New Neck Pain

I've been going through OCD for about 10 years, social anxiety for about 7 years, and depression for about 5.

I started experiencing lower back pain this January after playing video games on a bad chair for about 3 to 4 hours. I was hurting a lot while playing, but didn't expect the pain to last months after. I have to mention that that day was the same day in which I told my mother over the phone that I quit religion. She asked me not to speak to her ever again. That was an extreme reaction, of course, and we're talking now, but it still scarred me.

I've been exposed to Dr. Sarno's books for a few months now, and I found amazing results by embracing the diagnosis, speaking out my emotions, facing my problems, and then challenging the pain. I improved from not being able to sit on a couch for more than a few seconds before experiencing distracting pain to being able to sit through an entire movie.

While that improvement was taking place, I attached a monitor to my laptop and then experienced neck and trap pain along with some headaches during the week I used it. The pain was partially relieved by not using the monitor any longer. It's important to note that this was the same monitor I was using when I hurt my lower back this January! Could my brain be associating this monitor with my mom's phone call from January? No matter how I position this monitor and use it for either my laptop or video games, it gives me neck pain.

I know that this neck pain could be part of the extinction burst, and Sarno does mention that new pains can manifest themselves after motions or incidents that seem reasonable (such as swinging a tennis racket and feeling elbow pain), but I didn't want to make the neck pain any worse and detached the monitor.

My upper back pain from last year has also flared up since I started playing sports again.

 

Hi. Cilantro. I hope you will keep playing sports, even if you feel pain. Steve Ozanich is our guru about this, from his great book THE GREAT PAIN DECEPTION. He played golf despite how he hurt all over and the exercise and belief that TMS emotions caused his pain healed him completely.

Telling your mother you quit religion was bound to cause you emotional stress, and her, too. I think that is what brought on your pain, not a computer monitor. Your mother probably realized that what you said at the time was because of a crisis in faith... we all have them at times... even the present Pope and Mother Teresa. I think the Lord tests us. He is patient and will understand us, better than we understand ourselves. I hope and pray that your faith will return, but will be your friend nonetheless. Be patient with your mother, too. She loves you and wants the best for you. I find some videos on Youtube about faith to be very useful, if or when you want to look at them. My best friends were wonderful people but they never joined a church. Abraham Lincoln never did, either. He believed in God and Nature and that was good enough for him. I believe in God, Nature, Friends, and dogs.

Don't let your mind condition you that the monitor has anything to do with your pain. The pain is from repressed emotions and/or being a perfectionist or goodist person. TMS pain tends to move around and come and go. It will stop when you discover the emotions causing it. It you hadn't done it yet, I urge you to begin the Structured Education Program, free in the subforum of this web site. I will lead you to being pain-free. Here is just one testimonial about it:

Kevin healed 95 % from SEP


Welcome to the SEP and to the path of recovery. I am on my final two days of the program and I can say with complete confidence that I am a changed man. I started after 6 months of nasty low-back/butt/leg pain, could hardly walk, stand, etc. was in physical therapy, chiropractor, acupuncture, pain medications, etc.. the usual. My MRI showed 3 disk bulges/herniations touching nerves, so that is what I believe it to be....that is until I read Dr. Sarno and found this site.

I encourage you to really get involved, follow the instructions, do the journaling, take time to read all the suggested readings, and watch the videos. I'd say I'm 95% cured. There is still some very light lingering "annoyance", but I still have some work to do. I've been walking miles with hardly any pain these last few weeks. But even more, if the pain comes on now, it just doesn't bother me like it used to, I sorta just see it, acknowledge it, and go about my business. It took working the program to get to that point, but 6 weeks compared to 6 months is nothing! I made more progress in the first week than I did from two months of PT!!! It's going to challenge you and your "beliefs" in medicine, but you have nothing to lose. We generally wind up here when all else fails.

So give it a shot, especially before considering anything invasive like surgery. If you put the work in, you will get better. Have you read Dr. Sarno yet? I assume you have since you're here, but in case you haven't, definitely read Healing Back Pain. Again, it will challenge everything you've believed about your pain, and backs in general. You'll be encouraged to resume life as normal, i.e. stop ALL "therapies" (PT, chiro, etc.), stop taking medications, and most importantly, stop thinking STRUCTURAL problems are the cause of your pain and shift to psychological as the reason.....again, this can be difficult and takes some time to sink in, so be patient and kind to yourself.

It was a process for me. A few of the bigger moves in my case were: I ripped up and threw out my MRI test results (I found myself obsessively reading over them and comparing them to other results I could find on the web and even here on the TMSwiki site...); I got back to the gym and stopped using a weight belt; and I even cancelled an appointment I had made with a TMS doctor because it was more than a month away and it was hindering my recovery (that is, my 100% belief in TMS was lagging because I had this pending appointment, but as soon as I cancelled it, my recovery sped up significantly). Everyone's journey is unique to their situation, but I've found that really committing to the program and brining what I learn from it into my daily life has had profound results. Also, sharing along the way here in these forums has been extremely helpful - there's something about knowing that you're not alone in your TMS recovery that really helps. I encourage you to look through my past posts for some insight into my experience with SEP. Like I said, I'm just now finishing, tomorrow is my final day, and I feel like a changed person. It's amazing. And I feel as though it is something that one carries on with, not just like a one time 6 week thing and that's that...it has helped me to get to know myself and taught me tools to "deal" with my emotions. Learning and accepting TMS is a life changer for sure.

 

I totally agree with this statement, Cilantro. The monitor is just a convenient tool for your brain to use to keep you confused and in pain so that you won't access the true emotions that it is repressing - supposedly for your benefit.

You've had success, and if you keep reminding yourself that these are just tricks of your primitive brain, you will continue to have success.

Have you taken a look at our Structured Educational Program? It's a great way to take your knowledge of Dr. Sarno's theories and apply them on a daily guided basis. It's totally free, designed by several of the founding members of the wiki, and it's an amazing resource which will expose you to writings and videos and practitioners beyond Dr. Sarno, to success stories, and to the power of journaling. Check it out and let us know how you're doing!

 

I am using Schubiner's book. The universe provided me with a physical therapist who gets it, and together we are on a journey (cliche, but whatever) to reprogram my brain. It sounds so impossible put that way, but working on balance and acupuncture points and mindful intention are bringing me amazing relief.

 

It seems impossible, and yet it is so simple when the mental switch flips and suddenly you "get it" that you have the power to change your mind, and thus your experience.

LOL, I also have a hard time using the word "journey" even though it is often the best descriptor for this work! I also try to avoid the word "struggle" although that is sometimes what it truly is.

 

Journey, struggle, recovery...

 

Thanks for all of the help guys

I beat this new neck pain almost instantly when I decided to use the monitor again. I've also been on the Structural Educational Program for a couple of weeks.