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So You Think You Might Have TMS
by going to tmswiki.org/ppd/So_You_Think_You_Might_Have_TMS . The new site has a more up to date version of the page you are currently viewing
Last updated:
Jan 17 2013, 6:11 PM EST by
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Home page for people new to TMS
, and you're wondering what to do next be sure to visit our So You Think You Might Have TMS page. Who we are: We are a group
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Last updated:
Oct 15 2009, 7:13 PM EDT by
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TMS In The Media
what steps a patient should take if they think they might have TMS. The article discusses the various treatment methods and the effectiveness TMS
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Last updated:
Feb 21 2013, 1:02 PM EST by
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Having no physician to diagnose TMS??
Hiya Max and Welcome to the Wiki,
There are two TMS practitioners in Australia. James Alexander who has an office in Lismore NSW and Hal Greenham who has an office in Melbourne. For more check out http://tmswiki.org/page/Additional+TMS+Practitioners#AU and http://tmswiki.org/page/Find+a+TMS+Doctor+or+Therapist#AUS .
In terms of the diagnosis a lot people are not able to see a TMS doctor. The best thing to do in this situation is to look for some of the classic signs of TMS such as the symptom imperative, i.e. do your symptoms move and change. Look for inconsistencies. Do you have pain the day after you are active but not while you are active? Do you have a TMS personality trait? In addition to this you could always ask your current doctor if trying the TMS approach would worsen your symptoms.
Recovery can be very frustrating. Having a doctor diagnosis you with TMS can really help a person accept the diagnosis, so I completely understand your desire to do so. But I think the biggest thing to recover is to remain positive and accept the diagnosis. Fear and doubt are the two biggest reasons people don't recover. While a diagnosis from a doctor can help a person accept the TMS approach, it is still up to you to do the work, stay positive, and overcome the doubt. This is probably the most important part of TMS. Recovery does not invovle a doctor writing us a prescription or performing surgery. Our recovery is in our hands and is up to us. We have the power to heal ourselves from our chronic pain. Use this knowledge to gain confidence that you can get better.
Bests,
Forest
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Posted:
Sep 7 2011, 10:26 AM EDT by
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Do I have TMS?
Hi Pocat, welcome to the wiki!
I need to run so I can't write much, but have you seen the video and two questionnaires linked to from step one of our "So You Think You Might Have TMS" page?
http://tmswiki.wetpaint.com/page/So+You+Think+You+Might+Have+TMS
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Posted:
Mar 19 2010, 11:22 AM EDT by
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Do I have TMS
You're doing all the right things. But it sounds to me like you are and have been having doubts about the TMS diagnosis because of the structural issues that have been found, albeit not resolved by physical and pharmacological treatments. For a lot of people this sort of doubt significantly delays any progress with TMS approach. It takes a lot of patience once you are 100% certain that it's nothing but TMS (learnt pain). It's now 10 months after I accepted my diagnosis that I can confidently declare an improvement in my symptoms - 10 months of CBT, mindfulness practice, consistent psychological thinking and 'ignoring' the physical aspects of my pain, with plenty of ups and downs, believing against all my friends' skepticism about mind-body connection, and I'm not completely pain free yet.
It would be great for you to see a TMS doctor, or at least a TMS therapist for diagnosis. I suspect that your current problem is a chronic pain which persists after the physical cause (or excuse) was removed. So you really need to resolve it in your mind that there's nothing physically wrong to stop you from recovery. If you're sure you have TMS you'll recover.
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Posted:
Oct 19 2011, 8:25 PM EDT by
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Forum about the process of becoming an editor
: Welcome to the TMS wiki! It is great to have you on board, and we hope to see you around a lot in the future. Take a look around, jump
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Last updated:
May 9 2013, 7:01 PM EDT by
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What about TMS coaches?
Hi Forest, thanks for bringing this to my attention and I do agree with you. As we all know Dr Sarno provides his programme to his patients and if anyone requires more help he refers on to Psychotherapists who specialise in treating TMS/PPD.
When I began this work 4 years ago I didn't have that luxury, so rather than just say sorry I can't help, I began to really look into why they might be struggling. This has meant I have learnt so much more about this condition than I would have otherwise and gained so many insights into why people struggle and how to help them. My first case series showed an over 80% recovery rate, despite only one or two being referred on for Psychotherapy. My findings are that for the majority of patients with TMS, they do not require in depth Psychotherapy/Counselling. The work I do provides education, life skills and encourages patients to become self empowered, encouraging better self care etc etc. The more I have specialised in this work the more I realise how much my work has become more like that of a coach and I think that's great! Of course some people do require more in depth work, but in my experience that is only a very small percentage. Supporting and guiding people who are struggling to find what works for them means that they become much more independent, less a 'victim' and they gradually realise that the answer is within them. I feel the training for Doctors, Physiotherapists etc does need to be robust and this should be just as suitable for all Psychotherapists too. Where I feel they should have more in depth knowledge is in the Psychotherapist's development of their own professional skills and knowledge which will then help them provide more in depth emotional help for people with TMS.
