One of my specialist areas of interest is Mindbody Syndrome (sometimes called TMS).
I have suffered from this and successfully healed using the ideas I have learned from experts in the space. And once, it just happened as a byproduct of my own emotional healing work.
These illnesses can present as ongoing pain, migraines, insomnia, digestive symptoms, teeth grinding, joint pain, vertigo, tingling/numbness, palpitations, reflux, food intolerances, fatigue, bloating and many many other things…
When your symptoms are caused by Mindbody Syndrome, you can spend years looking for the physical problem or disease and get nowhere - because it’s actually caused by a heightened nervous system sending out alarm signals on repeat.
People in this situation are the ones who have “tried everything” and are still suffering. If this sounds like you please read the information on this page with an open mind.
Mind body Syndrome
If you have been suffering on an ongoing basis (more than a year) with chronic pain or recurrent symptoms such as IBS, reflux, fatigue, fibromyalgia or something else — and the medical profession cannot help you any further, then read on…
The problem
Many forms of persistent pain/symptoms are driven by the brain perceiving danger — even when the body is actually fine. This can hard to believe of your own symptoms (especially if you've been given a diagnosis or it all started with an injury), but it could be that your body has now healed but your fight or flight mechanism is still switching on and causing physical pain or symptoms.
This is not “all in your head” — it’s a real, physical experience caused by your nervous system being stuck in protection mode.
The neural pathways your brain and body created to tell you that you had pain or an ongoing problem in the past are still constantly activating — even though they don't need to.
The pioneers of this field of study have called this MindBody Syndrome.
History
The idea behind Mindbody syndrome has been around for a long time, but it was studied extensively after a doctor named John Sarno coined the phrase, Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) — a term describing physical pain (especially back pain) that isn’t caused by injury, but by the brain reacting to stress and emotional pressure.
Over time, people realised it wasn’t just about muscles (“myositis”) or tension, and the idea expanded into the view that the nervous system can actually learn to recreate pain and other symptoms. More recently, experts like Howard Schubiner and Alan Gordon, have updated these ideas using modern neuroscience, focusing on things like neuroplasticity and how the brain can both create and switch off symptoms.
These days, Mindbody Syndrome is often talked about in the fields of chronic pain science and functional disorders — it’s basically a way of understanding how very real symptoms can come from brain–body patterns, and how those patterns can be changed.
What is Mindbody Syndrome?
Is it Mindbody Syndrome?
Take a big deep breath in and out... and let your mind consider your symptoms...
My symptoms have been chronic or ongoing for a year or more. Y/N
I have been thoroughly checked over by the medical system and have no solutions in place. Y/N
My symptoms started around the same time as a stressful or emotionally intense time. Y/N
The pain/symptoms move around, sometimes come and go, or change in intensity depending on the day. Y/N
I notice my symptoms often get worse when I’m anxious, overwhelmed, or under pressure. Y/N
If I think about times I have felt calmer, more relaxed, or more emotionally supported, I can see that my symptoms reduced at those times. Y/N
I’ve tried treatments focused on the body (medications, physio, surgery, etc.) with little or no long-term relief. Y/N
I tend to push down emotions, avoid conflict, or try to stay in control at all times. Y/N
I have a history of being hard on myself or putting others’ needs ahead of my own. Y/N
Sometimes I feel frustrated, afraid, or confused because my symptoms don’t make logical sense. Y/N
My symptoms have forced me to change the way I do life in some areas. They make my life smaller or more restricted or more difficult. Y/N
Have you answered YES to four or more of these questions?
If so it is worth considering MindBody Syndrome in relation to your issues….
What next?
If you would like to fill in a more detailed questionnaire which will help you explore this idea in relation to your personal history of specific symptoms and emotional stress – which you can either keep private or later choose to send to me in advance of online hypnotherapy sessions, please fill in my contact form and ask for the Mindbody questionnaire.
You will receive it via email, and I encourage you to spend a quiet hour with these questions.
If you use a laptop the process will be easier and you should be able to type into the form directly.