Understanding TMS/MBS 

As we now know, Tension Myositis Syndrome is a physical reaction to mental and emotional stress, most often buried in our subconscious. Many people with TMS/MBS symptom’s report not feeling stressed at all, this is due to the fact that their feelings are unconscious. Conversely, others might be very conscious of stressful situations and feelings of frustration, even recognising what causes them.  However, they don’t know why they feel the way they do.

But what Causes Tension Myositis Syndrome?

In short, a nervous system that is stuck in an elevated state of arousal. This can be caused by repressed feelings, unexpressed needs, or untreated, unconscious fears, internal conflict and over exhaustion, which can all lead to the manifestation of symptoms. The result of this is a nervous system that is “stuck” in a sympathetic and elevated state (aka fight and flight, or ‘freeze’ mode). This state of nervous system arousal is non conducive to healing. Until there is an awareness of what is going on and/or the emotional state is changed, TMS symptoms will persist. 

Is there a Tension Myositis Syndrome Personality?

At the centre of the development of TMS is the desire to be good people, held in high esteem by others, especially those we care about and whose opinions we hold in high regard. As a result, we strive for perfection, placing enormous conscious or unconscious, pressure on ourselves. We worry about what others think to such a degree, that we  put their needs in front of our own, creating more stress in our life. 

There is also a great desire to help and support others which can result in feelings of guilt if we can’t manage everyone else’s needs. We try to do the right thing, and be hard working employees, admired and held in high esteem by our employers and colleagues. We might strive to be dedicated students, respected by our peers and ready to help anyone in need of assistance, even if we neglect our own obligations. We do this even if it costs us our mental and physical health. Our beliefs about what makes a person “good” or “bad” directly impacts our day to day actions and behaviour. If left unchecked these actions and behaviours (perfectionism, people pleasing, goodism etc) can develop into unconscious feelings of resentment which can also lead to frustration and internalised anger. Thus, it soon creates an emotional feedback loop. For example, you are running late for an appointment but at the same time you become stuck in a conversation with someone. You may be “triggered” into anxiety because you feel “powerless.” You want to end the conversation but you feel you can’t. Instead of being honest and politely bringing the conversation to a close, you feel the need to stay in it, to keep the other person happy. You want to protect their feelings, and more importantly, hold up that persona of a good and lovable person. This leads to a power struggle between two poles of your psyche, ‘what I think I should do’ vs ‘what I really want. If you repress these emotions the result is physical pain, dizziness or other uncomfortable physical sensations..

The pain we experience is a physiological reaction to the changing chemistry in the body that those unconscious emotions bring. Much like we might blush when we are embarrassed or get a headache when we have had a difficult conversation, TMS/MBS works in a similar but much more persistent and painful way. 

Dr. John Sarno hypothesised that the pain is a defence against difficult unconscious feeling and emotions, the principle emotions being fear and anger. Much in the same way that an acute injury serves to protect our body from further physical distress by stopping us in our tracks and placing attention on the body, chronic pain (TMS/MBS) serves to protect our psyche from further emotional distress by placing attention on the body and the solution to “fix” it. As neural pathways become learnt by the the brain the body becomes more efficient producing symptoms.

While Dr. Sarno’s hypothesis for the reason behind the pain manifestations can’t be scientifically proven, modern neuroscience now demonstrates that pain neural pathways do become “wired” to emotional neural pathways when the mind is under high amounts of pressure or when we frequently encounter an emotion that is hard to cope with (consciously or unconsciously). Sometimes these emotions appear very small but they have a huge impact. This “wiring” together means when we have a feeling or emotion we simultaneously experience pain/symptoms. This emotional state could start from the moment we open our eyes in the morning until we retire in the evening. These are states of resistance. Within Eastern spirituality, the great sages and yogis have long since demonstrated that mental resistance creates physical pain. And pain, either physical or mental is always acting as a sign post. 

For these reasons, Sarno’s hypothesis for the “triggers” behind the pain make clear sense, especially when you look at examples of spontaneous recovery. The mind and body are amazing instruments, nothing's a coincidence in life and nature always has a reason for what it does. In other words, the pain you currently experience is trying to help you. Whether you wish to accept Dr. Sarno’s original hypothesis for the reasons behind chronic or unexplained pain does not matter, as with many philosophical hypotheses, the anecdotal evidence would appear true. However, accepting the science behind the theory is monumental, for acceptance is your first step toward feeling better again.