It's so interesting how the mind-body connection works. For years I was so focused on SD that I tended to 'feed' it. It became the central 'theme' of my life. Once I let go of it, my voice improved and I moved on. But guess what! Now I find migraines are the new 'theme' of my life. And I have treated the physical symptoms for the most part. I could list them all, but if you have migraines, you have probably tried them too. So I finally found some relief (not cure) with dry needling into the muscles that tighten and produce a migraine (tension headache? migraine? who cares?! I'm in pain.). And I have also started a mindfulness/meditation practice. This doesn't qualify as the 'correct' approach according to Dr. Sarno, but I am going to experiment with 'feeding' mindfulness.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Monday, December 13, 2010
A long overdue update
For those of you who have visited this blog since 2008, I apologize for not paying more attention to this site. Since my last post, my husband and I sold our house and moved to a different state and my mind was not on the blog. So I forgot that I had to moderate comments!
A few of you have asked me for an update on my 'SD'. Here it is.
Rarely if ever do I think about my voice or how my voice is coming across to others. In fact, I notice more and more that it sounds strong and well. This does not mean that I don’t experience physical symptoms from time to time. I know that my stress (or unconscious ‘rage’ as Dr. Sarno puts it) expresses itself in many physical symptoms for me. If it isn’t my voice, it’s neck and shoulder pain, migraines or gastrointestinal distress. I of course have been to conventional doctors for these things and know that there is nothing ‘physically’ wrong with me. So I step back and I observe all of these symptoms and know deep down that they are my mind’s attempt to distract me from whatever unconscious emotional pain or rage that I have. And I discipline myself to focus on what may be contributing to my anger, rage or upset, and not the physical manifestation. So while the physical symptoms may be uncomfortable…I know they are not going to kill me. The only exception would be the migraines! I do take a drug (Maxalt) to ‘abort’ migraines when they come and take Topiramate daily to prevent them. Migraine pain is unbearable. So I continue to work on these things. And I do know that the stress of travel and sleep disruption triggers my migraines. But I have yet to master the mind-body connection to the extent that I don’t have migraines.
But I must say that overall, I spend very little time obsessing on these symptoms. I remember a time when one or more of these symptoms consumed my life. But not now. Now I choose to focus on other things...like my family, my two dogs, my work, my hobbies, and helping other people. I find a lot more joy there.
A few of you have asked me for an update on my 'SD'. Here it is.
Rarely if ever do I think about my voice or how my voice is coming across to others. In fact, I notice more and more that it sounds strong and well. This does not mean that I don’t experience physical symptoms from time to time. I know that my stress (or unconscious ‘rage’ as Dr. Sarno puts it) expresses itself in many physical symptoms for me. If it isn’t my voice, it’s neck and shoulder pain, migraines or gastrointestinal distress. I of course have been to conventional doctors for these things and know that there is nothing ‘physically’ wrong with me. So I step back and I observe all of these symptoms and know deep down that they are my mind’s attempt to distract me from whatever unconscious emotional pain or rage that I have. And I discipline myself to focus on what may be contributing to my anger, rage or upset, and not the physical manifestation. So while the physical symptoms may be uncomfortable…I know they are not going to kill me. The only exception would be the migraines! I do take a drug (Maxalt) to ‘abort’ migraines when they come and take Topiramate daily to prevent them. Migraine pain is unbearable. So I continue to work on these things. And I do know that the stress of travel and sleep disruption triggers my migraines. But I have yet to master the mind-body connection to the extent that I don’t have migraines.
But I must say that overall, I spend very little time obsessing on these symptoms. I remember a time when one or more of these symptoms consumed my life. But not now. Now I choose to focus on other things...like my family, my two dogs, my work, my hobbies, and helping other people. I find a lot more joy there.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Mindfulness resources
There are traditionally trained physicians who believe that mindfulness is a form of neuromodulation and is the least invasive from of deep brain stimulation. Since there is not much profit in this approach, it is not utilized much here in the west. There are many books on the topic of mindfulness. Here are some that have recently been recommended to me:
If you find any of these resources to be helpful, or have already used them, please let me know!
- Nobel nominee, Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh.
- Will Johnson also has a great book on the Posture of Meditation.
