Day 8 Do the Symptoms Distract us from rage, or make us face it?

Hi ss, and welcome.

I think I have a theory about your first question - which is a really good one - I totally get what you are saying there. Now, I firmly believe in the repression mechanism, but the thing is, this is something that evolved in us WAY back in primitive times, when we lived in a very dangerous world, and we didn't live for very long. All we really had to do was survive long enough to breed and raise the next generation, and this mechanism helped us to do that, by keeping us constantly on our toes, on edge, and worried about danger. It didn't have to operate for very long, and the dangers, although very lethal, were also quite few - and they were also immediate and tangible.

The problem is that our bodies and our brains haven't evolved very much beyond those primitive times - this is a known fact - which is why I often refer to our primitive fearful brains when I'm discussing the work we do here.

So how does this repression mechanism - what we conveniently refer to as TMS, but which can go by many other names as we learn more about the mindbody connection - how does "TMS" work in the modern world, where we live 3 or 4 times as long as those primitive humans, and where we are bombarded with a truckload of intangible worries about the future almost from the time we're born? Especially in modern societies with so many expectations placed upon children, worrying about their education and their future - never mind the stresses of human-created modern dangers: when I was growing up it was the nuclear threat - now it's climate change, overpopulation, and untreatable diseases. It's ironic that most of us live in a physically very safe world - but we're more worried than ever. We have MANY more things to worry about, many of them are things we can't control, and we have many decades to worry about them. Add to all that: I think that the rise of technological distractions, information overload, and massive world problems in the last few years have created an epidemic of mindbody disorders, many of them quite severe, and many of them affecting people at startlingly young ages.

I think that right now, we're dealing with TMS on steroids. And yes, the result is such serious physical manifestations, that to those of us who are able to hear the message, the message is loud and clear. But don't forget - for every person doing this work, there are many many MANY more who have no idea what their bodies are telling them.

Have you read Dr. Gabor Mate - "When The Body Says No" ? Mind-blowing, as well as beautifully and compassionately written, and well worth your time.

I'm currently struggling as you are. I KNOW that my multiple symptoms, which keep changing, coming, and going, are TMS. Meditation is really hard because I feel so nervy and "jangly" (that's the best I can describe it). Back in the day I could journal and uncover a particular emotional issue and find relief, but these days all that comes up is age stress and world stress. As I approach age 68 and actual physical issues do occur (none of them producing symptoms that are actually bugging me!) my brain is doing a GREAT job keeping me distracted with anxiety, and it is SO easy to allow those physical doubts to creep into my subconscious even as I'm consciously telling myself "this is TMS, girl!" Ugh.

My goal is to work on meditation. I feel like I have GOT to calm my whole nervous system down - and that in itself, is TMS, I know!

~Jan

 

Sounds like we are sisters in TMS, @westb! For some reason, I have resisted using YouTube as a regular tool, but you're right. I will start doing this. I could easily do it right at my desk (I'm still preparing some tax returns in my semi-retirement). Thank you for that!

~Jan