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Hi, It certainly can be TMS, and I believe treating it as TMS is the best thing you can do for it. Thanks for being here!

I have been laying woodflooring for 20 yrs..I've had Some Knee issues and pain of and On...

Hello, I'm so glad you asked this question, and it's a great topic for future videos. Even though menstruation and eventual menopause involve hormonal changes, my opinion is that most of the symptoms we associate with them are TMS. There are some fascinating studies that show "PMS" didn't exist in many cultures until women were introduced to the concept. When you consider all the social, physical, and life changes that accompany the years of perimenopause, it's clear to me that at least some of the symptoms are TMS. At the least, TMS is aggravating something that should be a relatively symptoms free phenomenon. Thanks for being here, and I def. will address this in future videos.

🙏🏽 thank you so much for the answer. Looking forward to your videos about this topic🙏🏽❤

Hello, You and Dr. Sarno are correct. The brain is working as it should. It's doing what it's meant to do, which is to keep you safe and keep you alive. The trouble happens when the safety mechanism (fight or flight) gets too activated. New neural pathways are eventually created which put the brain-pain loop on autopilot (think of that old phrase, "neurons that fire together wire together"). One of the physiological changes that happens as the result is mild oxygen deprivation. Blood vessels are controlled by fight or flight mechanism. Dr. Sarno taught that it's unexpressed/repressed emotions that are triggering the perceived fear. That certainly can be true, but in the recent years, scientists have expanded the thought to include more than only the emotions. Thanks for your question, and thanks for being here.

@@drchristinebradstreet just watched the video again. Contradictions

Hello, Yes, I'm fully certain that migraines fall under the TMS umbrella. I understand how rotten a migraine feels, and I know from experience how common it is to build thoughts, beliefs, avoidance, and safety-seeking behaviors regarding headaches. Stick with the videos, and I'm sure you can find improvement. Thanks for being here!

Thank you.

Hello, Thanks for your note. My first thought is how fortunate you are to have such a certain TMS/mind-body diagnosis from Dr. Schubiner. Rely on that certainty any time symptoms try to convince you otherwise. I'm happy to hear how active you are. Let that also be evidence that your body is working just fine. Your brain is mimicking sensations and that makes you think something is wrong, but as you say, you can see for yourself your feet are not swollen. Do your best to make any worrisome thoughts about the symptoms as small and distant as possible. When we focus on them, they become bigger and more intense (like things do under a microscope). In your minds eye, make them small and distance and call them out for what they are. Nothing more than TMS.

Thanks so much! Your suggestions are very helpful. Exactly the encouragement I need!!

Hi, I'm glad to hear you're on your way to overcoming your symptoms, and you're moving in the right direction! The body knows what to do, and nothing is permanent. It's always changing and moving toward wholeness. Thanks for being here!

Hello. My first answer is, yes. But my follow up answer is, don't let that discourage you or think that it will be harder for you to overcome your pain or symptoms. The neurodivergent brain seems to have a more active and move sensitive fight or flight system. Also, we have a harder time filtering out pain and other nuisance sensations. But, in spite of that, our brains respond just as well to what you're learning here. I made a whole video on this a while back. (I have ADHD and ASD). This video applies to any sort of neurodivergence, including ADHD: czcams.com/video/jMO_MidIVKQ/video.html

Christine, Thank you very much for your very quick response to my question 🙏 If I can ask another question: have you ever taken medication (Adderall) for ADHD? which medication would increase, if I understood correctly, the level of dopamine which is deficient in ADHD. I have read information that this medication can help people with ADHD and suffering chronic pain, to relieve their pain. And some people testify that this medication was downright magical for them, very quickly, particularly in terms of the enormous reduction in their anxiety, and that they greatly regretted not having been diagnosed and treated with this medication more early, because their life has been very difficult before! Women are often diagnosed much later and once adults (I'm 63 years) than men, because they internalize their discomfort. But it seems that you don't really like medications... I saw with a big interest the video you gave me the link to, and for that too I thank you. You are an angel ♥️

@@zatmenat Hello, I only tried Adderall once. It upset my stomach badly and I didn't feel it was worth taking it again. Adderall is a stimulant, so in some people can also worsen anxiety. Studying these mind-body techniques has helped reduce some of my ADHD and ASD symptoms. Although ADHD and ASD are likely present since birth, some symptoms are also made worse by our thinking styles, and avoidance behaviors (just like chronic pain or other chronic symptoms). ADHD and ASD aren't going to go away, but my symptoms are diminished by applying these same mind-body techniques to them.

