“Dr. Sarno saved me from a life of pain.” — Howard Stern
The bestseller that has helped thousands leverage the mind-body connection to heal lower back pain and live pain free—without drugs, surgery, or physical therapy.
Offering a surprising, noninvasive solution to an epidemic of pain, Dr. John E. Sarno’s research on TMS (Tension Myoneural Syndrome) reveals that stress, anxiety and other psychological factors, not structural abnormalities, are the root cause of chronic pain.
TMS develops as a result of repressed emotions which trigger tension in the body and deprive muscles and nerves of oxygen. The solution? Recognize the emotional roots of your TMS and sever the connection between mental and physical pain.
With Dr. Sarno’s expert guidance you will learn:
- How the mind-body connection can permanently heal shoulder, neck, and lower back pain
- How accepting negative emotions like anger, anxiety, fear, or grief can reverse physical symptoms
- How we condition ourselves to think back pain is inevitable
- Why you should resume physical activity as soon as possible
Sharing case histories and the results of his extensive, groundbreaking research, Dr. Sarno’s life-changing insights show readers how to banish back pain and reclaim their lives for good.
Research since Sarno pioneered this work has proven much of what he says to be correct. Not only that but many other diseases such as allergies and autoimmunity have been shown to be a result of these psychosomatic reactions. Even cancer seems to be partly a result of emotional repression. This book is a good place to start and David Schechter has also written follow up books. If you've had any painful conditions that have lasted more than 6-8 weeks you owe it to yourself to read this book.
I am what Dr. Sarno calls a textbook case. After years of chronic lower back pain, I experienced a crippling event one day while playing tennis. Bedridden for months, with severe sciatica, I was diagnosed with two herniated discs (L4-L5 and L5-S1) as well as facet joint degeneration. When epidural injections and physical therapy failed to bring relief, surgery was suggested.
I came across Dr. Sarno’s book just in time. Half way through reading it, I started to feel relief, and I knew right then that I would never have to deal with back pain again. The very next day I played tennis, and within a month of using the strategies outlined in the book, I was completely free of back pain.
I will forever be grateful to Dr. Sarno for giving me my life back.
I purchased this book because I was struggling with severe hip, back and leg pain. My pain started in my hip and moved to my legs and lower back. It was so bad that I couldn't even put my socks and shoes on. When I reached out to my doctor, she said that I need physical therapy because my muscles were putting pressure on my nerves. The pain was so unbearable that I couldn't do any physical therapy. I asked my doctor to give me something for the pain that I can do the therapy. She reluctantly prescribed some kind of pain killer which didn't help that much.
I was in so much pain that I decided to take the matters in my own hands and find a solution for my problem by doing online research about muscles and nerves. And this is how I found out about this book and decided to order it.
This book gave me a clear understanding about the connection between human mind and body. Dr. Sarno's approach is very clear and logical. He explains how our emotions effect our bodies and how you can stop the pain by retraining your own mind. I loved this book so much that I purchased another one for a friend who was suffering just like me. Thank you Dr. Sarno for writing it. I really recommend this book. I not only purchased the book but also got the membership for Dr. Sarno's app. It is called curable, and you can find it in any app store. The app is designed by Dr. Sarno and his colleagues. It full of wonderful step by step exercises that you can do on your own pace. Give it a try. You won't regret it.
I had been recommended this book before, but thought, "how can a book help my back pain? That's stupid." Finally, I was at a breaking point, where I had literally tried everything else, and was now considering surgery, so I figured what the heck.
Long story short, here I am living a normal life with virtually no issues with my back whatsoever. I am still a passionate chiropractic, I am weightlifting 4-5 days per week, can travel with comfort... I can live my life again. Best of all, I am hopeful and excited for my future. There was a time when I wasn't sure I'd even want to live the rest of my life in pain like I was... Now, I enjoy life and know that I will be a capable, healthy person well into advanced age.
Flash forward to now. I read this book about two months ago and it offered me a ton of hope for the first time in almost a year. I had less pain after reading it.
HOWEVER, this book alone was not enough to make my pain COMPLETELY GO AWAY. Yes, the herniated disc, spinal stenosis, and arthritis was not the cause of my pain and my pain is gone. But this book was just my first beautiful, amazing step toward my pain free existence. This book was paramount to recovering, but I also had to go to the TMS Wiki (Google it) and do the free Structured Educational Program. That in combination AFTER reading this book was what fully rid me of my physical pain as well as brought me a lot of mental well-being and feelings of peace.
So if you've had lasting chronic pain in not just your back, but your neck, shoulders, butt, hips, arms, or even some people had it in their hands or feet, fibromyalgia, etc. then start by reading this book and THEN go to the TMS Wiki and complete the Structured Educational Program afterwards.
It will change your life.
I had no idea how much repressed emotions I have had, it is scary. I coupled the info from this book with my faith which has made it even more powerful. I was and am able to put all these burdensome emotions on Christ. I was saved by the grace of God 5 years ago, and that helped me get through the toughest times health wise, But now that so much repressed anger, worry, anxiety, low self-esteem, and narcissism have come to light, I asked God for forgiveness and the guilt has melted away, along with the pain in my body.
This book has helped my Mother, brother and his wife. I bought four copies to give to people. I hope this helps you!
Many years ago I had severe shoulder pain that lasted about 2 years, my doctor told me it was a torn rotator cuff , filled me up with pain pills and sent me off to physical therapy. When that didn't work ( it made it worse ) he wanted to do surgery. ( I did not do the surgery.) That is when I found Dr. John Sarno. It WAS NOT an instant fix, but slowly over several months ALL of my pain went away and has STAYED away! This was back in 2008! I went to my doctor 6 months after finding this book and he asked me how my shoulder is doing. I told him it's completely healed. He was astonished and asked me how? I told him that I read a book- HE LITERALLY LAUGHED AT ME!
Look, it is a hard pill to swallow and when I tell people about this book that saved my life, they usually get angry with me as if I don't believe they are in real pain which must have a real physical reason. I get it, most people will not have faith and believe in this simple idea. I could not put on my T-Shirt without extreme , sharp, debilitating pain. Now I am pain free for more than 10 years!
Here it is in a nutshell: Good luck!
Dr Sarno’s 12 Daily Reminders
1. The pain is due to TMS and not a structural abnormality.
2. The direct reason for the pain is mild oxygen deprivation.
3. TMS is a harmless condition caused by my repressed emotions.
4. The principal emotion is my repressed ANGER.
5. TMS only exists to distract my attention from the emotions.
6. Since my back is basically normal, there is nothing to fear.
7. Therefore physical activity is not dangerous.
8. And I must resume all normal physical activity.
9. I will not be concerned or intimidated by the pain.
10. I will shift my attention from the pain to the emotions.
11. I intend to be in control, not my sub-conscious mind.
12. I must think psychological at all times, not physical.
This doctor doesn't try to convince you that it is in your head, but does help you understand why this very real pain is happening. This book explains HOW we turn stress into pain. I am a scientist, and I needed a scientific explanation to be able to recognize the role of my mind in what was happening to my body. It worked.
Your pain is real, but the injury and disability are not.
It helps greatly if one is open to Dr. Sarno's contention that it is stress and tension that produces most back pain (and a number of other conditions as well). I certainly accept this as most of my working life has been involved in high-stress situations.
If you suffer from back pain, I would say this book is well worth the investment (I bought a used copy for less than $10). If it works for you, fantastic. If not, you've only spent a tiny amount of money compared to other remedies you've attempted.
One thing I wish Dr. Sarno had done is to have devoted more attention to giving how-to instructions for those who wish to follow his advice. Most of the book is devoted to a defense of his approach, which I can readily understand. Dr. Sarno's analysis and prescription are unconventional and surely he has suffered professional opposition, ridicule, and ostracism for his stance. Nevertheless, I do wish there was a bit more guidance for back pain sufferers.
All in all, I highly recommend "Healing Back Pain." I am confident it will help many.
I work in a highly stressful environment. After 4 very successful years as a top salesperson in my company I performed very poorly in 2016. I had major reconstructive shoulder surgery early in the year along with a great rehab experience and was pain free, until we got closer to Q4.. It started with a knee problem, which turned into sciatica, which turned to back pain, which turned into neck pain. I saw TWENTY SIX medical professionals, C-Spine MRI's, X-rays, EMG's, etc. All but one couldn't find a problem.
I saw a doctor at the University of Washington - she was the first to suggest this was stress-induced. I shrugged it off until I came across Dr Sarno's work.
