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# ''The ability to act on that knowledge and thereby change the brain's behavior.''
# ''The ability to act on that knowledge and thereby change the brain's behavior.''
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All of the standard treatments for TMS seek to
address
help people address one or both of these pillars. The following is a list of techniques that many people have reported being helpful in their own recovery from chronic pain. As a reminder, it is important to see a medical professional before starting this treatment approach to rule out any serious medical condition.
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All of the standard treatments for TMS seek to help people address one or both of these pillars. The following is a list of techniques that many people have reported being helpful in their own recovery from chronic pain.
'''
As a reminder, it is important to see a medical professional before starting this treatment approach to rule out any serious medical condition.
'''
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* '''Think Psychological:''' As previously mentioned, TMS serves as a distraction mechanism to prevent unwanted emotions to surface to our consciousness. The idea being that you will focus on your symptoms instead of your emotions. Think of how much time you spend thinking about your symptoms, worrying about when they will come next, or if they will ever go away. Thinking psychologically involves turning your focus from your symptoms to your emotions. Instead of thinking when is my back
ever
going to stop hurting, ask yourself what am I stressing about now, or how do I feel emotionally right now. Thinking psychologically is a process of using your symptoms as a signal to check in on your emotional state, as well as a method of changing how you view your symptoms.
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* '''Think Psychological:''' As previously mentioned, TMS serves as a distraction mechanism to prevent unwanted emotions to surface to our consciousness. The idea being that you will focus on your symptoms instead of your emotions. Think of how much time you spend thinking about your symptoms, worrying about when they will come next, or if they will ever go away. Thinking psychologically involves turning your focus from your symptoms to your emotions. Instead of thinking when is my back going to stop hurting, ask yourself what am I stressing about now, or how do I feel emotionally right now. Thinking psychologically is a process of using your symptoms as a signal to check in on your emotional state, as well as a method of changing how you view your symptoms.
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* '''Educate yourself:''' As the first pillar of TMS recovery states, learning about this condition will give you the knowledge you need to recover. Read a [[Books & DVDs, etc.|TMS book]], [http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/ forum posts], [[Success Stories by Symptoms & Diagnoses|success stories]], [http://www.thankyoudrsarno.org Thank You, Dr. Sarno messages], and our wiki to gain a better understanding of Tension Myositis Syndrome, and what it takes to recover.
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* '''Educate yourself:''' As the first pillar of TMS recovery states, learning about this condition will give you the knowledge you need to recover. Read a [[Books & DVDs, etc.|TMS book]], [http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/ forum posts], [[Success Stories by Symptoms & Diagnoses|success stories]], [http://www.thankyoudrsarno.org Thank You, Dr. Sarno messages], and our wiki to gain a better understanding of Tension Myositis Syndrome, and what it takes to recover
. We live in a society that treats chronnic pain as a physicial issues. In order to reverse this thinking, one must acquire an understanding of mind-body medicine and understand the TMS process
.
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* '''Resume Physical Activity:''' In ''Healing Back Pain'', Dr. Sarno writes: ''Perhaps the most important (but most difficult) thing that patients must do is to resume all physical activity, including the most vigorous.'' It may seem odd to become active when you are still in pain, but it can be extremely beneficial in TMS treatment. By being active you are sending messages to your unconscious that you do not have a physical problem, and will no longer think physical. The more active you are, the more confidence you will gain.
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* '''Resume Physical Activity:''' In ''Healing Back Pain'', Dr. Sarno writes: ''Perhaps the most important (but most difficult) thing that patients must do is to resume all physical activity, including the most vigorous.'' It may seem odd to become active when you are still in pain, but it can be extremely beneficial in TMS treatment. By being active you are sending messages to your unconscious that you do not have a physical problem, and will no longer think physical. The more active you are, the more confidence you will gain.
People are encouraged to start small and build their activity level up as their recovery progresses.
* '''Stop all physical treatments:''' In order to fully accept the diagnosis it is important for people to stop using physical modalities to treat their symptoms, once a medical professional has cleared them for any serious medical conditions. There are a wide variety of physical therapies people in chronic pain use. Whether it is, massage, heating pads, chiropractic manipulation, acupuncture, all of these techniques keep people focused on their physical symptoms, instead of their emotional health. If you wear orthopedics, use ergonomic devices, or any other device to prevent or help reduce your symptoms, it is recommended to stop using them. Full recovery can only happen when a person has full believe in the TMS process.
* '''Stop all physical treatments:''' In order to fully accept the diagnosis it is important for people to stop using physical modalities to treat their symptoms, once a medical professional has cleared them for any serious medical conditions. There are a wide variety of physical therapies people in chronic pain use. Whether it is, massage, heating pads, chiropractic manipulation, acupuncture, all of these techniques keep people focused on their physical symptoms, instead of their emotional health. If you wear orthopedics, use ergonomic devices, or any other device to prevent or help reduce your symptoms, it is recommended to stop using them. Full recovery can only happen when a person has full believe in the TMS process.
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* '''Affirmations:'''Many people have reported how helpful saying affirmations are in recovering. Essentially this involves talking to your brain. While it may feel slightly odd to talk to yourself, people have reported that it allows them to gain control over their thoughts and take a more active role in their recovery.
