Day 4 On the bike

A positive step: The weather warmed up enough to me to pursue something that I had not down in a while - I rode my bike to work and back down the West Side bike path in NYC. 50 degree weather, and a good helping of confidence that my back would be fine gave me a really nice taste of freedom. So great! Now I just need to work on my neck and voice issues...! Progress...!

 

It's great that you biked to and from work. Its been a rough winter for getting out and walking or biking.
I'm in the Chicago area and we're finally getting some 50s and maybe up to 50, with cold still in between.

About your neck and voice, keep working on meditation and relaxation. Deep breathing. Thinking positive.

 

Nice one. I'm on day 6 and just wrote about how biking is something I have been thinking of taking up. Only thing is before I found out about TMs, i have been thinking it will 'help my back'. I'd rather not do that, and want to just take it up for fun.

Well done - great work!

Adam

 

I find that road biking is "good for my back", because it takes my mind "off my back" by diverting my attention from the obsessive thought patterns that reinforce the neural conditioning that perpetuates back pain. Think it involves something of the same principle behind EMDR (Eye Motion Desensitization & Reprocessing) and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) "tapping". When you're biking, you're eyes are constantly darting around the landscape in front of you while concentrating on the process of turning the pedals which breaks up the obsessive scanning for trouble that reinforces and perpetuates your old pain pathways. Very similar to EFT tapping where you tap on the Gamut Point on the back of your hand while moving your eyes to different positions and rotating them. Well, as they say, "All roads lead to Rome" and if biking gets rid of your pain and anxiety, it's just as good as a lot of complex therapies with their associated complex theoretical bases. In other words, good for you, UkAdR. Sounds as though you've taken a big first step toward becoming pain free by confronting and overcoming fear. That's a real big one!

 

Thanks Bruce - are you pretty much pain free now then?

 

Pretty much, unless I think too much about it! I think another thing about biking is that - unlike running or hiking on rough trails - it doesn't trigger pain with multiple impacts that send messages to the very areas that you've located your obsessive thoughts about pain. I don't hurt now when I walk uphill, no matter how fast, but on the downhill the TMS pain still builds up I think because of the triggering generated by my feet impacting harder. But this has been going down slowly but surely as I walk and hike more. But the thing to remember is that the pain is conditioned and perpetuated by obsessive thinking often due to worry and anxiety. I've noticed lately that when I walk downhill I've been developing alternative pain-free pathways that function as workarounds that short circuit the old painful muscles, nerves and tendons. All things in good time.

 

I guess. Very pleased for you Bruce. Funny thing is I'm better walking often - it's resting sitting that it's worst. Stupid lower back! Or stupid mind....

 

It varies a whole lot from individual to individual, according to what pain pathways you've activated and perpetuated. TMS is a general condition that can manifest with different symptoms in different areas of your body that are activated by different psychological triggers. If walking is okay for you, walk. If biking is cool, do that. The most important thing to remember is that this is a psychological process with different physical symptoms perpetuated by obsessive thought patterns. Changing your head by whatever means works for you is the primary goal that once achieved will eliminate your TMS pain symptoms.