Hi Christine, Thank again for your feedback that makes a lot of sense for me. I think I am going to stop now my investigations about ADHD and the project to take Adderall. I finally don’t want to add another pill and its sides effects in my body ! I think you are totally right, and then you have experience, the work on TMS will surely helps me too with my anxiety, my self critical thoughts, or avoidance of some situations. And now that i know the problems i had in my life are surely consequences of ADHD, i feel more in peace with myself, because it is not my fault, and i can better accept my temperament, its failures, but also its strengh traits.

@@zatmenat I'd love to hear future updates about your progress.

Hi, I'm not active on IG right now.

@@drchristinebradstreet where can i contact you ?

@@drchristinebradstreet where i can contact you ?

I understand, that's me as well. I find that intentionally slowing down has pleasant effects in all areas of life. Thanks for your note.

Hello, You said that perfectly. And you make a good point, when thought is paired with strong emotions, we really cement the belief into our systems. Thank you for your kind note, and thank you for being here.

It's certainly possible that a loop developed so your brain associates standing or walking with pain. Think of it this way, did you ever eat or drink something that made you very ill. For a while after that, even the thought of that thing could make you feel sick. It's the same concept. If the brain associates standing or walking with pain, it will make you feel the pain to get you to stop doing those things. Have a nice chat with your brain. Thank it for doing it's best to protect you. Reassure your brain that standing and walking are perfectly safe things to do and that you aim to gradually increase the amount of standing and walking that you do. Recognize the symptoms as nothing more than a smoke alarm making noise in absence of fire. The onset of symptoms with retirement isn't unusual. With retirement come big mental, emotional, social, and financial shifts. Some of that may be unconsciously scary for you and your brain.

Yes it is! You are so welcome, and thanks for being here.

You're welcome. Thanks for being here.

You're welcome. Thanks for being here.

Hello, Thanks for asking. Yes, I have my own healing experience with TMS. I have a video scheduled for May 20 that describes my personal story. To be brief here, I've had various forms of chronic pain in my body as well as functional symptoms like stomach and heart rate issues (again, more detail to come on May 20). I went through a pretty severe and scary situation one year ago, and that was when I finally committed 100% to a mind-body approach. In the past I was not fully committed to the TMS work and I had poor results as a result. I failed for many years to make progress with the TMS/mind-body approach because I sat on the fence, waffling back and forth and bouncing from treatment to treatment. Once fully committed, I made a rapid recovery. Now I make videos here to help others make the recovery that I did. Thanks for being here and be sure to watch the May 20 video. Stick with it!

Hello, Great question. I went through my own bout of chronic dizziness and other brain symptoms. That experience helped inspire me to create my channel here. YES, chronic dizziness is a TMS symptom. Have you visited The Steady Coach channel @TheSteadyCoach? She helped me significantly and I'm happy to say I recovered from my chronic dizziness. All my best to you, and please keep me updated about your progress.

Hi, In a way, it's helpful that your symptoms behave like that. It can make it more clear to you that they are mind-body symptoms. Keep calling them out for what they are no matter where and how they show up. "there's TMS again!"

Thank you. More to come!

Hello, That's good to hear. I hope the message opens up some more awareness for you and helps you move forward. Thanks for being here.

Thank you, I'm very glad to hear it was a good message for you. Thanks for being here.

Hi, Thank you for your nice comment, and thanks for being here!

That's a good question. I'm sorry, I don't have a good answer for you regarding that.

Hi, It's nearly impossible to not get swept into the rapid pace of modern life. Especially in societies that value production over most everything else. It's no wonder the nervous system feels constantly under attack. I'm glad to hear slowing your pace has been helpful.

