Question regarding journalling

Hi all,

Hope you have been keeping well!

I have been up and down with my wrist issues and I have some queries. Firstly it is important to note that I am going to revisit the doctors and push to visit a specialist on these types of strain injuries so I can see if there is genuinely anything wrong at all (will hopefully have a scan or a nerve test to support this)

In the meantime I am continuing to remain positive and work on my TMS work.

My main query is, I think I have journaled about most things that could be causing me issues in my life. I don’t have many issues that come to mind for the typical stressful encounters of the past, the ones that I have thought of I have journaled. I was thinking could it be that I have to journal about other stuff.

I was thinking my anxiety in general could be a big factor to journal about and other simple stuff like myself putting a bit of pressure on myself to be successful in life, which my subconscious could find a lot more pressuring?

Secondly, do you have any ideas on how to figure out what could be causing my issues, if the above doesn’t affect?

Thanks all

 

It’s most often the stuff you don’t think about that is where you want to go with your journaling.
You’ve pointed to some good sources to begin with: the “bit of pressure” you put on yourself.. I suspect it’s a lot of pressure, yet it is such an ingrained pattern in your life it doesn’t seem like much to your awareness. You journal to perhaps see where that pressure developed, and how it contributes to your life: eg. self-perfectionism is often tied to people pleasing and developed in childhood parental relationships. You begin to notice events and feelings or emotions from the past and how tied they are to how these traits show up in your life now. How do these things make you feel, not just thoughts but the physical presence of emotion. How does self-pressure show up in other ways and how can you challenge these thoughts and perceptions to reflect your own true values (as opposed to the values of others or society, if you find conflict there).
How do you define success is another good journaling topic. Is it a drive for accreditation, financial, being the best or is it being satisfied with life, finding moments of pleasure, owing your own home, having 6 kids… whatever it is, take a look at it.

These are places you can go anywhere. Many TMS specialists are saying finances is a strong source of TMS stress. Personality traits and the conflicts they can contribute as well as family or other relationships or lack of them…

And if you get stuck, it has been suggested to simply journal “I don’t know what to write about” a few times and see if some freeform stuff arises.

 

As long as you are pre-occupied with the physical you might have a tough time doing the work...this isn't a positive thinking exercise. In fact, it is closer to a 'negative thinking exercise' if it was called anything...looking for repressed rage.

Dr. Sarno himself said 'what is a strain???"

Obviously you can't forget what you've read, but you might think something like 'I tried that already' when you really didn't. I think of that sign on the pirates of the Caribbean "Abandon all hope ye who enter"...most of the people who have healing experiences have to exhaust all those 'fixes' and Diagnoses they give out...

if you get a diagnosis of 'strain' they are gonna say 'rest it'....and that is a sure fire way to know it is TMS...which doesn't care what you do and often moves around. That was how i knew my shoulder was TMS...it got Worse with rest...and I had to fix it by throwing harder and longer while focusing on things I was angry about

'turning your mind to a recurrent source of irritation' and 'returning to all activity, even the most strenuous' is Sarno's cure.

The system will Always have a diagnosis. Strain is the easiest one to cover themselves. Since the advent of the MRI people have collectively gotten worse, which means there is a disconnect between what they find and what the problem really is.

 

thank you!

I will definitely try some of these approaches in some journaling to see if that helps.

I already feel a bit better than yesterday just from remaining positive and cracking on with things

 

I will do my best to keep that mindset, I think I struggle in certain aspects as I don’t appear to have moving symptoms and I do have certain aspects (like clicking which wasn’t there before) so I wanted to rule out anything crucial.

I do however push through and continue with my gym workouts which is mostly fine aart from the odd sensation of an elastic band being plucked in my wrist when I’m having flare ups

 

Hello

I just wondered about the tone of your journalling. Is it polite, careful, reflection? Have you really let yourself go and get all the anger and frustration out on the page?

I have found Nicole Sachs book called 'Truth' and her technique of 'Journal Speak' revolutionary.

I have been really shocked by what comes up using her approach. For example, about high school bullying I might have written, in the past, about how hard it was and the fear I felt but I had never let myself write anything horrible about the others involved. Suddenly after reading about Nicole's approach I would find myself writing shock things like 'she was such a f******g b****h. I f******g hate her. I hope she dies'. I keep my journal safe and will burn it once all the pages are used up - it is just for me. I have realised how the pressure to be good and perfect was impacting my ability to express the inexpressible and I think this lies at the heart of TMS recovery.

Good luck

Gx

 

I love this and couldn’t agree more. In her podcasts Nicole says you should treat journaling like blowing your nose. Get al the dirt out and then throw it away!

So much rage coming up with me too - I found myself “roaring” (on paper) about my childhood friend: I’M SO JEALOUS OF THAT B*TCH IT’S SO UNFAIR I FEEL SO LEFT OUT AND UNSAFE!!

This started out from some fairly polite remarks about how alone I was feeling that day. For me to get deeper it helps to ask myself questions, like:
Why would this make you feel alone, what’s wrong with feeling alone, why does it bother you, what does that remind you of - and if you don’t know the answer to a question: ask yourself how that makes you feel and why.
Hope it helps and keep up the journaling!