Is there an end to TMS symtoms?

I've discovered TMS and this website 3 years ago when I was suffering from terrible headaches. After following the program and journaling my headaches went away. After few weeks, I started experiencing muscle twitching ... started journaling and reading Dr Sarno books and although it never went away completely it got much better. And until now its still continuing.... every few weeks or every few months, another symtom starts. Is there ever an end to it? Any way to "cure" yourself COMPLETELY from getting these physical symtoms for good?

 

If you think there wont be, there won't be...

If you think there is, then yes...

Its as simple as that, your mindset is what you need to focus on, dont fear anything and live life.

 

I can’t fully answer this, as I haven’t recovered yet. However, I do believe it is possible to become completely free of TMS symptoms.

If you stop focusing on the symptoms, they tend to fade. I don’t believe the brain continues to generate new sensations once it feels fully safe. As the saying goes: what you resist, persists.

If you show your brain that you don’t really care, it eventually loses interest in generating symptoms.

 

I do not believe there is a complete end to the symptoms - they may come and go but the goal is that they will not be chronic.
I believe that everyone has a mind/body/spirit connection - and that everyone has symptoms at some time in their life - eg. a blush at an embarrassing comment is a "symptom" - a reaction to a thought. In that case, the "symptom" or the physical reaction comes occasionally, and usually leaves pretty quickly and is completely normal. It's not chronic, and it comes and goes. Generally it's not considered annoying or intrusive at least for more than the few minutes it takes to dissipate.

When fear abates, you'll know that it's normal for physical reactions to come and go. They can be annoying, but if you don't focus so much on them and just let them hang out while you continue on with life, then they seem to go faster in most people. The brain gets the message that you aren't afraid of them, that you are "safe" to feel them. They key is also to feel free to feel everything - as Dr. Sarno points out, his main objective was to get people to feel free to open up to hard emotions like internal RAGE (and of course, all others) and accept the fact that we feel things both physically and emotionally. We get stressed when we don't want to or fear and judge these thoughts and more specifically ourselves.

It's fantastic that you are journaling. Keep it up! When you journal, (and at other times in your life) can you sense and be OK with sensing the emotions in your physical body? Can you feel that internal rage at times and simply let it course through the body and discharge?
Do you see your patterns and behaviors within the pages of Sarno's book eg. Personality Traits and can you get a good grasp on how you might repress some of your emotions because of them? Have you started journaling about how those things intersect with your daily life?

Do you take time out for yourself - to chill out and disengage from the world just to let life settle eg. quiet time, solitary walks (in nature is often recommended if you can find it), playing music, meditation, maybe knitting or simply kicking a soccer ball around ... you know, stuff with no purpose other than just to "be" instead of doing and achieving or scrolling These things can help settle a very active mind (or body) and let your nervous system begin to regulate.

A few other things I've done is use journal prompts (the Structured Education Program ...scroll down at TMSWIKI.org is great for that, and for learning creative new ways to journal) or used My TMS Journey's website (tons of free journal prompts there).
Eventually I personally added Qui Gong and simple Tai Chi for my chill out time (along with a daily solitary walk and meditation several times a week).

I spend time finding joyful stuff to do every single day...whatever is your hobby or passion. No time for that? Simply add moments of good stuff eg. I like to smell incense burning. It makes me happy.

@Fal suggests "Live Life" - are you living a life you are happy or content with? Do you feel fulfilled and with purpose? I think this is another aspect to look at because the more we can do things that take our mind away from symptoms and stress, the less of it we have.

 

Very good points! But once you reach the stage where the symptoms are no longer chronic, is it really still considered TMS - or just being human?

 

Thank you all for your responses.

