Day 1:

I read Dr. Sarno's book over the past two days and located this site yesterday. I wanted to finish the book before starting anything here, but want to complete the Education Program in addition to facilitate it becoming ingrained in my thinking.

My diagnosis/symptoms include: TMJ, CFS, Medication resistant depression, anxiety, long term sporadic back/neck/shoulder pain, chronic migraine, Reflux, globus hyerious, allergies, hives, sleep disturbance, chronic cough and gastrointestinal issues.

I have been prescribed antidepressants, blood pressure medications, fiorecet, clonazapam, triptans, anti-seizure medications, muscle relaxers to name a few. I have had sinus scans, MRIs, CT Scans for back and brain, PT, massage, Sacrio-Cranial Therapy, accupunture, chiropratic, botox injections, lanacane injections, hormone testing and therapy, neurotransmitter testing, vitamin panels, allergy testing, allergy shots been screened for COPD, had multiple treatments for TMJ pain, reflexology, even went to see a medical intuitive and underwent Reiki healing treatments. I've had one back surgery as well as sinus surgery.

I am not in doubt about the mindbody phenomenon and I want to be well.

 

Welcome Jazzykat,

I am glad you found this site. We've all been through it. Each person finds their own way.

Here is one you might like to see, if you haven't already.

http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/a-physicians-tms-story-rsi-hyperacusis-and-much-more.7658/

I hope you go through the programs here, and check out Alan Gordon's also by the way, the Recovery Program. Don't give up. If counseling, coaching, or physician help makes a difference as you progress, I hope you engage as needed. Many people that eventually give up with Sarno never ask for and obtain the support they need, either on the forum or professionally.

Andy B.

 

Thanks Andy B. I am going to do the Education Program followed by the recovery program. I have had non-TMS psychotherapy multiple times in the past and will seek help again if necessary. Finding a TMS trained therapist in the mountains of western NC will be the challenge in the regard.

 

Hi, jazzykat. I am so glad you read Dr Sarno and have started the SEPprogram. But I urge you to be careful and conservative on what medication yu take and how many different ones. I think the less medication, the better. Most doctors like to prescribe medication because they think it may help, but they also get a kickback from the pharmaceutical companies to recommend them to patients. And often, the symptom may be structural but actually cause no pain. The pain in many or most cases comes from TMS, repressed emotions and/or a perfectionist and "goodist" personality.

I am a very strong believer in TMS and also in faith that pain and anxiety will go away. I've been worrying lately a lot about financial problems but just today my book publisher boss said an investor in one of our projects is going for a buyout and that will make things a lot easier for us. I prayed the Rosary daily for months and believe my prayers were answered.

My sister prayed to be healed from cancer and she was. So was a good friend's wife. Prayer is powerful and, together with TMS knowledge and healing techniques, we begin a new life that is healthier and happier.

Here is Kevin's success story about the SEP He posted a few days later that he healed 100 percent.

Good luck and keep us posting.

Kevin healed 95 % from SEP

Welcome to the SEP and to the path of recovery. I am on my final two days of the program and I can say with complete confidence that I am a changed man. I started after 6 months of nasty low-back/butt/leg pain, could hardly walk, stand, etc. was in physical therapy, chiropractor, acupuncture, pain medications, etc.. the usual. My MRI showed 3 disk bulges/herniations touching nerves, so that is what I believe it to be....that is until I read Dr. Sarno and found this site.

I encourage you to really get involved, follow the instructions, do the journaling, take time to read all the suggested readings, and watch the videos. I'd say I'm 95% cured. There is still some very light lingering "annoyance", but I still have some work to do. I've been walking miles with hardly any pain these last few weeks. But even more, if the pain comes on now, it just doesn't bother me like it used to, I sorta just see it, acknowledge it, and go about my business. It took working the program to get to that point, but 6 weeks compared to 6 months is nothing! I made more progress in the first week than I did from two months of PT!!! It's going to challenge you and your "beliefs" in medicine, but you have nothing to lose. We generally wind up here when all else fails.

