What of the fact that my father and I both get painless clicking when we open our jaws too wide? Unless I'm having an arthritis flare, it doesn't hurt at all, but every dentist I've ever seen has pointed it out with curiosity. That certainly seems like a mechanical issue.

My immediate reaction here is that casting (my) TMJ pain as a matter of emotional avoidance feels a tad dismissive, tbh. Particularly when the pain comes in tandem with flare-ups of other systemic inflammatory issues... unless ankylosing spondylitis is an emotional problem as well :)