This page is for people whose recoveries are proceeding slowly rather than rapidly, so that they can see that this is normal and that other people have taken a long time but still made recoveries that made it all very much worth it.

In The Divide Mind, Marc Sopher wrote,

If someone states they truly believe that TMS is the problem, that they have been doing the mental homework and yet are distressed that their symptoms persist, they may question whether they have TMS. ... This is part of what I refer to as the calendar phenomenon: preoccupation with the number of days or weeks it will take to get better. By this time, everyone may know of somone whose symptoms vanished immediately after reading the book or shortly after seeing a physician trained in TMS treatment. ... They look at the calendar and become upset as days and weeks go by. This is where I tell people to look back at their personalities. The calendar phenomenon is another manifestation of perfectionist tendencies--it is self-imposed pressure to succed and succeed quickly. If they can recognize this aspect of their personality and add it to their "list" of sources of stress, relief will be on the way. (p. 353)

Flutterby, whose post inspired this page, made no progress (if anything things got worse) for three weeks before she started to see improvement. She wrote,

Another thing that has made a difference is what I read in 'The Divided Mind' about 'calendar-watching' and for that reason, I'm not sure how long it has taken me to reach this point; but for those who are new to this process, it wasn't as quick as I had inferred from the books, but it has certainly been less than a month! Not bad in comparison to the 42-year duration of my 'back problems'!

You can find Flutterby's full story in her original post.

In her profile at the TMS wiki, PegHanson wrote,

I don't want to mislead anyone. I did not have an instantaneous resolution of my symptoms (although I now know people who have). It has been a gradual process of healing and self discovery for me, but well worth it. I have had occasional episodes of some discomfort over the years (during stressful times) but now I know how to address it and can make it go away pretty easily. The most important thing is that it has never been as bad as it was at it's worst, and most of the time I have no pain at all. I no longer have fear and I know that I am healthy and strong. I have no limitations in what I can do. I have proven that to myself over and over again in the past 8 years since recovering using Dr. Sarno's information. Probably the most physical things I have been able to do is that I painted an entire house, took a dance class, learned scuba and just last year I rode a bicycle 110 miles in a day (having trained for it in only 3 weeks).

I (MatthewNJ) have been using the TMS program for 6 years now Today is 6/20/09. I am sooo much better than I ever was. BUT, I have had my "set backs". I am firmly committed to TMS. BUT, that is VERY difficult to believe when you have pain that is the worst pain you have ever had in your life. The analogy I like to use is one Dr. Evans (he is one of Dr. Sarno's "trained" psychologists) uses with me. I am a top expert skier and a member of the National Ski Patrol. When I ask why I am not all better now (I have seen him for 3 or 4 years now) he reminds me that I did not become an expert skier over night. And this is true. Also, It took me 40+ years to build up all this repressed rage. It is going to take some time to work it out. And it IS working itself out. My profile is a work in progress, but please feel free to check it out and/or contact me.

DISCLAIMER: This web page and the rest of The TMS Wiki can be edited by anyone. The TMS Wiki is not affiliated with any medical professional or medical organization. No information on this site should be considered medical advice. For medical advice, see your doctor.