New here, from England, on day 8 of programme

Fourteen years ago my brother was killed in a motor bike accident. I went into shock and my bladder stopped working to the extent I had to be hospitalised and catheterised. When I realised it was grief that was causing the problem I went back to peeing normally. However, I then developed foot, leg and back problems. This resulted in me having surgery in one foot and having metal pieces put in because they thought the bones were degenerating due to arthritis. I also developed severe hip bursitis and have had about five cortisone injections. Now I can see these were TMS symptoms.
In 2005 just before my brother's death, I had run the London Marathon. Before finding Dr. Sarno's book last month I had not run for 9 years. Today I completed my third, very short, jog. I have no pain during or after running, still a few nerve stabs when sitting in lower leg, not going to let these worry me.
I know I am troubled by more than my brother's death and have repressed other emotions but, hey, I have made a start.
Sorry for the English spellings I live just outside London.

 

Welcome. I'm in London. So sorry to hear about your brother and what you've been going through. I'm just starting out as well. I have chronic "Vestibular Migraine" that started 5 years ago and I only realised it was totally psychosomatic about a month ago and found this website a few weeks ago. But I realise I have had many episodes of TMS throughout my life, starting when I was a child.

I'm finding this bloody hard even though I'm 100% convinced I have TMS. But I am also 100% convinced that I WILL get better even though it's tough-going. I'm seeing a counsellor and know I have repressed so much in my life. You have made an excellent start with your running. That's awesome! Glad to join you on this journey.

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. I agree it is incredibly difficult. I think once I read the book I too knew that my symptoms were 100% TMS. I am working through the programme and refusing to avoid those aspects of exercise that I have shied away form in the past. Mainly I feel quite joyful and grateful to have discovered Dr Sarno. I only did that by happening upon him in reference whilst reading another book,This Naked Mind by Annie Grace, which is a book primarily about controlling alcohol.
I am having quite a lot of nightmares but I think it may be the repressed emotions coming out.
Anyway let's keep in touch and keep supporting each other as we step out on this journey.

 

Cool. Funnily enough, I've always had a lot of nightmares too - even when I've been well, so something must be bubbling up under there. I'm a recovering alcoholic. I used alcohol to mask a huge anxiety disorder I had, which started when I was 14. Unfortunately, I "crossed the line" with it, so I ended up addicted and had to quit completely after my anxiety disorder was cured. I never understood how all these things were related until I read Steve Ozanich's book. It was the first one I read after learning about TMS and watching some of Dr Sarno's interviews on YouTube, and then I read The Mindbody Prescription. I, too, am incredibly grateful to finally understand what this is and to have guidelines for healing, which I never had before. Good to be on this journey with you.

 

Welcome @Helenlouise. I’m so sorry about your brother, too. But I’m glad you found Sarno and are having success!

My pain started in 2005 as well. I ruptured a disc in my neck by rolling over in my sleep. How can that happen, you ask? Thank you, repressed emotions, I say Took me a couple years to figure it out between reading Sarno and getting mindbody-based bodywork, which helped my body expose my hidden emotions.

I also often have frequent and sometimes intense dreams when getting bodywork or when in talk therapy. I guess my subconscious has had a lot to process.

Even though I’ve had great success in reducing my pain since understanding that it is psychogenic, some pain still lingers. I also tried many other things because I felt I couldn’t lick the last of it through reading Sarno, Brady, Ozanich, and going to therapy. And it wasn’t until very recently that I finally looked at Alan Gordon’s 21 day program, but I’m finding it very helpful. I like the focus on neural pathways.

Like the woman in the video on day 4, my neck pain dropped off nearly instantaneously by reminding myself that there is no connection between my movements/activities and the sensations of pain I was having. The pain still comes and goes, but I’ll continue going through the program as I believe it will help me continue to re-train my neural pathways.

Good luck to all of us!

 

Hello Zclesa
I too have given up alcohol, although I used a book called This Naked Mind to do so. In that book, Annie Grace credits Dr Sarno which then sent me off reading all his work. You have now inspired me to read Steve Ozanich's book which I will begin the moment I finish my current reading. there seams to be a trail of books to help me along my pathway , which is quite fitting as I used to teach literature before I retired.
Helenlouise

 

Dear Healing
It was

Dear Healing,
Thanks so much for the empathetic and interesting reply. I have had my eye on the Alan Gordon programme and you have now encouraged me to start it, once I finish the educational support plan. That said, I have made enormous progress already and am running every other day for 30 minutes. I used to be unable to endure long car journeys but that pain seems to have have been unlearned. I too am particularly interested in the focus on neural pathways.
What an interesting landscape that we are travelling through!