Hit a low point with this damn jaw of mine

Hi all,

So I had great success treating my RSI with the tms wiki, but I've mentioned before that I now get pain in my jaw, as a 'replacement' symptom. Although I am clearly not cured, I still see this as a great step forward because before my RSI was a genuine disability, and now my jaw pain, while horrible, doesn't stop me from e.g. having a job!

Saying that though, I am in a massive slump. The jaw pain has been getting worse over the last 2-3 months, and it feels like there's a vice on my head most of the time. It gives me headaches and makes me tired. I clench my teeth all night which I think is causing most of the pain. I have been so busy on my new course that I didn't (until last week) really do much about the jaw pain, I just tried to ignore it. Well clearly that's not working anymore as it's been getting worse. I have been stressed, starting a master's course has been a lot of work, and trying to make enough money to live off at the same time has meant a lot of juggling, and some compromises that I'm not totally happy with. I'm LOVING the course, but at the same time it's taking a lot out of me.

So I've just started journalling again tonight - it was not very productive, but I'm a bit rusty I suppose. I've been doing relaxation exercises for absolutely ages now, but only a few days ago did I actually manage to do one and feel actually relaxed for the first time ever... at last! So that's progress I guess. I'm trying a few hypnotherapy sessions to see if that can help me get to the bottom of things a little, and rewire my unconscious. Does anyone have any experience of this?

One problem I had with journalling before was that although I found out a lot about myself, I didn't really know what to do with it from there. For example, I worked out that I was angry at my parents because of a subtle yet consistent way they treat me, but I don't really know what to do with that information now I have it. It's made me feel worse, in some ways.

I really crave contentment. I don't know if I've ever felt it. I feel like my brain just isn't wired for happiness, or 'letting go' or 'enjoying the moment'. I'm trying hard to be mindful and I know a lot of this stuff is learnt, but it feels like I haven't made any progress on the emotional front in the 6 months I've been trying. I guess I just want moral support! It's hard; I thought with my hands getting better that I was past being this low, but it seems like I didn't really make much progress, as the problem just shifted to another body part

 

Don't worry, we're going to re-wire your brain Don't know if this will help, but I had major jaw surgery a few month ago and my jaw feels GREAT! I've got plates and screws in there, and I'm doing alright, so I know you can get there too.

 

Hi Jazzhands, thanks for the encouragement. Ouch jaw surgery doesn't sound fun! Glad to hear you're doing ok though.

 

This is an attempt to inject a little humor into a jaw hurting post.

My mother was carrying two grocery bags full of food stuffs up our back stairs one day and
fell on her jaw. She had to have it wired and couldn't speak for a month.

It was the happiest month of our lives for my brother, sister, and me (all young teenagers).
She couldn't chew us out for anything for a whole month.

 

Hi all,

Moose)- So I had great success treating my RSI with the tms wiki, but I've mentioned before that I now get pain in my jaw, as a 'replacement' symptom. Although I am clearly not cured, I still see this as a great step forward because before my RSI was a genuine disability, and now my jaw pain, while horrible, doesn't stop me from e.g. having a job!

Eric) Ok Moose so you've had success with your RSI symptoms and that went away and now you have jaw pain. How long? See You did so good with the RSI why wouldn't you want to stay course and do it with your jaw. I had the neck pain leave first then the lower back pain and then I had the shoulder pain and then the sciatica and many other pains. When I began to heal at first from the back pain I had this extreme flair up of anxiety that I called an extinction burst.

Then a year later I got bit by a spotted tic, got the fever and all. Had the whole 9 yards hit me and I still came roaring back to win that battle. Here recently I've had one battle that has been nagging me but to think of all I've over came id say that Im the winner and so are you since you've beat the RSI.

So remember moose , remember how you won the first battle. There was something special you did that was different than the way you've always done things ya know. Like this list im going to give you. If you can check it off then you should be able to over come this pain too. Here it is.

This is what a guy named Stamatis Moraitis did to live a long time
If two or three of these are out of balance there still might be some work to be done
or some anger and fear to let go.

Tell me what you think. Here's the URL- http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/getting-back-in-balance-with-life.3290/

I think it goes right with Tms healing.