I read the book and started writing again - it's been so incredibly helpful. I had 9 months of debilitating back and neck pain and had given up competitive weightlifting and crossfit. Upon Dr Sarno's suggestion I started right back up and my pain dropped by 60% within two days.
This will take some time but I am a believer.
Then one day in Dec 2015, I read this book. I practiced the technique that day and Voila! Problem solved! I couldn't believe it actually worked. Days later I stood for 4 hours cooking in the kitchen, and I didn't spend the rest of the day on my back. I went to Six Flags and walked around for hours and even rode a roller coaster - and it wasn't a problem. I have been able to act and feel like a typical 35 year old again. It's amazing. And I'm writing this review 11 months later so I can attest to the longevity. Of course, I have a spasm here and there, but they leave quickly and are far and few between. If you have pain, it's worth a shot. It worked for me!
Then one day I was listening to Howard Stern and he mentioned his back pain had been cured by Dr. Sarno and his book. I was at a point that I had absolutely nothing to lose.
I read the book in a day or so, and I decided to completely buy in. No holds barred.
I'm 56 years old now and I have never had a back issue since. Even when my shoulder might be bothering me, or my neck, I know exactly what it is. And within a day or so, it's all gone.
Most people won't buy into the technique because they are still sold on conventional medicine. Their loss. When people start to come around, the pain will be gone.
This is not to say, if you were in a traumatic accident of some sort, this is the cure all for you. But if you're just experiencing back pain without a crash, this is more than likely the ticket.
The man is a genius and I can't recommend the book enough to anyone.
- 49 years old male in generally good health. Do not take any medication for anything. Am a professor of biomechanics so have an appreciation for physiology.
- Started having lower back pain about 8 years ago and it got worse over time. In hindsight now, this was the time I switched to a higher pressure job with a 3 hour round trip commute with bad traffic (the things we do to ourselves!!)
- Pain always built up during the the night (concentrated in my illiac region) and has been the thing that has woken me up most days in the last 4 years. Pain sometimes dissipated during the day but then sometimes is got worse and affected other regions of my back.
- My pain was not as bad as those of some of the others but sitting or standing for long periods and playing golf were things I found difficult during my flareups.
- My back pain became the primary focus of my daily existence!
- X-rays and MRIs came out clean (mild herniation of a couple of discs)
- Tried physical therapy, exercise programs, yoga, massage and swimming -- all improved my body; in fact I think my back is more supple and strong than it ever was in my 30s, but did not make the pain go away.
- Got Frozen Shoulder two years ago; excruciating shoulder pain for 6-8 months during which my back pain disappeared!! Back pain came back within a week of finishing the PT for my shoulder. Started thinking that that was curious.
- Friend put me on to this book. Read and finished Dr. Sarno's book on the night of Aug 12, 2016. Had no trouble in seeing my symptoms and personality as classical TMS. People pleaser; perfectionist, goodist, good at hiding emotions, outwardly considered calm and collected and reasonable, feel hurt and offended easily but keep it all inside. And BTW I have had tenderness in the iliotibial area of my outer pelvis just as described by Dr. Sarno.
- The following morning my back was almost completely pain free, a feeling I had not had in many months.
- Since then (21 days and counting) I have been following the simple program suggested in the book and I would rate my daily pain level between 0-10%.
- Am quite confident that TMS is my problem and I now know how to beat it.
- Added benefit: The program is helping me become a more wholesome person. I am realizing things about myself that I never knew and I feel very empowered about it.
I knew my occasional GI issues are somewhat psychological, but I always thought the pain is physical, has nothing to do with mind. I finished the book within 2 days and since then, I stopped being careful with all my activities. I swim the way I want to and stopped focusing on pain. When I'm stressed, I acknowledge the stress and manage it. I must admit that I always feared the pain would come back. I talked to my somatic psychotherapist and she reminded me that I hold tension on my left shoulder, exactly what the book suggests. I should have paid more attention to her remarks. I still believe however, keeping the good posture, do not sit cross-legged, do not stand with the locked knees are important. Do the stretches when they feel better.
We had been going to a Chiropractor who used the tonal method (they thump and bump , rather than bend and pop) because we are both very active in different ways. She is a runner, and I like my outdoor power toys,ie ATV, tractor, dozer, z turn mower, tiller, etc. Anyway, I was having almost constant weakness and catches in my lower back and the occasional total lock down once or twice a year. After 3-4 months of Chiropractor I was experiencing more back issues not less. I was very frustrated. Then I saw an episode of Stossel on the Fox Business Channel and he said this Dr and book had cured his back years ago and he no longer suffers from back pain. So, off to Kindle I went.
Now here are my results... In 75 days I've had almost ZERO pain. In the last 30, I would say NONE. I pick up what I want, I bend down when I want, I run or walk as I please, I ride any piece of equipment as long as I want to, I barely even acknowledge any back issue at all. I don't know why it works, but for me it worked completely. I'm stronger too. I carry around that $500 I would have spent at the Chiropractor in my wallet with no ill effects whatsoever! (the wife does think my subconscious unforgiveness still needs some work)
Since reading the book 6months ago the pain is gone. When it tries to return I must realize something is bothering me emotionally. I actually talk to my Brain - because the goal is to reprogram my thinking not to over react when pain strikes and instead accept my body is acting as a diversion from emotions.- I remind myself by saying I'm no longer scared. I know what my body is doing now. It's not worse case scenarios all day long anymore. I know I'm ok. I've read other books on MindBody and self healing and it's been an amazing, emotional, and learning experience. I have a new life. My family and friends are amazed at my transformation and others find it hard to believe.
This book helped me realize my severe back pain was not a structural problem, but a psychological problem. (Not the same as "mental problems"). It's an Emotional problem. People are incorrect thinking this book is saying the pain is all in your head. The pain is real. The reason the pain was created was because the mind didn't want to deal or feel something -so the pain diverts me from thinking emotionally. I was incapacitated to the point I could not carry a plate. My anxiety through the roof and the pain was incredible.
I spent 5 days in the hospital this January 2016 getting testing done. Once serious structural problems were ruled out I knew the book had merit. I still was suffering horrible muscle spasms and severe intractable back pain. The pain is REAL, but the cause is unrealized emotions. As soon as I accepted that my pain was caused by my mind to divert my attention away from strong emotions - the pain started to go away. I'm not cured yet, but I know now when the pain starts that something is bothering me. Once I journal about it the pain goes away
Usually goes away.
I had gone to chiropractor for 20 years and the pain reached a point where I was given morphein, dilaudid, and Tylenol 4with no relief. I almost got an epidural in back and I'm so glad I didn't !! I was told I had bulging disk in 3 places. Inflammation. Pinched nerves. Sciatica. Herniated disks. Bursitis in hips. And scoliosis.
I found it very interesting that a lot of my other problems like migraine, hay fever, itchy legs, and intestinal problems can all be caused by my mind not wanting to deal with something.
The miracle here is since I read the book I haven't taken any anxiety meds or pain meds. My back pain is gone as well!!! It's been a month. I am willing to deal with my emotions today and am not scared when my body starts reacting. I know that I'm ok today.
This book helped me realize my severe back pain was not a structural problem, but a psychological problem. (Not the same as "mental problems"). It's an Emotional problem. People are incorrect thinking this book is saying the pain is
all in your head. The pain is real. The reason the pain was created was because the mind didn't want to deal or feel something -so the pain diverts me from thinking emotionally
that being said – it works. or can, depending on who you are and what kind of pain you’re experiencing. i was suffering from horrible, near-disabling levels of lower back and neck pain when i first read this book, and as many others report, simply reading the book and thinking about what it had to say, made 95% of my discomfort simply vanish overnight, like magic. it was frankly shocking to me how effective it was, and i am a person who absolutely, 100% realizes how ridiculous that sounds. but that was my experience. i do still have back pain, but it is now 10 years later – just reading this book one night literally produced something like eight or nine years of very significant relief. whether the back pain i’m experiencing now is something different or just a recurrence/regression of the TMS described in this book is something i’m currently trying to figure out.
