Day 6

Hi Everyone
Today, I wrote journal entries about a past event when I was 8 years old and a relatively current event. It was tough at first, but I realized that the inner bully bas been inside of me for all these years just beating me up. I actually wrote a letter to my inner bully, it felt kind of silly but was useful.

In writing about things that currently concern me I noticed that when I am really anxious I forget about my back pain and my back doesn't hurt. This seems counter intuitive, but I guess it makes sense. My brain is protecting me from focusing on what is really bothering me by causing back pain and leg pain.

Has this happened to anyone?

I suppose that if I really had a structural problem it would bother me all the time.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Steve

 

Hi Steve,

Anxiety often displaces other TMS symptoms. I believe this is a function of what Sarno calls the symptom imperative or symptom substitution. Our symptoms often shift from pain, other physical symptoms, or to symptoms of anxiety or depression and then back again, until we no longer need these symptoms to distract us.

Yes, a true structural problem would likely bother you all the time until your body healed.

Welcome to the Forum! Keep us posted on how you're doing and feel free to ask questions or just ask for support anytime.

Best wishes......

 

Hi, Steve.

Ellen is right about your symptoms being emotional and not structural.

Connecting past stressors with current ones often results in what TMSers call "triggering.

I healed from severe back pain after SEProgram journaling about repressed emotions going back to my parents divorcing when I was seven.
I was able to understand them better and forgave them (mentally, because both had passed on by then).

What I think brought the pain on was when my best friends divorced. I had felt like part of their family, and now that was gone. It probably triggered the past emotions of abandonment and insecurity from my parents' divorce.

So the past can turn to haunt us and give us physical pain. TMS helped me to really believe in the MindBody connection.
Deep breathing and meditation to calm the mind and the body are two of our best friends in healing emotional and physical pain.