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armchairlinguist
USA
1371 Posts |
 Posted - 04/21/2007 : 12:20:41
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Awesome, alexis. Glad to hear that all is well.
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Wherever you go, there you are. |
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alexis
USA
423 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2007 : 15:52:03
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| Changed topic title to reflect ongoing nature of thread as it followed from near to complete success. |
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bcr
6 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2007 : 23:02:52
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Hey Alexis,
Your profile indicated that this would be the best place ask you questions, so here I am.
The thing that interests me about your story is that you were apparently able to succeed without 100% faith. For me, this is somewhat of a sticking point. I can't seem to get to that 100% place. I understand the theory and find it extremely compelling. As a budding psychodynamic therapist myself, I've witnessed firsthand the reality and effect of repressed emotions. I've never had a satisfactory structural diagnosis, nor has there ever been a objective finding to explain my RSI symptoms.
That said, doubts linger and I suspect that this keeps me from making progress. I guess I'm interested if my doubts are in line with yours all and -- if so -- how you moved past them or moved past with them.
Anyway, any wisdom you might share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. |
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alexis
USA
423 Posts |
Posted - 06/03/2007 : 07:36:24
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Hi bcr,
I and several other people on this list succeeded without having 100% faith. However, a lot of other people (possibly a majority) very much feel that this was necessary to their recovery, with at least one reporting he or she failed while trying to recover without 100% faith, and wished he/she had not tried it.
My suspicion is that this is a personality issue. If you are someone like me who is used to functioning is "super-skeptical" or "philosophically skeptical" mode, then proceeding with some skepticism will be more natural.
I think what confuses people when I say this is that a lot of people consider themselves skeptics. They say "I don't trust what I hear on ads" or " I always double check anything a politician says".
But this is not "super skepticism" (or really deep philosophical skepticism). Those of us who function in super-skepticism mode are genuinely skeptical (not merely intellectually, but deeply and genuinely) at a philosophical level about such issues as matter, time, the external world etc. And yet we function just fine in this mode (something not everyone believes possible).
So coming from that kind of background, or something less extreme, on that spectrum, I think may make one more inclined toward successful functioning in doubt mode.
But this clearly isn't for everyone, as you can see from other discussions.
Additionally, I should point out that my belief while initially low grew as I gained more success. Never reaching 100%, but it may have had a snow-balling effect as increased success led to increased belief level and then more success. You certainly need *some* level of belief or openness for any initial success to take place. Then again, someone with complete disbelief in the theory would be unlikely even to finish one book. |
Edited by - alexis on 06/03/2007 07:48:08 |
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MikeySama
Netherlands
53 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2007 : 10:40:58
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Alexis,
I have one small question. Like bcr i also suffer from RSI, i shouldn't call it RSI anymore because it's TMS but that aside.
My question is rather simple. How do you deal with relapses? However minor they might be. I'm suffering from a rather hefty relapse, that seems to come and go. For the most part i'm shrugging it off, and have gotten some help from here. But i would just really like to know how you handle it.
Thanks in Advance,
Mike |
Edited by - MikeySama on 06/04/2007 10:49:41 |
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bcr
6 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2007 : 14:11:38
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Hey Alexis,
You make a lot of good points. Frankly, I don't know how anyone could be 100% certain of anything. In my world, a measurable level of doubt exists in every arena. So, I'm always glad to hear that it isn't a prerequisite.
Likewise, progress of any sort would be helpful in instilling confidence. There are days when my hands feel better/stronger and I feel like I'm really onto something. Then, things take a downturn and I interpret it as having stressed my hands, pushed things too hard, etc. It's hard to maintain confidence in these moments.
MikeySama,
If you get a satisfactory answer to this question from anyone, be sure to let me know. This is the issue that continually throws me. I have certain activities that I can engage in without much discomfort (although the degree of stress and duration varies somewhat erratically). Then there are others that seem to just drive my symptoms through the roof (typing/mousing being the most triggering). And of course once my symptoms are triggered everything is a problem (driving/squeezing the shampoo bottle/you name it). I've not yet been able to push through it -- I end up just cutting down activity to nothing and waiting for things to settle down. Maybe pushing through is the answer, but it's hard to do when the pain levels get very high and appear to be accelerating. |
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MikeySama
Netherlands
53 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2007 : 14:50:43
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bcr: I do believe pushing through it, is a very important step. When you do that, you tell the mind that you no longer believe it's physical. That you will not make things worse by typing in our case. I try to always push through it, and telling myself that the pain is only caused by emotions etc etc.
