how do I get started?

I am brand new to tms and didn't even know what it was until about 5 hours ago. I have spent those last 5 hours reading, researching and watching dr. Sarnos discussions on tms. I don't have the book but I am ready to get started! I'm just not sure how to get started. Should I get the books? Can I find a workbook on here? How do I even begin a program? Please help

 

First welcome to the forum , i would say start with any of the Sarno books, also you can start the SEP on this site for free. And then you should be checked out by your pcp dr to get cleared of and organic or structural issues

 

Any one of Dr. Sarno's books will convey the TMS/psychosomatic dis-ease theory for you. Lot's of people recommend "HEALING BACK PAIN". The last of his four books, "THE DIVIDED MIND", would be the most comprehensive, covering the gamut of TMS symptoms beyond the structural, including affective/emotional complexes. Steve Ozanich's book, "THE GREAT PAIN DECEPTION" is a great textbook of functional psychosomatic medicine and his TMS recovery story. If you need to see a doctor to confirm your opinion that it's TMS, there's a list of them here by location.

G'luck!
tt

 

TT

Steves book to me is the best functional book out there for Tms ...its my goto when i am lost or hit a road block I also like Dr Hanscom approach to calming your system down is modality makes a lot of sense

 

Yes Boston, I agree. He has a great appendix of TMS symptoms in the back of his book that I refer to often--(I don't know if SteveO still has his own appendix--and not sure if appendicitis can have a TMS component to it or not) . The research he must have had to do to make the dense subject of psychology understandable to the common man is phenomenal, and his editor made him cut his book in half! Hopefully his audio book will be coming out soon and we can listen to it while driving and screaming at the top of our lungs with the windows rolled up in the privacy in our cars.

 

Welcome to the forum.

Healing Back Pain was what answered all my questions and put me on the path to recovery. It's short, easy to read, and to the point. So a good book to start you journey with.

 

And, also Fred Amir's great TMS book "RAPID RECOVERY FROM BACK AND NECK PAIN", that I enjoyed reading and helped me much. He also holds free teleconference workshops you can find out more about in his signature above.

 

So pretty much I will need a book first. I watched his 2+hour presentation on tms and at least got the gist. Is there alot more to it in his books or stuff I can find online?

 

Healing Back Pain gives you the concept and my Rapid Recovety plan gives you concrete steps on how to recover.

It's really a skill, like riding a bike or driving a car. Once you learn the steps and practice them you can zap various TMS symptoms quickly out of your body.

 

You don't have to do anything more but understand the Good Doctor's theory: that TMS/psychosomatic pain is REAL--but emanates from the unconscious mind. It is caused by a build up of repressed anger as a defense mechanism/PROTECTOR, from expressing emotions that the unconscious fears would not be socially acceptable.

Most people don't need to mine their histories for past events for sources. You just have to change your mind about the pain--then sleep on it and let the it sink into the unconscious. Avoid the psychobabble, it's not complicated. Start doing normal activities that you've been avoiding due to the pain to build up your confidence in the theory.

The boilerplate is to get checked out by a doctor to be sure it's not anything serious, whether caused by TMS or not, that should be treated by conventional structurally oriented medicine. Most people who have found TMS have been through a gamut of treatments and snake-oyls from A to Z--I've never heard of anyone coming here first.

 

It is a good book , but mainly for people who have back pain....not different forms of tms component

 

Which book would you recommend?

 

I have been put through the ringer with doctor after doctor, test after test, and snake oil after snake oil. I was diagnosed with chronic migraines, fibromyalgia, and just about every back aliment there is...ddd, stenosis, torn disc, herniated disc. Bursitis, arthritis, tendonitis and horrible sciatica pain encapsulating my entire right leg. I've tried pt, acupuncture, massage, chiro, vitamins and supplements, other alternative options with little to no relief. I'm only 36 years old and cannot and will not accept this is the rest of my life but looking back, it makes alot if sense that it all trickled in during and after a very stressful time in my life.
Like I said, I never heard of tms until yesterday but I am all in and ready to get my life back! I just tend to be the type of person that needs structure and exercises and to be told what, when and how to do things, so now I'm just trying to figure out the best book to use on how to get started

 

In Rapid Recovery from Back and Neck Pain I give a summary of the main concepts explained in Healing Back Pain and then explain how I created the Nine-Step Rapid Recovery plan to recover rapidly from chronic pain and disability. Then in Ch. 6 I give a step-by-step explanation and action items to design your own Rapid Recovery plan.

Many people have found just reading my book has helped them fully recover. You can read the reviews on Amazon and decide. BTW, I am planning to do another free Rapid Recovery workshop in January. Date to be confirmed soon.

 

Hi MGB, you're rapid acceptance that you have TMS, (the human condition in other words), is the major first step. Most sufferers don't want to acknowledge their pains are TMS/psychosomatic, due to the unwarranted stigma of being viewed as "mental". There's so much help at this site alone its hard to say where to start--so start in the middle of the TMS circle where you are.

You've got the ear of a noted TMS expert Fred Amir, you can follow his advice. Look up the TMS physicians list at this site and see if there's one near you, get a work-up, and if s/he says it's TMS that's a huge positive to help give you confidence in the theory.

BTW, I've had an MGB, a TF, MGA's and a have a TC.

 

Hi, mgb. I agree with the others that you have made the best start already in TMS healing by accepting 100 percent that your emotions have caused your pain. Now I suggest you start the Structured Educational Program and begin journaling to discover repressed emotions past or present.

Fred Amir's Rapid Recovery is also a wonderful help in TMS healing. Take your time. Don't put pressure on any technique to heal you. Be patient and you will be healthier and happier than you ever imagined. That's the great thing about TMS which Dr. Sarno calls emotional penicillin.

 

Thanks everyone! I'm still figuring out the best book for me but I have started day 1 of the SEP

 

If you haven't read it yet, I suggest John Sarno's Healing Back Pain.

 

And remember that fastest way to recovery is taking things slow!

Take it easy, relax, and enjoy the process.

 

Would the book mind body prescription by John sarno work well for back pain as well as all over pain from fibro? Unfortunately money is an issue so I need to look at inexpensive, used books