Diana-M

February 2024

I have been fighting TMS on and off for 30 years. I have had insomnia, depression, IBS, foot pain, back pain, neck pain, severe panic attacks, leg numbness, neuropathy, burning legs, plantar fasciitis, leg weakness, allergies, asthma, persistent cough, numb and tingling hands, hands curling up (won’t open all the way, no gripping power), painful leg and stomach contractions, dizziness, electrical “buzzing” inside, sensitivities to things touching me, very cold feet, night terrors and balance issues. My body completely locks up when I try to live- do things, visit people, go places…anything.

In 2017, I discovered Dr. Sarno and immediately embraced TMS. I studied it day and night and started journaling about my emotions and got rid of tingling hands at the time. During my other episodes, I just somehow ignored it, and it went away eventually or diminished enough to live with it. For the panic attacks, I meditated and learned about anxiety and it helped to control it. You can read more about these various TMS episodes I had and how I resolved some of them, here.

Flash forward to 2020. During the pandemic, I was extremely terrified, and under a great deal of stress on many levels. I began getting many new symptoms— plantar, foot pain, tingling, numbness, weakness, stiff knees, cramping hands, a feeling like strong hands are gripping my knees, or my hips or my stomach. And I have balance problems. No matter how hard I tried reading Sarno and other books and journaling, I couldn’t put a dent in my symptoms. They just kept getting worse.

So I took Sarno’s advice and got a psychotherapist. I’ve been seeing her for 3 years and we have been tackling my very abusive childhood. She isn’t trained in TMS, but she believes me that I have it. Meanwhile symptoms are still increasing. I recently had to go from a cane to a walker to get around. I am only 64. My hand numbness is starting to make working on my computer difficult.

I have been reading more and more TMS books. Journaling. Doing EFT tapping. Took Alan Gordon’s Pain Recovery Class. Learning so much!

—-Update—-April 24, 2024

2 months in. I’m slowly doing the SEP on this wiki and learning things daily from all the great shares. It’s like TMS group therapy. I love it!

Added Dan Buglio daily videos and the DARE app. Journaling, journaling, journaling!

I’m becoming much more aware of triggers. More aware of my emotions in real time. Getting comfortable with discomfort as I try to do more and more while still having symptoms. Made the switch to thinking that life is fun. And starting to really have that come true! Gaining a little bit of physical strength.

—Update May 31, 2024–

Started PT and did exercises religiously. Gained more physical strength. Dropped PT (but not the exercises) because the technician was heavily pushing my seeing a neurologist. Upgraded journaling to 30-60 min. a day. At times, noticing tingling in my feet (a good sign). At other times, symptoms increased, but I really believe it’s because I’m digging so deep. Therapy has revealed some new insights.

—Update July 11, 2024–
Starting to see progress! All of this effort is coming together with a calmer mindset, dumping off rage through journaling and focusing on living a fun life. Staying positive. I don’t know how, but something is clicking. I’m getting it! Most symptoms are still there. But a lot of the intensity is coming down. I finally have hope. And that’s building on itself. My main method of curing is involvement in this wiki.