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What Is TMS Or Mindbody Pain?
You may have heard the phrase psychosomatic pain before, it means emotional stimuli (psycho) creating physical symptoms (somatic). It was also called TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome) by the well known pain doctor, Dr John Sarno, as well as PPD (Psychophysiological Disorder) and Neuroplastic Pain.
For the purposes of ease I refer to it as MINDBODY PAIN. Mindbody pain does NOT mean that you’ve made your pain up, or that it isn’t real. Mindbody pain is a real mechanism initiated by the body, which pain science has recognised for decades.
There are many mindbody pain, or stress induced, conditions which are misdiagnosed. It’s common for mindbody conditions to be blamed on:
Structural Abnormalities
Countless studies have shown that structural abnormalities do NOT explain pain, they are a normal part of the ageing process. Many people with pain don’t have structural abnormalities, and many people without pain do have structural abnormalities. If you’ve been told your pain is due to a slipped disk, or spinal degeneration or scoliosis, chances are it’s mindbody.
Chemical Imbalances
Under chronic stress, the brain switches off vital systems of the body and dysregulates the hormones necessary for happiness. Low serotonin or low gut flora. Stress can be EMOTIONAL, MENTAL, SPIRITUAL or PHYSICAL. Chemical imbalances can also be triggered by mindbody personality traits and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). More details to follow.
Old Injuries
Just like the outside of the body heals wounds on the skin, the inside of the body does the same. Any pain lasting longer than 6-12 months does not explain chronic pain. A physio or exercise is often prescribed, but even though movement is vital for physical health, treatments overly rely on just the PHYSICAL, and sufferers end up going round in circles from treatment to treatment.
Food Intolerances
Anyone with digestive issues goes round the carousel of treatments looking for a cure, which most likely includes cutting out certain foods. Even though there are great benefits to learning to eat better, this only represents one part of the whole bodied approach (PHYSICAL). Plus people develop a healthy eating disorder called orthorexia as a result.
‘The same way your stomach turns when you’re nervous, or your chest tightens when you’re sad, the body regularly creates physical reactions to emotional stimuli'
So What Causes TMS/Mindbody Pain?
The Bodies Primary Goal When Creating Mindbody Pain Is To GUIDE The Sufferer Towards Resolving:
Emotions Buried By Your Mindbody Personality Traits
Stress from the past
Stress in the present day
Mindbody Personality Traits
People Pleasers
Do Gooders
High Achievers
Perfectionists/OCD
Mindbody Personality Traits
The term TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome) was discovered by Dr John Sarno, a pioneer in the healing of chronic pain conditions. Amongst his chronic back pain patients, he noticed no correlation with their structural abnormalities. However, he did see commonalities with their personality traits. People with certain personality traits process emotions in similar ways, a term I call ‘Mindbody Personality Traits’.
People with these mindbody personality traits tend to bury certain emotions, and in response the brain creates mindbody pain. This process is happening in the brain on AUTOPILOT, neural pathways are habitually sending pain signals around the body. It does this as the brain thinks certain emotions are too ‘dangerous’ for you to feel, so it distracts you from feeling them by creating pain.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
ACEs are regularly studied in relation to chronic pain patients. Studies show that people with more ACEs are most likely to develop pain and illnesses later in life. Growing up in a toxic environment has a significant impact on the formulation of the brain, the effects of which are often carried into adulthood. The most noteworthy study, lists ten ACEs which have a significant impact on people.
Any of the ACEs will hardwire the brain to avoid certain emotions by creating mindbody pain on autopilot. That’s why if you have more than 4, your brain is much more sensitised to constantly creating mindbody pain. However, you can retrain your brain to respond to emotions differently.
List Of ACEs - When You Were A Child Was There
Emotional Abuse
Physical Neglect
Physical Abuse
Substance Abuse
Battered Mother/Father
Sexual Abuse
Parental Divorce
Criminal Behavior
Emotional Neglect
Mental Illness
Chronic Stress In Four Components
Another common cause of mindbody pain is chronic stress. In the short term stress is vital for survival, however in the long term all of the systems of the body are negatively effected. Blood pressure rises, the digestive system agitates, muscles tighten, the immune system weakens.
The level of stress or health is determined in 4 ways. All four components must be regularly looked after in order for the body to be of optimal health, and stress in any of the four components will create mindbody pain. It’s common for treatments to overly rely on just the one component and neglect the others.
How Do You Know If Your Chronic Pain Is Mindbody Pain?
Your Physical Pain Should’ve Healed Within 6-12 Months
Have you suffered with pain for longer than 6-12 months? If so, your body should have already healed from the pain. Just like the body heals open wounds on the outside of the skin, it does the same inside the body. If you’ve suffered for longer than this, there are most likely mindbody elements to the pain.
The Most Common ‘Unexplained’ Pain Is Usually Mindbody
Did you know that 45% of visits to the doctor are what’s known as medically unexplained pain. Even though mindbody pain has been researched and proven for decades, the conventional approach to treating chronic pain still focuses on symptoms not causes. Here is a list of the most common mindbody pain symptoms, click the links to find out more:
‘The goal of therapy is to no longer see chronic pain as pathologies worth diagnosing, rather a mechanism initiated by the body to guide you back to balance and healing’
Do You Want To Start Healing Your Chronic Pain Immediately? Click Below to Download the PDF:
Do You Want To Start Healing Your Chronic Pain Immediately? Click Below to Download the PDF:
“The 10 Do’s Of Healing Chronic Pain”
A list of 10 simple things you must know and do to heal pain
Learn the shifts in BELIEFS, MINDSETS and PRACTICAL STEPS that you need to make to heal
Learn how chronic pain is created in the body
Learn about the 4 components of health: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual.
Find out if you have one of the personality traits which creates pain
Discover tools and techniques to heal your pain today!