the general argument put forward here is that changing the way you think about back (and certain related types of) pain can dramatically alter your experience with it, because the way we’ve been taught to evaluate this type of condition to ourselves is largely based on false medical myths that have an (unfortunately) strong influence on the way our psychology interacts with our body. sounds a little out there, perhaps, but it is – to my honest surprise – quite true. what the book offers is not a placebo effect. what's weird is that the pain a lot of people are experiencing is in itself a kind of (negative) placebo effect already – what this book can do, is sort of quickly train you to reverse the psychological processes that create that scenario. it's not that the pain you’re experiencing isn't real, or that it’s just imagined – it is very, physically real, as any sufferer knows – but in many people/cases, it's being produced and greatly exacerbated by a kind of trick of the brain that can be unlearned with surprising ease. a lot of people in the last couple of generations have, for various reasons the book gets into, unconsciously programmed themselves to be susceptible to certain types of back pain that don't have any real physical cause. most chiropractors and even physical therapists will x-ray you and explain you have a herniated disc, something out of alignment, scoliosis, etc. -- but while true, this is in most cases a very natural part of aging, and it only produces ongoing pain/discomfort in certain people. generally, they won't know exactly why – they'll theorize you have a "pinched nerve" or something along those lines, but this book explains how, in dr. sarno's opinion, that's just unethical guesswork and makes no diagnostic sense. he proposes that the pain is more akin to a negative placebo effect based on the anxiety natural to certain personality types, and nurtured by cultural conditioning. this anxiety and conditioning train the brain to deny oxygen to certain muscle groups and body areas, which produces spasms/constrictions/tension in those areas. while harmless in and of themselves, they can be very uncomfortable, and many in the medical community erroneously link this discomfort to what is actually pretty normal wear-and-tear along the spine. in turn, we (the sufferer) begin to overthink the fragility of our spine/back, and expect it to give us problems, which fuels the negative link the brain has already made to those areas. this begins to allow all kinds of personal anxieties and emotions to start registering in a very physically real way as body pain, usually in certain parts of the back or neck where we most anticipate pain to occur, and it becomes a self-fulfilling cycle that can just grow worse and worse over time.
the book explains this all better and in more detail. not everything put forward in the book is 100% convincing, but dr. sarno has definitely tapped into a legitimate phenomenon – and i say that simply because the book just plain worked for me. after years of very depressing and increasingly excruciating levels of discomfort and pain that i attributed to a slipped disc, i read this book, and poof ... it was just literally gone. i couldn’t quite believe it and many people i relate the story to do not take it seriously. but my brain wised up to the trick it was playing on my body and the relief was literally an overnight phenomenon. and not only did it work – the results lasted many years.
many people will blow off this book and sarno’s others as pseudo-scientific fluff – i get that. but, listen – i spent $2 on this book at the time i first read it, and got years of shockingly significant relief from it. it’s not like it’s a big expensive gamble, if you think it might help you. i also get that it won’t work for everyone – obviously there are legitimate injuries and conditions that can occur and cause pain that are unrelated to what the book describes (and which the book is very clear about). however, a lot of conditions that people think are legitimate physical problems are covered by this book, and have a far shakier medical basis than you’d think. psychology and the way your psychology programs your body and its expectations has a lot to do with a lot of the pain people suffer from.
if you think there’s even a chance this book could help you, spend a couple bucks on a used copy and give it a shot. it takes a couple hours to read, and it could save you thousands in medical bills. worst case scenario, you learn a little about an alternative theory re: body pain. even if you’re skeptical, it’s sort of a no-brainer if you’re really suffering discomfort.
Finally, after all of these unsuccessful attempts at a remedy, my pain management doctor suggested that I read this book. That is likely the most important part for me - a real, qualified physician that I trusted suggested that I read this, not a late-night TV commercial or a forwarded email from my grandma. It caused me to look at the book with just enough open-mindedness to accept what it said. I still thought the book was unbelievable, new-age alternative crap when I was first reading it, but all of Sarno's points were well-reasoned, and his profile of a typical sufferer of this condition fit me perfectly. (And I don't mean that in a cold reading sense - the condition described in this book most often afflicts a very particular type of person, with a certain type of past) Eventually, the points he made had driven in and clicked with me enough times to accept. Hungry for more evidence for and explanation of what he dubs "Tension Myositis Syndrome", I proceeded to read another two books of his, The Mindbody Prescription and The Divided Mind. They were all helpful to me.
I'd like to temper this reverent review with one realistic comment, however - this book isn't magical. I still have minor bouts of the same old pains occasionally, and because this book walks you through fixing a psychologically-based disorder, that means you need to commit yourself to changing what could be very old and deeply-rooted thought patterns. This is important because you have to essentially de-condition and deprogram yourself - you have to stop thinking of yourself as damaged, and that's much harder to do if you've believed it for a long time. I was lucky to face these issues at a young age after going through only two years of pain, and saw real improvements in just two weeks - I can only imagine how long it may take those who have suffered for significantly longer stretches of time.
I recommend this book highly. It's cheap, short, practical, effective, and easy to understand.
The MRI showed a L5-S1 disc herniation, which increased my fears about my ability to work and be active in the future. But the day after reading this book, I was pain free...for three days. The three day pain free period proved that my back pain was not structural and after reading about how herniated disc findings are only weakly correlated to having pain, I knew I just needed to do the treatment until my pain went away, and that is exactly what happened. After four weeks of doing the treatment, I was 95% pain free and 7 months later I continue to be. When I do feel a twinge of pain in my back (or ankle, or neck, or etc, etc, etc.) I know it is due to TMS and it is never able to take hold again.
Go to YouTube and watch the Dr. Sarno feature from 20/20, and also watch the trailer for the new documentary "All the Rage" (on Kickstarter) that will be released soon. These two short vids went a long way in convincing me to try Sarno's treatment. People such as Howard Stern, Larry David, John Stossel, Ben Crane, and others swear by his TMS treatment. There is a reason there are over 1,000 reviews for this little $6 book, with 80% being for 5 stars: it is a medical miracle that works and will someday be standard treatment for many different conditions.
Myself and thousands of other people have been freed from chronic pain, and we now have our lives back. I have so much gratitude for Dr. Sarno; he is a saint, although he would just tell you he was only a physician practicing good medicine. Please give Dr. Sarno's book(s) a chance, it could very well rid you of your chronic pain.
Recently I was working out again and I landed on my foot wrong, a pain shot from my heel up my leg landed in my back and I had to lie down immediately because of a spasm. Pain lasted awfully for days. A friend recommended this book so I thought it's worth a try.
The above really sounds like an injury, right? Nope, certain it's this thing the book calls TMS. 100% sure. Pain was gone in two days after I 'figured it out'. And I've been doing really hard workouts I would have never done before because I was afraid I'd hurt myself. Now that I'm so sure its not really structural, I'm not scared anymore.
Then, as the book mentions, once you "get it", TMS has a habit of moving to another part of the body (again, just trying to distract you from emotional things, which isn't a bad thing, everyone has emotional things). Anyway, after my subconscious mind figured out that my conscious mind knew I knew what was up with my lower back pain, bam, I woke up with shoulder neck pain cause I 'slept wrong'. My mind was messing with me, try to move the pain to distract me again, lol. Anyway, just have to realize it, and it gets better. I feel like it's changed my life. Give it a try!
Let me start from the beginning, having gone through a criminal act done to me a couple years ago which resulted in temporary PTSD I thought I'd worked through, to me throwing myself more heavily into work and having recently bought my fourth company, then having minor surgery in which I was not properly anesthetized, then having a reaction to sulfa,to someone close to me giving me some digs now and again that I did not confront, I can look back now on the triggers that added up to things that I needed to deal with that would create mental and bodily stress. Collectively and individually.
But I didn't think the book fit me because the pain was real and I was hospitalized twice for it, completely unable to function. My pain was not just in my back although it eventually settled there. It began as full-body acute level 9 crippling can't-function pain--part of that likely began as the sulfa allergy I had to an antibiotic, although the doctors had never seen it at the level I had it and were surprised a sulfa reaction could be so crippling although they admitted it had been documented as a possible reaction in others, but was rare. Although they tried drugs for fibromyalgia, they had no effect and eventually I was on hydrocodone, a 2nd pain killer, and steroids. With hospital visits in between for greater help. And still in crippling pain. I am very much against pain killers for anything more than a few weeks so I was very troubled, of course.
Eventually I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease which they felt was likely lupus. An appointment was made with a rheumatologist to work out which one I actually had. It had been a month of crippling pain that let up for a couple days then came back. And it was acute. I eventually only wound up sleeping an hour every night.
