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billstets
USA
12 Posts |
 Posted - 10/15/2004 : 13:24:49
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Hello, I'm new here and believe I have TMS. I have a question some of you may have experience with.
My doctor told me to write down things that may be contributing to my repressed anger. So I wrote some ideas down. I'm definitely not a person with a horrible childhood history, such as abuse, just the normal relationship and life pressure stuff. The thing is I don't feel any anger about any of these things right now, but I suspect they caused some anger in the past. It's just a guess though. I assume this is because the emotions are repressed in my unconscious. As I start to think about it, I actually don't feel any anger at all these days; really no emptions at all except happiness sometimes with family stuff, but not any real negatives. Really my life is going fairly well. But maybe TMS is really doing it's job in repressing bad emotions?
My question is: Do I need to bring these emotions to the surface in order for TMS to heal? In other words, I understand TMS to be a defense that prevents these feelings from coming to the surface. So do they need to come to the surface to defeat TMS, or if TMS stops working, will these feelings start to come to the surface? |
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Stryder
686 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2004 : 14:32:49
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Hi Bill,
I think the way Dr. Sarno puts it, you don't have to resolve the past repressed emotions to get relief from TMS, you just have to believe that the repressed emotions is the cause of the pain. If we really had to bring up and resolve the past, we would never get any relief, since you can't change what happened in the past. I suppose, years later, if you can completely forgive the cause of the anger, then that might work too.
Some people have gotten relief by reliving (replaying) angry moments in their mind.
You did mention, and you are correct, that since your mind HAS repressed some memories, that you do not consciously think you are angry, but you really are. That's why they are repressed. If you felt really angry about them then you would likely not have TMS pain.
In my case, I've resolved only a few things, I've finally realized after years of denial that I'm indeed still very angry about many other things. I have had some of these things surface thru conscious thought and dreams, but they still are not resolved, even though now I understand my TMS pain. I am though 90% better WRT my TMS pain because I truly believe that there is nothing physically wrong with me, that my brain is causing the pain.
Hope this helps. -Stryder |
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Bazz
Netherlands
34 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2004 : 16:23:53
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Good topic. I did have the same question in my recent topic, called: "clean" brain from old emotions. To my opinion, in the book from dr. Sarno it's not really explained how to deal with past repressed emotions. However, from several people who "cured" from TMS, I read or heart about the importance to deal with that old emotions somehow.
I suppose that reliving the situation and feel the emotions again can indeed help. But I don't really know how to do it. Maby, some people who do have experience with this, can say something about it.
I keep interested in furter reactions on you topic.
Regards,
Barry |
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Dave
USA
1864 Posts |
Posted - 10/16/2004 : 12:33:14
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quote:
Originally posted by billstets
The thing is I don't feel any anger about any of these things right now, but I suspect they caused some anger in the past. It's just a guess though. I assume this is because the emotions are repressed in my unconscious. As I start to think about it, I actually don't feel any anger at all these days; really no emptions at all except happiness sometimes with family stuff, but not any real negatives. Really my life is going fairly well. But maybe TMS is really doing it's job in repressing bad emotions?
Everybody represses emotions. The less emotion you feel on the surface, the more likely it is that you are repressing a lot. Even people who are happy and have great lives have repressed anger.
quote:
My question is: Do I need to bring these emotions to the surface in order for TMS to heal? In other words, I understand TMS to be a defense that prevents these feelings from coming to the surface. So do they need to come to the surface to defeat TMS, or if TMS stops working, will these feelings start to come to the surface?
It is different for everyone. Some people have great success just by understanding and accepting the TMS diagnosis. Others need to explore the depths of their unconscious through psychotherapy. As far as bringing the emotions "to the surface" this is not really possible. Unconscious repressed emotions are not the same as conscious emotions. Think of it as an entirely different person living inside you -- a child -- who resents the pressure you put on yourself to live life the way you think you should, instead of being selfish and seeing to your own primitive needs. |
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billstets
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2004 : 07:02:38
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Thanks for the replies. I had read the "Healing Back Pain," which left me with this question. He seems to have so many examples of people actually experiencing the emotions, bringing them to the surface.
I got the newer book, "Mind Body..." and read it over the weekend. I find this book much more helpful because he gives more tangible advice on treatment. He also clearly states that only a small percentage of petients need to actually experience the emotions. For most, the knowledge is all that is necessary.
I am only a week into this and have no improvement in my symptoms yet, but I guess it takes 2-6 weeks usually. I feel pretty sure that I must have TMS, but the only thing that bothers me is that my doctor just said that I am a very good candidate for TMS, as opposed to a definitive diagnosis. Sarno has a very high success rate for those he's sure have TMS, but I don't know if I would fall into that since I didn't see him. Still, I'm pretty sure I have ita nd I have consciously accepted it. Keeping my fingers crossed! |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2004 : 10:00:33
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Howdy Billstets,
Give TMS "knowledge therapy" a chance to sink in. After all, it took your psyche a lifteime, perhaps, to develop it.