- www.mindandlife.org
- TNH www.plumvillage.org
- Harvard's Mind Body medicine program, www.mbmi.org
- the growing field of non-invasive neuromodulation: TMS/tDCS
- Harvard’s CNBS (center for noninvasive brain stim)
If you find any of these resources to be helpful, or have already used them, please let me know!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Post by Dr. Howard Schubiner
I wanted to call attention to a comment posted by Dr. Schubiner. Here it is:
"I was referred to this blog by a friend who is interested in my work using Dr. Sarno's concepts. I have treated a young man with very severe spasmodic dystonia, not spasmodic dysphonia I realize, but related, I believe. Anyway, he had incredibly severe and frequently occurring symptoms. I have a 4 week program based on Dr. Sarno's concepts, but utilizing a variety of cutting edge techniques (including mindfulness meditation, and therapeutic writing exercises) to help people overcome syndromes such as this. If you're interested, please visit my web site: www.yourpainisreal.com or my blog: www.yourpainisreal.com/blog
Good luck, everyone.
Howard Schubiner, MDClinical Professor, Wayne State University, Detroit, MIFaculty Internist, Providence Hospital, Southfield, MI
June 11, 2008 5:07 PM"
I don't know Dr. Schubiner, but I applaud any attempts by practitioners of mainstream medicine who are open to alternative perspectives. It appears to me that Dr. Schubiner has integrated Dr. Sarno's approach into his medical practice. Be aware that he charges a fee to enroll in his program. If anyone with SD has or does enroll, please let us know how it went!
"I was referred to this blog by a friend who is interested in my work using Dr. Sarno's concepts. I have treated a young man with very severe spasmodic dystonia, not spasmodic dysphonia I realize, but related, I believe. Anyway, he had incredibly severe and frequently occurring symptoms. I have a 4 week program based on Dr. Sarno's concepts, but utilizing a variety of cutting edge techniques (including mindfulness meditation, and therapeutic writing exercises) to help people overcome syndromes such as this. If you're interested, please visit my web site: www.yourpainisreal.com or my blog: www.yourpainisreal.com/blog
Good luck, everyone.
Howard Schubiner, MDClinical Professor, Wayne State University, Detroit, MIFaculty Internist, Providence Hospital, Southfield, MI
June 11, 2008 5:07 PM"
I don't know Dr. Schubiner, but I applaud any attempts by practitioners of mainstream medicine who are open to alternative perspectives. It appears to me that Dr. Schubiner has integrated Dr. Sarno's approach into his medical practice. Be aware that he charges a fee to enroll in his program. If anyone with SD has or does enroll, please let us know how it went!
Monday, February 18, 2008
What progess are you making?
About a dozen people have contacted me since I posted about SD as a mind-body syndrome on the NSDA support bulletin board and then started this blog. So I was wondering what kind of progress anyone is making? It might be helpful to all of us to share.
And by way of reinforcement, last week, the NY Times had a front page article on the back pain epidemic in the U.S. that begins 'Americans are spending more money than ever to treat spine problems, but their backs are not getting any better' ... 'and that many popular treatments may be ineffective or overused.'
This is exactly as Dr. Sarno describes it in his books. As long as the medical community (and patients) continues to 'compartmentalize' the mind and body in their thinking and treatments, no one is getting better. So let this be a sign of encouragement that at least there is acknowlegement that something is not working here. For those of us who have/had SD, this is kind of like getting to the point where we acknowledge that no matter what we do, our voice is not getting better. Now it's time to break out of 'status quo' thinking and consider the possibility that the mind and body interact as one. When this happens, all sorts of new possibilities for healing will occur!
And by way of reinforcement, last week, the NY Times had a front page article on the back pain epidemic in the U.S. that begins 'Americans are spending more money than ever to treat spine problems, but their backs are not getting any better' ... 'and that many popular treatments may be ineffective or overused.'
This is exactly as Dr. Sarno describes it in his books. As long as the medical community (and patients) continues to 'compartmentalize' the mind and body in their thinking and treatments, no one is getting better. So let this be a sign of encouragement that at least there is acknowlegement that something is not working here. For those of us who have/had SD, this is kind of like getting to the point where we acknowledge that no matter what we do, our voice is not getting better. Now it's time to break out of 'status quo' thinking and consider the possibility that the mind and body interact as one. When this happens, all sorts of new possibilities for healing will occur!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
A new consciousness, a new earth
For those of you saturated with Dr. Sarno and ready to move to another level, I recommend picking up Oprah Winfrey's book club selection, Eckhart Tolle's, 'A New Earth, Awakening to Your Life's Purpose'. This book is not about healing pain per se, but rather about healing your life. Like Sarno, he makes reference to the 'Ego' but Eckhart's concept is that the essence of who we are is not defined by the 'Ego'. Our essence is our 'consciousness'...the observer to who can see the Ego within us at work, as it desparately trys to reinforce and sustain itself at the expense of ourselves and others.