Hello, Thanks for your note. I'm glad you're here and exploring the videos about chronic pain. I was also in my 50s when I was diagnosed with ASD. The neurodivergent mind is possibly more sensitive to the conditions that lead to chronic pain, but these techniques will definitely still help! Thanks for being here.

You're welcome, and thanks for being here.

Hello, There are a few clues in your question that can be helpful. -When symptoms are delayed (for example, feeling them the next day as you describe), they are most likely TMS symptoms. If Pilates was aggravating a true physical problem in the structure of the body, you would have felt it while exercising. -The numbness isn't coming from the exercise per se, but instead from how your brain reacted to it. There's likely a conscious or subconscious perception of danger. Try to brush off the dust and try again. Expand your boundaries little by little and celebrate even small wins. As your confidence grows you'll rapidly progress to be able to do more and more.

Yes, keep up the activity! there’s no physical problem from your description, normal “good” soreness especially if you’ve been inactive. And if you can help it avoid taking ibuprofen.. not a good habit because of the psychological message your sending to your brain, a kind of signal that your “weak”, that your bodies not able to handle things on its own when it is, there’s no problem you need to get involved in to help your body fix here.. Healing is about learning to be less preoccupied with how you feel on a day to day basis, being ok with any discomfort, understanding it’s no big deal, and getting back to living normally :)

Hi, That's great, I'm glad to hear it!

Hello, thank you for your kind note. I'm really glad to hear you've already seen some changes. It's great to notice, as time goes by, that many things begin to resolve. Not only less pain, but also less anxiety and an improved overall sense of wellbeing and happiness. Keep up the good work!

😍😀😜Nice!

Hi, Thanks for this great report. That's a perfect word/name for breaking the cycle. As far as burning goes, burning is a really common mind-body symptom. The brain seems to be good at picking a sensation that will really get our concern and attention.

I am reassured that you say that burning sensation is a common mind-body symptom. But it is so amazing and difficult to accept that the brain chooses the symptom that will affect you the most! Every morning, almost at the same time, between 5 and 6 a.m., I am woken up by burning sensations, here's my alarm clock !! so unfortunately it's not the birdsong that wakes me up 😜 My mind begins automatically to think very negatively, and i really can’t stay as a neutral observer, resulting in a growing burning sensation, as if I were using a bellows on the fire. And it's a pity because « Goulbi Goulba » doesn’t work in this case, when laying in bed, and i feel totally helpless. So I can't go back to sleep, unless I take pain medication. Do you think I should get up, and begin my day, even if it is very early in the morning for me ? What would be your advice for me in front of that situation. Thank you in advance Christine if you can help me a little on this. If I could speak English correctly, I would have taken individual consultations with you, but this is not possible because I really have too much difficulty expressing myself in English, especially on this complex subject, and I need of a translator. I constat it’s a too long message, sorry for that.

Hi, Thanks for your note. I'm glad you're here and that my words are landing in a nice way for you. I'm still learning myself, and I'm definitely passionate about sharing what I know with others in a way that's easy to process. Thanks for being here.

Hi, Thanks Debbie. I hope you'll update us in the future about how things are going for you. Thanks for being here.

Hi, Thanks for your note. I'm a big fan of Dr. Yonit at @TheSteadyCoach. You make some really good points. Dizziness/vertigo can feel scary because it's such a different sensation, and it's unpleasant. It can also feel scary because we worry something could be wrong with the brain. It can feel very out of control. One thing that will help you is to recognize that a big part of the fear is the fear of that out of control sensation. Try to build up your internal belief that if you experience another episode of vertigo in the future, you will handle it. Like some other things in life, it's unpleasant, but it will end and you will cope with it. Fearing the possibility of a future episode is a very vulnerable and anxious state. But, recognizing that if it happens, you have the ability to cope with it until it passes is very empowering. Be a "neutral observer" to the worrisome thoughts. Some of them are simply created by the brain out of habit. You can remind yourself that your brain is just firing off a habitual thought, and that it doesn't hold any power. Check to see if you have any "safety behaviors" regarding the vertigo. For example, are you sleeping with the light on because past episodes happened in the dark? Little by little, challenge yourself to let go of any safety behaviors. It sounds like you've already make progress, make a list of your "wins", even the very small ones, and remind yourself of them daily. All my best to you!

