In my last two blogs I let my readers on a little secrete about emotions as they relate to TMS chronic pain relief that can take you to a higher level of permanent relief. I discussed how over focusing on finding or fixing stress and emotions can lead to TMS the same way focusing on fixing perceived physical issues can. Yes, TMS pain is rooted in emotions but solving or becoming fixated mentally on negative or repressed emotions is not a long term cure for chronic pain. Re-read my last two blogs if you need to.
So here is the situation. You just woke up and you have that exact small “twinge” in your neck (or insert your TMS area) that you know is TMS and that you know can either go away or become a full-on, locking, painful, spasm that takes you out for a couple of days. You know that you shouldn’t think physically, and I have now discussed in detail why getting too deep in the woods with emotions can be problematic. But what should you think about? You have probably heard people say that you must ignore the pain twinge. Others will swear you can’t ignore the symptom you have to “feel” them. Maybe you whipped out a copy of some simple TMS rules to repeat to yourself. Or maybe you listened to a Podcast about releasing fear. Maybe someone told you to meditate to relieve your stress but that was the most stressful thing you have ever tried in your life. And still, you can’t stop thinking about it.
You obsess over the pain and over TMS as you plead for help on a TMS Facebook group. You get 100 responses, everything from “drink more water”, to “do this workbook” get thrown at you from people that swear by their remedy. Others say you don’t do anything, and the pain should just go away. What the hell does that mean? You might even beat yourself up a little because you think this should be working and isn’t. You are like that cartoon with a a devil on one shoulder and an angel on another and they are arguing back and forth in your head is in the middle spinning like a top and that small twinge is starting to expand. What is next?
I can only speak for myself and share what works for me. What I learned quite a while ago is that almost nothing that is going on in my head, in the form of inner constant dialogue is useful. I know those voices are not me and don’t represent my best interest. When I feel that initial onset twinge that I described above, yes, I might do some affirming self-talk initially, but I stop any internal dialogue quickly as it can get out of hand for me. Learning to live presently and without constantly describing to yourself what you are experiencing can be a very powerful muscle that can be developed. That does not mean that you cannot consciously and intentionally contemplate something, it means that contemplation can be on your terms and not something that goes on in your head, outside of your control or like a movie you are watching but not acting in.
Before, TMS awareness, if I were to feel a twinge in my neck, I might immediately start hearing a voice in my head say “oh no, I hope this isn’t like the last time I felt this kind of twinge after I slept wrong and by the end of the day, I was unable to turn my neck at all! That sucked and ruined my golf game! I can’t afford that now because I have a meeting at work, and I can’t look like a zombie! I was such an idiot for not wearing a seatbelt in that car 20 years ago!”
Or, after TMS learning a new internal self-dialogue might look like this, “Oh no, there is this TMS thing again! Why isn’t the TMS book I read working the same as it did last week? That guy online that knew Sarno said I need to journal more because I am doubting my symptoms and have found what I am repressing yet. I know I have TMS, and I journaled for two hours last night and read Sarno’s affirmations outload over and over, but this still hurts and I am turning into a Zombie again! What am I doing wrong?”
In reality, whether you are obsessed about the physical or emotional is irrelevant to the subconscious production company that is putting on the scary movie for you to watch.
Those voices sitting on opposite shoulders are simply the actors that the subconscious mind hired for the role of distraction in the bad movie. You are not the voices you hear in your head, but it is you that can make a decision about whether or not this is a good movie or a bad movie. You can stay until the end, or you can leave because of how much unnecessary violence and stupid dialogue there is.
When you take away the dialogue in your head about the twinge of pain and simply examine that same twinge of onset pain as an observer without all the over-written, bombastic dialogue, or gory, painful imagery, the movie becomes much less interesting. The twinge sensation is likely much less painful than you realized when listening to a voice describe the worst parts about it. The voices you will discover are like the evening news program that chooses only to highlight the most sensational negative stories to attract viewers. You might decide to keep watching the bad reruns or local news because that is what you are used to doing and because there is nothing else on. Or you might continue watching because you lost the remote control and have no idea how to turn off the TV. When you are eventually able to consciously choose to stop watching and stop providing actors for the TMS chronic pain distraction movie, it will shut down production and the re-runs will end.
For me, where I am today, the same neck twinge that used to bring on great fear, and a head-spinning internal back and forth, is simply a quick reminder that brings a smile to my face. The smile isn’t forced, the smile is from the gratitude I have for the superpower Sarno taught me and that the twinge reminded me about. No chance it ruins my day. It doesn’t take a lot of self-affirming dialogue or mind control because I have the knowledge, I have the ultra-self-confidence, and I can feel my superpower on a level of felt perception. I know the neck twinge is TMS and rooted in harmless emotions and not an impingement from a car accident years ago. I can make a choice to not watch the stupid movie in my head exactly the same way I choose to not watch stupid comic book movies at the theatre and for the same reasons.
Stopping the ongoing internal fearful, limiting belief chatter was nearly impossible for me years ago. I wasn’t even aware that it was possible to think or feel things presently without attaching an inner dialogue to them. In the next blog, I am going to explain how to get in “The Zone” with your Chronic Pain Mindset. Stay tuned sports fans.