Did you or do you catastrophize your symptoms?

Hi,

I’m wondering if there’s any other TMS sufferers (current or recovered) that catastrophize your symptoms and/or have health anxiety? What does that look like for you? Thanks in advance.

 

Yes. I have for sure. I have been in therapy for it. What it really is, for me, is OCD. Health anxiety is a branch of OCD. I find that it comes in waves. Through therapy, I have learned that OCD is a distraction that I do. The body stuff - sensations or fears of this or that- is a distraction from the painful emotions underneath. Even though I know that, it still isn’t easy. And part of the reason I joined this forum was I had a major OCD/HA flare up. And I was reminded of OCD’s connection to TMS and knew this is where my focus had to be. Treating it as TMS. I am not sure this answered what you are looking for, but know you are not alone.

 

Well, we all do. That's TMS!
If you have not yet, I suggest you read the Divided Mind my Dr. Sarno. The book features a variety of folks who had TMS - their physical symptoms and thought patterns and how they overcame their symptoms. It will help assure you that the things you are going through are quite common and can be overcome.
Health anxiety can be generalized and TMS can be more specific. Eg. I don't have general health anxiety. I'm not one for dental work (makes me anxious because of childhood experiences) but I've broken bones and could really care less because I know I'll heal - I just don't like the down time. Many of my TMS symptoms have made me anxious, especially the more chronic ones. I have had some that didn't really consciously bother me at all.

 

Thank you so much for sharing that, I suffer from pretty bad OCD myself actually - I’d be very interested in learning how to treat OCD via TMS, what is the best way to do this?

 

thank you so much, I shall buy divided mind now, much appreciated!

are your TMS symptoms only pain?

 

Mostly they are now, but I have had a vast array of symptoms including anxiety, depression, symptoms that mimic neurological issues, visual and olfactory and perceptual disturbance, tinnitus, lpr, and much more.

 

Hi @Dothermo
You might like this recent success story by @HealingMe She had OCD. https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/many-symptoms-success-story.28781/ (Many Symptoms Success Story)

 

First I would suggest reading Sarno’s The Divided Mind. He actually mentions OCD as a version of TMS. So reading about that and anxiety as TMS is helpful. Then I went straight to his journaling as suggested in his book. When I felt the OCD or HA stuff come on - I am already aware it is a distraction for me- I tried to figure out what I was repressing and wrote about it. Or if I couldn’t figure it out, I just wrote about how I felt. It does help.


I have just about finished Alan Gordon’s book The Way Out. It is all pain centered - nothing really mental- but he talks alot about how we make ourselves hypersensitive and ways to decrease that and the stress response. I know for sure that those things affect how bad my OCD gets so I am applying them to that.


I also started going through the SEP on here. I am only in the beginnings of it. But it is highly recommended, free, and put together by the people here who have been there, done that, and healed. If you don’t have any books, I would start right there right now and start telling yourself the OCD is a TMS symptom- I am trying to see it as “pain” in my brain though it doesn't physically hurt (that is a perspective i came up with myself- not something I found on here).


Hope this helps.

 

Also definitely read this thread that she suggested- I have read this success story and it has given much hope over the OCD

 

very much so...unfortunatley. working on it

 

Ah! Yes 100% my catastrophizing has lead to some deep depression I experienced early this year.

The moment you start those catastrophizing patterns you need to tell yourself stop and pivot. I don’t care if you literally have to get up and walk away and do something else but you need to pivot and not let these thought spiral. It is a full time job for the first couple weeks but it seriously gets easier! If I can do it (I was such a negative thinker) then you surely can.

I’ve dealt with with some strange OCD tendencies that I’m shy to speak about because sometimes stuff like this is personal but I have had OCD regarding relationships in my life.

Your brain is so powerful but you have control over all these thoughts. The amazing thing is you can choose to yes 1) acknowledge them, 2) not believe them, and 3) move on. Soothe yourself. For me this was key to getting over my OCD! I’ve had it since I was 5! I still don’t know what caused this but it doesn’t matter to me anymore.

Also definitely drop the diagnosis that you have GAD or OCD! It’s all the same: TMS. When I am anxious with my job or navigating through family relationships, I never label myself as someone who has GAD. I just think to myself, hey this is normal, and this can cause some funny feelings in ANYONE, but I write about it or talk to my husband (or do whatever you need to do to not repress them), tell myself this will pass (because it will (shout out to Claire Weekes).

 

Love your story, @HealingMe ! I think of it every day.

 

I 100 percent agree with this - OCD is very addictive behavior regardless of what the focus is

 

I had health anxiety long, long before TMS.
TMS is an added module.
Gives you symptoms to catastrophisize about.