I remembered this book and finally, before my specialist visit to work out how I would be treated for the rest of my life to MASK my pain, I bought it. And then I read this book as I laid in bed, awake all night as usual. Remembering Ellen Degeneres having talked about the mind-body connection and her body shutting her down due to back pain when she was doing too much or not dealing with enough mentally, and Howard Stern's years of chronic pain that this doctor eliminated, and a few others...it was my last hope before serious drugs or surgery and a lifetime of pain pills or even a wheelchair to simply cope. I was at the point where I could no longer walk up and down the stairs in my home for any reason. My joints suddenly made creaking noises, proving it's not all in the mind but can be very much created there, leading the doctor to diagnose this as a joint-related disease, my muscles (my main source of pain) felt like I'd been beaten for days, I could feel everything on my body in greater detail--the ring on my finger, scratchy clothing, dry feet--like overactive pain receptors-- I could not work, (but I am self-employed!) I could not function. And just thinking maybe my body was doing this to myself was not enough to make it go away. I had my diagnosis.
And then...that was it. It was gone. I closed the last page and I was well. That does not even seem logical does it? It's what happened.
I was told I had an autoimmune disease and that my body was attacking itself and my life was going to be changed forever.
I had loved ones taking care of me. And then I closed the book--got up, and walked downstairs, pain-free, effortless. Later that day, I was actually able to get on my treadmill for the first time in what felt like forever since it was once a very important part of my daily routine. I was normal. My life was back in full swing after being told it was gone for good--and everyone around me just had dropped jaws.
The reality was that tension caused an oxygen deprivation to my muscles and blood vessels which is not something anyone can find or understand. And every time I'd ever had a massage I was told I had no tension. Once I recognized not only this reality but thought about the stresses leading up to it, and fully understood the process of why it happens, my body was not able to create the pain in order to mask the emotions because I knew what it was doing. Knowing what it was doing cured it. But the thing is, before I opened the book I thought about that being the case having HEARD about the book and that was not enough--I needed to fully read and understand the physical steps as to why it happens and internalize and believe them and THAT is when the cure seeped in, likely about 1/3 of the way through the book--to the point where I could close the book and then actually go workout that same DAY because i was NORMAL again. The night before I read this book I was in so much pain that I was ready to just check myself into the hospital and go stay there, medicated because I could no longer take the level of pain and I was simply constantly in a fetal position, in tears.
Here is the interesting thing. When they ran the test for lupus I was told "If it comes out negative I don't want you to get too excited. This test has a very high false negative rate." Looking back, because I was told if the pain did not subside (which it did not) that it meant I did have the auto-immune disease in spite of the negative reading, I believe that it may be that there are not false negatives at all. But in Western medicine, if one is in acute ongoing pain, you have to label it something and mask it with meds. My body WAS attacking itself but not due to lupus. Due to trying to mask emotions it did not want to have brought to the surface. But that's not recognized in Western medicine where we treat the symptoms but not get to the root, especially embracing the idea that my body could create these issues due to psychological tension. Not when I am not a typical psychological "case" but a woman who is seen as "with it" enough to run 4 companies, a charity, and a social club and who STUDIED psychology in graduate school, no less! The fact is, that's not "with it" in reality, but even more of a mask and a tad over-driven. Because it's true that I prefer to work harder when I don't wish to deal with something. It seemed like a positive "outlet" but in reality it masked what I needed to deal with.
I was a people pleaser, I was a "yes man", I was a work perfectionist but considered myself very laid back because I never was angry. I now know for me that is not a good thing...I was angry inside. (Actually many people with this are angry outside, but that was not me. I was always the calm one no matter what I faced in life) And rather than acting out, my body internalized it all. I now speak up and speak out, I now deal with my emotions. And I am now pain-free 100% OVERNIGHT to the shock of my family doctor and the emergency room physicians who grew to know me and my condition.
We don't treat the issue in Western medicine or equate psychology with physical ailments--we simply treat the ailments. I was on high level pain killers and it would still come back. I asked my doctor before reading the book if the recent stress could cause this and he said no, it was physical and my immune system was confused and attacking my body and the flare up was triggered by the sulfa allergy but was dormant until then. They just are not trained to fully grasp the mind-body connection. And understanding what was happening DID make it go away because it was 100% my body telling me "lay down and don't think! Here! concentrate on this pain for awhile so that you don't bring those painful emotions to the surface and go batty! That will take your mind off of that stuff that is under the surface!"
I have never felt the kind of pain I was in and I actually have a high tolerance for pain--I can have surgery and be back on my feet working in no time, I am tough and can deal with it--but I was 100% crippled and in bed and non-working and disabled with a diagnosis of it being the rest of my life.
The more I read the more I thought of others I knew who came down with crippling back pain and how things like surgery did not help and they could not work. What's interesting is that this doctor realized that some people showed the same back deformaties in x-rays but had no pain and he looked to why for some it was crippling and for some it was nothing in spite of whatever x-rays or tests showed. Or why some got better and others did not since the body typically heals itself. I knew someone who had surgery after surgery after surgery. I can now understand why that never helped. The mind is more clever. You have to understand what it's doing to stop it.
This literally changed what was about to be a lifetime of being crippled in some regard according to my doctor...I was told to accept it. Thankfully, instead I accepted with an open mind, reading this book. The irony is that before I read the book, I would have a few good days but once I was given the diagnosis that I for-sure had an auto-immune disease, that's when the pain got worse than ever. My body had tricked me.
I took back that power.
This time, I'd lifted two 5-gallon water bottles from the store into and then out of my car trunk, straining my back badly. Right away I experienced numbness, tingling and weakness in both legs. X-rays and MRI's showed the bulging/herniated disks, I went to PT, took the pills, etc etc. After a few months, I was getting really sick of being forced to be completely sedentary and seeing no improvement or relief from anything "modern medicine" prescribed.
I was becoming really depressed and discouraged with my situation, then I remembered this book and bought it on my kindle. I reread it in one night and once again, after reading, remembering and understanding Dr. Sarno's treatment, I experienced complete relief in about 5 days!
If you're skeptical, I can understand anyone's doubting how or why this works. The thing that helps me "get it" the most is this: Dr. Sarno says there's no reason that your back will NOT heal when hurt like any other part of your body. Some critics claim that the doctor says the pain's "all in your head", but this isn't true; Dr. S doesn't ever say this. The pain is REAL. Simply put, Dr. S maintains that the *cause* of the pain is emotional tension. I recommend anyone with chronic back trouble to read the book and keep an open mind. You might just find yourself amazed -- and HEALED --as I have!
In August, I was experiencing the worst back-leg pain I'd ever had. Because of the pain I was temporarily disabled. After several weeks, I had an appointment with a neurosurgeon who recommended surgery for mid-September. I read this book--studied it in fact--and I felt strong enough a week before the surgery to cancel it. By the end of September I was largely back to normal. I am deeply grateful that my family gave me this book and saved me from a surgery I did not need.
Sarno is an MD who worked in New York City and specialized in back pain. Early in his clinical practice he had made the typical diagnoses and treatment plans. But after 15 or so years he grew frustrated with the lack of results and their unpredictability. He started experimenting with a psychosomatic diagnosis. He found the results much better, more predictable and his practice became more fulfilling. He continued to expand on his ideas over the next several decades. Today he is revered by many as "saving their lives" because they came to see him in debilitating pain and his program allowed them to get to back to full activity.
Admittedly, a lot of Sarno's ideas are not mainstream. He goes a bit far at times with his psychological explanations and his critiques of other practitioners. However, there's a lot of value in what he's saying. Most importantly, his recommendations, if followed, appear to work. As I can attest from personal experience--following his treatment recommendations to the letter--I am incomparably better off than I was a few months ago.
The biggest obstacle with Sarno's material is getting past the weirdness of his view on mind-body connnection. Can you entertain the idea that awareness and thought can actually alleviate very real, very significant physical pain? If you're like me, you may react to his ideas about the mind-body connection with a sense of irritation and embarrassment. Assuming there's a "mental" aspect to the situation might make it seem somehow worse and more stigmatized. It might make you feel weak. Of course Sarno addresses all these common objections, but they're nonetheless very potent. In fact, he claims that the vast majority of people reject his diagnosis out of hand. He pre-screens patients to see if they're open to the idea that their pain might not simply be a result of a physical cause. In my own experience I hesitate on recommending the book to people because I anticipate they'll be somehow insulted by this basic idea.