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Posted:
Jun 4 2011, 7:11 AM EDT by
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talking to people about TMS
does anyone have any suggestions about what (if anything) to say to friends, colleagues and aquintances - specifically people who might benefit from TMS? I never mange to get it right....to explain ennough quickly ennough that people don't just think I'm sahying 'it's all in your head'. I have one aqaintance who is experiencing horrible sciatica and has done for months but when I mentioned it to him I used the words 'back pain' and so he siad 'Oh not this isn't back pain, it's completely different' - even though my TMS sympotom was actually sciatica! And of course being a TMS person each rejection is painful for me! :-)
I feel like I need a sor of business card (or flyer) with a few lines of key messages that I could discretely hand them and leave them to mull it over / look it up!...any ideas
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Posted:
Jan 18 2011, 1:50 PM EST by
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New to TMS
Wow, Andrew, what great advice! Thanks a lot for taking the time to write it out.
Welcome to the Wiki, London. Thanks for saying hi.
I can't tell you for sure that you have TMS, but with the pain that constantly moves around, the lack of explanation or help from practitioners, and the tendency to worry (I'm the same way), it seems like it could be a good fit. If it is, congratulations! You may finally have found the way to solve that pain for which a solution had seemed so elusive!
Dr. Sarno has written that information is the penicillin for TMS, and I think his words are very true. My hope when I started the wiki about a year ago is that it would be like a free book that TMSers could read, so while it might take some time, I'd encourage you to work through all of Andrew's links that you find helpful.
As for practitioners, unfortunately there isn't anyone in Auckland yet, but the ranks of TMS friendly practitioners seem to be growing every day. I'm providing technical support services to help start an online teleconference based TMS "group supervision" group for psychotherapists (group supervision is when psychotherapists meet as a group and ask advice for different clients). TMS psychotherapists tend to be extremely devoted to the cause, and I'm sure that your counselor would be very welcome if he or she wanted to join one of the teleconferences. Likewise, I'm sure that they would be very happy to provide support and feedback one on one with your counselor if he or she would like to learn more.
See also:
http://tmswiki.wetpaint.com/page/Q%26A%3A+Must+my+therapist+believe+in+TMS%3F
http://tmswiki.wetpaint.com/page/Q%26A%3A+I+like+my+therapist%2C+but+she+doesn%27t+know+about+TMS
Best of luck, and keep us updated with your progress! We're always happy to provide support.
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Posted:
Feb 19 2010, 11:10 PM EST by
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TMS conference
Excellent ideas Hilary and Forest.
I think tms'ers would love to attend talks given by the tms professional/experts also. You know how much we love to learn? Imagine how excited the attendees would be to hear about the latest science, additional treatment strategies (beyond Sarno), different docs/psych experiences. The Professionals at the first conference were so passionate, intelligent and well spoken. The talks wouldn't have to be very long. I think hearing from the authors of some of the books would be a real draw for people also.
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Posted:
Jul 16 2009, 6:57 AM EDT by
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new to TMS
Hi Lestats, I'm sorry to hear about that as well. I know how you feel with it being hard to attribute your pain to psychosomatic causes. I probably first hear about Dr. Sarno in the late nineties, and it wasn't until 2008 that I really came to embrace the TMS approach. It's taken for granted by many in the TMS community that many people need to exhaust all other approaches before taking TMS seriously. I was one of those people, so I can understand and respect where you are coming from. Even if you decide to go the "thinking physically route," I hope you'll always feel free to come back here and let us know how you're doing.
