Daniel L. Letting go of the physical diagnosis

This question was submitted via our Ask a TMS Therapist program. To submit your question, click here.

Question

I have been on an up and down journey in my recovery after discovering dr Sarno 2 years ago. At times I have been 98 percent pain free and living an active life. I believe I haven't been able to accept the TMS diagnosis 100 percent because I have symptoms of nerve pain not muscle, or other more common types of pain. The pain is in my back more on the left side, hips, butt, both legs and feet, as well as my elbows forearms and hands. ALL tests are normal and my neurologist said I didn't fit any diagnosis in his field. His last comment was " I hope you don't have a neuropathy" and sent me to redo an MRI and nerve test which were normal. I have no numbness or weakness only burning, pinches, pins and needles, tingling, even itching. Can TMS cause pain like this? Should I look further into a diagnosis with my neurologist?

 

Answer

Great question. TMS, the tricky thing, can manifest symptoms in a myriad of ways. I’ve seen clients with burning, itching, aching, poking, stabbing, tingling, numbness, pinching, tightness, stiffness, ringing, color changes in the skin, and the list goes on and on and on.

I often times have clients ask about the various types of symptoms that TMS can manifest, and generally the answer is always the same: TMS will manifest symptoms in any way that scares you. The purpose of the pain is to scare you, and if a generalized pain won’t scare you, then TMS will find new and creative ways to scare you.

So ask yourself honestly – are the symptoms you’re experiencing scaring you? Your concern that they might not be TMS is demonstrative to me that they’re doing a good job of freaking you out (at least a little bit). In the past you’ve been able to overcome your pain because you were nearly positive it was TMS and so there was no fear of the pain. These new pains, however, are different from previous pains and are appearing in new places solely so that you’ll be scared of them!

Your neurologist told you that all of the tests came back normal and that he/she doesn’t have a diagnosis that fits you. Great news! Tests are normal! Don’t latch onto the last comment that the doctor made, for it’s just your way of scaring you. Let’s repeat, the tests are normal – you’re in good health.

Further good news is that because you’ve had success treating pain with a TMS perspective in the past, if a new, unexplained pain arises in you, it is almost invariably TMS. This burning, pinching, tingling, and itching is most likely TMS as well.

Here’s the real key to eliminating not only these pains, but also other pains that have been coming up over the last two years: eliminate fear, but not only about the pain, but in other areas of your life. It’s a tall order, of course, but it can be done.

Push yourself to learn into your fears – prove to yourself that you’re stronger and more capable than you thought previously possible.

---

Any advice or information provided here does not and is not intended to be and should not be taken to constitute specific professional or psychological advice given to any group or individual. This general advice is provided with the guidance that any person who believes that they may be suffering from any medical, psychological, or mindbody condition should seek professional advice from a qualified, registered/licensed physician and/or psychotherapist who has the opportunity to meet with the patient, take a history, possibly examine the patient, review medical and/or mental health records, and provide specific advice and/or treatment based on their experience diagnosing and treating that condition or range of conditions. No general advice provided here should be taken to replace or in any way contradict advice provided by a qualified, registered/licensed physician and/or psychotherapist who has the opportunity to meet with the patient, take a history, possibly examine the patient, review medical and/or mental health records, and provide specific advice and/or treatment based on their experience diagnosing and treating that condition or range of conditions.

The general advice and information provided in this format is for informational purposes only and cannot serve as a way to screen for, identify, or diagnose depression, anxiety, or other psychological conditions. If you feel you may be suffering from any of these conditions please contact a licensed mental health practitioner for an in-person consultation.

Questions may be edited for brevity and/or readability.

 

Dan Lyman, good advice. I've also learned to be more patient. We live in an age demanding instant results in everything.
I've been learning to be more patient about waiting for results. I tell myself it's just over the next hill. When I go over that hill
and the results aren't there yet, I tell myself it's just over the next hill. Eventually, the hills level out and results come.

 

Excellent advice, Dan and Walt.

Guest - Your pain and discomfort sound to me like TMS because I had a lot of the same type of thing, and I most certainly have TMS. I also believe that "neuropathy" , which means literally, "nerve dysfunction" refers to a group of symptoms for which there is no medical explanation. Therefore, it is not a "real" disorder or disease, just something modern medicine has observed, but has not been able to prove yet that is really a psychological disorder. Just like fibromyalgia. Because hypochondria is not a socially acceptable disorder, it tends to masquerade through the ages as something other than what it really is. This illustrates how much TMSers and hypochondriacs erroneously persist in believing they are physically sick and continually present themselves to the medical community as having a genuinely physical disorder. It is much easier for most of us to deal with a real disease than to examine the contents of our own minds.

A good book for you to read is called "Phantom Illness", by Carla Cantor and Brian Fallon. This book explains everything about this phenomena. I can't tell you how much it helped me.

 

Do you feel conscious of your present feelings unrelated to your pain issues? Anything going on that you may want to push down?