You can go as deep with this book as you like. If you really ponder it, as I did, I would be surprised if it didn't raise more questions than answers about the nature of physical and mental suffering. Some of the ideas will be dismissed as Freudian psychobabble--and there may be some merit to arguing that Sarno overuses some of his psychological explanations--but in my opinion it doesn't diminish the value of the insights. Anger that does not rise to awareness, or only dimly makes it's way to consciousness, can have physiological effects. If you buy into that idea, then you can accept a lot of Sarno's reasoning. It's also important to note that "buying into" this way of thinking seems to happen in stages. There are degrees of acceptance of his TMS diagnosis vs. a structural abnormality like a herniated disc. It takes time.
I recommend this book highly as it made a significant difference for me and my family.
Just by reading the premise of the book my pain started receding. I always knew conscious stress affected my physical health, but the idea of repressed negative emotions (out of my consciousness) was essentially a miracle revelation for me. Within one week 90 percent of my lower back pain was gone and 2 months later essentially 100% gone. Also, a recent "new diagnosis" of a pinched cervical nerve which was causing neck, shoulder, arm pain and numbness has mostly been alleviated also.
Many of the other TMS symptoms described in the book applied to me in the past also. Seasonal allergies, chonromalica patella, Achilles tendonitis, eczema, grinding teeth, and a few more .
Unfortunately as Dr. Sarno explains, 80 percent of folks will never accept this diagnosis. Open mindedness is essential in this 'Cure'.
I immediately stop using my inversion table twice a day (30 minutes of more free time a day!), stopped 90 percent of my daily stretching, stopped 10 years of chiropractic care, and stopped wearing orthotics. All had led to a new lease on life.
Thank you Dr. Sarno!!!
I've been dealing with staggering back pain at the age of 33 for nearly a year. It started from something very simple and spiraled into 11 months of pure hell trying to figure out what was causing so much pain. I tried physical therapy, massage, acupuncture and epidural injections to no avail. I have a great job that I have worked hard for and serve as an officer in the military and was terrified to lose all these things I worked so hard for. After X-rays and MRIs showed nothing particularly exciting and 2 consults with orthopedic surgeons that resulted in the recommendation of a spinal fusion, I had to remind myself that the healthcare industry is very much a business. These docs both told me within 5 minutes of looking at my records that my pain was probably due to muscular instability from a degenerated disc and a fusion is the only surgical option. To say that I was mad was an understatement. Fortunately I have the common sense and mental stamina to not be a passive participant in my healthcare. I regrouped and stopped all of the treatments that hadn't been working for me. Well guess what happened? My pain started slowly decreasing after reading this book. I'm an open minded person and was willing to accept some of the theories discussed which is key. If you don't have an open mind you may not get much from this book. What I realized is that is my anger and obsession with trying to find a cure for the pain probably caused a lot more pain and stress which just kept the pain cycle going. I'm now shifting to viewing my pain through a psychological lens rather than physical as the book suggests. It's not easy but it is possible. Once I had that glimpse of a pain free life it really changed my attitude and propelled me forward. I'm a very analytical person so it will probably take me longer then others to fully accept everything and let it sink in lol I will also say that when I have an acute spasm I will get treatment for pain relief BUT it heals so much quicker now with my new understanding. I've also started to see a therapist and it initially was to deal with chronic pain but now it's time to shift to dealing with other feelings like anger and all of those other unpleasant feelings we like to sweep under the carpet! I'd recommend this after ruling out a serious diagnosis so that you aren't wondering in the back of your mind and aren't able to fully accept the concepts. I would also say to be strong when more interventional medical solutions are recommended such as a major surgery. It can be tempting to want a permanent fix but I would challenge readers to remember that many people still have pain afterwards. Try this first and you will be so happy that you did. It has truly changed my life for the better. This isn't a quick fix BUT it's a viable long term solution that requires effort and understanding.
I'd seen Dr. Sarno's book but dismissed it until I saw John Stossel recommend it. I bought the book and devoured it in a couple of days. Like some many others have said, I saw myself in the book. I realized my pain began after a series of personal issues and than I had been repressing my emotions. I also realized my pain wasn't consistent with my diagnosis. Since, I've taken Dr. Sarno's book to heart.
I've been more active after years of being too afraid to engage in rigorous physician activity because back is normal. I've been dealing with the issues that brought in the pain. I'm not cured but I'm optimistic. It's only been a few weeks but I'm no longer afraid of my back or the pain. I'd recommend this book to anyone suffering from pain. The advice makes sense and Dr. Sarno has helped a lot of people, including himself.
For Christmas, I bought a copy of this book for my sister, as she has complained of some back pain. Then I bought a copy of Dr. Sarno's second book for my other sister, who has had some chronic back pain for a long time. I read through this book first before I gave it to her, but it mostly elaborates a bit on what this one covers.
Then I bought a copy of Dr. Sarno's third book for myself, just to make sure I wasn't missing anything good that I could also use. That one covers more ailments in general, not just the back. And it's a little more diverse. This book is focused more specifically on the back which is probably what you want if you got back pain.
Recently, I got a crick in my neck again. I just purchased this book again in the audio version for myself. This is Dr. Sarno's first book; but it's the one that most directly addresses back and neck pain. The later books get more into other ailments that can also be quickly cured.
It's understandable that many people won't believe this. Do yourselves a favor and just try it with an open mind. Save yourselves from misery. The effects of a bad back or neck can range from awful to devastating. How much is your health and comfort worth? $1000? $10,000? $1M? The book only costs about ten bucks.
I don't usually write reviews, but I'm doing this as a little bitty service to others; and because Dr. Sarno deserves a lot of credit and high praise for his work.
The melting snow formed streams of water and puddles that I had to wade through while walking from to the train station, and from the Boston subway station to the office. On a wet morning in November as I was treading to the station, my left ankle twisted and I slipped into a puddle nearly losing my balance. As I regained my stand I was suddenly struck with a severe pain in my left foot shooting up the calf muscle.
The pain was somewhat bearable, but when it persisted for a week and kept getting worse, I went to a local doctor.He thought it was sciatica pain, and prescribed a course of Naproxen, a common anti inflammatory drug. That did not help much, and the pain was so crippling that I was limping all around my home and in the office.
By January of 1999 I was ready to quit the cold of Boston head back to Kansas City. I called one of my previous manager in Kansas City and told her my story. She was extremely sympathetic and offered me my old position!
Once in Kansas City I went back to my old Doctor. He ordered X-Rays, CT scan, and MRI, and finding no physical abnormalities, reaffirmed the diagnosis of sciatica pain by the Boston doctor; and asked me to continue with Naproxen. A month later, with no relief in sight, the doctor sent me to physiotherapy. After two weeks of therapy without much benefit, the therapist was considering putting me on traction. I was shocked! I didn't want traction!!
Right from my teenage days I had a keen interest in psychology. I was also a believer in the power of the mind and the concept of mind body connection. I loved reading books on these subjects and whenever the opportunity arose, I thought there had to be a non-medical solution to my pain if it was beyond medical diagnosis!
So I started searching for books on on healing muscle pains that had no mention of medicine or surgery. That is how I found this book in Barnes and Noble and bought a copy. Back home that evening I settled down and started reading the book. In about two hours I had finished reading more than half of the book, when I felt something strange happening!
I felt that my sciatica pain that was my constant companion for over three months was much less! In fact the pain had almost disappeared!! I was too excited to continue with reading. That night I slept well, without being woken up by the pain even once. The next morning I finished the book. My pain had disappeared 100%!!
You can read my full story and more on this book in my website mind-body-soul.net. Dr. John Sarno retired from the New York School of Medicine in April 2013. But before quitting his epic work life, he has published another book, "The Divided Mind", which has the same content as Healing Back Pain, plus some great articles by six of his colleagues in the profession who have successfully practiced his theory of T.M.S (Tension Myositis Syndrome).
The mind is a very mysterious and powerful thing.
We use the word placebo to explain this power, how the sheer fact of believing something can result in the body doing any number of things, that typically (in our society) require medicine or surgery or more.
So on that level this book totally makes sense.
But when I read the reviews I was skeptical, and it was only the sheer volume of reviews and the fact that I could get the book used for four dollars that persuaded me to buy it.
I was hit head on while riding my motorcycle in 2006. I broke my wrist really badly, and the ligaments that attached my legs to my hips tore. The people at the hospital dropped the ball and tossed me out of rehab, saying that if I could turn a key in a lock I wasn't their problem, even though I was in chronic pain and nobody could figure out why. I couldn't lean my elbow on a desk, I couldn't write more than half a page without wincing and feeling like there was an icepick stabbing up my arm. I had sciatica so bad I would toss and turn all night and wake in the morning feeling like I'd been beaten. Sitting and standing would result in aching pinching lower back all around my tailbone.
