Tues July 15: Ask your questions & get live peer support

Hi everyone,

Tomorrow's call-in discussion group (Tuesday July 15) will be a general, non-recorded open discussion, so come bring your questions!

As usual, we will start at 9:00pm Eastern Time. Phone lines will open approximately half an hour beforehand. Connection details are as follows (visit go.tmswiki.org/connect for more information):

• If you're connecting by phone, dial 1 201-479-4595 and when prompted enter the pin code 18311499 followed by the pound symbol.
• If you're connecting via your computer (Fuze Meeting), go to http://fuze.me/18311499 and follow the instructions from there. Connecting via computer gives you access to a chat room and lets you watch webcams of the hosts.

For more information about the discussion group, and to listen to all past recorded discussions, visit www.tmswiki.org/ppd/Call-In_Peer_Discussion_Group .

 

Hi, @Cath68, and welcome to the forum! We'd love to have you join our discussion group, though the forum is also a great way to get peer-support.

I'm so happy that you found Dr. Sarno's work. I was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and I feel like I have gotten my life back. It is a wonderful feeling to not feel fragile anymore.

From personal experience, I know how strong the desire can be to get off of psychopharmaceuticals. From personal experience and from the experience of friends, I also know how strong the effects of psychopharmaceuticals can be, both positive and negative. I think that you are very wise to be cautious about changing your dose.

When it comes to TMS healing, I think that the best rule of thumb to follow is "'get your mind right' and your body will get better as well." Alternatively, as Steve Ozanich puts it in the closing sentence of his book, "Happiness first, and good health will certainly follow...."

This means that as your are working on recovering from TMS, you want to focus on building equanimity in your heart. You want to focus on soothing yourself.

In contrast, think about the symptoms of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome that you mention on your profile. Your goal should be to calm your overstimulated nervous system, but discontinuing antidepressants too rapidly or at the wrong time could throw your life into chaos. This would be the opposite of what you would want to happen.

People often assume that Dr. Sarno is necessarily against psychopharmacological medications, but this is not the case. In The Divided Mind, he wrote,

I have said elsewhere that it is essential for patient acceptance that a psychosomatic diagnosis be made by a physician. It is equally important that the physician and psychotherapist remain in communication throughout the course of treatment. The responsibilities are clearly delineated: the physician’s role is to educate patients on the nature of the psychosomatic process, essential for successful treatment whether or not psychotherapy is prescribed, and precedes the referral. The physician manages physical problems and answers questions that may arise during the course of psychotherapy. The psychologist, of course, has the major responsibility of diagnosing and treating the psychodynamics responsible for symptoms. The psychologist also determines whether psychoactive medication is necessary as an adjunct to therapy and refers the patient to a psychopharmacologist should that be the case. (emphasis mine)​

One of the key things to prioritize in recovery from TMS is patience. You can do everything in its own time. Given how powerful antidepressants can be, it may be counterproductive to discontinue them while you are working on your physical symptoms. You can always discontinue them later, under the supervision of your physician.

Speaking of "supervision of your physician," on your profile page, you describe some of the possible terrible consequences of discontinuing antidepressants too rapidly.You write,

The people in our community generally have personal experience with physical pain, but we are not experts on psychopharmacology or antidepressant discontinuation syndrome. We can share our personal experiences with our symptoms and provide peer support, but it would be unethical for us to provide medical advice on discontinuing medications prescribed by a physician.

If you would like to adjust your medications, I suggest working with a licensed professional. They can see you face-to-face in order to read your body language, and have a vast amount of experience in training that we just don't have. There are practitioners out there who are sensitive to your concerns about antidepressants. In particular, I would suggest, contacting @Dr James Alexander, either through our forum or via the contact details on the Find a TMS Doctor or Therapist page:
http://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/Find_a_TMS_Doctor_or_Therapist
He has recovered from TMS himself, is the author of a book, and is a licensed psychologist in Lismore. I believe that he may be critical of antidepressants as well, so he would be a good source of referrals to a physician who could work with you.

 

I'm so glad to hear it, Cath! Best wishes for a swift recovery.