Day 1 My Journey Begins - Concerns

Hi Everyone,
I am here desperate to get better. I come here after a failed back surgery at the usual L5-S1 disc 4 months ago, which left me deeply depressed and even contemplating suicide thinking life had lost all its meaning.

Somewhere along my path I came across Dr Sarnos book but being a sceptic I paid absolutely no attention to the theory and didn't read the book. Just this week while looking for another option (fusion surgery) in a forum, I came across Dr Sarno again and this time I decided I had nothing to lose and read the book. It described my pain and triggers with incredible accuracy and decided that I undoubtedly had TMS.

Eventhough I am sceptic, I am almost convinced this is what I have, and I want to go all in and try to go through the program and hopefully get some relief.

I do have some concerns, and I hope some of you can shed some light on the matter since you have been bravely going through it already.

Do I need a proper diagnosis? Has it helped you more knowing that someone else told you you have TMS . Or is it just as powerful to believe??

I am also very concerned about physical activity, how do you cope with the possible flare up? I just cannot imagine myself just being able to go and do it without repercussions haha it scares me to death! Did you do it gradually or all in?

Thanks for reading and I'm looking forward to hearing any advice that you might have.

LF

 

Welcome to this community of TMSers. I healed from severe back pain about three years ago at the age of 84. I read Dr. Sarno's book and did the SEProgram and discovered that I had been repressing anger and other emotions that began when my parents divorced when I was seven. The SEProgram will help you to discover your repressed emotions. You have had surgery on your discs and still have pain, so I don't think you need more surgery. I don't think you need anyone to tell you that you have TMS. You just have to believe it, 100 percent.

Dr. Sarno and others encourage physical activity. You might read Steve Ozanich's book, The Great Pain Deception, about how he had multiple pains but continued paying golf despite the pain. His pain went away when he discovered he was repressing anger at a doctor whose malpractice nearly caused the death of his wife. You may have some repressed emotions or a harmful personality trait such as being a perfectionist or "goodist," wanting everyone to like you all the time. You say you are a stoic. That can be hard on you and those around you.

Follow the SEProgram and keep telling yourself it is going to make you free of pain. I suggest you read each day Dr. Sarno's 12 Daily Reminders. I especially like this extended version:

Herbie Douglas's Extended Version of Sarno's 12 DAILY REMINDERS

1. The pain is due to TMS. This is real pain or anxiety but its caused by subconscious tensions and triggers, stressors and traits to your reactions and fears and also when at boiling point your conscious tension can and does cause real pain too.
   2) The main reason for the pain is mild oxygen deprivation. This means that when you are in pain then the the blood is restricted from going to your lower back for instance. The blood being restricted causes oxygen deprivation which causes the pain - remember, where theirs no oxygen then there is pain in the body. Also, The pain stays because of fear and focus to physical organic symptoms and repressions.
   3) TMS is a harmless condition caused by my REPRESSED EMOTIONS so even though you think you can harm yourself from the years of pain you have felt and how you feel in general -- so far no reports have been heard from tms healing knowledge causing damage to anyone, it only helps.
   4) The principle emotion is your repressed ANGER -- this means under your consciousness lies something that happens automatically to everyone. Tmsers have repressions that are stored because of our personality traits,traumas, stressors, fears, strain, etc... When these stored repressions build and build then eventually they cause the brain to send pain into your body to keep you from having an emotional crises. The mind-body thinks its helping you.
   5) TMS exists to DISTRACT your attentions from the emotions, stressors, tensions and strains of your personality traits because if you can get distraction then you wont have to be in emotional turmoil. When you don't face and feel your emotions and they get repressed cause you didn't want to deal with something -- they are just adding up in this beaker, ready to pour over and create real pain and anxiety in your body.
   6) Since my body is perfectly normal, there is nothing to fear. So in reality when I fear the pain or anxiety I just cause myself undo strain and tension adding to the beaker of pain. If I fear then I feed the pain, If I fear Its impossible to recondition. Fear keeps the pain and anxiety alive in the body through focus.
   7) Therefore, physical activity is harmless. If I want to work against the pain I can but its better to lose some of the pain through losing your focus on the body and not fearing the pain. I can start my life over, I don't have to be in pain trying to heal cause I can face the repressions through awareness and journaling.
   8) I am resuming all normal physical activity. I don't fear moving anymore. I believe in my bodies ability to heal now. I can move how I want and my patience in flow will be my power. I will not fear moving anymore. I will also practice going out and acting normal again, not in fear of what pain might do to me.
   9) The pain is unimportant and powerless. Its only power is how it's hidden -- it's illusion, It's fear.
   10) I will keep my attention on the emotional issues. I will think about my emotions and feel my emotions throughout the day. I will not judge, criticize or fear my emotions. I will not run from my emotional issues but face everyone of them. I will feel my emotions fully and cry if I need to. Then I will release the emotion and get my mind and thoughts back to my life and living in the present, in flow.
   11) I am in control of all of this. This is how I recover.
   I will be thinking PSYCHOLOGICALLY AT ALL TIMES. This means I will keep my thoughts on psychological issues like happiness, fear and anger -- traits and triggers, conditioning and journaling. The science behind mind-body/tms healing, etc.... This way I will not feed my thoughts to the body -- that is a trick of TMS.
   12) TMS will always try to get me to focus on the body caused by the pain until I break its show and flair. When I get my attention off physical symptoms and on emotional issues and psychological issues then I will not feed the fear of the physical issues anymore thus making the tms of no effect. This will in return, give us the cure.
   

 

Hi Walt,
Thank you for your comment and for the information. It truly is helpful.

I think you are right, I know I have TMS and don't really need someone else to tell me. I am going ahead with it. And will make sure I get my hands on Steve's book.

Cheers,
LF

 

if it helps i think most people exhibit tms at some time in their lives, the more sensitive among us - suffer more often and severely... I healed after 22 years of pain and misery... My husband healed a longstanding back and shoulder pain, but other relatives suffer still - years of pain, operations, no change.... Take control of your own health and wellbeing, good luck!

 

Thank you! Everything helps, I am just happy to hear that there's finally something I can do to stop this pain that has affected me for 8 years now. I just cannot imagine how hard it would have been to go through this for 22 years! Remarkable strength!

 

Welcome! And Walt, thanks for your reminders.

Stick around Loathfoals! There is tremendous compassion and wisdom here. The support always helps.