Day 8 Doing better not catastrophizing

Hi @Esamborski, and welcome to the forum and the SEP. I was sorry to read in your intro about the death of your mentor to ALS. That's a heartbreaking loss.

It sounds like you're on the right path here, and if you're experiencing symptoms that are worse, changing, or even new, just as you're really starting to get into this work, that's a good sign that it's the TMS mechanism trying to get you to give up delving into your emotional pain. Which is something to celebrate and give yourself full credit for!

That being said, we always need to remind newcomers that it's helpful for us to know that symptoms have been medically checked out before assuming they are a mindbody condition (especially for certain types of symptoms, which in my book would include breathing problems). If the doctors can't find anything wrong, or, in the case of allergies/asthma, you're following the recommendations and they don't have anything else to offer, nor is there an urgent need for intervention, then it's safe to plunge right into the TMS work. And of course everybody, including the established medical community as well as yourself, all know that allergies and asthma are made worse by stress.

Are you looking into any other resources in addition to the SEP? I would strongly recommend Claire Weekes for anxiety (Hope & Help For Your Nerves is her definitive book, and there are old recordings of her which many people find very soothing). Nicole Sachs LCSW is a fantastic resource with an enormous archive of podcast episodes going back to 2018. I have a list of favorite resources on my profile page - just click on my photo then My Story.

Hang in there, and, to quote Nicole, remember to always practice kindness and patience for yourself in doing this work.