Are You In Balance-

1) He went back and connected with his parents- Relationship
2) He rested from all the over worked nerves and thoughts letting his body recondition- Rest and healing
3) He got his finances in order- Harmony and Relationship with others
4) He walked to his church and did the Garden- Exercise and Relationship with nature
5) He got back to his faith- Relationship
6) His reconnection with his old friends brought back more healing energy- Relationship
6) He Talked daily with friends- Letting go- Relationship with life in general
7) He drink wine moderately and even more- Happiness , Joy, Relationship
8) He got healing from the nature by the sunshine and the ocean air- Relationship
9) He played dominos - Relationship
10) He woke up when he felt like it, worked the vineyard and took naps in the afternoons
11) Dare I say he cast away troubles and worries.

See its always about Relationship, just what kind of relationship might not be going well with you right now. Only you know. It could even be the harmony of mindbody and spirit relationship you want -- so in effect its not happening till you let go. In other words could you be wanting the pain to leave so bad that your getting repressed anger by default because of fear and focus. Only you know. I just hope im getting close, I like you moose your a winner and you will beat this again. Although Id start saying that I was a Tms winner because you beat the RSI. Call yourself a winner -- know that is who you are and those shackles of doubt in the unconscious will come rolling off.


Moose)- Saying that though, I am in a massive slump. The jaw pain has been getting worse over the last 2-3 months, and it feels like there's a vice on my head most of the time. It gives me headaches and makes me tired. I clench my teeth all night which I think is causing most of the pain. I have been so busy on my new course that I didn't (until last week) really do much about the jaw pain, I just tried to ignore it. Well clearly that's not working anymore as it's been getting worse. I have been stressed, starting a master's course has been a lot of work, and trying to make enough money to live off at the same time has meant a lot of juggling, and some compromises that I'm not totally happy with. I'm LOVING the course, but at the same time it's taking a lot out of me.

Eric)- The Above bolded area could bring stress on anyone. Have you been doing your mindfulness and your relaxation tecniques-- You will really need that set of tools here ya know.


Moose)- So I've just started journalling again tonight - it was not very productive, but I'm a bit rusty I suppose. I've been doing relaxation exercises for absolutely ages now, but only a few days ago did I actually manage to do one and feel actually relaxed for the first time ever... at last! So that's progress I guess. I'm trying a few hypnotherapy sessions to see if that can help me get to the bottom of things a little, and rewire my unconscious. Does anyone have any experience of this?

Eric)- you said you didn't know what to do with the journal, well that's where you write about everything that your going through that you just cant explain to anyone else but yourself ok. Remember the pen is your friend and if you write honestly about the schooling and financial things you are going through then you can start to find ways to accommodate for all this suppression that you are holding in your mind. You have to take the thoughts that bundle up in your mind and write them on paper, then try to come to an agreement with those situations that you will not allow yourself to get any stress or confusion anymore.

Its easier when you can get it on paper. See I was on a big project once and I remember I knew I understood all the effects I had to do. Knew it all to a dime, here's the problem-- In my mind I wanted to think of all those things at once and I usually was trying too. The issue was for the cure to only think of one thing at a time. How could I , I had to much to think about.

Then after a sick spell, I started watching funny movies on purpose and deciding to think about 1 thing at a time. I started to feel better. So be careful when you have to much to think about. It might be a habit now since you are in school to keep journals and such. I had dozens. I just had to get out all the stuff I thought about and that was a lot.

See, I didn't want to loose any info, so id store that info in my mind by default-- that's just what I was doing by habit. You could also be doing this in some way by default or habit-- look and make for sure. It will cause headaches.

Moose)- One problem I had with journalling before was that although I found out a lot about myself, I didn't really know what to do with it from there. For example, I worked out that I was angry at my parents because of a subtle yet consistent way they treat me, but I don't really know what to do with that information now I have it. It's made me feel worse, in some ways.

Eric)- This style of journaling wasn't useful to you then try another style. Don't give in. See if it made you feel worse then it did its job by getting you to feel your emotions-- that's what journaling is for in repression work , to get to the repression then to get you to feel the repression.

Then I would have a happy journal to write all of my accomplishments and futre goals in so I could soothe myself after the dense journaling. See I found a way that works for me in journaling, I noticed that the more I had in my mind the more pain I would have and then if I could get all those thoughts out on paper and process them then I would know that all those thoughts were safe instead of just trying to remember it all -- all the time ya know. Try this, Its journaling about your day to day life.

