Started reading a new book yesterday called, The Mindbody Prescription. It was prompted due to the increasing pain in both of my shoulders. It’s a rather radical approach to addressing the origin of my pain. Some of which seems intuitively true, but much of it seems rooted in Freudian psychoanalytic theories which I reject.
To summarize. Dr. Sarno believes that much of what we experience as pain is the result of TMS. TMS=Tension Myositis Syndrome. That is, much of what we experience as pain is psychosomatic. The pain really exists and is experienced. But its origin is in the brain. Specifically related to unconscious activity, such as stress, tension, anger, etc. that triggers a manifestation of pain. Dr. Sarno believes the triggering of physical (and mental) pain is an adaptive strategy to distract the body manifesting rage. Rage, he believes, is the manifestation of the unconscious activity of stress, tension, and anger in the conscious realm. In other words, rather than explode in rage, the conscious level suppresses that rage in the form of a distraction which we experience as physical pain (TMS).
There is much that sounds ridiculous, but simultaneously, much of which rings true to me. For instance, I know that ulcers and high blood pressure (both which result in physical pain) are (often) the result of psychological issues like stress, tension, and anger. There doesn’t seem to be anyone in the medical community that would dispute those examples. So it doesn’t seem far fetched (to me) to believe other physical ailments have a similar origin.
In my situation, one of my ailments is bursitis. The bursa in my shoulder are enlarged due to an excess of fluid production. The fluid lubricates the joints. The enlarged bursa cause an impingement of my should rotation and as such inflammation is created. The inflammation causes the pain and my inability to use my arms much of the time. I have seen many doctors. Orthopedists (in the US and Mexico), physical therapists (for 6 months of treatment), three rheumatologists (in the US and Mexico), a traumatologist, and plenty of lab work. None of that has resulted in a theory as to WHY I have an excess fluid in my bursa. Every attempt by these physicians has been to treat the result of the problem. My endless frustration with them has always been in their inability to answer that question. Since my problem doesn’t seem trauma related (it seems), then it’s most left to mystery.
The book could be total rubbish. I am not sufficiently qualified to know either way at this point. Dr. Sarno’s basis for his theory seems rooted in anecdotal evidence. That in itself is not a problem for me. But it does lead me to be cautious. Nonetheless, my shoulders have been in so much pain this last month that I am happy to read anything someone recommends that might help.