By the way, you should be aware that there has been a lot of research in the last several years indicating that many people without any pain have MRIs with all sorts of weird results. Thus, if you get a weird result on your MRI, that might not be what is causing your pain. In fact, I've heard that Dr. Sarno refers to positive results on MRIs as simply "the grey hair of the spine." There is a nice summary of some of these studies at this page:
http://www.chirogeek.com/000_MRI-Abnormalities_Asymptomatic-Pats.htm
You may also want to check out the following links:
http://tmswiki.wetpaint.com/page/Q%26A%3A+TMS+or+truly+bulging+disc%3F
http://tmswiki.wetpaint.com/page/Q%26A+Is+fibrous+scarring+around+nerve+roots+likely+to+cause+pain
http://tmswiki.wetpaint.com/page/Q%26A%3A+Is+it+possible+that+the+pain+from+diagnosed+%22degenerative+facet+disease%22+is+really+TMS%3F
http://tmswiki.wetpaint.com/page/Q%26A%3A+How+do+I+know+my+pain+is+not+being+caused+by+my+bulging+disc%3F
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Posted:
Jan 24 2010, 6:19 PM EST by
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The Return of TMS
If you have read my TMS story you will see that until this month I can always talk myself out of an episode. Now I am having doubtsabout this bout of severe pain is actually TMS. I have been doing Dr. Sarno's method everyday for a month, reading all the threads on this site and watching excellent videos. I saw some improvement but decided to see if my increase in Zocor meds for high chloresteral might be the problem. I have had muscular problems with statins before so was only taking 5 miligrams since the summer. Two months ago my doctor doubled the dose. A month later is when I had my severe muscle attack and sciatica. A little over a week ago I stopped the Zocor. I still continued all my TMS strategies and my symptoms becan to decrease. I assumed Dr. Sarno's program was working. Thursday was a great day. I attributed the success to fighting TMS. I started the zocor again. Saturday morning I woke up with horrible leg and back pain, real burning. Today, Sunday, I am again in terrible pain. I am not taking the Zocor for a while. Any comments would be appreciated.
Posted:
Jan 31 2010, 2:21 PM EST by
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TMS pain??
Yeah, it can take a long time to accept the diagnosis. That's fine if that's the way it is.
As you mentioned in your first, post, I can't diagnose you, let alone over the internet. Yet, there are a lot of things that certainly seem like TMS. First, it seems like quite a coincidence that your first symptoms appeared a couple of weeks after your big brother got really bad carpal tunnel syndrome, even though you had been playing for years. After all, it must have had a big impact to have someone as athletic as him have his life change so much.
I've also been diagnosed with TOS and, to be honest, I still get little electric jolts in the area enervated by the ulnar nerve. Yet I just ignore it, and it eventually goes away. Meanwhile, I type, mouse, and write to my heart's content... :-)
You may want to try out Monte's idea of "thinking clean." You've been obsessing over your symptoms for so long that it might be helpful to try "cleaning your thoughts out" of all of those thoughts. Allow yourself to think the thoughts that you would be thinking if you were completely cured. Try these links if they help:
http://tmswiki.wetpaint.com/page/MonteH%3A+Three+Strategies+for+Thinking+Clean
http://tmswiki.wetpaint.com/thread/3637727/The+Running.Com+Update
I'd also try looking at some of these success stories:
http://tmswiki.wetpaint.com/page/Repetitive+Strain+Injuries+-+RSI
It may take a while for you to recover, but don't worry. It will work out in the end, so there is no need to rush it.
Best of luck!
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Posted:
May 18 2010, 9:28 PM EDT by
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Tintinitus and TMS
Thanks to all.Yes it does seem to become less of a problem when im busy and dont think about it.Im on vacation in a pretty quiet house so of course this is when i started to focus on the hiss in my head.Forest wiki page recommendation that lead to the tinnitus site has put it all in the proper perspective and now I have some simple TMS work to do to put this behind me.
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Posted:
Apr 15 2011, 3:56 PM EDT by mattg3
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wrists and TMS
Hi Danny and congratulations on your amazing progress. Your story sounds an awful lot like my own.
If you get a chance, I'd love to read your success story on your profile... perhaps you could just paste your current post in to start. Just click on the following link and press the "EasyEdit" button to get started... http://tmswiki.wetpaint.com/account/omicronic
Andrew's advice sounds right on target.... I'd keep doing that psychological work.
I also wouldn't rush yourself, and might get some medical advice (hopefully from a TMS-savvy practitioner) to guide you on your way. One of my roommates is an advanced med student and he was just emphasizing how much damage can be done by resting too much. Our bodies are really designed for constantly being used, so it might actually take some time for you to regain full function.
I think it's fine to go slowly. If I were in that situation, I would try to always think psychologically (as Andrew was saying) and always keep gently pushing myself in the right direction.