I'd tried chiropractic (helped a bit.) Deep tissue massage (helped a bit.) Accupuncture (helped a bit.) Somatics (helped a lot.) Painkillers (didn't really help.) Herbal extracts (helped a little.) and was still in so much pain that years later I still felt like I was a hundred years old and the only thing that really made me feel ok about the situation was the fact that someday I would die and the pain would stop. It was that bad.
So I'll try just about anything once, and I got this book.
And it didn't heal me completely but I gotta say, all I did was read it, and only once, and the pain just sort of vanished by about 60%. For four dollars. I can't even tell you how many thousands of dollars I have spent on treatments that helped a little bit.
Suddenly I could sleep. I remembered what it was like to NOT be in pain.
If you are even thinking about it, get this f'ing book.
(One more thing, if you have gotten this far, you are, or you know someone who is in some serious pain. I stumbled upon a woman who does massage and organ manipulation.. apparently when I got hit my organs had gotten slammed down too low in my body, and that was what was causing the *pain down the backs of my legs and in my lower back*. She massaged my stomach and pushed organs around. And now my pain level is down to about 5 to 10%. She said very active people can have their insides shift down too low in this way too, and it causes this kind of pain. Unrelated, but I had never heard such a thing, I don't know that western medicine even acknowledges it, and if you are like me it could improve your life.)
I had been to all sorts of medical doctors and alternative treatments. The cost was staggering and the relief was fleeting. I had done all the physical therapy and exercises. Nothing worked for more than a few days. Thankfully I came across a recommendation for this book.
Written by an experienced medical doctor, it details the real cause and cure for back pain as well as multiple other pain problems. This is not New Age mumbo jumbo. It is a perfect, scientific solution for people like me. I am able to garden and lift and work again. My hope is restored. I wish everybody would read this book, even if they don't have back pain because the ideas are applicable to all of us that live in a stressed out world.
I can't think of a better way to share my experience than sharing with you the letter I wrote to my family 4 weeks after reading this book. Forever greatful to Dr. John Sarno.
"My Dear Family,
There was a time when I never thought I would be able to say this, and I still can't believe it myself, but I have made a 90% recovery from the chronic muscle problems that have debilitated me for the past 3.5 years.
Over the past few weeks I have gradually resumed an active life once again, and find myself driving, doing computer work, lifting weights, going on intense bike rides, and much more with virtually no pain at all. I feel like I have been re-born again, and find myself in a perpetually good mood and excited about life and the opportunities that await me once again.
As you know, these years have been extremely difficult for me, both physically and emotionally. Particularly over the past year when this problem took on a whole new level of intensity and spread throughout my body. I wanted to thank you all for your support through this very difficult time for me. Without you guys, I probably would have jumped off a cliff by now.
You may be curious as to what caused this sudden and immediate change in my health. Which doctor did I see? What excercise did I do? What posture did I adapt? Modern medicine has conditioned us to look for a physical explanation to our symptoms, and after countless massages, physical therapy, chiropractic, accupuncture and osteopathic treatments, with limited progress, I was depressed, desperate, and knew I was looking for an answer in the wrong place.
I know what you're thinking. Stop blabbing oo, tell me what you did? What caused this miraculous change in your health. Well, the answer is so stupidly simple you are going to think I'm crazy. I read a book. Yes, that is not a typo. I read a freakin' book, stopped going to all my doctors, and within weeks I am virtually normal again. 3.5 years of awful and intense pain that my life has revolved around disappears, and all I have to do is read a book...?
I'll let this 20/20 news clip and this article about in Forbes Magazine about America's most miraculous yet neglected pain Doctor explain further.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsR4wydiIBI
http://www.forbes.com/sites/edwardsiedle/2012/09/26/americans-best-doctor-and-his-miracle-cures-dr-john-e-sarno/
As I reflect on why the universe chose this journey for me, I am going to do something unorthodox and be very emotially open with you all (I know I'm not known for this). This journey has without a doubt been the most difficult thing I've ever had to deal with. While I tried my best to be optimistic, there is no doubt that my life has full of pain, fear, sadness, loneliness, anger, anxiety, rage, self-pity, desperation, and depression since this all began. Living with some back pain and not being able to play sports is one thing, but eventually becoming disabled, being forced to leave my job and unable to support myself at the age of 26, with the fear of living the next 50 years of my life with this was probably the most unbearable feeling of all.
I often thought what it would be like to overcome this battle and be able to be a normal kid again, but to be honest, I never truly believed it would happen. Now that I stand here with all of this finally behind me, I still can't believe it. It hasn't totally hit me yet that I have my life back.
As I try to think how to wrap up this email with some sort of lesson that will inspire you and help you in your daily lives, I'm beginning to think that is all unnecessary. Instead, I'll leave you with a piece of wisdom, from an ancient Native Indian proverb that has always stood out to me and illustrates the power of the mind-body connection.
An old Cherokee told his grandson: "My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, and resentment, inferiority, lies and ego. The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, and truth."
The boy thought about it, and asked, "Grandfather, which wolf wins?"
The old man quietly replied, "The one you feed."
What a relief to be able to finally write this. I think it's time to go for a bike ride ;)"
If you don't believe such a thing is possible, read this book and see if the logic makes sense to you. Dr Sarno makes a convincing case. If you can get your brain on board you're more than half way to curing your own back pain. If you DO believe already such a thing is possible this is the book for you! It will solidify your ability to talk to others about this connection.
Dr. Sarno admits his research is not universally accepted by the AMA. Be leery of this kind of connection turning into a blame-the-victim game, because I have seen sometimes how people in pain get shamed for not "trying" hard enough. Tread carefully with this information. If you are using it for yourself it's awesome, if you are using it on a friend or family member, be careful. When people don't believe in a mind body connection they can't get their mind to heal their body, and they're stuck.
I've dealt with chronic pain most of my life. Things like IBS, migraines, tinnitus, back pain, neck pain, hip pain, wrist tendonitis, toe pain, ulcer, dry eyes, social anxiety. I'm sure I'm probably missing some stuff. It's a long list. I suffered from neck and back pain for about 5 1/2 years. I saw so many different medical people over this 5 1/2 year period. So many different procedures minus surgery and anything and everything to alleviate the chronic suffering I endured. It was definitely a dark period of my life and I never want to go there again. I know I won't because I know how to solve my pain problems.
If you're reading this and your skeptical, good. But, make sure you read the whole book because you won't regret it. Are you tired of being sick and tired? I know I was and I read the book and it changed everything. I didn't read the book and automatically become healed but, I had the path to direct me to get there.
If you've tried everything under the sun and nothing has worked or you haven't improved much, give this a try. What do you have to lose?
I read the first half of the book one night before going to bed and I swear, I woke up with significantly less pain then I had the day before. It took a few minutes for it to sink in but it was such a GREAT feeling to be able to walk upright into the shower that morning without pain. I read the rest of the book the next day and within less than a week, my back pain had pretty much disappeared.
I get flare ups every once and a while and I just take a minute to take stock in what is going on in my life. Most times, the pain goes away within a day or two. This is just a phenominal book that will help you with your back pain as well as your general health. The effects of just reading thru the book without even using some of the techniques was enough for me to experience almost immediate relief. Simply amazing.
If you have pain and really want to do something about it, you owe it to yourself to at least read through this book one time. This book and Dr Sarno truly changed my life!! One of the best decisions and purchases I have ever made. READ THIS BOOK!!!!
I am a true believer in Dr. Sarno. I was in severe back pain 10 years ago. Basically lying on my back for hours at a time. I was diagnosed with 2 herniated disks. I was given steroid shots to my back and I went to two years of physical therapy. I did everything the physical therapists said to do. I did the exercises exactly the way they told me. It did absolutely nothing. There was not a single time I left the PT's office feeling better.
A friend who was a big Howard Stern fan bought me this book in both the paperback and the audio tape version. As soon as I started reading it my pain started going away.
I realized that I was not injured. Injuries go away. I was in constant pain for two long years. I was 30 years old and I became an old man. Dr. Sarno made me understand that the pain was my minds way of diverting attention from emotional issues. It is genius. Within a few weeks, I had made a full recovery.
Over the years, I do get occasional pain. When I do get pain, I reread this book and get my mind right again. I am able to make the pain go away.
This past few months I have been getting into really good shape. I just completed an olympic distance triathlon. Pain free.