This is some heavy thinking and consciousness 'shifting', so you might also want to sign up for the 10 week online class conducted by Oprah and Eckhart starting March 10. Just go to her website and sign up...then read the book in advance. I am going to be there!
From my perspective, here is what Eckhart's ideas has to do with SD...once again, it is about what we focus on (the constant internal dialogue) and how this impacts our emotions and our bodies. There was a time when I identified myself as a person with SD. This 'SD identity' defined who I was, how I interacted with people, decisions I made, etc. Every time my internal dialoge reinforced this SD identity, it reverberated throughout my body and 'like a ripple of water' throughout the universe. This self perpetuating story about who I am is generated by the Ego. But I am not my Ego. I am my consciousness and am aware of the Ego and what is going on.
OK...after re-reading this post I think it best to leave it for now and simply encourage you to read his book. He does a much better job explaining his concepts than I can. But I will post any insights I gain as I continue reading and attend the online class.
This is some heavy thinking and consciousness 'shifting', so you might also want to sign up for the 10 week online class conducted by Oprah and Eckhart starting March 10. Just go to her website and sign up...then read the book in advance. I am going to be there!
From my perspective, here is what Eckhart's ideas has to do with SD...once again, it is about what we focus on (the constant internal dialogue) and how this impacts our emotions and our bodies. There was a time when I identified myself as a person with SD. This 'SD identity' defined who I was, how I interacted with people, decisions I made, etc. Every time my internal dialoge reinforced this SD identity, it reverberated throughout my body and 'like a ripple of water' throughout the universe. This self perpetuating story about who I am is generated by the Ego. But I am not my Ego. I am my consciousness and am aware of the Ego and what is going on.
OK...after re-reading this post I think it best to leave it for now and simply encourage you to read his book. He does a much better job explaining his concepts than I can. But I will post any insights I gain as I continue reading and attend the online class.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Recently in the news
Now that I view things through the lens of the 'mindbody' connection, I can see the futility of our current health care approach. For example, have you noticed the new ad for a drug to manage Fibromyalgia? Like 'Restless Leg Syndrome' (RLS) we have a condition that is of 'unknown' origin and cause where all of the research focuses on how to alleviate the symptoms. And as with most drugs, there is the heavy price of 'side effects'. One of the side effects for the RLS drug is 'having thoughts of gambling'. Jon Stewart on 'The Daily Show' joked that maybe it would be better to have a drug that cures gambling with the side effect of restless legs!
The medical establishment (and our general culture) is so biased away from any consideration of mind-body connection. And when people do talk about the possibility of a mind-body connection, they tend to 'simplify' it to mean 'mind over matter' or the idea that you can 'think' or 'rationalize' your way out of an illness. It is not quite that simple.
Sarno's treatment for these conditions is education. According to him, knowledge of how the mindbody interacts to create these symptoms is the cure. But as I have said before, it is not quite that simple. It is not enough to 'know' intellectually. You have to really accept his premise. For me, this took about 6 weeks or so for it to become so engrained that I no longer 'defaulted' to the 'old' way of thinking. And one of the things I continue to guard against is the temptation to obsess about my physical conditions. When I start to pay attention to my voice quality, I ask myself 'What would I be doing right now if I wasn't concerned about my voice?' And then I go do that!
The medical establishment (and our general culture) is so biased away from any consideration of mind-body connection. And when people do talk about the possibility of a mind-body connection, they tend to 'simplify' it to mean 'mind over matter' or the idea that you can 'think' or 'rationalize' your way out of an illness. It is not quite that simple.
Sarno's treatment for these conditions is education. According to him, knowledge of how the mindbody interacts to create these symptoms is the cure. But as I have said before, it is not quite that simple. It is not enough to 'know' intellectually. You have to really accept his premise. For me, this took about 6 weeks or so for it to become so engrained that I no longer 'defaulted' to the 'old' way of thinking. And one of the things I continue to guard against is the temptation to obsess about my physical conditions. When I start to pay attention to my voice quality, I ask myself 'What would I be doing right now if I wasn't concerned about my voice?' And then I go do that!
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