Interesting concept, have you tried this?

In one of the comments on Sarnos video on youtube I found a following recommendation and I was wondering if anyone tried this method and if you found it helpful:
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I took the seminar, came home with homework and have been doing it. ONE MOST IMP THING TO ADD- (that's not inc in the books/dvd's) they have found thru thousands of pt's- IF YOU ARE ALSO A WORRIER- you MUST make a separate list (also to be concise/fitting only on a 5x8 card) of ANY/ALL things you worry about. BOTH your lists should "hurt a little" Dr. Gowzdz says. In other words, things like "im afraid to get old" im afraid of being old and alone" - im afraid of getting a debilitating disease" im afraid I will never have enough money to support myself" - you get the idea. Then, for one hour/day you MUST take out this list and (purposely) WORRY about the things on this list. (this will desensitize the brain so you wont worry about them anymore! Imagine, the progress you have thus far with your rage list (also on a 5x8 card) BUT you may stay at the 2-3 level of pain...OR- b/c TMS is the equivalent of a maximum security prison and doesn't want to comply- the TMS WILL bounce around to say a sinus infection, migrane, gastritis...etc. even Depression, Anxiety, alcoholism are ALL forms of TMS SO, by doing BOTH LISTS (only IF) your a worrier- it will 100% diffuse it ALL. AND PERMANENTLY - at 1month.

 

Hi, Yulia. That is an interesting technique for TMS healing, but I have not read it in any Sarno or other book on TMS. It could work to reduce pain from worrying, but it looks like a lot of work to me, and also requires spending a lot of time thinking about the worries we have. I'm not sure that is necessary or good for anyone. Journaling is the way most TMSers learn about the emotional causes of their pain. It is quicker and more simple than those 5x8 cards.
The Structured Educational Program, free in the subform of this web site, helps us to discover those harmful emotional causes of our pain. His 12 Daily Reminders are his shortcut to healing. Herbie, a great friend of this forum, wrote a longer version which I will share with you.


Herbie’s Extended Version of Dr. Sarno’s 12 DAILY REMINDERS

1. The pain is due to TMS. This is real pain or anxiety but it is caused by subconscious tensions and triggers, stressors and traits to your reactions and fears and also when at boiling point your conscious tension can and does also cause real pain.
2. The main reason for the pain is mild oxygen deprivation. This means that when you get in pain or anxiety then the blood is restricted from going to your lower back, for instance. The blood being restricted causes oxygen deprivation which causes the pain. Remember, where there is no oxygen then there is pain in the body. Also, the pain stays because of fear.
3. TMS is a harmless condition caused by my REPRESSED EMOTIONS so even though you think you can harm yourself from the years of pain you have felt and how you feel in general -- so far no reports have been heard from TMS healing knowledge causing damage to anyone, it only helps.
4. The principle emotion is your repressed ANGER -- this means under your consciousness lies something that happens automatically to everyone. TMSers have repressions that are stored because of our personality traits, traumas, stressors, fears, strain, etc... When these stored repressions build and build, then eventually they cause the brain to send pain into your body to keep you from having an emotional crises. The mind-body thinks it is helping you.
5. TMS exists to DISTRACT your attentions from the emotions, stressors, tensions and strains of your personality traits because if you can get distraction then you won’t have to be in emotional turmoil. When you don't face and feel your emotions and they get repressed because you didn't want to deal with something -- they are just adding up in this beaker, ready to pour over and create real pain and anxiety in your body.
6. Since my body is perfectly normal, there is nothing to fear. So in reality when I fear the pain or anxiety I just cause myself undo strain and tension adding to the beaker of pain. If I fear, then I feed the pain, If I fear, it’s impossible to recondition. Fear keeps the pain and anxiety alive in the body through focus.
7. Therefore, physical activity is harmless. If I want to work against the pain I could but it’s better to lose some of the pain so when I start my life over I have to be in pain trying to heal because facing the repressions and all the other activities that cause the pain and reversing my fear and focus to them, then I can heal.
8. I am resuming all normal physical activity. I don't fear moving anymore. I believe in my body’s ability to heal now. I can move as I want. I will not fear moving with a bent back anymore. I will also practice going out and acting normal again, not in fear of what pain might do to me.
9. The pain is unimportant and powerless. Its only power is how it is hidden -- its illusion, its fear.
10. I will keep my attention on the emotional issues. I will think about my emotions and feel my emotions throughout the day. I will not judge, criticize or fear my emotions. I will not run from my emotional issues but face every one of them. I will feel my emotions fully and cry if I need to. Then I will release the emotion and get my mind and thoughts back to my life and living in the present.
11. I am in control of all of this. This is how I recover.
12. I will be thinking PSYCHOLOGICALLY AT ALL TIMES. This means I will keep my thoughts on psychological issues like happiness, fear and anger -- traits and triggers, conditioning and journaling -- The science behind mind-body/TMS healing, etc.... This way I will not feed my thoughts to the body -- that is a trick of TMS. TMS will always try to get me to focus on the body caused by the pain until I break its show and flair. When I get my attention off physical symptoms and on to emotional issues and psychological issues then I will not feed the fear of the physical issues anymore, thus making the TMS of no pain effect on the body. This will in return, give us the cure and become pain-free.

