What Is Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) Or The Mindbody Syndrome?
John Sarno was a pioneer and best-selling author on mind-body therapy, exploring the connection between repressed emotions and pain. Sarno believed that emotions can trigger the autonomic nervous systems, inducing pain in the muscles, tendons and ligaments. Through his decades of research, his theory was that by dealing more appropriately with our emotion and tuning into the ignored or dismissed internal communication systems, pain would reduce and often disappear. The reason? No longer did the body need to get attention by sending physical symptoms of illness. Dr. Sarno named this condition as The Mindbody Syndrome, Tension Myositis Syndrome, Distraction Syndrome, Psychosomatic Syndrome or Musculoskeletal Mindbody Syndrome (MMS)
He had no doubt that the pain was very real, often debilitating and life affecting. He reported that most of his clients made full recoveries. His books ‘Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection’ and ‘The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain’ shared this knowledge and started to enable people to heal as they better understood the root causes of the pain and how to affect it.
What Are The Symptoms Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS)?
Symptoms sometimes associated with Tension Myositis Syndrome may include:
- Pain in the neck, back, knees, arms, wrist and other parts of the body
- Cramps
- Muscle Contractions
- Stiffness
- Numbness, tingling or burning sensations
- Weakness
- Tension Headaches
It has been commented that personalities that are particularly susceptible to TMS symptoms are those who are very self critical, feel an excessive responsibility to others, have perfectionist tendencies with a strong need to be good, nice and helpful.
Common Treatments For Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS)
Common treatments can involve pain medication, psychotherapy, journalling and emotional education. Whilst this may offer some relief, the underlying causes of TMS may go unaddressed.
Can I Recover From Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS)?
As Dr John Sarno proposed – with a TMS diagnosis, the indication is there is not a physical issue, but an emotional one. The pain is a physical manifestation of suppressed emotions. By investigating how to tune into those emotions now, without having to dig around in the past, the body will start to feel safe and secure. As the nervous system starts to regulate and inflammation reduces, this provides the best conditions for symptoms to start to ease. Coaching with the Mind-Body Bridge can help you to start this journey. Please book a call to find out more.
TMS is only ever considered once your doctor has ruled out structural or medical causes for your symptoms. Please always consult a healthcare professional about any health concerns before getting in touch.
