Product Description: Dr. John Sarno caused quite a ruckus back in 1990 when he suggested that back pain is all in the head. In his bestselling book, Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection, he claimed that backaches, slipped discs, headaches, and other chronic pains are due to suppressed anger, and that once the cause of the anger is addressed, the pain will vanish. Relieved Amazon.com readers call this book "liberating" and say "it sounds too good to be true, but it is true." Sarno has returned with The Mindbody Prescription, in which he explains how emotions including guilt, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem can stimulate the brain to manufacture physical symptoms including fibromyalgia, repetitive strain injuries, migraine headaches, hay fever, colitis, ulcers, and even acne. If these psychosomatic problems all sound a little Freudian, what with the repression of emotions in the unconscious, it's because Sarno unapologetically borrows from Freud for the basis of his theory and cites childhood trauma as a major source of emotional problems. He also says that his program is a "talking cure" of sorts, since patients must be convinced their pain is rooted in their emotions before healing can begin. The book reads a bit like psychology text, with Sarno quoting from psychoanalytic theorists including Heinz Kohut and Graeme Taylor and the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition). Sarno walks through the neurophysiology of mindbody disorders, lists the symptoms of dozens of disorders that he believes are emotion-based, and offers a basic program for overcoming psychosomatic pain and illness. His recovery plan includes meditation and sometimes psychotherapy, including behavior modification, and stopping any medication or physical therapy. While Sarno's ideas seem radical, they were commonly implemented earlier in the 20th century, when psychoanalysis was at its peak of popularity, and they promise to become more accepted in our current era of alternative medical therapies and anger management. --Erica Jorgensen
Amazon.com Review: Dr. John Sarno caused quite a ruckus back in 1990 when he suggested that back pain is all in the head. In his bestselling book, Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection, he claimed that backaches, slipped discs, headaches, and other chronic pains are due to suppressed anger, and that once the cause of the anger is addressed, the pain will vanish. Relieved Amazon.com readers call this book "liberating" and say "it sounds too good to be true, but it is true." Sarno has returned with The Mindbody Prescription, in which he explains how emotions including guilt, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem can stimulate the brain to manufacture physical symptoms including fibromyalgia, repetitive strain injuries, migraine headaches, hay fever, colitis, ulcers, and even acne. If these psychosomatic problems all sound a little Freudian, what with the repression of emotions in the unconscious, it's because Sarno unapologetically borrows from Freud for the basis of his theory and cites childhood trauma as a major source of emotional problems. He also says that his program is a "talking cure" of sorts, since patients must be convinced their pain is rooted in their emotions before healing can begin.
The book reads a bit like psychology text, with Sarno quoting from psychoanalytic theorists including Heinz Kohut and Graeme Taylor and the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition). Sarno walks through the neurophysiology of mindbody disorders, lists the symptoms of dozens of disorders that he believes are emotion-based, and offers a basic program for overcoming psychosomatic pain and illness. His recovery plan includes meditation and sometimes psychotherapy, including behavior modification, and stopping any medication or physical therapy. While Sarno's ideas seem radical, they were commonly implemented earlier in the 20th century, when psychoanalysis was at its peak of popularity, and they promise to become more accepted in our current era of alternative medical therapies and anger management. --Erica Jorgensen
The Mindbody Prescription - Your Truth Will Set You Free This book was recommended to me by a friend who has been disabled for fifteen years from back pain (and four back surgeries to try to elminate it). As he knows more about back pain than I ever will, I dove into the book eagerly with my yellow highlighter in hand. The book is well laid out; takes enough time to lay the premise, then provides case histories to "prove" the theory. I admit I read it eagerly and rapidly, eager to get to the "how" portion of the book. It wasn't until I started re-reading (with a different color highlighter) that I really "got" the book - years of anger and unforgiveness come out as pain - my friend exhibited back pain; I exhibit psoriasis. All those things that have been "itching" to get out of me finally blossomed into psoriasis. I so do not want to have an auto-immune disorder - I read this book as if my life depended on it - and I can now see clearly the relationship between unsaid words and itching. I continue to re-read; one of John Sarno's patients wrote a "how to do this book" described in one of the later chapters: read the book; start re-reading and continue re-reading for 30 days. It takes about that long for "it" to sink in and for one to "get" it. For example, I was angry when I got home from work last Friday night, and because I read this book, I was able to process my anger and let it go before it did me in. I heartily recommend this book to anyone dealing with back or other pain; rheumatoid arthritis or other auto-immune disorder; or anything that causes your life to "not" work. God bless you!
