Educational Program Day 1
This is the first day of your quest to become pain free. It is going to be a journey of self-discovery and personal growth. Today is the first day you take action in healing from your chronic symptoms. The first couple of days of the program will help educate you on the theories of TMS, why it occurs, and how to overcome it. Right now some people believe in TMS and are engaging in these steps whole-heartedly. Some others have their doubts, but are willing to do this program anyway. If you have doubts, I must stress the need to accept the diagnosis. Continue to educate yourself about the validity of TMS and the astounding success people have had using this approach.
This program is designed to expose you to multiple techniques that are designed to help you recognize and then release repressed emotions that have been causing your chronic symptoms. The organization of the program is fairly straightforward in that every day will consist of an educational exercise, journal activity, and a question to ponder, as reviewed in Week 0. If you have not yet visited the Week 0 page, we encourage you to do so before starting the program.
Educational Exercise: Learning about TMS is one of the most important aspects of the treatment. Dr. Sarno has stressed the need to read and re-read the material daily for many days. The program he gives his patients is to be read for thirty days so it sinks into the brain. Today your task is going to allow you to gain a better understanding of Dr. John Sarno, his treatment approach, and its success in treating a wide range of people. [Right-click on this link and choose "open in new tab" to watch this short 20/20 TV show segment about Dr. Sarno (posted on YouTube by Dr. Howard Schubiner] . After you watch the video, write a brief response to your feelings about it.
Success Story: Reading how other people became pain-free can help you not only accept the diagnosis, but also give you guidance throughout your treatment. It is highly recommend that you read at least one success story every day. Today you will read TMS Wiki member Baseball65's account of his struggle with chronic pain, and how he finally became pain-free. The story is located on "My Victory Over Pain."
Begin Writing Your Own Story: Receiving support from other people in your recovery can help you gain understanding and clear up any issues that may arise. The first step in doing this involves making a thread post about where you are right now in your treatment. Write a short post about the level of acceptance you have of the TMS diagnosis, and of any doubts or worries you may have at this point. You can make a thread post by going to our Structured Educational Program subforum, part of our main TMS forum. You can choose to label your post with a "Day 1" prefix.
| Question To Ponder |
| What would a life without TMS mean to you? |
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Day 2 ⇨ ⇦ Return to the Main Page
| DISCLAIMER: The TMS Wiki is for informational and support purposes only and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations. See Full Disclaimer. |
