Day 1 My Eczema Story

Hello Everyone,

There are very few post here related to eczema. Since beginning to read Sarno and related books in early February I have a habit of substituting 'eczema' for 'back pain' whenever I read a meaningful phrase. This helps me reinforce the ideas... Knowing it is an equivalent is reassuring but there are few success stories out there - at least that I have seen.

On and off since childhood I have had bouts of extreme eczema on the face, neck and arms. The bouts consisted of anywhere from 3 months to two years worth of very troubled skin followed by several years of completely clear skin. Until I was 19 I used topical steroids - this was always a temporary magic followed by flare ups that were 10 times worse. By the time I was 19 I decided to go completely off steroids and my body responded with debilitating eczema for about 1.5 years. During this time I went to everything alternative (homeopathy, chinese medicine, acupuncture, meditation, and of course very thorough elimination diets). I've always looked at that period as a time when my body was detoxing from all the steroid use. Now, with new knowledge, I can see that there were emotional states, triggers and responses that may have been at work.

My current flare up started almost two years ago. My neck and right hand (first time on my hands) are red/inflamed, itchy, cracked, bleeding, scaly and needless to say, very unsightly.

The Sarno books resonate with me more than any other approach I've encountered for eczema. I'm hoping to find practical help and inspiration by doing the SEP. Everyone here seems very kind and enthusiastic about fighting TMS - I feel very grateful to everyone for sharing their stories.

Presently, I'm finding it very difficult to ignore my symptoms - a dry, cracked right hand that burns and is difficult to open and closed seems impossible to ignore as I use and need it at almost every waking hour. I'm hoping meditation will help with the conditioned responses (scratching/itching/extreme self consciousness) that have a lifetime of practice.

Many thanks!
Tanya

 

Hi, Tanya. I had teenage facial eczema, as many teens do today.
I didn't understand then why I got it, but since learning about TMS I came
to believe it was from stresses in my teen years.

Have you found by journaling that you have any repressed emotions going back to your childhood?
Perhaps something recent triggered you to remember the past emotions.

You say you experienced months and even years of no eczema, so it cold be those times
you had it were times of not having any emotional stress.

Try to think happy thoughts and find ways to enjoy your days and nights.

 

Hi Walt,

Thank you for your kind response. Yes, I am aware of many difficult emotions and their related experiences from childhood - I have written about them and recently spoke about them for the first time. They are experiences that are not repressed, however. Maybe unresolved...(maybe the truly repressed emotions are still repressed).
And, I've also been able to think about them differently - how I was actually hurt and felt unprotected and definitely had the fear and 'freeze' response for several years of childhood. Those feelings definitely made an impact and linger in my life.
Growing up I believe I rationalized those experiences as normal and not worthy of feeling any sadness over it, or afraid of blaming someone else for those feelings. Blaming or complaining was not tolerated well in my family. I also felt (feel) a lot of shame and low self esteem as a result.

The flare ups don't always occur during stressful periods - this current one did. But, in the past there seemed to be a delay to symptoms - I've learned this is common - the body or the mind holds on until it can let go. As for eczema - it seems to behave like a runaway train. When the stressful triggers dissipate the symptoms continue and even get worse.

Anyway, thank you for listening. Just replying to you feels therapeutic.

And, yes, positive, happy thoughts to fill each day. Also, remembering to have gratitude for some or many things each day as well!

Happy night to you,
Tanya

 

Tanya, your positive attitude shines through your reply.
Be kind to yourself and tune in to happy thoughts and activities.

 

If this gives you a clue about the psychogenic nature of eczema, I can tell you that when I had my major back pain attack back in November 2001 (not surprisingly 6-month after the death of my mother), I also noticed a patch of eczema appeared right in the same place as the pain in my lower lumbar region. As the nerve, muscle and tendon pain receded, the eczema patch gradually disappeared as well, which, it seems to me, confirms that TMS and psychogenic skins conditions like eczema, rashes and possibly acne are all mutually interrelated symptom equivalents, probably based, as Dr. Sarno suggests, on unpleasant or unbearable emotions, such as grief and rage, repressed into the unconscious. Ever since then, I've also had occasional skin condition flare ups, all on my left side, mind you, on the same side I had my TMS back pain. In other words, based on my personal case history, I'd say eczema and TMS pain are intimately related symptoms. The medical specialists may deny this, but it correlates strongly with my own personal experience. And what else do you have to go by in this world anyway?

 

Thank you Bruce, your experience reinforces everything I've read about it, eczema, being a TMS equivalent. I am on my 3rd day of the program and am trying to stay focused on the theory, journal and continually tell myself and the actual symptoms that they are not needed anymore. I don't really listen to western M.D. opinions regarding eczema - they just offer the same advice and want to prescribe something. Thanks again for sharing your story.
Tanya

 

Many times, eczema can come from anxiety and low self-esteem, as it did to a friend's teenage son
whose face broke out in little pimples shortly after his parents said they were divorcing.
He learned to handle both his anxiety and improved his self-esteem and now teaches poetry
at a college. He also married and will soon be a father. A nice happy ending to his eczema story.