Moose)- I really crave contentment. I don't know if I've ever felt it. I feel like my brain just isn't wired for happiness, or 'letting go' or 'enjoying the moment'. I'm trying hard to be mindful and I know a lot of this stuff is learnt, but it feels like I haven't made any progress on the emotional front in the 6 months I've been trying. I guess I just want moral support! It's hard; I thought with my hands getting better that I was past being this low,

Eric)- Contentment- to be happy with what you have. Start with Gratitude and practice for 1-2 months , you should start to feel content then. Being in the now is the most precious thing there is. If your living in the future and the past then you know that this is the issue right. You heal in the now Moose... That's so important to know. Don't try to be mindful, just practice it till you get it. Don't try to be great all in one day -- take your time and learn the art like you would have to do with anything else and you will be fine. This is it -- you said it here. You learn contentment and mindfulness, Take your time and let it sink in. The jaw pain will slowly leave since its created by tension ya know. This is the answer and you said it yourself. Bless you Moose

Moose)- but it seems like I didn't really make much progress, as the problem just shifted to another body part

Eric)- You made all the progress in the world moose, You beat it in one body part-- now hold your head up and beat it in the other body part. You are the winner. You have to believe that though Moose

I have a question- have you ever got mad at someone then apologized the next day cause you felt bad. Well that was your body and mind telling you to do this so you could feel better right. So now go and tell your self that you apologize and that your sorry for giving it stress. I know this sounds a little illogical but if you do this with your heart and emotions you will soon start to feel the child inside slowly heal and the parent part of your mind will be thankful too since the super- ego has to hear most of ids fault findings ya know and the ego in the middle is hurting lost and nervous, IN content. Give your self a big hug cause you can. And find that special feeling you need to cultivate.

I had to make myself laugh on purpose one time cause I hadn't laughed in years and when I did it was like turning on the fountain of youth-- Wow --

 

Hi Moose,

I can feel for you - I have chronic jaw pain from TMJ - started before I even had back pain. Sarno says that TMJ in his opinion, is a manifestation of TMS. I am looking into hypnotherapy and came across someone who I hear is really great. Her name is Nancy Canning and she is located on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. She uses Skype for conducting hypnotherapy sessions, so you can reach her as long as you have an Internet connection and a camera for communicating with her via your computer.

I will let you know how she is as a hypnotherapist. You can find her on a website called www.AfterlifeTV.om - a fascinating site. She is interviewed there because she also does past life regression therapy.

For the practical matter related to your jaw, I would recommend that you get a custom sized mouth guard from a professional dentist. It helps protect your teeth from the grinding at night. Over time, you can cause your teeth to take wear and tear, so it's a preventative measure that works for your teeth.

 

Hi I would be journaling and focusing on ANGER. clenched jaw=anger. What do people do when they're angry. Bite down and clench the jaw. I know that when I start unconsciously biting down hard to the point soreness I know I'm angry about something! Journaling has to be about FEELINGS. So think about a topic, then write I FEEL ANGRY. Let the feeling come over you. When I do that, the words just spew. Keep with feelings though. Make sure you end on a positive note though--don't stay stuck in anger.

You can beat this. You need to believe that.

 

Hi all, thanks for the thoughtful replies. I'm going to give journalling another go, and perhaps try some different approaches. I've also just started some somatic exercises for the jaw, because I think part of the problem is that my nervous system has got wired up wrong - autonomic reflexes have taken over my jaw, and somatic exercises aim to give some conscious control back over the muscles, strengthening new neural pathways and rewiring the nervous system. I think in conjunction to general TMS work (which rewires the brain), it could help me.

And Eric, yes thank you - I should feel like a success, shouldn't I! I did great with my hands. Actually, I realised this morning that I hadn't thought about my jaw and it hadn't bothered me until about 11am - at which point it started to ache again, but hey that's progress! It was further evidence that my jaw pain is being caused by my own brain, and that when I am either relaxed or preoccupied (today I was preoccupied with essay writing) it feels better.

 

That's what it takes, Moose... put your mind on something to take it off your jaw.
It's all TMS, from repressed emotions. Keep journaling to learn what those are.
But don't spend more than a half hour a day on that.
Spend as much of your day doing pleasant things or thinking pleasant thoughts.

Do you remember what you did about 11 am when your jaw started to ache?
That may tell you what repressed emotion brought on the ache.

 

Hi Walt, I'm not sure - I think I was just taking a break from essay writing, making a cup of tea. But that's a good idea, I'll try to think about what's causing the pain next time I notice it get worse.

 

This is very good Moose, make notes when you have these Ah- hah moments and then you can look back at them if the tms tries to rear its ugly head.
This style is mentioned in Alan Gordon's program. Its something I always would do when Id have those Ah- hah moments like your having.
Go get em, never doubt how powerful you are-- your doing exceptionally well.
Thanks for the reply