Confused..

Hello everybody, I've posted on this board before however I'm still struggling a bit. I've had rectal itch and pain for going on 4 years now. It all started with a stressful family situation. I know its TMS and while I've made lots of strides I still have this pain and it's frustrating. I'm confused about what to do when the pain comes on. I tell myself when I'm in pain this too shall pass and it's just TMS. But when the pain is there for a while I get real frustrated after a while. So I'm just confused about what to do. Thanks for any advice.

 

Gio23,

The pain keeps coming because you give it your attention or you fear the symptom. Let go live life and enjoy each day you have. Be present in each moment and don't get caught up in the past or future. The change will not happen overnight but if you keep at it you will heal.

As the great doctor said as long as one is preoccupied with the symptoms they will persists. You need to change your relationship with fear and empower yourself. It's a lot easier said then done but you can make this change. Try reading Alan Gordons stuff on these 2 topics:http://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/Breaking_the_Pain_Cycle,_by_Alan_Gordon,_LCSW andhttp://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/A_Word_About_Outcome_Independence,_by_Alan_Gordon,_LCSW.

Best of luck keep at, we are what we believe.

Ryan

 

Have you been checked out by medical professionals? Has the stressful family situation been resolved to your satisfaction? Have there been any new major challenges in your life over the last four years? Sorry to answer a question with three questions. I have found with my own symptoms that the more frustrated I became the more the symptoms persisted. Four years seems like a long time but don't get too discouraged by those who overcome their ailments in a short space of time. It was only when I saw my symptoms as a message that I wasn't happy with my life and relationships that I turned a corner. If you had told me a couple of years ago that I would be grateful for all that has physically and mentally befallen me, I would have told you where to go in rather colourful language.

Have you read the article about outcome independence? Oops, another question!

http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/a-word-about-outcome-independence.562/

(Cross posted with Ryan, sorry)

 

That article was moving! I loved it. Yes all my relationships with my family have now been resolved along with my wife and I. While I understand that when the pain comes on initially I accept it and become empowered but after an hour or so it begins to eat at me and I'm not sure how to deal with the pain. But that article I believe did help a lot.

 

Alan Gordon's articles about outcome independence are great.
They're worth copying to the desktop for frequent re-readings.

Ryan's suggestion to take the mind off of pain is also excellent.
I find that distractions help me to do that. My favorite distractions are
movies that lift my spirit or that make me laugh.

An article I read a few days ago says that we should practice SMILING more.
A smile lifts our spirits and sends happy thoughts to our mind and body.
Also, LAUGH more often. It does even more to make us feel healthier and happier.