Derek S. How do I know tinnitus tms?

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Question

In response to a TMS question about recovery, part of Dr. Schubiner's response is one's "ability to recognize the process as TMS and to clearly understand that there is no physical reason why they cannot get better ". My question is, how do we know whether our symptom is TMS and not a physical issue? In my case, I have tinnitus (which Sarno lists as a TMS symptom), and I have been checked out by doctors and nothing was wrong with me (except normal hearing loss which most people my age (51) have). The problem is, I can never know for sure if I have TMS and not some structural problem. I can never fully "clearly understand there is no physical reason why cannot get better".

Therefore am I doomed to fail this program? This program seems very much hinged on whether a person can accept that their symptom is not a result of a structural problem, but how can we ever know for sure?

 

Answer

Thanks for your question, hopefuldan.

I know that tinnitus seems like it is somehow different from other TMS symptoms but I would argue that it is not. It is a fairly common experience/sensation that your primitive brain can interpret as a threat and then subsequently re-create leading to a pattern of attention, preoccupation, fear, and anxiety.

With any TMS symptom, you eventually reach a fork in the road when you are forced to make some kind of a leap of faith. You can have doctors tell you that there is nothing wrong with your back, that your MRI's came out clean, or that there is no structural damage in your ears which should cause a chronic ringing in your ears. There is no certainty in any of these scenarios. There is only the assertion from people like Dr. Schubiner, Dr. Sarno, or an experienced TMS clinician that the psychogenic pain/symptom process is both extremely common and also the most likely explanation for the symptom in the absence of any structural deficits. This has to be enough to make that leap of faith.

You state that you can "never know for sure" if this is TMS or a structural issue, but you also report that structural damage has already been ruled out. To me that gives you as much certainty as you need. If you need to get a second opinion, by all means do so. However, make a deal with yourself that once you have enough evidence, you will commit fully to the TMS approach.

It is common and expected to wrestle with uncertainty around TMS symptoms because they can be so compelling. Gather your evidence and then move forward with confidence and hope. You will have moments of doubt but as long as you've done your due diligence making your case for TMS, you will find your certainty again.

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