Mindbody Therapy

[mary jane]

Over the weekend I've been reading a book by Suzanne O'Sullivan called "It's all in your head". It has really altered my view of my illness and has made me think deeply about how pain symptoms can be so real and so disabling yet can be caused entirely by the subconscious.
Honestly, I think everyone who has been diagnosed with a chronic pain illness for which there is no objective evidence of disease should read this book. I don't think a positive nerve block is objective evidence of bodily disease, as invariably it only temporarily-and at best- stops the symptom for a short period of time. Reports of cures after nerve blocks are as rare as hens' teeth. The evidence for "entrapment" is equally thin, and there has also been the recent study on cadavers that calls into question the notion that "entrapment" causes pudendal nerve pain. Why is it that people who have ligaments removed still have the pain?
Because of our social taboos about mental illness, most of us react forcefully against the idea that our pain could have a psychosomatic cause. and yet when you read this book you come to understand that a large proportion of doctors' consultations are taken up by patients who have no verifiable evidence of an organic disease and yet suffer from a range of troubling symptoms that are likely caused by their subconscious minds.
"pain is the commonest psychosomatic symptom and it is represented in every sort of hospital clinic."

O'Sullivan, Suzanne. It's All in Your Head: Stories from the Frontline of Psychosomatic Illness (p. 244). Random House. Kindle Edition.
The denial of stress seems to be inherent in conversion disorders. If unpleasant emotions have indeed been converted to a physical symptom, the patient is not always aware that they ever existed in the first place.

O'Sullivan, Suzanne. It's All in Your Head: Stories from the Frontline of Psychosomatic Illness (p. 277). Random House. Kindle Edition.

How do you treat a psychosomatic illness? I couldn't bear the thought of giving up on taking medication because it works so well for me, I tried doing TMS work but their approach is that you give up all pills and fully believe it's TMS ..I can't give up on my medication ...
MY current GP says I have a psychosomatic illness(well, she said it indirectly) ..although vulvodynia has its own NHS webpage now.

[Ingram]

Brand new study on back pain and mind body treatment vs. medical modalities. This is not about chronic pelvic pain I reckon but my experience and the experience of a few other members that have recovered from CPPS show that a parallel can be made.

Interesting, thanks for sharing!

[Violet M]

Hello Ingram,

Welcome to the forum. Please introduce yourself and tell us your story in the welcome center.

Violet

[SLR]

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[April]

Hi SLR,

I'm glad this approach is working so well for you! Thanks for sharing your experience.

April

[Violet M]

Hi SLR,
Everyone’s journey is different which is why it is so helpful when we all share our stories and find strategies that work. I’m so glad to hear that you have found something that helps and I hope you control see improvement. Thanks for sharing your story.
Violet