So give it a shot, especially before considering anything invasive like surgery. If you put the work in, you will get better. Have you read Dr. Sarno yet? I assume you have since you're here, but in case you haven't, definitely readHealing Back Pain. Again, it will challenge everything you've believed about your pain, and backs in general. You'll be encouraged to resume life as normal, i.e. stop ALL "therapies" (PT, chiro, etc.), stop taking medications, and most importantly, stop thinking STRUCTURAL problems are the cause of your pain and shift to psychological as the reason.....again, this can be difficult and takes some time to sink in, so be patient and kind to yourself.

It was a process for me. A few of the bigger moves in my case were: I ripped up and threw out my MRI test results (I found myself obsessively reading over them and comparing them to other results I could find on the web and even here on the TMSwiki site...); I got back to the gym and stopped using a weight belt; and I even cancelled an appointment I had made with aTMS doctorbecause it was more than a month away and it was hindering my recovery (that is, my 100% belief in TMS was lagging because I had this pending appointment, but as soon as I cancelled it, my recovery sped up significantly). Everyone's journey is unique to their situation, but I've found that really committing to the program and brining what I learn from it into my daily life has had profound results. Also, sharing along the way here in these forums has been extremely helpful - there's something about knowing that you're not alone in your TMS recovery that really helps. I encourage you to look through my past posts for some insight into my experience with SEP. Like I said, I'm just now finishing, tomorrow is my final day, and I feel like a changed person. It's amazing. And I feel as though it is something that one carries on with, not just like a one time 6 week thing and that's that...it has helped me to get to know myself and taught me tools to "deal" with my emotions. Learning and accepting TMS is a life changer for sure.

 

Hi Walt: Thanks for your input. My list of medications is just what I have been prescribed over the years, not what I am currently taking. I am currently taking only an anitdepressant at lowest dosage available and have worked my way down to .5 mg clonazepam which I use to sleep at night. I have gone through the very painful process of getting off both completely multiple times over the years but always found myself unable to function and had increased migraines. I was single at the time and had to be able to work, so I had to go back on the medications. I also did not know about TMS then. Once I am deeper into this program, I will try to eliminate them again.

 

Hey Jazzykatt,

Welcome to the community and the potential to be free of all your ailments. I'm rather skeptical by nature, so I often seek out empirical evidence before I believe something. Well, I am living-breathing empirical evidence that this program works, if you really work it. Since I've discovered this community and this way of life, I've turned a few friends onto it, but they didn't finish the program, or worked it half-ass and guess what - they're still in pain. I really hope you commit and finish the program, I truly believe it's a life changer. It can be painful in a different way....in fact, there have been times where I would've almost preferred to go back to the physical pain rather than feel some of the intense emotions....but I know that these emotions MUST be experienced in order to free them, and subsequently free myself. For me journaling has been a big part of my recovery, which I learned from this Structured Educational Program. So just stay the course, you will recover if you put the work in.

I look forward to tracking your progress.

 

Hi, Jazzykat. Kevin gives you wonderful advice and encouragement. He admits that journaling about repressed emotions can be emotionally stressful, but has to be done. I found the same thing to be true. I had no idea I was repressing anger when my parents divorced when I was seven. Journaling helped me to put myself in their shoes and I realized they must have had TMS themselves. This helped me to forgive them and my back pain went away.

A friend called me last night and said her daughter who is in her late twenties is suffering a lot of anxiety and depression. It may be because her parents divorced about two years ago and it was a messy one. The son sides with the mother, but the daughter sides with the father. It makes me realize how hard divorce is on the children, at any age. And also, how many people, even in their twenties, are having anxiety and depression problems. It's the modern pace and pressure put upon us all. TMS has helped me to relax, meditate, and do deep breathing. And to be thankful for a lot, even if life is not as ideal as I would hope.

We're the lucky ones, because we learned about TMS.