As a side note, during my training I developed severe pain on the side of my knee. I did a lot of reading on this and was told that this was ITB syndrome, a common pain that runners develop. My neighbor gave me the dreaded foam roller used by PTs. I did the prescribed exercises. It did not help. I soon realized that the pain was not from an injury. It was TMS, the same cause of my old back pain. As soon as I realized this, the knee pain went away. The rest of my training went on without pain.
If you are suffering any type of pain, you must read this book. It had a profound effect on my life. Without it, I would be an old man. Scared to do any physical activity. Now I live a very active life. I have 3 young children and get to run and play with them. My quality of life has been given back to me.
Well at least one of these doctors was right about something. I opened this book with an open mind and within hours I was experiencing relief. I feel better than I have in years. I'm not afraid to use my body anymore. I still have pain from time to time, but it is minor and usually goes away, once I acknowledge that I am repressing emotions. I beat on my subconscious and the pain goes away.
Thank you Dr. Sarno.
The most interesting thing to me that he talks about in his books is the mind being "programmed" to feel pain at certain times... For example.. If your back hurts a lot when you mow the lawn one day, because of your fear that you will hurt again next time you mow the lawn... When your mind believes that doing something will cause you pain... it will! I applied this train of thought with two things that I got pain from daily.. and was able to change my train of thought.. I also ordered one of Dr Sarno's lectures on dvd... It's somewhere around 100 dollars for a dvd and is around 2 hours long... it was great to watch one of his seminars that he did with his patients... This is the best money you could ever spend for your back...I'm 95% pain free for months now... It took about 1 1/2 months for his concepts to sink in... and I was pain free:) Watch his 20 20 segment on youtube... it's awesome!
Healing Back Pain made a couple light bulbs go on in my head! I repress. I supress. Then I stress and feel under duress. My back spasms and I have stomach issues. Realizing that all of this is coming from what's going on in my brain is freeing. I haven't had a miracle overnight change but close enough to one that I'm giving the book five stars. There is freeing power in understanding that I am not a seriously physically damaged individual. My back still aches and twinges but I just keep going now, doing whatever it is that makes me happy (physically speaking). Overall, I'm feeling better than I have in years. Co-workers are asking me why I look so different. Maybe it's because I now understand the idea of TMS (which boils down to "it's all in your head"). If you are a long-term back pain sufferer and have ruled out any actual physically treatable damage I highly recommend buying this book. Cheaper than one chiropractic appointment and much more effective.
In the meantime, someone gave me a copy of this book to read. I read it, thought it was crazy, didn't believe it could work, but thought, what do I have to lose in trying it? I was laying in bed at night, and went through the self-talk the author suggested. The next morning, when I got up, I had no back pain. For the first time in months, I was pain-free. I kept my appt. with the neurosurgeon anyway, and he said that looking at my MRI, I was definitely a candidate for surgery, but my ability to move, bend, etc. pain free made me a non-candidate for surgery. He looked at me and said, point blank, "What's going on?" I told him the story I just told you, and he said, "Well, keep doing what you're doing, and come back to see me when you have more back pain, and I'll operate on you then." That was 6 years ago, and I have yet to go back to him. I buy copies of the book now to give away to friends and aquaintences who I find out are back pain sufferers. Backpain sufferers...try this book.....what have you got to lose?
Dr Sarno first proposed TMS in the 70's! Why is it not standard practice today? Billions of dollars would have been saved on sick leave, pharmaceuticals, physical therapies etc. If only the medical establishment would stop fearing the mind-body connection and acknowledge what has been known for centuries - that the subconscious mind impacts directly on the physical body.
I read the book twice within five days, took Sarno's advice and cancelled my emergency chiro appointment, threw away the anti-inflammatories, took paracetamol when I really needed it and spent the rest of my recovery ignoring my pain and focussing instead on the possible emotional triggers for the episode. I worked out that I was angry about several things, but most predominant was anger (& subsequent guilt) towards my young children for constantly needing, wanting, taking and the feeling that I had no time to just be myself. Having acknowledged this and foiling my subconscious' attempt to deflect attention from my anger to my body, my recovery was the swiftest I have ever experienced (I was able to run within two weeks). I am confident that recurrences will dwindle to nothing. Interestingly, this is the first spring I have not suffered from Hay Fever which is another symptom of TMS according to Dr Sarno.
This book is a MUST READ for anyone who suffers recurring back/shoulder/neck pain, migraine, carpal tunnel, hay fever or tendonitis (to name a few). I gave copies of this book to friends who suffer from back pain and have a list of people I am passing my copy onto.
All you have to lose is your pain!
My mind and doctors had worked overtime convincing me that I would never be without pain, would have to always be very careful, take pain pill, etc. Well, after reading this book two times and believing what I was reading, I daily started working the program by not taking any more pills, working on forgetting the diagnosis & all the things I had been telling myself, working on total understanding of TMS & how the RAGE we ALL have is affecting me and how very slight(but harmless)oxygen deprivation causes the pain, ordered the DVD and MINDBODY PRESCRIPTION, (both outstanding) both by Dr. Sarno, and I was on my way.
In two days my knees, my thumbs, the awful sciatic pain from the buttocks to my ankle had stopped hurting - completely!!! My back was MUCH better but I obviously needed to dig deeper in my understanding and self reflecting, which I did and am still doing, two months later, and will continue.
I continue to follow the program daily by reading, and/or watching the DVD, and/or writing/journaling and digging deeper within my memory. My conscious mind IS in charge!!! And - my back seldom hurts and when it does it's not much, and all my other aches and pains are either gone or maybe once a week I get a reminder that I have a knee or thumb from a sharp stabbing pain - ONCE - and it's gone. A reminder for me to keep working the program.
Read this wonderful book & the others by Dr. Sarno and work the program - it can be done in 15 to 30 minutes morning and night. Dr. Sarno has help thousands of people - a worthy group for all of us to join.
If I can stop the pain - and I have - at 84, you can do it, too. LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL!
Just reading the reviews was like someone telling the story of my symptoms, my condition, my MRI and feeling hopeless and frustrated. I felt a relief and was on the verge of real crying the more I read. Because inside I was not fine believing I could control this, not knowing how, whatever rage, anger or tension was not being dealt with, having a job injury and not wanting to go back to a job I hate--there-I said it--Hate. Hah.
I started to feel better the second day I read reviews. I just finished the book and am 99.9% pain free. I am happy and amazed. And with this new-found understanding so much anger has melted away. And the beauty is that I don't have to exercise and I don't have to see a therapist for the rage and anger--I just have to be aware of it--which I already did anyway for PMS.
For those interested: I work in construction and had a lower back injury. My second injury was a week to the date of the first one. I am in my 40's and the right size for my height.
Since I started seeing doctors for my back (18 years old)I've been told: scoliosis, long spine, too much sitting, not enough exercise, bulging disk, herniated, sacroiliac joint disorder, degenerative....
The first time I ever "pulled" my back I was 15. I picked up an empty milk crate. By that age I had already dealt with a lot of dysfunction and instability at home. All this tension I am sure started when I was still in the womb since my parents fought all the time.
But, I have had a good adult life. My personality type was described well in the book.
UPDATE: It's been 4 months since reading the book. I had the chance to put this diagnosis to the test. I was overloaded with some anger and stress and then it came: I was tucking in my pants and it happened-I "pulled" my back. I was shocked at the amount of pain from such a minor movement-this had never happened to me before. It was kind of pathetic but the pain was intense and very real. So I was laying down, walking crooked, couldn't carry groceries from the market, it hurt to sit.... So I grabbed the book and started re-reading certain pages and delved into my mind to face the issues. And the more I dug and brought it to the surface the more pain subsided. By the evening I was 95% better-still holding on to the old ways for security. By the next evening it was like nothing happened.