 

Yep, thats pretty much my list.

 

Thanks for reminding us of these Walt!

 

I can imagine it would only be helpful in the sense that you would 'think through' some of your worries and see how unlikely some of them are, or how you can't change some of them and must accept them, or that you can take action to change some situations and should do so. Some people do this sort of thing through journalling.

 

Hi Yulia, the method sounds very interesting! I tried finding it with a "search" here but couldn't. Could you provide a link to the original info by Dr. Gowodz or the Youtube video "Comments" where you found it? I've always been a fan of the 5x8 card technology. Used to use them for studying in school a lot and they are a good back-up for when my computer or the cloud crashes.

Thanks!
tt/lsmft

 

I agree very much with your comments, it's a useful means of seeing your emotions for what they are, whether they are real or preconceived. They always seem much smaller on a 5 x 8. Once these ideas, beliefs have come into awareness, we can think about these in a psychological fashion and diffuse them, by simply embracing the false belief and letting go. I can see the benefit of this technique.

However, the danger for some i guess is that they could get wrapped up in more negative thinking, rather than using the technique to diffuse a belief or false reality which has a hold on them.

 

I think perhaps seeing them on a little card could serve to compartmentalize 'issues" and then put them out of sight-out of mind when done with. I've never formally journaled, just ruminated on my woes and worries. Post TMS/Sarno, when feeling the pain, "switched my thinking to the psychological", but am a big fan of the 5x8 card technology, which preceded the Apple Newton, Palm Pilot, Kyocera 7135 and the HAL.

 

Check out comment from TheHairguruLisa3 in the link below:

 

Yes, worry would equate to FEAR. I am aware of Dr. Gwozdz in NJ (went to his lecture with someone) but I feel that I don't just want to be reminded of my fears: I want to get rid of them. So I believe that listing the fears (worries) is a good thing to do, but then process them. Write about FEELINGS about the fears, WHY they are there, talk/write through the "what ifs" until I feel a shift. For me it was about processing the fear OUT of me; not just reminding myself of it.

I would also think some type of therapy to find out where the fear is rooted would be helpful as it can then be eliminated as well.

Note: Regarding fear of aging. . . i had very bad back pain TMS the year I turned 40! Coincidence? Don't think so!

Best wishes for healing!

 

The technique to me is counter productive….you want to realize what your fears are and release them?

 

Have you try the technique already?

 

Yes ….not with cards but by writing them in a journal…it really did not sink in for ME…I like getting a piece of paper folding it in half one side I put my negative thoughts the other side I respond with a positive response …then I throw it out…for helpful for ME..

 

A very very powerful technique if it's done repeatedly, it helps you shift your thinking towards positivity and helps reprogram the mind.

 

I do it everyday…i could have 1 negative thought to 10 but I do it everyday

 

I think this method will work pretty well for things that you fear, you affraid of. It will also help "erase" those repressed negative emotions that Dr. Sarno said triggered our tms pain. I think of it like an exposure therapy. The more you expose to some thing you fear, the easier it get to over come the fear. Those painful emotions became less and less painful when we come prepare and we deal with it rationally. That bully boy can't hurt me anymore. I'm big and I can take care of myself now, my drunk father won't be able to bother me anymore. That ex girlfriend is gone, it is time to move on and live my life.... I think this method just help us "re-live" our past in a more control and confidence way. It help us "delete" and move on.
In your case Boston, most of you "negative" is current and on going. I don't think this method is going to help much for you. It is like telling soldiers in foxhole not to worry about those bombs exploding around them. For those soldiers the fear feeling won't stop until they are physically far away from the battle field. For you Boston, you won't start to get better until you are completely out and away from your toxic relationship.

 

Good point Balto and I agree…