Day 8

So I'll just get it out there. I have some concerns. When I read Sarno's Healing Back Pain, it states that for 95% of sufferers, just the awareness and the acceptance of the condition of TMS is enough for complete recovery. A small percentage of people need therapy to dig up the repressed emotions, generally folks who have had severe trauma. But they can recover too with a little help. Yet some of the stories I'm reading on here are not helping. People talking about their several year journeys(what!?!?) dealing with TMS, relapses, trying too hard, symptom movement ect…Obviously, there are more encouraging stories than not but when combined with my experience, well, it's hard not to be concerned. I don't have any serious trauma, am able to still do almost any activity, am completely accepting of TMS as a diagnosis, have already completed a lot of the same journaling we're doing in this program, and through all that, I can't honestly say that I have any significant change in my pain. With my introduction post, I said that I had about a 30% reduction after the journaling sessions but I'm now wondering if that was psychosomatic(would placebo be the word?I don't know)....Don't get me wrong, I'm very hopeful that this is going to be a game changer for me as it has been for so many, I just wanted to get my doubts out there and see if anyone else has had a similar experience in the beginning. I believe in TMS, and I believe that I am experiencing symptoms of TMS. What I'm having trouble with, I guess, is that knowing it and doing this work won't be enough to heal me. And then what?

 

Hi Jux,

I appreciate your sincere letter to the Forum.

What I'm having trouble with, I guess, is that knowing it and doing this work won't be enough to heal me. And then what?

Your fears are natural. They are a form of fear/doubt that everyone engaging in this experiences. Just your current "flavor."

It is good to express your doubt/fear.

Let me try to address a couple of items:

Yes. This is true, and is these folks' experience. It does not refute the method. Most folks who go through the SEP notice improvement, or great improvement, and then may need a little more time to integrate their "cure."

I highly recommend that you spend no time or attention to posts which have are titled or otherwise discuss "this isn't working." Attending to others' lack of success, doubts, problems, blocks has absolutely no benefit for you personally. Pay attention to the success stories, and imagine this is you. Substitute your symptoms for theirs. It is all the same stuff!

So you're having some success, and then your mind puts this experience in a "doubt box." It is helpful to see this, and move your attention back to what is helping you. When I read this I think "great, Jux is making progress, which is expected and natural." Nothing more...

Andy

 

Thank you Andy, I appreciate your response!