I'm curious about your doctor? Is he one of the few TMS doctors on the planet or just enlightned? If, he's not on the TMS doc list, maybe, he should be put on it. What part of the country are you in, if I may ask? Their isn't one in SF,CA., where I live.
Thanks,
tt |
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billstets
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2004 : 13:02:25
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quote:
Originally posted by tennis tom
Howdy Billstets,
Give TMS "knowledge therapy" a chance to sink in. After all, it took your psyche a lifteime, perhaps, to develop it.
I'm curious about your doctor? Is he one of the few TMS doctors on the planet or just enlightned? If, he's not on the TMS doc list, maybe, he should be put on it. What part of the country are you in, if I may ask? Their isn't one in SF,CA., where I live.
Thanks,
tt
Hi -
I'm in the Boston area. There's a site, something like "Tar Pit Yoga" that lists doctors that can diagnose TMS. I found him there. The funny thing is that he's part of the Spine Center at New England Baptist where I had my microdiscectomy a few years ago. So he knows my surgeon and is basically partners with a Physiatrist I used to see there. His name is Dr. Eugenio Martinez. My family doctor was the one who told me in my annual physical this past summer that I should look into Sarno. So I guess these guys are both kind of enlightened! Dr. Martinez told me he can't really get the guys at the Spine Center to embrace it, which doesn't surprise me. I figure my surgeon must be a multi-millionaire! He just does back surgeries all week long. |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2004 : 18:06:57
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| Thanks for the reply Billstets. You are very lucky you found a couple of the good white-coats. You can see how difficult the problem is, when a doc in the same medical group can't convince his colleagues that there could be an alternative to surgery. I agree with you. If my steady income stream was based on surgery, my knee-jerk reaction would be to call Sarno a quack too. |
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iyusaf
USA
57 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2004 : 22:39:16
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quote:
Do I need to bring these emotions to the surface in order for TMS to heal?
Sarno writes that simply knowing your mind is distracting you from repressed emotional rage will resolve the physical pain symptom. However, Sarno also writes that there is a significant population of people for whom this is not sufficient. He 'passes' this population on to the psychotherapists and does not say much more on this topic.
I'll go out on a limb here and say that some people in this group need to 'drain' off some of the pool of repressed emotions before the TMS technique has any lasting effect. Is it possible to bring the repressed feelings to the surface? The many thousands of people who have done regressive psychotherapies will tell you yes. |
Edited by - iyusaf on 10/18/2004 22:43:27 |
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diverlarry
USA
44 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2004 : 09:44:59
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I am also from the Boston area and went to see a doctor at the Spine Center at New England Baptist. She recommends the book "Back Sense" for all the patients she see's. She examined me and said there was nothing wrong with me and asked why i wasn't doing things.
She is aware of Doctor Sarno and says his books are good.
She is trained in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation so she recommends PT. The PT is designed to work the back muscles. When i told her that the program was basically a way for someone to get over their fear of using their back she agreed. But she also has these weight levels adjusted for your body weight/sex that you aim for.
When you reach these levels your suppose to be "cured".
Which i know is not true. So she agrees with the TMS theory in some ways.
I got better when i stopped stretching, doing special back exercises. I also journaled and i keep re-reading Dr Sarno's books.
Its taken a long time for the info to sink in.
Its taken awhile but im doing better now than i have in years. I also stared seeing a Physiatrist who actually has talked to Dr Sarno and agrees with TMS. But im not really sure if seeing him has done me any good.The Physiatrist i see deals with a lot of athletes who have had injuries and have trouble overcoming their fear of getting injured again. I think the biggest issue i have had is getting over the fear/anxiety of physcial activity. Doing physcial things that i was once was scared to do has been difficult yet it has been one of the keys for me getting better. When i do get pain, i now realize that "resting" won't help...its how my mind reacts. This sometimes scares me becasue i was always looking for that "quick fix". Now i have to fix this myself. Its takes work, effort and a strong belief. But it does work.
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billstets
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2004 : 13:42:20
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diverlarry -
I was pretty lucky in the sense that I have never built up any fear of activity. When I first found out I had a herniated disc, I went to a neurosurgeon who gave me all the standard admonitions about certain activities. I didn't like that diagnosis because I have always been into working out, so I ended up at the Baptist with Dr. Raineville, one of their physiatrists. While he doesn't acknowledge TMS, he told me that my activities should not be limited by my condition, only my pain threshold. I have had to give up running, because it greatly exacerbated my radiating leg pain, but I switched to stairmaster, so I don't miss running. I have never stopped lifting weights.