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new to TMS
Wow, Activegal----Don't apologize. Those posts are EXACTLY what you need to be unearthing. It's fantastic that you can look back with such insight and realize that your body was screaming at you to stop! Of course it was due to all that stress and the pressure of trying so hard to be strong, a good person, be there for everyone, etc You're on your way. Thank you for sharing so honestly. On the Books and DVD's page of the wiki there is an extensive list of books that have been helpful to tms'ers. One of them is by Gabor Mate, MD, titled "When The Body Says No". You can read a brief description of the book on that page, but I just wanted to comment on the title and how appropriate it is to our situations. I was also trying to be strong, a perfect parent, wife, daughter, etc So much pressure. One of the important suggestions in HBP, is to find balance. The rage soothe ratio/balancing our responsibilities, with fun, relaxation, pleasurable activities. Keep journaling, cry when you can, grieve what you have a right to, allow others to support you for a change, lower your standards. In The Divided Mind, Dr. Andrea Leonard Seigel writes an excellent chapter in which she asks, what's wrong with average?
My thoughts are; what are we trying to prove, by pushing ourselves so? That we're worthy, lovable, special? Why do we have to accomplish something spectacular to be okay? Why do we have to be superhuman? I think it helps if we think of our best and most beloved friend. Would we put that much pressure on her/him? Would we criticize her if she came in second, was less than perfect, ordered take out, etc? I don't think so. We need to learn to take true care of ourselves. To be our own best friend. Okay now I'm sounding corny, but you know what I mean.
I'm sorry that you have gone through so much. Thank you for sharing your story. Keep at the tms approach. Try not to get discouraged about set backs.
Posted:
Jul 14 2009, 8:02 PM EDT by
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TMS to Triathlete
Hiya!
Just a little over 6 weeks left to race day and I thought I'd post again. Everything is going great. The training volume has steadily been increasing over the last several weeks. Last week's total was just a little over 16 hours. My Saturday bike rides are up in the 6 hour range now and most days I'm doing two workouts.
The key thing to report to you all is that I haven't experienced my old TMS/PPD symptoms to a limiting degree. And by that I mean that I might feel "something"-- somtimes painful but most times just a little "feeling" which I can't call painful -- but the "feeling" goes away.
The most painful thing that has happened is this: The first time I did a 3 hour ride a few weeks ago, I got into the "aero" position for 95% of that time. If you don't know what that is, it's a position that puts your upper body parallel to the ground. So you are bent forward for long periods. And your neck is getting strained because you are constantly having to look up to see where you are going. Later that day and the next couple, my neck was in bad pain, but I didn't worry (note: I used to suffer from "pinched nerves" in the neck and "compressed discs" in the lower back). I kept thinking psychologically and just assumed it would go away. It did. By next week's ride, I was all better and experienced none of the same pain even though the ride was even longer.
(continued)
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Posted:
Jun 17 2011, 12:27 AM EDT by
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TMS and motherhood.
"It's incredibly frustrating at times because you feel like raging at them but you can't. As my 5 year old tipped her breakfast down herself for the seemingly-millionth time this morning I could hear my DH explaining patiently that "if she leant over the bowl it couldn't possibly land on her school uniform" but he's said that a million times and I could feel his frustration seeping upstairs lol.
And her sweet little Angel voice "ok daddy, I will lean over from now on" when you know damn well she'll forget in a nannosecond.
I now remove myself from the situation and go and "breathe"
" This is exactly what I'm talking about! And I think that it is EXACTLY what Dr. Sarno is talking about. You've told her a million times what to do and she still hasn't gotten it. The adult you cares for her very deeply and knows that she is doing her (5 year old) best, but your own *inner* child doesn't get that. So you have this frustration, what Sarno might call rage, but you can't do anything with it. You know that you have to do your best to avoid expressing it to your daughter ("her needs must come first"), but you don't want to bring down your hubby as well.
(continued...)
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Hello, new member here, I think I have TMS
The Divided Mind is his most recent, and builds on the others. The chapters written by other TMS docs are a great addition as well.
Sometimes I recommend Healing Back Pain first because it is fairly short and an easy read. It actually talks about other symptoms as well. The Mind Body Prescription was written next and goes into a bit more detail (excellent as well).
The Divided Mind is the most recent and is the result of over 30 years of diagnosing and treating patients with TMS. You sound quite intelligent,so I think you will be fine reading that one. One book may be enough for you, but many of us have been so intrigued and in need of thorough understanding, in order to recover, that we have read all of Dr. Sarno's books along with other mindbody authors.
His books may be available at a library. They have been for us, although many of us have found the need to own them so that we can re-read and refer back to them over time.
Sorry-long answer to a short question.
Best,
Peg
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Posted:
May 20 2010, 7:04 AM EDT by
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