Reassurance

So I was trying to sleep the other night and for some reason I had this odd feeling I had left the stove on (old electric coil range) so I got up and checked it. I checked all the buttons and they were off but after doing this I still felt I may have been wrong so I touched the ranges to reassure myself that it was in fact off..

So, walking back to bed I thought "what was my problem"... I know I OCD and I worry about things like that too often to the point I have to check it... my grandmother had extreme OCD and we use to think she was just crazy as kids, but I'm understanding so much of this now

So what I'm wondering is, how many people have any type of reassurancing they do? Checking symptoms to see if they are better, asking questions to see if anyone else is like you (ironic haha)? Or anything else that might make you feel better

From what I've learned from my OCD is that if I ignore it, it fades... now I just need to do this with my TMS

 

I experience exactly this. Constantly. And I do think it's at the root of - at least my - TMS. In fact, I think much of the standard protocol for TMS treatment actually just gets me more entrenched. The only thing that has worked for me in those other, non-pain, instances is to essentially do nothing and move on. Eventually the preoccupation fades.

 

TMS is OCD from what I've seen. The only difference is one is just thoughts that create fear, and the other has physical element so it makes you believe it's mechanical.

When my OCD became too much for me when I was 18 I didn't know what to do and when I finally sought after help I remember the relief when I found that I wasn't alone... when I was in belief that my pain was physical I remember how I was constantly trying to find the stretch or pill or treatment that would make it better.. and at one point I sat and realized how I was so focused on my pain and finding a cure that it was so much like my OCD.. but I remember thinking, "yeah by this is a real physical issue" I was so close to figuring it out but would have to suffer for a while longer..

I've had success for a few year and now I'm back to where I was (not nearly as bad because I know what I'm dealing with). But yet again I keep feeling the need to find reassurance... so this brings up the question, at what point do we need to stop looking for comfort and reassurance.. the first time I found relief I read the book, researched and then understood.. then.. I got better:..

I also remember that when I faced my fears with my OCD problems, I got better.. to face my fears I had to force myself to not focus on the distractions and check things.. (I had germ fears and safety fears)

So at some point we have to understand we are safe, and just like when our brain distracts us with thoughts and OCD tendencies , our brain is distracting us with pain..the pain will pass.. but the hardest thing is to stop reassuring ourselves with more and more information because (I believe) when we keep reassuring ourselves it's because we are in doubt and we want that feeling we are safe and are right in our beliefs... our brain wants to keep us in loops, so maybe the tough love technique is the way to go for some of us..

 

A great post dharn999. I'm finding this extremely relevant and - well - reassuring. We've got to remember we have an obsession problem, a compulsion problem, a need for reassurance ... NOT a physical problem !

I think this is helping me realize why TMS treatment hasn't worked for me. I'm doing the journaling and the techniques, but only as a means to make the pain go away then and there. It's just feeding the obsession.

Best wishes

 

I'm glad this makes sense to others (funny with what the topic post is about). I think it was SteveO who says that there are two phases we go through in our journey, 1) information, 2) living.

We need to inform ourselves, but at some point we need to put it all into practice and live without fear.

I would say the biggest thing we have to do is what Sarno says, and understand that we are okay, and resume physical activity. This to me is facing our fears...

What I would also add to Sarno's work is to resume all activities because you want to, don't make it a chore. Do what you love because you are fine.