healingfromchronicpain

I describe my story in my memoir The Invisible Key: Unlocking the Mystery of My Chromic Pain (https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Key-Unlocking-Mystery-Chronic/dp/1734518901/) and on my website: www.healingfromchronicpain.com.

In short, I ruptured a disc in my neck in 2005, started losing neurological function of my arm, had surgery a month later, developed myofasial pain syndrome (chronic myofasial pain), and was in horrible pain for 9 months. I tried the usual: drugs, PT, and shots. The shots helped a little, but I continued to have bad debilitating pain for 2 years.

I read Sarno in 2006 (9 months after rupturing my disc) and had very slight temporary pain relief. Even though it didn't "cure" me, as I honestly hoped it would, I believed that there must be something to this mindbody stuff if I could even have temporary relief from just reading a book.

Since reading about TMS didn't work to eliminate my pain in 2006, I then tried John Barnes myofasial release (JFBMFR) therapy in 2007 (a type of mindbody bodywork). This helped me really tap into my buried emotions (which can be stored in the body's fascia, I came to find out). The JFBMFR helped me identify repressed emotions and as a result, helped me greatly reduce my pain. And it gave me hope after being nearly suicidal for 2 years.

But now, many years later, I still struggle with eliminating the remainder of my pain. I've re-read Sarno's books and read many other books to help me heal: Brady, Ozanich, Levine, van der Kolk, Scaer, Schubiner, Sachs. They have either helped me reduce my physical pain at times, or at least helped me understand what is going on in my body.

But I'm still having a hard time releasing the rest of my pain. Because I discovered that past trauma was a major contributor to my pain, I've also done talk therapy, tapping (EFT), EMDR, and somatic experiencing (SE) to try to psychologically work through my past emotional trauma.

I know my pain is caused by emotions (TMS), and even though my subconscious is a bit stubborn, I have undying hope that my mind and body will finally reach a place of inner peace and I will be pain free.