Very Good information on rosacea (new)

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.. (Certainly there are medical conditions that are not easily

reversed in the same way that TMS and its equivalents are. In this

section, I'm only talking about support groups designed for the

tension-induced symptoms from Step 3.) If you're reading this, you

obviously know how to research information on the internet. Chances

are you've visited one or more of the support newsgroups available

through Usenet. Just like any other support group, these have both

pros and cons.

The great thing about a support group is the feeling of relief that

washes over you when you first discover it. " Oh thank God! I'm not

crazy! I'm not the only one who feels this way! " It gives you the

chance to swap stories and exchange information without feeling like

a self-conscious fruitcake. Unfortunately, a support group quickly

becomes like an exclusive club. There's " us " (the folks who all have

the same problems or symptoms), and " them " (everyone else). You can

be in the club as long as you're suffering as badly as the other

members, but if you're not, you're out. Which means there's

essentially no incentive to get better. Like I said before, no one

consciously wants to suffer with their symptoms, but it's important

to recognize that you're fighting an uphill battle against your

unconscious mind. All of the positive qualities about a support

group unconsciously reinforce the idea that it's acceptable, or even

normal, to have physical symptoms. And learning about another

sufferer's tension-induced symptoms absolutely increases the chance

of developing them yourself, because once again, it seems acceptable

to do so.

If your life has already begun to revolve around your particular

symptoms, support groups tend to make it worse. The group gives you

a label, or a new identity for yourself. " I am a back pain

sufferer. " " I am a fibromyalgia sufferer. " " I am a depressed

person. " " I am a chronic fatigue sufferer. " And if your particular

illness is relatively new or " mysterious, " with no known origin, well

now you don't just have a medical condition--now you've got yourself

a cause. You've got to join the crusade to bring more public

awareness to the problem! You've got to get more funding for

research and testing! You've got to get Oprah to talk about it on

her show! It's very easy to get self-righteous about suffering. I'm

just as guilty of it as anyone. Whenever anyone told me that I was

bringing my symptoms on myself or that I should just snap out of it,

my answer was always the same: " F--- you. If you were suffering the

way I'm suffering right now, you certainly wouldn't be telling me

what to do. "

So I'm not saying that support groups are bad and should be

avoided. I'm saying that it's important to not wear your ailment

like a badge of honor. You'll never get any better that way. Use a

support group to exchange information, but always remember that it is

possible to eliminate your symptoms through education and awareness,

regardless of the nay sayers in the newsgroups. That being said,

feel free to visit the Deja.com TMS community, which I believe is

more about information and less about commiserating