 

By the time we are showing and experiencing debilitating symptoms it’s likely our nervous systems have been super heightened for a while. We’ve likely been ignoring the warning signs that our body and brain have been giving us for months, years (decades?). It’s going to take some time to bring it back to baseline or even below baseline. There’s a good analogy in this space about the overflowing glass representing over nervous system, and once it starts overflowing we experience symptoms that are life altering, and the more work we do (journalling, meditation, losing fear, finding joy etc) our glass lowers and symptoms lessen. But we may fall into the trap of making enough change to lower the glass a little to lessen a symptom but not enough to break the pattern of symptom imperative. I think we need to strike a balance of recognizing that we don’t need to fully overhaul our lives to escape the nightmare but that we also need to break some habits that have been fueling harmful thought patterns that leads to a dysfunctional way of thinking and living. Life is always going to throw stress at us, but if we’re constantly teetering on the brink of an overfilled glass basic life stress may be enough to push us over the edge. And then we get a new symptom which we panic over and we get stuck in a cycle. So yeah, losing fear is so important, recognizing as soon as possible when a new symptom is TMS so you can give it no attention and prevent the fear loop before it starts. But then beyond that we really need to ground down and recognize dysfunctional thought patterns. Because you can do all the journalling and meditation work you want, but if the second you put the pen down or the moment that timer dings you go right back to the same thoughts that fuel dysfunction, what is really changing? Are we doing work so we can say we did work, or are we doing it because we know from the bottom of our souls that we deserve better than this?

im in the same boat as you. Im tired, but i know im trending the right direction. I’m much better at questioning what i would think about if i wasnt thinking about the discomfort. I know i make the biggest progress when im actually my own friend and ally, lifting myself up internally, praising my resilience and accomplishments. Forcing it, because none of it comes naturally to me, I’ve been my own bully for literal decades, that’s not going away in a few months.

and also get rid of expectations, if you sit around waiting and wondering when you’ll be ‘normal’ or pain free life is going to pass you by and symptoms will persist because they’re serving their role as a distraction. I resumed full time work last week after being unemployed for a while, and a for a little I thought naively that being back to work would be my answer, but I was in just as much discomfort at work as at home that first day, the 2nd a bit better, we will see how the rest goes. But I recognizes I was falling into the same old trap of obsessing over my symptoms and getting frustrated that they were there instead of just being present as work. But more than that I should’ve been lifting myself up for getting back to work for overcoming that fear. For now it is going to be a struggle to not fall into the fear and despair loop.

 

Nuances. If you aren’t able to suss out what’s happening, things can become chronic. I think the difference is “forgetting” all the TMS work - not incorporating it into your permanent lifestyle and to have learned, absorbed and kept it in mind. However most people who ask this question are aren’t “there yet” and are fearful and anxious, sometimes impatient and still looking for the magic “pill” that is quick and doesn’t require the hard work it takes. When people were honest about this with me, it helped me let go of expectations and understand that progress isn’t always measured in the complete reduction of symptoms.

 

That’s great!!! Congrats, @Rabscuttle! Yes, you should be so proud for going back and facing your fear. That’s amazing. I don’t think you anticipated going back so soon. This is huge progress! I think it’s going to catapult you forward as soon as you get past these first few challenging days and weeks. Hang tight and believe!

 

And I will add as a Sarno Fundamentalist...This is about Anger and Rage.
The Unconscious, never assuaged, lifetime of howling in ignorance and misery ....in a bitter land of pain without refuge.....In a burning desert of quiet desperation.

and knowing it's there, and you can't do a thing about it but occasionally visit, see a reflection off the wall.

This has nothing to do with my feelings , or rather very little to do with feelings that come and go. Unless that journaling was focused on the first rather than the latter, you might just be offloading a little off the top like @Rabscuttle says

 

Thanks a ton Diana! Yup it’s a big step for me. It’s funny how our silly brains work. Because a few weeks back I’d be ecstatic for reaching this point. But now that I’m here my mind wonders back to symptoms or to moving out of my parents house or making friends, finding a partner, how I miss my old city my old job and coworkers etc, instead of just y’know being present and giving myself some grace and being proud for even getting here. I really am my worst enemy, and as much as I wish I wasn’t, at least I am recognizing these shitty thought patterns that prevent me from being at peace. Because the goal posts are always going to extend, I need to just stop playing the silly game that puts pressure to be at a certain point in my life.

Dukkha just about sums it up, lol.

 

It’s just human. We all want more. It’s how we move forward. So don’t judge yourself for that. You’re doing so good! I’m really impressed! Maybe picture a little you at 5 years old. Give him a big hug. See how brave he is? And he’s pure goodness. Not a bad bone in his body. I just know you’re going to get out of this. Your bravery is huge!

