Derek S. Feeling stuck with symptoms

This question was submitted via our Ask a TMS Therapist program. To submit your question, click here.

Question

Hey there,

I'm stuck. I asked a question regarding fatigue a month or so back, and I'm just feeling super lost. Several months ago I had a metabolic test done at a wellness center, after sort of leveling off with TMS healing. They found that I had bacterial overgrowth in my stomach, and I was low on amino acids. Long story short, throughout the course of taking those and still working on TMS, I started to feel better. I sorta plateau'd though, and just couldn't seem to get rid of fatigue. I thought hey, maybe I don't need these supplements anymore and that they're holding me back. I went off them, started to feel a little better for a couple days, and now this week has been very hard. It's like I'm getting back to how I felt before I started the supplements.

I guess I'm just super confused on a few things. I know part of TMS healing is breaking the conditioned response in your brain that you 'need' external remedies, whether it be supplements or physical therapy, etc., to get better. Once you break that condition, you heal. What else is super frustrating is that the medical doctor couldn't find anything wrong, and just told me I was depressed and had anxiety. However, my wellness center/chiropractor did a different test on metabolic processes in my body, and found the bacterial overgrowth and amino acid deficiency.

I'm also having a hard time with a few other things. I've always thought hey, if I eat healthy, I will beat this sickness. Now, I know that's not the case, however, I still wonder if every time I eat something healthy, my unconscious is reverting back to that condition of eating healthy = feeling healthy. I guess what I'm wondering is how does a person eat healthy, and not let it affect TMS healthy. Same could be said about exercising. I know it's great for me, but I've been told by medical doctors and wellness doctors that if I exercise, eat healthy, etc., I'll feel better. However, that didn't work. How do I take supplements for overall wellness, but not let it interfere with TMS healing? Is it as simple as saying, "I'm taking these for overall wellness, and not to fix my TMS"?

Thanks for your help,

 

Answer

Thanks for your question.

I am sorry that this has been such a difficult road for you.

Here are my thoughts:

I am curious about why you decided to get additional testing done with a wellness center after you had gotten a clean bill of health from your medical doctors and had already made the decision to recover utilizing a TMS approach. To me this sounds like you've got one foot in the structural and one foot in the psychological, so to speak. It tells me that you still have enough belief that something is "wrong" with you to be compelled to pursue a backup approach to treatment while simultaneously trying to work on your belief that there is actually nothing wrong with you. Do you see the contradiction here?

It's ok to take vitamins, eat healthy, and to exercise regularly, but it sounds like there is a ton of fear surrounding all of these things. The whole "bacterial overgrowth" and "amino acid deficiency" thing lacks scientific validity and is acting as an impediment to your recovery. There is nothing wrong with you physically so there is no need to be getting scientifically dubious tests and taking supplements that are not empirically proven to work. Every time you take these supplements, you reinforce the belief that there is something wrong with your body and that you need some kind of medication (even if a homeopathic one) to get well. I think that all of this underscores a deeper issue: You still have doubt that this is TMS.

When you felt better after taking the supplements, I would bet that this was a placebo. The plateau that you experienced prior to taking the supplements was probably more due to the fact that you never 100% believed your symptoms were all caused by TMS. This type of ambivalence will thwart any persons recovery from TMS.

If you were my client I would tell you to ditch the chiropractors, bail on the wellness center, throw away the supplements, and put 100% of your energy into solidifying your belief in a psycho-emotional cause for your symptoms. I would tell you to focus more on working through your emotional issues and less on figuring out what your optimal diet and exercise routine should be. If you are struggling with this, start working with a therapist who can help you to stay focused on the things that are going to get you better. The peaks and valleys in how you feel are normal. It is vital that you stay the course during these frustrating periods of symptom volatility or plateau.

If you know that you are doing the right things to get better and you truly believe that your symptoms are all caused by TMS, it will only be a matter of time before you achieve lasting results.

Best of luck to you!

-Derek

---

Any advice or information provided here does not and is not intended to be and should not be taken to constitute specific professional or psychological advice given to any group or individual. This general advice is provided with the guidance that any person who believes that they may be suffering from any medical, psychological, or mindbody condition should seek professional advice from a qualified, registered/licensed physician and/or psychotherapist who has the opportunity to meet with the patient, take a history, possibly examine the patient, review medical and/or mental health records, and provide specific advice and/or treatment based on their experience diagnosing and treating that condition or range of conditions. No general advice provided here should be taken to replace or in any way contradict advice provided by a qualified, registered/licensed physician and/or psychotherapist who has the opportunity to meet with the patient, take a history, possibly examine the patient, review medical and/or mental health records, and provide specific advice and/or treatment based on their experience diagnosing and treating that condition or range of conditions.

The general advice and information provided in this format is for informational purposes only and cannot serve as a way to screen for, identify, or diagnose depression, anxiety, or other psychological conditions. If you feel you may be suffering from any of these conditions please contact a licensed mental health practitioner for an in-person consultation.

Questions may be edited for brevity and/or readability.

 

I began buying vitamin and mineral supplements about a year ago thinking they would make me
healthier, happier, and reduce anxiety. I found lots of them on the Internet and all they have done for me so far
is nothing at all, and I've spent more money on them than I can afford.

The most relaxing things I've found are hot milk and deep breathing. One is cheap and the other free.
As for fear, it's all in the head. We put it there, we can take it out.

 

Fear goes away if we live in the present and imagine ourselves in a calm, peaceful, safe and secure place.