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* '''Affirmations:''' Many people have reported how helpful saying affirmations are in recovering. Essentially this involves talking to your brain. While it may feel slightly odd to talk to yourself, people have reported that it allows them to gain control over their thoughts and take a more active role in their recovery.
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* '''Interact with Other TMS Peers:''' Hearing how other people recovered from TMS can be very helpful in your own recovery. This can be anything from posting in our forum to attending a lecture by a TMS doctor. Our organization hosts a number of events for peers including: a weekly [[Call-In Peer Discussion Group|TMS discussion group]] and [http://www.tmswiki.org/chat drop-in chat], [[TMS Support Groups|in-person support groups]], and [[TMS Webinars|TMS webinars]].
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* '''Interact with Other TMS Peers:''' Hearing how other people recovered from TMS can be very helpful in your own recovery. This can be anything from posting in our forum to attending a lecture by a TMS doctor. Our organization hosts a number of events for peers including: a weekly [[Call-In Peer Discussion Group|TMS discussion group]] and [http://www.tmswiki.org/chat drop-in chat], [[TMS Support Groups|in-person support groups]], and [[TMS Webinars|TMS webinars]]
. Learning from people who have been there will help you gain a better understanding of this syndrome
.
* '''Journal/List making:''' Identifying and understanding what factors are fueling your symptoms is key. Many people have reported how writing about past and present events, as well as their emotions, to be particularly helpful in reducing their symptoms. Simply making a list of events and circumstances that may be creating repressed anger and rage has been enough for some people to recover.
* '''Journal/List making:''' Identifying and understanding what factors are fueling your symptoms is key. Many people have reported how writing about past and present events, as well as their emotions, to be particularly helpful in reducing their symptoms. Simply making a list of events and circumstances that may be creating repressed anger and rage has been enough for some people to recover.
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* '''Psychotherapy:''' For some people, identifying and processing their repressed emotions is challenging. This could mean that this individuals simply have a higher level of anxiety or a more traumatic past. In these cases, a trained TMS professional can be helpful in guiding the person through their TMS treatment.
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* '''Psychotherapy:''' For some people, identifying and processing their repressed emotions is challenging. This could mean that this individuals simply have a higher level of anxiety or a more traumatic past. In these cases, a trained TMS professional can be helpful in guiding the person through their TMS treatment
. To find a TMS practitioner located near you, please visit [[Find a TMS Doctor or Therapist]]
.
'''For more ideas on how to recover see: [[So You Think You Might Have TMS]]'''
'''For more ideas on how to recover see: [[So You Think You Might Have TMS]]'''
==Medical Evidence==
==Medical Evidence==
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[[File:ScientistWithTablet.jpg|right|250 px|an image of a scientist in lab coat]]Dr. Sarno
also
conducted two follow-up
survey
of his patients to gauge the effectiveness of his treatment approach. The first, conducted in 1982, selected 177 patients at random
.
76% reported being pain free. The second study was done in 1987 and focused on 109 patients who experienced back pain. In this survey 88% reported being pain free. Dr. David Schechter also conducted similar follow-up surveys on his patients, and reported at 57% success rate among 85 patients.
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[[File:ScientistWithTablet.jpg|right|250 px|an image of a scientist in lab coat]]
During his time in practice,
Dr. Sarno conducted two follow-up
surveys
of his patients to gauge the effectiveness of his treatment approach. The first, conducted in 1982, selected 177 patients at random
, of which
76% reported being pain free. The second study was done in 1987 and focused on 109 patients who experienced back pain. In this survey 88% reported being pain free. Dr. David Schechter also conducted similar follow-up surveys on his patients, and reported at 57% success rate among 85 patients.
In 2010, Howard Schubiner, MD, conducted a Randomized Control Trial on the effectiveness of the Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) approach in treating fibromyalgia patients. This study was the first TMS-specific research study to use a RCT, the gold standard of the medical community. The study was conducted on 45 randomly chosen women who had Fibromyalgia. The treatment consisted of a one time consultation followed by 3 weekly, 2 hour group lecture sessions explaining TMS. After a 6 months follow up, 46% of the participants reported a pain reduction of at least 30%. After these promising results, Howard Schubiner, et al received a research grant from the National Institutes of Health to further explore the effectiveness of this approach.
In 2010, Howard Schubiner, MD, conducted a Randomized Control Trial on the effectiveness of the Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) approach in treating fibromyalgia patients. This study was the first TMS-specific research study to use a RCT, the gold standard of the medical community. The study was conducted on 45 randomly chosen women who had Fibromyalgia. The treatment consisted of a one time consultation followed by 3 weekly, 2 hour group lecture sessions explaining TMS. After a 6 months follow up, 46% of the participants reported a pain reduction of at least 30%. After these promising results, Howard Schubiner, et al received a research grant from the National Institutes of Health to further explore the effectiveness of this approach.
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There has also been many other research studies on chronic pain and the mindbody approach to treating it. One study by Jensen, MC in the New England Journal of Medicine found that MRI tests do not accurately depict when a person has back pain. Of the 98 symptomatic people in this study 52% had a disc bulge at at least one level, 27% had a protrusion, and 1% had an extrusion. For further reading on the research into TMS and chronic pain visit the [[Medical Evidence]] section.
==More Resources==
==More Resources==
* [[So You Think You Might Have TMS]]
* [[So You Think You Might Have TMS]]