Belief
Mind Over Back Pain discussed the importance of dealing with emotions before they build up and manifest themselves as inner tension. The book provides researched and experiential information to support this theory, and I recommend reading it for this reason in addition to getting more details on TMS.
Learning about TMS has, for me and many others, been a breakthrough because it created belief that resulted in progressive healing. While I am not 100% healed (i.e., I still have some wrist pain), my symptoms are vastly improved since simply believing the idea that my pain was caused by inner tension.
Sounds hokey? I thought so too initially, but the more I read and believed the theory, the better I felt. Added to this belief was my active attacking (i.e., trigger point therapy and lots of stretching) of especially tense knots in my shoulders, arms, hands, and back.
Faith
Because I’m a Christian and my primary goal in life is to know God more, I have also been integrating my faith with my investigation of the mind/body connection that TMS addresses. A few resources are helping me with this integration.
- Prayer
- Bible study
- Outside sources
As I apply my belief in the physical sense discussed above, I also pray for healing. I ask God to guide me in eliminating the tension, which means guidance for the trigger point therapy and massage as well as for addressing the causes of my tension. So far, this addressing has meant talking more about what bothers me as well as opening myself up to see my value.
Reading scripture related to the idea of tension is also a part of this integration. This has involved listing scripture to look up key words related to Relieving Tension. I am also searching for others experienced in a similar journey. That includes beginning to read God Does Not Want You to Be in Pain and continually looking for additional sources to peruse as well.
I’m trying to let God lead me on this journey, which means not forcing anything and staying positive. Both of those are difficult for me, which also makes them significant sources of tension. (I did not realize this last truth until the words came out as I typed them.)
