Understanding Chronic Pain,

and other puzzling symptoms. Notes from my own journey...

If you have not suffered with chronic pain, or persistent puzzling symptoms of another variety, chances are you know many people who have. There are of course many possible causes for all of this kind of dis-ease in modern life, but the one most common cause - that is also the most overlooked - is repressed emotions. This is an insidious kind of stress which can wreak havoc in some people’s bodies, is often very hard to see, is usually misdiagnosed, and can be difficult to untangle from. I’ve had a lot of first-hand experience with this. I was about to start that sentence with “Unfortunately,” but truly, my path through these deep challenges continues to bring exquisite beauty, confidence and personal growth to my life journey.

Taking a ‘first things first’ approach, it’s always a good idea to clean up our diet and eliminate processed foods as much as possible, and fill up with good nutrition. This will help us to know how much our uncomfortable symptoms might be caused, at least in part, by general inflammation and over-acidity in the body, toxins, and/or nutrient insufficiencies. Correcting other spokes on our ‘wheel of health’ will also be revealing, such as sleep, sunshine, movement, connection, etc.

If symptoms persist, seeing a medical doctor to rule out structural causes, such as tumor or organ damage, may be a good idea. If symptoms persist after basic lifestyle corrections, ruling out serious structural causes, and therapeutic interventions such as chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture, etc, it’s definitely high-time to take a serious look at emotions as an underlying cause. The mind-body field of study has grown exponentially in recent decades, and there is now an overwhelming amount of information available. One of the best resources I have found, after wading through much of this, is Dr. John Sarno’s diagnostic tool called TMS, or Tension Myositis Syndrome (it goes by other names too, but for now let’s call it TMS).

When I read Dr. Sarno’s books, I knew that I had TMS. I visited a doctor familiar with this concept to have that diagnosis confirmed (Dr. Sarno is no longer with us). I have problematic structural realities in my body, such as a reconstructed knee that has been very loose ever since, but once I learned about TMS, humbly acknowledged that I had the classic personality type, and started to more closely observe the correlations in my life between stress of various kinds and my pains, I knew that TMS was a primary cause of my ever-shifting symptoms.

I joined a wonderful online course and support group based on Dr. Sarno’s work (see link below), and I continue to learn and grow in my understanding and healing of this very common condition. According to Dr. Sarno, most of the symptoms people experience, which are not readily explained and successfully treated with basic lifestyle, medical or therapeutic intervention, are either TMS or TMS ‘equivalents.’ TMS refers to a syndrome which causes pain in soft tissue such as muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and can involve nerves. TMS equivalents encompass everything else, such as migraines, digestive ailments, rashes, etc.

The TMS personality type tends toward perfectionism and ‘goodism’ (people-pleasing). According to Sarno, we all have emotions we deem unacceptable which buried deep in the psyche, out of our awareness (often deep-seated rage), and people with TMS have unconsciously developed a coping mechanism in which bodily pain serves as a distraction from dealing with this emotional content. Once this pattern is understood, it can be successfully interrupted and true healing can then begin.

In today’s society, it is much more acceptable to present with physical symptoms than with mental or emotional problems. Also, medical doctors are much more comfortable looking at an x-ray, for example, and making a diagnosis based upon the ‘evidence’ they can see. Even psychiatrists are more likely to prescribe a medication to correct a ‘chemical imbalance’ than to help a patient get to a real understanding of the core cause of their misery. But these doctors are making dangerous assumptions about cause and effect.

A study was done in which doctors were shown many spinal x-rays (of anonymous patients), and they were unable to accurately predict which patients had back pain and which did not. Patients with bulging discs and other spinal abnormalities often had no pain at all, and others with perfect-looking spines were sometimes in debilitating chronic pain. Dr. John Sarno refers to the common spinal abnormalities that show up on x-rays as “normal abnormalities” which happen with aging. If he could confidently diagnose TMS in a patient (he has a detailed process for this), he could generally disregard the x-ray information.