As far as where you should be in your life? The universe, God, whatever you believe, saw fit to give you the advanced course. When you graduate from TMS, your life will be light years past the average life. So don’t worry.

 

I believe TMS is a personality lifetime "companion".Everytime the glass is about to spill , a symptom may appear.But now we know and that is the important thing about it.

 

TMS is the human condition - all humans have it, some are lucky that they don't get chronic (I have a lot of theories on why this is - basically compensating-controls that not all of us have), some are lucky to discover Sarno and what he espoused. The third group, the truly unlucky, are those that spend their lives chasing medication, surgeries, and deal with chronic ailments like fibromyalgia/CPRS or all the other myriad chronic "injuries."

 

Hi @Revlon
I’ve had TMS on and off my entire life. It always comes during periods of extreme stress (and these always include things to be angry about). Before I knew about Sarno, my symptoms would eventually fade— usually when the stressful events faded. The last two years, I have had the most symptoms I’ve ever had. I know about Sarno, and I’ve been doing a lot of healing strategies… but for now, I still have symptoms. I can tell that my nervous system is very raw. I allowed myself to get over the top with anxiety (and rage), and it spilled into symptoms. I don’t know if that’s the case for you, but it is for a lot of people with TMS. Anxiety plays a key role. So, to answer your question— can we ever heal completely? I think we can. But, every time you neglect to take care of your stress level, TMS might come back. Some people on this forum (not me yet, unfortunately) know how to very quickly make the symptoms subside. Two of them who are good at it are @Baseball65 and @Cactusflower. If you follow their threads, you can learn a lot about how they do it. Many people also rely heavily on meditation. A good person to follow for that is @TG957. In addition to Sarno books, have you ever read Hope and Help for Your Nerves, by Claire Weekes? She is a big help. She really explains a lot and offers good techniques for healing.

 

Oh boy, I'll try to come up with a short answer but it's gonna be hard.

It comes down to what you think TMS is and why it happens. I believe it's a matter of hijacked neuropathways. So you got all these brain sinapses linking regular activities with pain. That's not going away, meaning they may be activated again. Your work here is to create a new structure that won't link activities to pain. The brain tries its best to save energy, so this new structure has to be robust enough in order for the brain choose it instead of the hijacked one. Once you got this you'll have a brain that might create TMS symptoms in a stressful week, but at the same time knows how to deactivate it. So I think my honest answer to your question would be yes and no.

Emotions on the other hand usually create somatic symptoms even to a person with no TMS. It's just that to the TMSer these symptoms go nuts. But the same neuroplastic principle applies. If your nervous system is regulated, there won't be reason for it to create pain.

 

As TMS-ers, we are made to have a more sensitive nervous system that is prone to overreacting and subsequently triggering pain symptoms. Some people are more sensitive to allergies, some to constipation, we have our TMS to enjoy :=).

Once you beat your first set of symptoms, you can't just go back to your past ways of living, because that's what got you into your symptoms to begin with. You need to continue doing maintenance on yourself or continue with fixing it as you go.

You may be OK if you slow down on your journaling and reading, but giving it up completely may not be an option. I was done with my CRPS 7 years ago, but had other symptoms pop up since. But now I knew how to recognize them and dispose of them much faster than the first time, since I have the knowledge and experience needed to do that.

Think of it in these terms: if you want your car to work reliably and last longer, you take it to the mechanic for a tune-up and maintenance. If you want your mindbody to work reliably and last longer, you must tune it up on a regular basis – and it has to be mostly do-it-yourself. There is no magic pill. Each time I tried to throw money at my illness by buying expensive treatments, I learned repeatedly that magic pills do not exist – unless I put my own elbow grease into getting better by meditating or exercising.

 

I believe you are all correct; you possess considerably more experience than I do, and I am not attempting to contradict anyone because I simply do not have the knowledge. I am still in the early stages of recovery, and as someone new to this process I find it daunting, when you say that this will be endless. Must individuals with TMS struggle indefinitely, and do we really have to feel EVERY emotion on a daily basis etc? Even when we’re recovered? It’s somehow really discouraging thinking about that… Can we never catch a break?

 

If this helps: my first TMS recovery took 2 years and laser focus on this effort. My second one was about a month and a minor effort. You become mindful of your emotions and behavior, so it doesn't get bad. It is like learning every new skill.