Day 1 Healing Pelvic Pain

Hello,

I started with pelvic pain (vulvodynia, hypertonic pelvic floor, IBS, hip bursitis, recurrent cystitis and thrush) approx 22 yrs ago (loads of stress at this time in my life). I went down the route of conventional medicine for many many years and have tried numerous drugs, nerve blocks, physiotherapy, sacral nerve stimulator etc etc. Over the years I have also tried many alternative therapies from acupuncture to chakra healing, you name it and I’ve probably given it a go. I always noticed that the mind body practices that relaxed me helped the most but I just couldn’t hold on to that relaxed feeling.

I discovered John Sarno about 5 yrs ago and like many others I saw myself jumping off the pages of his books so I took myself off to see a TMS therapist here in the uk but even though she confirmed the TMS diagnosis I wasn’t fully convinced. I still thought that the problem could be cured by drugs or a physical therapy.

In desperation, a couple of years ago I undertook Lorraine Faehndrich’s healing female pain course and had great results - the pain level reduced and I began to feel much better. I have been on the curable app for the past year and again have benefited from it. I have recently worked through Alan Gordon’s Pain Recovery Program on this site and it has been amazing and again I have made great progress in healing this TMS. I’m also seeing a cognitive hypnotherapist who is helping tremendously as well, she’s fully on board with TMS. I feel like I’m nearly “there”.....

So here I am at the door of where I don’t really want to go but know that further healing could be one step closer if I step through it....Journaling. Knowing that the SEP contains a lot of journaling I have been avoiding it like the plague. I really really don’t like journaling! It’s my nemesis, I’d rather have a root canal than write about how I’m feeling or rake up the past. Yet I know that when I have done this in the past (very very reluctantly!) either with a therapist or at home myself it has helped me. I know that by avoiding journaling my brain is probably trying to avoid any possible emotional pain that might come up in the process but I’m sick of living in fear and just need to get on with it. So, here we go......

 

Welcome to the SEP. I have come to love journaling, but it wasn't love at first sight! Years ago a friend of mine who is a naturally gifted creative writer encouraged me to journal. Me? No way, I wouldn't be good enough, it wouldn't be easy, what would I write anyway? (hindsight...so much TMS going on!) But I did. And the journal I kept then helped me show a doctor some of what was going on in my head and heart and got me treatment for depression. Over the years I've used journaling in different ways for different purposes, but it always helps me calm and organise my thoughts, which get very scattered when I'm scared. It is a tool. And it's just for you. There's no assignment. No one marking it. No one else even seeing it unless you want to show someone something. There is not right or wrong way to do it. I trust you will find a way that works for you, and I look forward to reading your posts along the way.

 

Hi Aimee,

Thank you for your reply and the advice, it’s greatly appreciated. I’m apprehensive about the journaling but also sort of looking forward to emptying out some of the muddle inside of my head and seeing where it leads me. Hopefully I’ll come to love it as well!