What started it should also end it

[Pelican]

If you've been reading any of my previous posts you all know that I've tried a lot of different methods and supplements to feel better.

Some of these has helped to improve various symptoms but never really that complete. One thing symptom noticed though is that when I feel better psychologically my pain is not present and not the other way around. At first I thought that it was when I was pain free my mood went up but its really the opposite. Not really a big surprise but realising that made a big difference for me.

I know that this is really obvious and just plain logical thinking but many of us who suffer from chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome often suffered from some sort of depression or went through a really tough part in our lives that set this thing off. So to get rid of it you have to get to the root of your issues and what started this whole thing. Nowadays everyone knows that mental stress is damaging to our bodies and I'm sure that although relaxation and PT sessions do help people they can't really get to the root of the issue. If one succeeds in achieving a mental state of peace and finding that feeling of joy instead of worrying shouldn't the pain also subside. I mean if the pain is a result of your mind isn't it the mind that needs the "healing".

The reason I wrote this is because I can't really see any success stories regarding finding that peace when logically that should be the first place to look. It seems that chronic pain often is the bodys way of telling the mind that somethings not right. We've all heard of the way people can get "healed" just by reading a book, isn't that a perfect example!? I just think that we might underestimate the mind and its power to correct imbalances in our bodies. It just seems like too many people forget about this when theyre trying to find different cures and therapies on their way to recovery.

Just some thoughts!

Be well

[needadvice]

Its funny the only real times I ever post anything on here consistently is when I read about something to do with mental stress or anxiety, because to me these are the causes that triggered my problems and causes that make them get worse.
Its true though when I think back to last year around this time(Canadian winter) where I normally would have had seen my symptoms peak due to the drop in temperature I noticed that even though my problems were there they weren't as bad as they were the previous year. Then I began thinking about how last year around this time I had someone that was there for me to take my mind away from the stresses of work, and I even went on a long vacation to the other side of the world leaving my stressful life at home and work. Before I could even realize what I was going through a winter with little symptoms the winter months were over and it was spring. This time round I do not have that person any more to take my thoughts away and I am not going on a vacation. So what I am left with is the stresses of everyday life, such as work, and another cold winter. Both of which seem to trigger my symptoms, leaving me in constant discomfort.
For me being pain free in the pelvic region doesn't make me feel psychologically better, the thought of "what do I have really" still exists. When I begin to feel my symptoms my mental state goes haywire and I begin to think the worst. However feeling psychologically better does take away most if not all of my symptoms. When I am feeling good mentally I begin feeling better physically and the combination of the two is more then words can describe.
As I read AHIP I have found that I generally am feeling better psychologically because it is like I have finally found a little peace of mind that I am not crazy and that others out there know exactly what I am going through, or at least have a better understanding then anyone else I have seen. This book alone has made me feel a little better mentally.
I strongly believe that not only is it the body that needs healing but the mind needs it just as much, perhaps more!! Because of this forum I have begun to look at my mind and the way that it thinks when confronted with negative stressful situations(triggers), and although I don't believe that I have made much progress teaching myself to handle my thoughts differently, I know that I have had an impact on it. With time I know I will have made such an impact on my mind in a positive way so I am not getting all uptight about things that I really shouldn't be getting emotional-stressed about, things that would normally trigger my symptoms. I believe that by doing this I will fully be able to begin walking that road to recovery one day.

Great post Pelican, you took the words out of my mouth.
This forum alone has brought me much of the mental stability that I needed to confront this problem that I have. I could never thank all you guys enough!
Thanks again though!

[brianinthenorthwoods]

I feel that there is a lot of truth to what Pelican is saying relative to the Psychological aspects of chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome insofar as it is difficult to to proceed forward with any kind of treatment plan if you are depressed or still have unresolved psychological issues. I am finally in a place where I am ready to really devote myself to getting better (after 2 yrs of pain and very deep depression.) I recently read a book on how anxiety affects your health in general and in specific how it affects people that are prone to having a lot of anxiety about their health :

It's Not All in Your Head : How Worrying about Your Health Could Be Making You Sick--and What You Can Do about It (Paperback)
by Gordon J. G. Asmundson, Steven Taylor

