ineffective or that we are making an incorrect diagnosis. We have made many advances in medicine. We have developed cures and very effective treatments for many complicated life-threatening conditions. Why, then, have we done so poorly curing and treating common, non-life-threatening problems such as back pain, neck pain, irritable bowel syndrome, and tendon and ligament pain syndromes, for example? Our failures should tell us that we need to think 'outside the box' about these conditions. We need to review what is common to patients with these conditions and assess what we may be missing."
I once read somewhere the statement "The disease is in the patient, not the textbook." Whether it's a disease or a syndrome or something else, my experience with doctors has been that they cling to the "textbook" as if it is perfect knowledge and any patient whose condition does not fit the textbook, or maybe I should say doesn't fit the doctor's individual interpretation of the textbook, must be imagining their symptoms. Medicine is often referred to as both a science and an art, yet so often doctors seem to forget that the science is active and always changing and that different people respond to treatments in different ways, so the doctor needs to keep an open mind when things don't go according to the textbook.
Your choice of which tidbits to post has been great, in my opinion. Look forward to seeing which ones you pick next!
Corey
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tennis tom
USA
4746 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2007 : 07:54:55
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Thank you Littlebird. The problem with THE DIVIDED MIND is that it is so rich in TMS content that it is difficult to pick what to quote. My reading methodology is sitting in the hot-tub and underlining the good-stuff. The problem is that I am underlining almost EVERYTHING.
With the addition of the chapters by the other TMS doctor's, it has helped greatly to flesh out the medical jargon. What can make underestanding TMS theory difficult is the medical/psycho mumbo-jumbo. There are many big words for the same thing. I believe in the KISS theroy: Keep It Simple Stupid !
I'll try to keep 'em coming but it ain't easy because it's all so good!
Regards and Happy New Year from La Hunta, Colorado on the way to Dodge City, Kansas
tt |
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ReferFire
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2007 : 08:21:07
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tom, i'm sorry to hear you're going through colorado this time of year. i suggest you aggregate your knowledge of TMS into a book of your own. you're well read, and you're the single biggest poster in this forum (meaning, on top of being "well read", you're "well written," i suppose). these days creating an e book is not difficult. if you want more info on how to do it, lemme know.
I overcame TMS and, while I'm seriously smart and special, I'm not that smart & special. You too can overcome it. |
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Logan
USA
203 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2007 : 15:51:38
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A few years ago in an essay writing class of all places, I kind of stumbled onto the answer to this question. In our text, Identity and Difference by Kathryn Woodward, there is an entire chapter on how the transition from a tribal/warrior culture to a political/courtly culture effected the physiology and psychology of human beings.
Whereas previously humans needed the fight/flight response to survive - to beat the crap out of attacking animals or other human beings or to get the heck out of Dodge if we were being beaten or eaten ourselves - all of a sudden that fight/flight response had to be sublimated in order to survive the political pecking order.
We went from living in a world where it was not only acceptable, but crucial, to act on our feelings of rage to one where it was equally crucial to suppress or repress them. You could kill a bear but not your boss...
I'm oversimplifying the chapter excessively. I'd meant at the time to post some quotes from it because as I read it, I kept going "It's TMS! She's writing about TMS and doesn't even realize it!" |
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tennis tom
USA
4746 Posts |
Posted - 01/05/2007 : 20:11:00
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From Page 296 of THE DIVIDED MIND by Dr. John Sarno :
Exerpted from: Chapter Eight, "My Perspective on Psychsomatic Medicine" By James R. Rochelle M.D.
"She readily accepted my diagnosis and treatment. I sent a letter of referral to her psychotherapist, strongly reccommending that she have insight psychotherapy, as opposed to the cognitive approach she had been using. I enclosed information about TMS, and followed up with a phone call a week later. I explained to the therapist that TMS theory calls for more than a superficial, cognitive approach. It was clear in this case that some very strong emotions from childhood required deeper exploration.