Still, i hope alexis can share some insight. Seeing as we share the same symptoms. |
Edited by - MikeySama on 06/04/2007 14:54:48 |
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alexis
USA
423 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2007 : 16:53:50
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Hi MikeySama,
I had my last biggish (couple of days) relapse 5 months ago (January). I sort of took a middle road. I still typed, but a little less. I did every other house hold task normally. Don't know if this was the right approach, but the relapse was short lived.
The other "sensations" I get now, I don't know whether they are relapses of normal sensations I'm just more attuned to now because of the "RSI" scare. Mostly I ignore any twinges and they go away. I tend at those times to re-focus on how I feel a bit and make sure I'm not trying to be a super goodist.
The only physical "treatment" I've ever done in a "relapse" type situation was once after doing a lot of lawn mowing. This was something I had been doing around the time my symptoms first started, and my lawn mower isn't ideal on the hands. I thought my fingers were a bit swollen after some extended lawn mowing one day and I iced them about 10 minutes. But I carefully thought to myself how I was doing this to stave off a mild physical symptom that might trigger TMS, not because it was a primary RSI or anything.
BCR,
Yeah, the down moments were a problem. But once I saw a trajectory I didn't worry about them so much. |
Edited by - alexis on 06/05/2007 04:36:39 |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1371 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2007 : 18:37:55
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This is Alexis's thread so I don't want to hijack it, but I also believe that pushing through is often a key step. In fact, it was my first step: to experiment by continuing to work through pain while continually telling myself it was just from the mind, the blood flow could increase, etc. It worked perfectly: over two hours the pain flared up, leveled off, and disappeared. It was a huge first step in believing the Sarno method would work for me and encouraged me to do more.
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Wherever you go, there you are. |
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DeborahJ
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2009 : 23:55:21
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| I think the problem is that you can't put your heart into treating this like TMS because you're not sure it isn't a structural problem. Even though you're sick of doctors, it seems you need to find one who can make the positive TMS diagnosis (or not). I have been through something similar myself and as long as that lingering doubt is there, it is tough to get better on your own. For me it was worth a four-hour drive to have a complete examination and review of my situation by a qualified professional. With his diagnosis, resources, and encouragement I was able to get well. I wish you the best... |
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alexis
USA
423 Posts |
Posted - 04/23/2009 : 19:56:56
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Hi Deborah, I think you may have posted your comment on the wrong thread?
Just checking in -- things continue to go well 2 1/2 years on, working full time at a computer job. So please, if you have "RSI" hang in there. I do believe most can be cured, and it's the myth that it can't that holds us back. |
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alexis
USA
423 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2009 : 07:06:37
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Its been a few years now and I started to let old habits slide back in. I started watching the news again, and letting myself become the "one who always knows what's going on" at work. I let myself think more and more of myself as a "really together person"...and even used conquering TMS to justify that view. And slowly I start to see symptoms crawl back in.
And the whole TMS psychology thing just isn't that interesting anymore. I find myself saying "Not this again...it's so BORING."
But here I am, ready to purge the bad habits. Afew days in an almost back on track. Bleh. I didn't understand my type on diabetic friend who was so slack and took risks she knew would shorten her life. But she got type 1 unusually late in life, and I can now picture her resentment. It's a lot of work to keep on track. And it's easy to forget, even when I force myself to check back in here.
And no, the RSI didn't come back. Hard to imagine falling for that again. But I see other things sneaking in. Time to get back to work, time to try to make it interesting again. |
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alexis
USA
423 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2009 : 19:30:17
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A list of things I let slip back in, even as I thought I was careful. These are all things I knew, for one reason or another caused distractions or obsessions:
1. Following the news again too diligently
2. Listening to radio in the car
3. TV on when cooking
4. Trying to make everyone happy
5. Thinking I was on top of it...creating an image (to self and others) that was unreasonable to live up to
So I'm no where near back where I was, and no RSI symptoms. But I just caught it in time, and saw the signals...not the early signals, but soon enough that I think I can turn it around. Including this as much as a reminder for myself as for anyone out there reading. Swift recover and 3 good years, but you can't ever take it for granted. |
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alexis
USA
423 Posts |
Posted - 03/28/2010 : 10:07:13
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| It's about 4 years now since recovery, and still no RSI. I quashed most of the the bad habits too. |
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RSI "success-so-far" to "full success"