@@drchristinebradstreet I can’t thank you enough for your reply! Thank you. What you said is spot on….I recognize my fear is about lack of control! Those two episodes totally terrified me. And I’m embarrassed that I haven’t gotten past it to be honest. The intrusive thoughts are habitual indeed. I suppose I need to keep reminding myself of that and also replace those thoughts with something that makes me happy instead each time. I don’t want to take up more of your time …. Your help is so appreciated!

Hello, I love the words you've chosen. In all the studying I've done, somatic tracking was one of the last things I was exposed to. Ultimately, the goal of both somatic tracking and what I talk about in this video is to remove the emotional reaction and cognitive distortions we develop to the pain or symptom. I think the distinction between somatic tracking and what I talk about in this video is that I'm encouraging you to replace "pain words" as you go about your day to day activities. This video is for breaking the hyperfocus and hypervigilance, regarding symptoms. My take on somatic tracking is that it increases our ability to "be comfortable in the discomfort", therefore decreasing the anxiety and hyperfocus. I hope that makes sense. I'm glad you're going to give it a try! All my best!

Hello, Welcome and thank you for being here! Keep putting everything you've learned into action and you can only move forward. I look forward to hearing about your progress. All my best to you!

Hi, Thank you for sharing this great report to viewers here. You make an important point. Your thoughts changed. That's the key. When the thoughts change, the body/symptoms follow. Keep reminding yourself of all your "wins", even the small ones. I'm really happy to hear how well you're doing. Thank you!

I love it! Have you been to @TheSteadyCoach to listen to Dr Yonit? I found her channel very helpful when I had chronic dizziness. All my best to you, and thank you for your note.

You made an important awareness. Good work. Thanks for your note.

Regarding chronic pain, the best thing the doctor can do is rule out life threatening diagnoses. Once that's been done, you're pretty much on your own. It's not a secret that medical doctors don't have a solution for chronic pain. In a sense, regarding chronic pain, doctors are almost always giving you inconclusive answers. They're giving you an opinion that's biased based on their specialty. So an orthopedist will tell you it's a joint or ligament problem, a chiropractor will tell you it's a subluxation/misalignment problem, a massage therapist will tell you it's a muscle problem, a physical therapist will tell you it's a muscle weakness or imbalance problem, etc. If you've seen multiple doctors, life threatening things have been ruled out and the fastest path to recovery is taking care of the mind-body/neural circuit issue.

Hi, You bring up some really good points. Mind-body symptoms can show up as almost any ailment. And they feel convincingly intense at times. Fatigue can be your brain "keeping you safe" by allowing you to avoid or ignore parts of life. As hard as it is, do your best to break habits that have developed regarding the fatigue. Phase out naps. Cut back on caffeine, especially if you have a midday coffee to battle the tired feeling. If you have to slow down, slow down, but try to not lie down if possible. Remind yourself over and over, fatigue is only a feeling and our feelings are not the same as the truth. I believe little by little your fatigue will lessen and your endurance will improve. All my best to you, and thanks for your note!

Thank you so much, Christine. I will do exactly that. Starting tomorrow 😊

Yes you are!

Hi, You watch the videos to relearn how to think, believe, and act regarding your pain. The healthy you already exists. You don't need fixing. It's a subtle shift in thinking, but instead of fixing a broken body, you're confirming the true cause of the symptoms, shifting some of your perspectives on life, and allowing your natural health to be experienced. Think of the sun on a cloudy day. The sun is there, you're just not seeing it because of the clouds. With chronic pain, the thinking styles have clouded over a healthy and pain free body. Thanks for being here and I appreciate your note.

Great question and great explanation. Thank you both.

That's terrific, glad to hear it!