As you would expect, focusing negatively on your problem can make it worse (nothing revolutionary there) and conversely you can make improvements with a better attitude as well. I would have to say that my biggest challenge with chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome has been a mental once since it has been very hard to fight off my depression and be positive about healing myself. In my case I am prone to being positive for about 3 minutes and then the confusion about what I have along with doubt about various treatment strategies creeps in and erases all positivity leaving me essentially even further from my goal of some kind of inner peace in the face of pain and questions about what the rest of my life will be like if I don't get better. I am a classic example of what happens when you don't deal with the problem in that I am in that vicious cycle of depression/more pain/lower serotonin levels/more cortisol/more pain. At this point I don't know if I can help myself but I am hopeful that a therapist might be able to offer assistance. I am considering attending the 6-day Stanford Clinic but first I am trying to work on my depression because I think that will give me the best chances of success with the program. I have begun to take Vicodin and Oxycodone for the pain but I am hesitant to continue with this too long since I don't want to become addicted or use the meds as a way of treating symptoms without doing anything about the cause. I don't have a specific question, I just wanted to offer my perspective on the mental health issues involved with CPPS. As always I appreciate hearing other people's ideas on this and thank you Pelican for sharing your candid thoughts with members of this forum.

[moonrock]

There was a guy who posted a success story a few months ago, after being introduced to the psycohological issues ( so, there are some). He had read a book by dr. john sarno, and just after the read he got better.

I've read that book also, but didn't get any effect - but it's quite interesting to read how someone who's worked his whole life with treating people with pain - especially back pain - believes it's often (almost always) psychological triggered. A good introduction into psychosomatic thinking anyway, although maybe a bit simple. Anyway, it was the book that really got me hooked on finding out more.

I recently started to go to a psychotherapist, and it been a good experience so far - although it can be frightening at times;-) I am quite convinced this is the way forward for me even though my symptoms are the same so far - but it will change over time!

[Richie]

I think its safe to say, if you have an issue gnawing at you long and hard enough to cause this condition, you need to see someone for psychological help.

In my case, and with many others, the real problems were not realized until I underwent therapy. Our inability to deal with issues like work, life, divorce etc. do not stem from the day to day affairs, but rather issues long ago planted from age 1-6, "The formative years". Our inability to cope in daily life without stress is our area in need of repair.

I was initially sceptical until two years of therapy proved to me otherwise. The mind will also inherently protect us from what is too painful to see. A life changing book for me was, "The Drama of the gifted child," by Alice Miller. In it I found my workaholism was simply a way to keep my mind occupied from childhood issues too painful to see.

Sadly, most people I have recommended this book to cannot see how badly they need help, and what the underlying issue really is. I would say only 1/2 of the people I gave this book to were brave enough to read it. Looking within is terrifying.

Like physical therapy and its relation to this condition, it needs to get worse before it gets better.

[MB]

Let's face it, a bunch of people here were very impressed with Manuel's post about Sarno and how he got cured by reading Sarno's book and believing Sarno's theory.

viewtopic.php?p=16876&highlight=#16876

While the message did not get much traction on the forum, a bunch of private messages have been exchanged on the subject and I know that some people on this forum rushed to buy the Sarno books.
Sarno is not the SP and it is even not complimentary. Sarno says PT is a placebo. Sarno says relaxation is not a cure but more like a bandaid.
I am not sure Sarno can cure the majority of chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome patients as chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome is certainly more complex then knee pain, but it is intriguing to read about a different theory that has helped many people.

[CppsDad]

CPPS pain is too complex for most of us to categorize it as being caused by "this" or "that". There are many factors working in combination to both cause, exacerbate, and lengthen our pain symptoms. Whether factors are a cause or an exacerbator is not relevant, as they all contribute to the pain, and cannot therefore be easily separated from it. Depending on how intertwined things have become, it is not possible to just say "I'll get rid of the cause, and all the other factors will go away". These things are all in a feedback loop, and many of the exacerbative factors turn into causative factors themselves.

I think most of us go into this first looking for medical help (antibiotics, a concrete diagnosis), then once we start looking at the Stanford/Wise-Anderson Protocol, we ignore a component of it (be it stretching, therapy, or relaxation). Only in the end, after struggling with it (if you haven't given up due to failure in the beginning from doing it incorrectly), do the rest of us see what Pelican has proven in this post, that ALL things, including relaxation, are key to our recovery. The psychological part of things is the hardest for many people to realize, because many of us are tightly-wound, success-driven people, that think we can control things and beat things down just because we want to. So why would we think our mental state is contributing to this?

Breaking down the barriers within ourselves to understand what we have to do is a key step. For Pelican, it sounds like the psychological aspect of this condition was the one he tackled last, and I for one am glad he is feeling better because of it. But I don't think it's possible to convince someone that they need to do all 3 things the Stanford/Wise-Anderson Protocol dictates if they don't believe it (the relaxation part of the SP is just a small piece of a larger component in mental health in my opinion). Every month or two, someone writes a post just like this, but for a different part of the protocol, stating how much that last piece helped them. So hopefully we can learn from each other.

Michael