Six months later, there has been very significant progress. Pain scores are much lower, the carpal tunnel symptoms are gone, and her activity level is much improved. She continues in psychotherapy, dealing with the issues from her childhood, as well as her everyday stressors. I fully expect that she will eventually have full resolution of her symptoms, although psychotherapy may be necessary for some time."
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Edited by - tennis tom on 01/08/2007 22:49:53 |
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Wavy Soul
USA
779 Posts |
Posted - 01/07/2007 : 03:32:18
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Logan
That's very interesting and I'm looking up the book by Woodward.
Okay, I just did, and was trying to "look inside" on Amazon. Can you remember which chapter has this stuff? I can't seem to find it (and the book is $50).. Thanks.
xx
Love is the answer, whatever the question |
Edited by - Wavy Soul on 01/07/2007 03:44:26 |
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tennis tom
USA
4746 Posts |
Posted - 01/08/2007 : 06:47:51
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From page 303 of Dr. John Sarno's The DIVIDED MIND:
Excerpted from Chapter Nine, "Structural Pain or Psychosomatic Pain?", by Douglas Hoffman, M.D. :
"In the subsequent years my pain gradually worsened, and each physician I sought treatment from had a different diagnosis. Each physical therapist also had a different diagnosis and a different solution to the problem. But the pain in the lower back prevailed, and I was relergateed to leisurely bicycle rides. It was on one of these rides before gradution from medical school that I came upon one of the faculty orthopedic surgeons also out for a ride. After hearing my story he simply said, "You're probably one of those Low Backers."
Unaware of how those powerful words programmed me to experience ongoing back pain, I continued to fail various treatment attempts with both conventional and alternative approaches. I was desperate!
One day at the bookstore I saw Dr. Sarno's second book, Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection. How true were the words that I read. What perfect sense he made. Applying the theories and treatment techniques that I learned from the book, within one week my back pain was better than it had been in ten years and in six weeks I was "cured". I was stunned! Simply by understanding my pain as psychosomatic, including its pyschological reasnons, and "undoing" all the ways in which I was programmed to have back pain, I was pain free!" |
Edited by - tennis tom on 01/08/2007 22:46:15 |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 01/08/2007 : 13:15:40
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"Thus, even though the patients look very healthy from the view of the physician, they feel frail and vulnerable. I often tell my patients that they need to come to view themselves as I see them, healthy and strong rather than as they have been seeing themselves. Patients are often surprised to hear this comment from me. Generally, I am the last in a long line of doctors they have seen and none has said anything like this to them before."
Hi Tom, thanks for posting this. It's interesting to me because during the time I was in pain most severely I was actually told by a number of people (both acquaintances and doctor-types) that I didn't look well. I think it's probably true, but it wasn't because of the pain -- it was because of my rage/stress/fear level. Later when I started to feel better due to reduction of stressors, I was told that I was looking better, despite that I was still in a lot of pain, nowhere near all better, though the level had gone down a bit. When I found TMS theory and recovered, I started to see myself as strong, healthy, and capable, and people again told me I looked better! Kind of an interesting progression.
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Wherever you go, there you are. |
Edited by - armchairlinguist on 01/08/2007 13:16:40 |
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tennis tom
USA
4746 Posts |
Posted - 01/08/2007 : 22:45:27
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From page 305 of Dr. John Sarno's The DIVIDED MIND:
Excerpted from Chapter Nine, "Structural Pain or Psychosomatic Pain?", by Douglas Hoffman, M.D. :
"In the course of my work I have been greatly impressed with the common misperceptions about the definition of a psychosomatic disorder. Grossly mistaken ideas, like "the pain is in your head," or "it's imaginary," or "the person is a hypochondriac or mentally unsound," are universal. Even physicians are guilty of harboring such opinions. If one considers the disorder that caused my back pain, TMS, and all its equivalents (stomach, colon, allergic, dermatologic, etc.), the fact that we experience them when we're nervous, when we're sad or glad or sexually aroused, it is clear that psychosomatic reactions are universal, normal, and part of the human condition."
