Alex B. Buying into the fear

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Question

8 years ago I went through a very stressful period here I had severe back pain that morphed into TMJ then tinnitus then asthma. Within 6 months of the stress resolving all symptoms were gone. Last year, when a similar stressful situation developed my back pain returned. When my Demtist and Dr. Said I was fine my hands began to itch intensely-over the last 2 months and that itching has morphed into tingling/numbness/burning and weird buzzing sensations in my hands feet legs and face. I'm obsessed with the idea I have MS.

My back pain and dry mouth are gone and I see the clear MBS distraction but my mind just cant seem to accept it- why am I so intent in buying into this fear? I've fond journaling and giving it so much thought but can't seem to get to the bottom of it- I'm literally sick with anxiety which I know is exactly where my TMS wants me to be. Your ideas please.

 

Answer

Thanks for the question, it's a good one. There's a few things going on here that I'd like to address. First and foremost I'd like to acknowledge the good news as usual. In your case it's the fluidity of your symptoms. They're all over the place! We can see that they respond to your mind state (no stress/no pain) and are susceptible to suggestion (once the docs rule it out, it switches up on you). The reason this is good news is because it can help you to gain certainty that your symptoms are indeed the result of TMS. This is what you have to tell yourself when you find that you are obsessing over the symptoms, convincing yourself that your are experiencing the onset of MS.

As you say yourself, you are in the exact state that the TMS wants you to be in. The reason your mind is having trouble accepting that and is instead buying into the fear, is that you are bombarding it with these powerful fear thoughts constantly instead of providing care and support for yourself. Clearly a condition like MS is very serious; your TMS has found an effective tool for keeping you in fear. Powerful enough that even though you are at times able to see your symptoms for what they are, they still manage to throw you off your center and send you into an obsessive, anxious and distracted tailspin.

The key here is implementing the evidence that you are suffering from TMS as a way of supporting and calming yourself in the face of the anxiety and fear that results from the symptoms. When they cause you to feel fear and pressure, that is your cue to remind yourself that a) you are prone to scaring and pressuring yourself, so this is not unexpected b) you know what's going on here and you don't need to be afraid of it c) by working to support yourself, reduce pressure and increase care you can work towards reducing the stress that you know, from experience, can help you to reduce symptoms as well. I hope that's helpful.

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Guest, Alex gave some great advice.

I'm writing a long article summarizing Dr. Claire Weekes' book Hope and Help for Your Nerves,
which will be posted soon in this wiki. She offers great advice on dealing with anxiety.