Retrain Your Brain Against Pain?

TMS is an acronym that has long been associated with chronic pain. The term was first used by a leader in the treatment of chronic pain, John E. Sarno MD. He was the first to propose a diagnosis for chronic pain calling it Tension Myoneural Syndrome. With a new understanding it has now been updated to The Mind-body Syndrome.Both these terms are somewhat ambiguous and can leave some people confused as to what it actually means. I have applied my own meaning to the acronym in order to demystify it.
“Too Much Stuff”.
What do I mean by “Stuff”, quite simply it is the stuff of life. All the every day things that happen to us, some big others small. It could be an argument with our partner or spouse, the pressures of maintaining a work-life balance, dealing with traffic, any number of things. Over time these things build up in our system, on their own they are seemingly small and insignificant, but just as an avalance starts with a single snow flake. We set them aside with an internal note “I’ll deal with that later”.
Eventually something has to give. Eventually there is “Too Much Stuff” your mind and body become overwhelmed.
Have you ever noticed that the pain appears at times of stress, or at times when we have a lot going on in your life. Over time the pain can cause it’s own stuff, it’s own internal pressures and becomes a self sustaining loop of pain and “stuff”.
In his post “What is pain” Professor Lorimer Mosley explains a new understanding of pain. “We now think of pain as a complex and highly sophisticated protective mechanism”. He goes on to say “….recovery from persistent pain is seldom a quick fix, but requires a journey of patience, persistence and good coaching.” The build up of stuff in our systems, to the point of overwhelm is perceived by our minds as a threat thus triggering the pain mechanism.
When I begin working with clients it opens them up to the realisation that life has often tapped them on the shoulder a number of times, as if to say stop. There have been warning signs that have gone unheeded. Eventually, what is needed is a sledge hammer (chronic pain) to slow you down and to get your attention.
My program “Retrain your Brain against Pain” works in three ways, Firstly to reduce the amount of “stuff” that has built up in your system, thus reducing the overwhelm and as a consequence the pain.
Secondly we work on strategies to prevent the build up of “stuff” re-occuring, you learn that the pain is a warning to slow down, just as an electrical fuse in a house trips when the electrical circuit is overloaded.
Thirdly we give your life a new direction, away from pain and towards the life you were born to live.