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ChrisSC
25 Posts |
 Posted - 04/14/2011 : 00:47:08
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Hey everybody, I'm glad to see this forum is still active.
I just noticed that it's been three years since I discovered TMS and *finally* started on the road to recovery. I thought I'd come back and give some encouragement to those that need it now, as I know I needed it back then.
My name is Chris and I am now 20 years old. I suffered intense physical pain (originally manifesting as a rather convincing "Track and Field injury"), fatigue, insomnia, trouble concentration, upset stomachs, and many other of the symptoms that are typical for TMS throughout most of high school. For years I traveled to specialists and tried physical therapy and many other treatments, but it was not until I started reading Dr. Sarno's books that I found my way.
The first year of recovery was brutal, and without a doubt the hardest year of my life. Retrospectively, I see that I should have sought help from a psychotherapist, because I was just not prepared for the emotional suffering I had been burying all my (young) life. I dug deep, and the deeper I dug the more the physical pain disappeared and the emotional pain surfaced. For me, it was really like the physical symptoms were blocking my emotions, and once I started exploring what was REALLY bothering me, I felt stronger emotions than I thought possible. But I learned a lot about myself in the process, and eventually made peace with my emotions.
The past two years have been much calmer. I have learned to accept and manage my perfectionist personality, what I believe to be a major contributor to my previous symptoms. I never have physical symptoms as intense as I used to, but I do still have frequent minor symptoms.
I just want to encourage those that are suffering now. Trust me that it will get better if you commit to recovery. Dr. Sarno says that some people recover almost instantly, but for the rest of us, we must take a journey. Everybody must follow their own path to recovery. No two people will recover in exactly the same way. Don't set a deadline for recovery, let it happen on its own.
The most important thing is to find a way to love yourself no matter what. Embrace your flaws, forgive your mistakes, and be thankful for both the good and the bad experiences in your life, because without them, you wouldn't be you.
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tennis tom
USA
4746 Posts |
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shannclapp
62 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2011 : 15:24:20
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| Wow very well said and well written. Any tips to cope day to day? |
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hopeacres
USA
27 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2011 : 16:00:16
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| Excellent post, Chris. Thank you so much for taking the time to encourage us! |
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ChrisSC
25 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2011 : 21:01:25
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As for tips for coping from day to day....
If you've found your way to this forum I'd say theres a 99% chance your symptoms truly are mindbody in nature. Most people here have a similar background story of going "from doctor to new doctor to new doctor etc." and never finding anything substantially physically wrong. I doubt you would have bothered coming here if you didn't already strongly believe your symptoms are mindbody, though maybe not 100%. Everyone has doubts at first.
For me, the key to sticking with the TMS approach was that I saw small improvements that indicated my symptoms had to be psychosomatic! This included an initial (although slight) lessening of symptoms just after reading the TMS literature, but it also includes things you might not immediately recognize as good signs. A common feature of psychosomatic symptoms is that they start morphing as we begin to discover their true cause. Some symptoms will go away, some will switch from the left side of our body to the right side of our body, and some new ones will appear. This will often happen many times in a short time period. You can either look at this as a series of strange coincidences, or you take the more logical approach and see it a sure sign that your symptoms are psychosomatic. |
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lindaleyner
Germany
46 Posts |
Posted - 04/22/2011 : 09:22:52
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| Thank you. Really, I appreciate to hear from someone woh's my age and to hear you are so much better. I believbe I can do it, too! |
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Three years later
