Day 20 Reduction in Pain, Symptoms and Anxiety

It's been 6 days or so since my second big break through. Things still continue to amaze me how quickly the pain and symptoms dissolve. I had the greater part of yesterday about 6 hours where I had absolutely no symptoms or anxiety or anything. It was like being my old self again. It was great.

I think Pendulation as part of Somatic Experiencing for me was deceivingly simple yet difficult in the beginning. I wasn't really sure what to look for or that I could pick and choose shifts by first allowing myself to feel the symptom and gradually shift my focus to something else.

For me the key was to shift my focus or attention to something outside myself. If the pain or symptom persisted i would go back and forth. Some days it would reduce just a little other days it would reduce a lot. It always worked to a degree.

I stumbled upon a book by Dr. Les Femhi, called Dissolving Pain. He mentions Dr. Sarno. As it turns out he is describing Pendulation and Orientation, only he calls it Open Focus. Whatever you want to call it, for me it works tremendously. As I understand this, what you are doing is attending to your internal state, taking an outside step and just becoming and observer - this part is key so not to continue to overly attach meaning to our sensations. Also as we just observe and pendulate we "break" old neural highways of pain - we quite literally are teaching ourselves how to become calm and pain free and forming new networks, new associations and new memories. All of which come into play the next time pain or symptom come up. If done enough you will have a memory of pain which continues to be replaced be a new experience, one of less and less pain until it is essentially gone.

Happy Healing.

 

I'm happy for you! (and only a little bit jealous )

 

Regarding Somatic Tracking or Experiencing: can you eventually expect to do this while engaging in other activities (driving, talking to someone, walking, etc)? At this point I can only do it if I'm concentrating SOLELY on the somatic tracking itself in a completely quiet environment with my eyes closed, which isn't always when I NEED to do it. With experience, is this something you can multi-task?

 

Egrolman, I think it depends on the degree to which you can feel comfortable doing it. I can experience in my body and when I feel the edge of the discomfort I can shift my focus to a person's face, a building, sky, cloud etc. It takes a little practice. I also prefer to do it when I am quiet and alone but the time to do it usually comes up at an inopportune time. Sometimes I feel pent up energy move through me and feel that I should cry or tremble - it's not ideal if you feel embarrassed by doing this in front of others.

There is something called Open Focus you ca try developed by Dr. Les Femhi. He also has some youtube videos as well that maybe can help elaborate.

"If you sit down to read a book, you can try the exercise. Without shifting your eyes from the page, gradually become aware of the space that is to the right and left of the page. Let your peripheral vision widen at its own pace to take in that awareness. As you develop that awareness, enjoy it for a few seconds
Now allow your visual background to come to the foreword, to become as important as your visual foreground. In other words, the whole page, the edges of the books, the table and the walls behind the book, can be made foreground simultaneously with the words you are reading. This should be carried out effortlessly and naturally. It may seem difficult at first, but it is well within our capacity t focus this way. Sit for a few seconds as you gently maintain this awareness and allow the background and foreground to become equally important and interesting.
As you continue reading, also include the space that surrounds your entire body. Allow time for the perception to take place as your visual awareness open and broadens into three dimensions. Now permit yourself to become ware of the space between the lines you are reading. etc."

Basically if you can use more peripheral vision as stated above to widen as you pay attention to anything, then this can be done while doing activities. To me it is the closest thing to Tracking while doing something.

 

Jokeysmurf, that was really helpful. Thank you!