Spontaneous Healing : How to Discover and Embrace Your Body's Natural Ability to Maintain and Heal Itself
. I believed I had "slipped a disk" while back-packing in Australia. While I was scuba-diving the Great Barrier Reef (and doing my best to pretend I was not in crippling pain) the pain deepened into sciatica. I could barely walk. Wherever I was, at the airport, on the boardwalk, I had to lay on the ground and curl up into a ball in order to walk another few minutes. In New Zealand, as I was hitchhiking from Christchurch to Auckland on big-rig trucks, a physical therapist gave me some exercises he said I'd have to do for the rest of my life. After a year or so of helping, the exercises stopped working. I was so afraid I'd have to have back surgery and/or be crippled for the rest of my life. When I read about Dr. Sarno's deconstructing the emotional and stress-related mind-body connection in the majority of back pain syndromes, I started to mentally investigate my own back spasms. What was I thinking about when the back pain started? I started to see my own pattern of worry - that I had been attributing to my sitting position in the car, or my shoes for instance to my stresses and deepest fears. As I read more of Dr. Sarno's carefully detailed investigation into Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS), my back pain gradually subsided as I learned the mechanisms of TMS, and deconstructed my own experience of back pain. A year later, I rarely experience back pain, and when I do it's very minor and just a sign that I need to relax and take care of myself. I can even wear high-heeled shoes and go back-packing again (not at the same time), and all manner of bending over and sitting positions are no problem. I've even taken up hula-hooping! One should certainly investigate TMS before considering back surgery. TMS may not be a diagnosis accepted by the entire medical community, nonetheless, Dr Sarno's approach *WORKS* and it could work for you. It's as easy as reading a book, critically deconstructing your own experience, and changing the way you deal with stress. I'll add that reading a book is inexpensive and harmless. Spinal surgery is not. This is even my 2nd copy of this book, because I purchased a copy for someone I cared about who had back pain. I recommend this book to *everyone!!!* Best wishes... :) MT
In 2005 I was vacationing at my parents'. I spent many hours on the floor playing games with my brothers and my kids. I noticed a slight numbness in my leg.At first I thought it was constantly falling asleep from being cross-legged on the floor for hours. It gradually grew and traveled down my leg until I had full blown sciatica (with lower back pain too)! One day, browsing at Barnes & Noble, I was looking for some sort of book about back pain and how to get rid of it. I found this book. I read through it quickly and a day or two after I finished it, the sciatica was completely gone. It has never come back and the worst I ever get is a "stiff" back which is easily dealt with through the principles of the book.
The essential thesis is this: Back pain (as well as several other ailments) is caused by an unconscious denial of blood to a certain part of your body. Your brain does this subconsciously to take you away from dealing with the things that are actually causing stress, anger and anxiety. This is NOT saying that the pain is "all in your head." It's an acknowledgment of real pain. But that pain has a cause. The essential steps for dealing with the pain are: (1) Living, working, acting normally as if your back is not injured, that is, not favoring it, "going easy" on it, etc. and (2) identifying what is causing you anger or stress and dealing consciously as necessary with the issue.
After I read that, I actually could trace the beginning of my pre-sciatica numbness to an email I had gotten regarding work which had really made me angry. Once I realized what I was really upset about, the pain was gone. In the days since I've read this book, my back has only once or twice really "snapped" and I immediately began going through the events and frustrations of my mind. The pain is usually gone within a day. Even that is quite rare now and whenever I have a stiff back, I simply do the same thing: run a mental catalog of stressful or anger-inducing items while doing nothing to favor or "baby" the back and the pain fades.
The author, Dr. Sarno, describes this important mind-body connection in a way that poles some fun at current medical practice (so many ways to treat a bad back? Why? Because who knows what will work? The problem isn't the back! It's the things causing your brain to mess with your back!). Dr. Sarno can get a little Freudian sometimes and even recommends deep Freudian therapy to bring out the worst of the issues that your brain might be trying to block. But other than that, I think his thesis is a solid one. It's certainly attested to by others but I have the best evidence of its truth: It worked. Plain and simple. I no longer get nasty back spasms that leave me walking crookedly for weeks on end. And when my back does get stiff, then that is now a signal that I need to run a mental check and deal with the things that are bothering me that my mind is avoiding.
I've read and used the book. It's worked for my wife. The principles have been useful with the kids ("growing" pains) and I've ordered and given copies to friends. Call it bunk if you like but the thesis sounds good to me and it works!
Five years removed from my first encounter with it, I can safely say that it was a life changer. Like many here, I was suffering from back pain for many years, and did the whole chiropractor/muscle relaxers/x-rays/physical therapy thing, only to have my back pain come back some time later.
As I was reading this book, I was dealing with yet another episode and frustrated with the crap the doctors were slinging at me. I was skeptical, until I had the x-rays done again, and they showed that I had the problem with the exact same discs described in the book. I started listening. Then I noticed that I indeed had the worst episodes after very stressful times. I was hooked. To make the long story short, I have not had a single episode of back pain, even in the slightest, in about 4 years (it took me a year to master what Dr. Sarno is describing.)
People that rate this book low are doing it for the very simple reason - they do not get it. Many more do get it, and do free themselves from back pain - just look at the sales numbers of this book, and overall ratings.
Definitely read the book, but read it whole. There is a reason why it is so long - you have to be convinced that your back pain has nothing to do with physical state of anything. And Dr. Sarno's credentials, and arguments he is using, are very convincing. Then do a little experiment, and next time your back hurts, do not take drugs, or do your usual, just try to convince yourself that your pain is not physical. You'll see - it works, and you'll be done with it forever.
Finally, the reason why this book was a life changer for me, was because after going through it, and seeing how successful it is, I started to wonder what else am I capable of, what else do I convince myself of, and you'll be amazed at the answers.
Dear Dr. Sarno,
I have been running for over 20 years and always maintained a very healthy lifestyle. In 2005, I gradually increased my training compared to recent years in an effort to get back into competitive shape. On January 1 of 2006 I began having pain in my lower back. Shortly after that, I had to curtail and eventually quit my running. An MRI in late February indicated bulging discs in the lower lumbar region. Throughout the year I continued to experience pain in my lower back despite having eliminated my running. The pain was amplified whenever I bent over. Things like brushing my teeth and flip-turning while swimming were the most aggravating. During this time, I saw a general practitioner, 2 chiropractors, 2 physical therapists and a stretching specialist - taking up lots of my time and money. All of them treated me with the conventional methods to no avail. In early September, I got the second referral to your book, "Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection", and finally decided to read it.
Shortly after beginning the book, I began to feel less pain in my back. By the end of the book a couple weeks later, I felt like the pain had dissipated enough and that I had enough confidence to resume running. I have been running pain-free now for 2 months and do not experience any pain when bending over like I used to. I believe that your theory on lower back pain (TMS) is very accurate and that all I needed to do was realize the true cause of my pain in order to eliminate it.
Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge on back pain and for writing this book! I credit you and the book for getting me back into a pain-free state to where I can enjoy all the things in life that I did before the pain.
Sincerely,
After reading this book the first night and realizing that my pain might be due to TMS and thinking back on what I was angry about I awoke without pain for the first night in months. I have had less and less pain each day and was able to spend an entire day on my feet by the time I was 2/3 through the book. I've finished the book and the only pain I have left is the initial pain in the hip of my right buttock. It's most probably a pinched nerve that has caused all the other pain, but the suggestion from my doctor that it was probably much more was what caused the pain to become incapacitating. Now, that my mind no longer accepts the doctor's probable cause the pain is gone.
If you have pain, get the book. It certainly won't hurt you, and you just may be pain free for the first time in years.
But I had been diagnosed with everything and been to everyone, through four years of hell. Had the "herniated discs." Went to PT, massage, chiropractic. Had the MRI's. Had the epidural injections (now that is fun). Gave up everything I loved. Soccer, gym, rollerblading, running, swimming. Was scheduled for surgery. Then someone recommended this book.
Two weeks later, POOF, back pain gone. GONE. Bub-bye. Four and a half years later, it's never come back. Of the maybe 15 people I've given the book to, 15 people have experienced the exact same total relief. If Sarno's take is "just a placebo," as his terrified peers charge, other MD's should bone up on his brand of sugar pill. Maybe they might have earned some of the thousands of dollars I and my insurance companies paid them. Or maybe Pfizer can formulate it into a pill that you take every day for the rest of your life -- then people will believe in it.
As that paragraph suggests, you shouldn't read this book if you don't want to be disillusioned over the criminal hypocrisy of the medical establishment. That this book and Sarno's science are considered "fringe medicine" when treatments that don't work and cost thousands get the seal of approval is the most disgusting display of scientific negligence I have ever had the misfortune to experience.
You also shouldn't read this book if you want to stay in pain. Risks are hard to take -- I had to exhaust every other "legit" avenue before I could believe something like this. So if you're finally willing to accept defeat, one-click this baby. Two weeks later, you will have your whole life back and be filing a malpractice suit against your doctor. I will testify, if you want me to.
And someday, Sarno will actually get the Nobel prize he deserves.