He didn't tell me about the peace of mind that would come, and I'm rather upset about that... I was lying in bed this morning, terrible abdominal pain in my gut, and I started using Dr. John Sarno's instructions (page 139 in this book, and on page 70 in his "Healing Back Pain" book) instead of reaching for a Vicodin as I usually do. I first started running down all the instances of rage in my life. It was overwhelming. As I went through each experience and tried my best to forgive and release it, the pain got worse. That told me unquestionably that there was a relationship between the emotions and the pain.
In one instance in my life where I had rage due to an intolerable work situation, I also had surgery to remove two herniated discs during that period of my life. This was not a coincidence.
Based on the amount of rage I saw in my mind, I realized this was going to take a while. After I came to that realization, I just decided to be patient with it, and chip away at it a little each day. I also prayed for guidance as to how to best forgive and release this rage that I didn't want in my life anymore.
Then, a peace of mind filled me, and I drifted off to sleep. Where a small amount of rage was removed, peace filled in the empty space vacated by the rage. I didn't expect that. After a brief nap, the pain had subsided enough for me to get out bed and start my day.
Dr. Sarno didn't mention anything about his method creating peace of mind. Sweet!
Chronic Pain sufferers must read After suffering a life tragedy about 8 years ago I started having unrelenting, debilitating back pain and spasms. I was given a myriad of tests and prescriptions, went to physical therapy and even when to a pain specialist. After a couple of visits the pain specialist recommended Dr. Sarnos book. I read the book all the way through and went back and reread the areas that pertained to my situation. Over the next few weeks my tension myositis disappeared. I have recommended this book to anyone I know with chronic, debilitating pain.
A few years later after my first pregnancy I suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome. After a while I remembered Dr. Sarnos book discussing carpal tunnel. I reread the book and my symptoms eased substantially.
Even if, like I, the pain does not go away I'm positive Dr. Sarnos' insight into the Mind Body connection will help those with chronic pain manage the stress induced symptoms.
Excellent Reference! The chapters on psychology may be a bit too detailed for most people, nevertheless, this is an excellent reference book for understanding a variety of ailments and bodily pains, often misdiagnosed, but usually caused by tension. It is also a good complement to Dr. sarno's Healing back pain, which helped me recover from chronic pain in my back, legs, knees, feet, neck, arms, and hands, and completely disability. Here's a list of tension-related conditons Dr. Sarno mentions in this book that is often misgiagnosed:
Head, face, and mouth: dizziness, ringing in the ear (tinnitus), migraine headaches, Tempromandibular joint syndrome (TMJ), teeth grinding, canker sores, Bell's palsy, trigeminal neuralgia, Raynaud's phenomenon, spasmodic dysphonia
Back, hip, and leg: Degenerative osteoarthritis, sciatica, pinched nerve, spinal stenosis, scoliosis, ruptured or herniated disc, spondylolisthesis, the pryformis syndrome, osteoarthritis of the hip, spina bifida occulta, pulled hamstring, ondylolysis, fibromyalgia, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, myofacial pain syndrome, post-polio syndrome, facet syndrome
knees and feet: tendonitis, chondromalacia patella, torn meniscus, bone spurs, neuroma, plantar fasciitis, leg cramps, metatarsalgia, shin splints
Immune system: repeated colds and infections, yeast infections, Epstein-Barr virus (mononucleosis), hay fever
Other manifestations of repressed anger may be: Ï Subclinical depression Ï Depression Ï Anxiety attacks Ï Chronic fatigue syndrome Ï Bulimia Ï Anorexia Ï Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia Ï Some acquired allergies Ï Chronic pain Ï Lyme disease (a bacterial infection caused by tick bites; however, finding the antibody titer in the blood is blamed for the cause of chronic pain) Ï Spasms of the diaphragm, chest, and lungs, leading to hiccups, angina, and asthma respectively.
This is definitely an excellent reference to have in one's personal library.
Mindbody Connection for Healing is Interesting Idea. The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain
I've read the other reviews for this book. Some are lengthy, erudite discussions of the fine points of Sarno's theories.
I think everyone who has really thought about it seriously, realizes that of course our minds can control our bodies to an extent. Sarno's basic thinking is that most diseases, chronic pain, etc. can be grouped together in one neat package, and by using his process, cures and relief can be affected.
In many cases, I think this is true. My only problem with the premise of the book is that if you accept his ideas and use his process, but do not experience a diminishing of pain, or a cure for a chronic condition, it's your fault for not doing it well enough, long enough, or correctly. This may not be his intent, but it's what I came away with after having read the book carefully, twice, highlighting important points.
I find it problematic that if a patient tries very hard, follows all the steps outlined, and still suffers, he/she will exacerbate the chronic condition or chronic pain because of guilt and feelings of failure.
This is one person's opinion. Take it for what it's worth. I will continue to meditate, use biofeedback, and rest in a dark room when I get a debilitating migraine. And, yes, I will medicate according to my pain doctor's directions, too.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