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Edited by - tennis tom on 01/08/2007 22:49:14 |
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tennis tom
USA
4746 Posts |
Posted - 01/14/2007 : 20:40:51
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From page 312 of Dr. John Sarno's THE DIVIDED MIND:
Excerpted from Chapter Nine,
"Structural Pain or Psychosomatic Pain?", by Douglas Hoffman, M.D. :
"When a patient says to me "I'm not going to let it (stress) get to me," red flags go up. It is not uncommon for a patient who chooses to treat their physical disorder through Dr. Sarno's methods to begin to experience life in a more genuine way--in other words to become more aware of emotions as they really occur. However many individuals would find living life in a more genuine manner more difficult than the physical pain they are experiencing because they would have to acknowledge painful parts of themselves or painful emotions buried deep inside their unconscious mind. Theoreticaly, in a society that encourages and supports expressing emotions, there would be less of a need for the psychosomatic process to supersede." |
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tennis tom
USA
4746 Posts |
Posted - 01/14/2007 : 21:01:12
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From page 311 of Dr. John Sarno's THE DIVIDED MIND:
Excerpted from Chapter Nine,
"Structural Pain or Psychosomatic Pain?", by Douglas Hoffman, M.D. :
"Societal influences are numerous and quite powerful in shaping the psychosomatic process, not only for a given individual but also for a society as a whole. Culturally, we are a society that promotes and rewards those individuals who blunt their emotions. Being "cool, calm, and collected" is a positive value in our culture. Parents often tell a child who is feeling pain, whether physical or emotional, that "everything is okay" or "you'll be all right" rather than hug them and allow them to express their distress and thereby validate what they are feeling. Our society is emotonally well defended. However, the difference between how we think we should feel about a situation or event in our lives (our conscious emotion) and what we really feel (often the unconscious emotion) becomes psychogenic." |
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tennis tom
USA
4746 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2007 : 05:50:26
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From page 312 of Dr. John Sarno's THE DIVIDED MIND:
Excerpted from Chapter Nine,
"Structural Pain or Psychosomatic Pain?", by Douglas Hoffman, M.D. :
"The media is another important cultural influence shaping the psychosomatic process. The general population is exposed to ever increasing amounts of health information and advertising, unparalleled in history. As a consequence, people are as likely, or in some instantces even more likely, to believe the information they gain about health issues through the media than from health care professionals. There has been an unintended shift of authority from the physician to the media. For example, the intense advertising of a new drug by a pharmaceutical company will often increase the "power of placebo". With every new nonsteroidal anti-inflamatory drug (NSAID) that has hit the market, I have observed a much greater efficacy for approximaaely one to two years before its therapeutic value decreases to the level of all the other ones available. Another example is the intense advertising of alternative medicine, particularly that which aims at low back pain. From magnets to mattresses, supplements, traction devices, shoe inserts, and even spring-loaded cushioned shoes, a lucrative industry has developed in search of the quick fix. Unfortunately, patients will experience only a temporary improvement (or an equivalency reaction) with these "placebo" devices." |
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tennis tom
USA
4746 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2007 : 14:43:24
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From page 313 of Dr. John Sarno's THE DIVIDED MIND:
Excerpted from Chapter Nine,
"Structural Pain or Psychosomatic Pain?", by Douglas Hoffman, M.D. :
"The legal system in today's society is also a strong trigger of the psychsomatic process. Our society places a dollar value on suffering, which becomes psychogenic (unconscsiously of course) in and of itself. Furthermore, there is intense advertising among attorneys to attract business, whether from an automobile accident, work injury, or injury on someone else's property. This fuels the notion that someone else is to blame for our injuries, so we are the victims. The courts have, in general, supported and legitimized this way of thinking. Consequently, when an injury does occur and the legal process is engaged, both become strong triggers for the development of a psychosomatic disorder. Again, the whiplash syndrome is a common example where the legal system is engaged (with the subliminal message that you are a victim and your pain is worth money); the medical system is involved, including a variety of therapeutic disciplines, which further validates the "injury"; and the insurance industry is involved, holding the money and arguing over who should pay."
