Book What I'm learning from "The Way Out" by Alan Gordon

I ‘m reading Alan Gordon’s new book,
The Way Out: A Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Healing Chronic Pain. Well, I’m actually listening to it on Audible. Alan does the reading. It’s great! And it has humor woven in. It’s written in very bite-sized digestible chunks.

I thought I’d share some of the things I’m learning, as I go along. (These quotes are slightly paraphrased.) Maybe we can discuss?
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Ch. 3- NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FEAR ITSELF

Two thoughts on Fear:

We don’t want to just change your relationship between fear and pain. We want to change your relationship with *all* fear.

Despair about your TMS situation is processed as pain. This creates more fear. Alan likes to ask his clients: Does this feeling you are having make your brain feel more or less danger? If yes, then that’s a form of fear. Some of these feelings may include: frustration, despair, stress, anguish, anxiety, annoyance and dismay.
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I’m one who definitely gets stuck in despair, anguish and all the rest! But lately that is changing and as a result I’m feeling better. It’s very subtle. The edge is coming off my symptoms ever so slightly. And I don’t wake up in a cold panic in the morning as often. The reason for that is I just went back in my mind and tried to remember having more fun. Somehow I lost touch with that. The pandemic did a lot to get me hyper-focused on tragedy and worries. And I never snapped out of it.

I’m realizing now that the more I think like a teenager (I’m 65), the better I’m feeling. I’m mostly focused on having fun. Doing what I like the most. Assuming I’m going to feel young and be strong. Everything will work out. That attitude is literally making my whole body calm down.

Just sayin’

Thanks Alan and everyone on the wiki!

 

@JanAtheCPA,
Should we change this title to: Nuggets from Alan Gordon’s book, The Way Out — or
Topics found in The Way Out, by TMS counselor, Alan Gordon?

I was wondering if the current title will only draw people who have read the book, and I’m going to include quotes on this thread, so you don’t need to read it unless you want to. (Just a thought. You know better than I.)

 

I was afraid of that. I like both suggestions. I don’t think I can access the title in edits. Can you?

 

I’ll take What I’m learning from…
Thanks, Jan!

 

Chapter 4: Embracing a New Perspective

CONDITIONED RESPONSE

In this chapter, I really love Alan’s explanation for conditioned response. It’s so basic! The primitive brain doesn’t want you to make a dangerous mistake more than once. It thinks something is dangerous (incorrectly) and it’s trying to stop you from this dangerous thing happening again. For me, one thing I’ve got going is fear of leaving the house. I felt this during the pandemic. My body is still on high alert. Ugh! I also have terrible conditioned responses in the shower. My left foot actually curls up and it’s hard to feel safe. What???!!!! Nuts!!! I thought about it and remembered that I always do a lot of thinking in the shower. During the pandemic I used to think about EVERYTHING that was bugging me and scaring me. It ranged across such a huge swath of threats! Now, the shower is like a torture chamber. So recently, I started listening to a novel on audible before and as I head into the bathroom. And then for a bit after my shower. My mind is beginning to latch onto that as a reference. (I LOVE stories!) This is a happy place for my mind. Then in the shower I try to focus on the great feeling of the water and the nice shampoo and soap smells in the present moment. Shutting down the chattering monkey mind. This all is cutting a new groove in the record of my mind. It’s working! But if I stop listening to the story, the terror comes back. Have to keep it up!