The only thing that bothers me these days is sitting. Sitting is excrutiating and I often kneel at my desk at work. I have no fear though. I work out. Ski in the winter. Work around the house etc. Maybe I should credit the Baptist, because no one there ever told me to limit any activities whatsoever. I have never had the fear that Sarno talks about.
I have no idea how you can overcome your fear except to keep reading Sarno and working the program as you are doing. |
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diverlarry
USA
44 Posts |
Posted - 10/20/2004 : 06:06:12
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billstets
Its good that you don't have any built up any fear of activity. I think thats why some people recover more quickly than others. They have not had built up years of fear. I am overcoming the fear now and most of it is gone. In time it won't be there anymore. It just takes time. I also had problems with sitting. I use to use lumbar pillows, sit in special chairs. I would lie down whenever i could. That is all gone now. I slowly started to get rid of these things. Then i started to sit longer adding a little time each time i sat. The i started sitting in different chairs. It took some time but thats all gone now and i can sit anywhere. It was conditioning for me that i needed to break. |
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Kathryn777
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - 10/20/2004 : 21:11:50
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Hi
I just found this site.
I was wondering if anyone here ever feels like they need to cry but can't? This oftenhappens to me but I have always held my emotions in and when I do cry, I try to hold back. I need to stop this. But in the last year or two, I feel a physical need to cry but I am too tired and numb to do so. I often think that if I could cry, it would help.
I discovered Dr. Sarno because I was searching for a book on sciatica pain and how to deal with it. Someone had left a review saying that the book I was looking at ( exercises I think) was good but check out this book. It was one by Sarno. There were about 52 reviews and I'm pretty sure they were all positive. I only read a few. After reading the first chapter in the book ( healing back pain I think) I have felt about 75 percent better. But I have been thinking ( and now reading) that this can relate to other things besides pain. I have had dizziness since I was 18. I am always depressed adn tired and overwhelmed and I have sinus problems and occasinal headaches etc. I believe this is due to stress in my life and the need to feel it and let it go. I do have ideas of what I am angry about but I still have the problems. So maybe I am one who needs to deal with them more.
I do this with God's help.
I am losing my train of htought ( we have moved 25 times in 18 years and are moving again in a few weeks and this has left me overwhelmed) but someone mentioned this site so I thought I would leave the url. Actually, you probably found it because it is what was said. :-) I was reading this particular story though...
http://www.tarpityoga.com/olive.html
Also have you guys seen this site already?
http://podolsky.everybody.org/rsi/
If the link doesn't work, go to Google's cache. Once I got a photo of the girl but if you go paste it in google search you can find the cache and the site.
Can anyone relate to what I am saying about the non-pain related issues?
Thanks for listening.
Kathy in CA - soon to be in Oahu ( for the second time moving there)
Pr 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. |
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Kathryn777
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 08:11:56
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By the way, I'd meant to mention last night and didn't that at age 18 I began getting itching ears. Literally.  Drove me crazy. My mom took me toa DR. who told us it was stress and my ears stopped itching the next day. It made me think of Dr. Sarno.
Pr 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 09:10:06
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Dear kathy,
Welcome to the site. You were lucky that you found an enlightened doctor at age 18 with your ear problem. TMS is all about stress. It's the volume control for pain. The fact that you remembered this, though it was many years ago, shows that you have good TMS instincts.
Raising three teenager daughters and all those moves would definitely be stress producing, tiring and numbing. Your symptoms are most likely all TMS related. I also found Sarno due to sciatic pain originally about 10 years ago. It was TMS and I am 90-99% better now, depending on the activity. This morning I will be competing in a tennis tournament.
I think your faith will help you embrace Sarno's theory, since the biggest part of the TMS "cure" is acceptance of the theory and faith that the pain originates in the mind and not in the body.
Most people at this site report that thier TMS pain goes away on vacation. Maybe you need a vacation.
Welcome and good luck Kathy,
tt |
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Burton
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 23:34:53
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Dear K,
Welcome! I can't imagine moving that much and I can see how you might have some anger just from that instability. I hope you will come back often and let us know how you are doing. And if you need help, of course we all are here for that.
I wanted to thank you for the links, especially Olive's story. I laughed, I cried, I recognized myself. I'm already "healed" as far as TMS pain goes, been pain free for about a year and a half but of course it's an ongoing healing. I've been bothered lately by depression/anxiety as a TMS equivalent. Olive was also depressed after being pain free and I found her advice to be really helpful and just generally reassuring. It's good to know I'm not the only "good girl" who feels ashamed for feeling ashamed of her family, and annoyed, and angry etc. It doesn't mean you don' t love them, it just means you might have to take up zen meditation to deal with them. :)
Anyways, thanks again! |
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repressed emotions