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Kimakim
17 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2007 : 15:54:26
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Thanks for all the excerpts, Tom. I saw Dr. Hoffman in September and the one thing that stood out for me from the visit was him asking me if I was ready to accept all of me, the good and the bad. That was really something to ponder and I'm working on it.
Actually I'm happy to report that my sciatica pain is lessening and I'm still working very hard to break my conditioning and stop using my adaptive techiques (A.T.s, as I call them). One day at a time with this stuff.
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tennis tom
USA
4746 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2007 : 22:09:16
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Your welcome Kim, glad to hear you're doing good. I don't think Dr. Hoffman is listed anywhere on the TMS sites. Would you like to give him a plug as to where he can be found?
Regards,
tt |
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tennis tom
USA
4746 Posts |
Posted - 01/18/2007 : 20:55:28
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From page 321 of Dr. John Sarno's THE DIVIDED MIND:
Excerpted from Chapter Nine,
"Structural Pain or Psychosomatic Pain?", by Douglas Hoffman, M.D. :
"We should not forget the power of these emotions. For many, it is easier to suffer with physical pain than it is to acknowledge the emotional ones. Furthermore, our society is not supportive of expressing those painful emotions we all harbor. As I noted before, we are a society that is uncomfortable with crying or grieving, and view those who become overtaken with the emotions as weak. It's no wonder we often feel alone with our emotions and desire to keep them repressed. There is often no support to help grieve life's disappointments, challenges, and losses that we all experience as human beings." |
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tennis tom
USA
4746 Posts |
Posted - 01/21/2007 : 05:37:31
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From page 328 of Dr. John Sarno's THE DIVIDED MIND:
Excerpted from Chapter Nine,
"Structural Pain or Psychosomatic Pain?", by Douglas Hoffman, M.D. :
"I have observed that there are several common questions patients express with regard to the treatment of psychosomatic disorders. Foremost is the question of how to "figure out" their understanding that life is too stressful and therefore they must eliminate stress in order for the pain to go away. Of course, this thought process is not correct. First, psychosomatic disorders arise from the unconscious mind, which is where the emotions reside that, for the most part, we are unaware of. Not only is it not possible to directly access these emotions, but it is not necessary for successful treatment for most individuals. Succesful treatment requires one to simply acknowledge that these painful, umpleasant, often threatening emotions exist. It is not necessary to "figure them out." Treatment is about acknowledging their existence not changing them. Stress is unavoidable and a part of life. Acceptance, then not only means accepting one's pain as psychosomatic, but also coming to terms with our genuine self, both the parts we like about ourselves and the parts we don't like. Accepting our painful unconscious emotions as part of who we are is not only a step toward successful treatment but a step toward being a more whole human being." |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 01/21/2007 : 09:26:49
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quote:
It is not uncommon for a patient who chooses to treat their physical disorder through Dr. Sarno's methods to begin to experience life in a more genuine way--in other words to become more aware of emotions as they really occur. However many individuals would find living life in a more genuine manner more difficult than the physical pain they are experiencing because they would have to acknowledge painful parts of themselves or painful emotions buried deep inside their unconscious mind....
Furthermore, our society is not supportive of expressing those painful emotions we all harbor. As I noted before, we are a society that is uncomfortable with crying or grieving, and view those who become overtaken with the emotions as weak.
Friday night I went to see a movie, which turned out to be very powerful emotionally. In past times I might have been able to repress some of my feelings about it, but I seem to have less of a habit to do that now, and so I found that I was actually experiencing the emotions of terror and sadness and pain and anger. I was sobbing at the end and couldn't stop until the credits were almost over. But I was the only person in the whole theater with such an intense reaction. (I imagine some other people did cry, but no one else seemed to be in such pain.) Even knowing why there might be such a difference, I felt very weird about being so upset.
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Wherever you go, there you are. |
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TMS IN A NUTSHELL