This is HUGE! Because all those horrible-sounding labels many of us are given evoke great fear, and fear is a dominant factor in worsening and perpetuating the pain syndrome. With a scary spinal diagnosis, we are often told to be extra careful, not to bend or lift or slouch, etc., and we begin to believe that our spine is a fragile structure. We become hesitant to move or exert our bodies, we buy all sorts of special gadgets and cushions, etc., and we begin to think and act like debilitated victims. We may even succumb to unnecessary drugs or surgeries.

These are some of the many terms given for the spinal abnormalities: “herniated, bulging or extruding discs, spondilolisthesis, spondylolysis, stenosis, facet syndrome, arthritis, transitional vertebra, or scoliosis. Here are some labels commonly given for other parts of the body: osteoarthritis of the hip, bursitis, chondromalacia (roughening of the underside of the kneecap), bone spurs, fibromyalgia, tendonitis, plantar fasciititis, TMJ (jaw pain), IBS (irritable bowel)…..the list is seemingly endless. The important thing is, most often these observable phenomenon are either insignificant to the pain (which is TMS, of emotional origin), or are in fact the presenting symptoms of TMS (such as fibromyalgia, plantar fasciitis, IBS).

In the treatment of TMS, people are encouraged to talk to their brains. According to Dr. Sarno, “What one is doing is consciously taking charge instead of feeling the helpless, intimidated victim, which is so common in people with this syndrome. The person is asserting themself, telling the brain that we are not going to put up with this state of affairs - and it works.” He goes on: “Perhaps the most important (but most difficult) thing that the person must do is to resume all physical activity, including the most vigorous. This means overcoming the fear of bending, lifting, jogging, playing sports, and a hundred other common physical things. It means unlearning all the nonsense about the correct way you are supposed to bend, lift, sit, stand, lie in bed, which swimming strokes are good and bad, what kind of chair or mattress you must use, shoes or corset or brace you must wear, and many other bits of medical mythology.”

He says that the fear of physical activity is often more effective than pain in keeping one’s mind focused on the body. Remember, that is the purpose of TMS - to keep the mind distracted from attending to emotional things. It’s important to have an accurate diagnosis of TMS first, and to resume physical activity only when the most acute pain has significantly reduced, and there is a fair degree of confidence in the TMS diagnosis. “Losing one’s fear and resuming normal physical activity is possibly the most important part of the therapeutic process,” Sarno says. And he adds, “The principle is that one must renounce any structural explanation either for the pain or its cure, or the symptoms will continue. Manipulation, heat, massage, special exercises, and acupuncture all presuppose a physical disorder that can be treated by some physical means. Unless that whole concept is repudiated, the pain and other symptoms continue.”

Personally, I have found that there is a way to accept a TMS diagnosis, and still use heat, massage, or a foam roller as simple support tools for helping reduce tension in the body, while simultaneously fully acknowledging that the actual core cause of the pain is emotional, and these are just band-aid support aids while the deeper healing takes root.

I will end with Dr. John Sarno’s “Daily Reminders” for people with a TMS diagnosis, and then some resources for those of you who wish to study further or find support.

Dr. Sarno’s DAILY REMINDERS

• The pain is due to TMS, not to a structural abnormality.

• The direct reason for the pain is mild oxygen deprivation.

• TMS is a harmless condition, caused by my repressed emotions.

• The principle emotion is my repressed anger.

• TMS exists only to distract my attention from the emotions.

• Since my back is basically normal, there is nothing to fear.

• Therefore, physical activity is not dangerous.

• And I must resume all normal physical activity.

• I will not be concerned or intimidated by the pain.

• I will shift my attention from the pain to emotional issues.

• I intend to be in control - not my subconscious mind.

• I must think psychological at all times, not physical.

RESOURCES:

Healing Back Pain, and other books by John E. Sarno, MD

The Pain Cure Clinic, with Laura and John Thornton (both recovered from TMS and now offering excellent online courses and support)