He climbs with TMS

I was at a climbing gym today talking to a really powerful, talented climber about a climb I had just watched him do (and he had done really well!). The guy said, "Ya, I did ok, but I was struggling with my lower back." And I asked him what happened. He said two months back, he fell 40 feet into water while deep-soloing in the Philippines. Deep Solo-ing is when you climb on a rockface that is stretching out over water. You don't use rope when you climb on these rocks, because the water is meant to break your fall. He was halfway up the 80' climb, when the hold he had just grabbed broke off in his hand! He fell back first into the water.

But that was two months ago. And he's still hurting in his back. And I thought it was interesting that he didn't talk about how scary it would have felt to have fallen 40 feet and hit the water. This was a big, macho climber, probably one of the best climbers at the gym. And he was climbing, very expertly, a route that I didn't even consider attempting.

Now I don't know for SURE if this guy has TMS. But if I were to place a wager, I would bet that this was a TMS symptom. I guess what I want to relay with this story is that: TMS isn't some rare symptom that only a few people have. It's so widespread that even highly accomplished sports enthusiasts can struggle with it. TMS isn't so much a symptom of a neurological disorder, but a natural human condition resulting from traumatic events.

 

Yes, I agree. The more you learn about it, and work it in yourself, the more you see it all around you! And most very physical people know nothing about it...just as the physicians and alternative medicine folks, etc. are also in the dark.

 

He Had to be extremely frightened, even though you really don't have much time while you're falling to feel much frIght,
I'm pretty sure that the only thing you're thinking is oh man what's going to happen to me?., and you are thinking I have to survive this!.
When I was 20 years old I fell 20 feet on my back onto concrete and I can truly say that I believe that that fall set my TMS into motion, now I recovered from the initial injuries,But the fall literally changed me forever or (at least until I write it out of the script of my life and toss it into in a wastebasket somewhere). He had to be emotionally affected by the fall even if he didn't mention it, I never mentioned the fall after they reset my wrist and the contusions on my lower back healed, but it was within that same year that I had my very first panic attack and from that point on things changed so, I wouldn't doubt there's a reason he didn't mention it is because he's not feeling affected by the fall yet emotionally at least, and if he is he's good at hiding it. Can't imagine following 40 feet,As 20 feet was more than enough. My uncle told me I would always be "bothered" by this, I would never recover.

 

Im sure most people have it in one way or another, in fact scrap that,Like Sarno says... its universal, I think its just how you deal with emotions and life situations thats going to make it or break it. A few people seem to have it nailed without even thinking about it, <<<I s'pose that the key right there!

 

Markus - i know what you mean about the mental impact a fall can have. sounds like you had it much worse than me, but i fell twenty feet as well once. luckily i was strapped into a harness at the time, and my gear caught me. but i still didn't get on the rock for months afterward. i wonder if it's a matter of the guy not feeling it emotionally, or being able to repress the emotions around the fall?

Scott.Cameron - being able to let the suffering over what happened go, since it's over and done with. For sure that's the key. And the ones who let the past be just that are pretty powerful because they're not reliving stuff that's got nothing to do with right now.