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Thank you, everyone.

@westb: Exactly! If journaling works for someone, great. However, for the people who keep coming back to these forums saying they're still experiencing symptoms, perhaps it's time to look elsewhere.

@plum: I 100% agree - healing is possible for us all, and a big part of my healing process was only surrounding myself with individuals who truly believed in themselves and myself. A lot of unhealthy advice is given on these forums.

And honestly, I'm not even sure Dr. Sarno himself intended for people to get as caught up in their past and a specific process as some people assume. Per Steve Ozanich (this is a shortened quote, but hits the key objectives):

Many people heal without ever identifying every single repressed emotion they've ever experienced, talking their "inner child" down, reanalyzing every bad situation they've dealt with, etc. A general awareness of your life is helpful, but for many of us it's not necessary to go further.

I'm even looking back at some of my more recent posts where I frequently use terms such as "opportunistic brain." Honestly, I don't even get caught up in that whole theory anymore - it's just the body responding to our emotions. Getting too hung up on the theories or science behind this isn't as important as simply understanding that we are OK.

Additionally, I definitely recognize that some of my posts referring to taking mindy-body approaches to healing can confuse people. What I meant was, if you're waking up in the morning with off-the-charts cortisol levels that leave you shaking, in a full blown panic "attack," and completely unable to work on your emotions and getting back to normal life, perhaps trying a natural and non-addictive supplement such as phosphatidylserine for a few weeks or months can help you. I'm not saying you NEED phosphatidylserine to cure any "TMS" - I'm just thinking of ways you can make it all a little easier on yourself if you're truly stuck in a rut. Your cortisol is high because of your emotions, and it will go down when you're feeling emotionally balanced again. However, I understand that emotions can be rather intense and some supplemental support is helpful. I also believe that if you have certain structural conditions that may be affected by both emotions and physical lifestyle choices, combining mind and body can further alleviate symptoms. In general, I put a lot of value in treating both the mind and the body kindly, and not smoking two packs of cigarettes a day or eating hotdogs seven times a week. But unless a deficiency is behind one's emotional issues (which requires nothing more than a standard blood test to identify), no amount of fish oil or magnesium is ultimately going to solve your emotional problems.

I developed some anxious and obsessive behaviors as a child because I never felt safe. That's why constant journaling or attempting to identify every single repressed emotion isn't good for me - it only lead me to more obsession. I was obsessed with healing and trying to feel safe, and that generated more fear of my symptoms and overall situation. I had to figure out how to manage my emotions (especially fear) and get back to life again.