Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by John E. Sarno
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Book Reviews of Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection
Book Review: Yahoooowoohoo!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I approached this book already a believer and seeker of the mind/body connection. Having failed to find answers in other books--even great books that opened my eyes in so many other ways still did not help make this connection (lacking the scientific or medical explanation).
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.
Book Review: Saved my life not one, not two, but three times....
Summary: 5 Stars
Prior to February 1999, I had a "bad back". One day in February of 1999, I confided to a friend my frustration around my latest backache that had gone on for about two months, and she loaned me her copy of Sarno's book. A brilliant light was shone on my whole situation. My back pain cleared up within two weeks, never to return (until recently).This year, 2002, has been especially stressful for me, for a number of reasons. As a result, I had a backache from January through March. The pain was annoying yet didn't impair my mobility. I knew that it was TMS, but I was not ready to "deal with it". In April, I read one page of the Sarno book (you will know which page), actively applied the principles, and my pain was again eliminated within about 10 days.
You would think this is the end of my story, but it is only the beginning. Seven weeks ago (6/10/2002), I was ambushed by intense leg pain, which seemed to get worse and worse with each subsequent day, making it more and more difficult to walk. I had never experienced leg pain before in my life, and I had no idea what it was. I went to a doctor who, following 5 minutes of questions and a visual examination, informed me that I had sciatica caused by a "pinched nerve". The pinched nerve was caused by a misalignment of my spine probably caused by a 4-mile run the previous week. She recommended a stretching routine and suggested that I stop picking up my one-year-old son.
My pain grew and I became increasingly fearful. Four chiropractic visits did absolutely nothing. I could stand or walk for only 30 seconds at a time. Simple daily activities became impossible. After two weeks of this hell I began to accept the possibility of prolonged disability.
With very little hope I picked up Sarno's book again. You cannot imagine my surprise and relief to learn that sciatica is firmly in the TMS realm. I read the book cover-to-cover five weeks ago. I experienced noticeable relief after one week. I am doing the emotional work that is required (if you think this is easy, you are wrong). Every week, my pain reduces. At this point, I can walk for 10 minutes without pain. I conduct all normal activities without fear, peppered with short sitting breaks. I have experienced this improvement with no physical therapies whatsoever, and I pick up and carry my 25-lb. baby boy all the time. I am disappointed that I am not yet pain-free, but I know with certainty that I will be soon.
TMS is real, and I have it. Sarno's book is not a quick fix, and it is not "alternative medicine". It describes a real problem and provides the path to a real solution. Read the book and be well. And tell your friends!
Book Review: Start here...period
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're like me and thousands (millions?) of others who suffer from back pain and other ailments (e.g., sciatica, "tennis elbow", even frequent urination and skin rashes), this book is a literal lifesaver.I first learned about Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS), the name Dr. Sarno gave to this condition, in 1999 when Dr. Sarno appeared on Larry King Live. At that time, I had been suffering from chronic low back pain for a decade. I first developed it my junior year in college and had back pain off and on since. Because I was a military officer at the time when it was most severe, I was afforded exceptional healthcare and offered every possible treatment at the U.S. government's expense. However, no amount of treatment - physical therapy, chiropractic care, exercising/stretching, acupuncture, etc. - could free me of my debilitating pain. That is, until I discovered Dr. Sarno's diagnosis.
By the time I read Dr. Sarno's book, I had every known type of imagery done to determine the root of my low back pain - MRI, CT, X-ray, etc. Still, nothing was conclusive, so once I learned through Dr. Sarno's book the pain could simply be a phyiscal reaction to emotional pain, the diagnosis made perfect sense to me and was easy to believe. Within days of reading the book, I was cured. Amazing.
Unfortunately, I still have bouts with TMS, sometimes severe bouts. As such, I continue to seek out a permanent cure for my problem. Dr. Sarno's book helped me put the pain in perspective and regain control of my life. However, it has not been able to rid me of TMS all together. He suggests psychotherapy if TMS persists, but I live in South Korea and do not have that as an option. Nonetheless, I am at least relieved to know I haven't caused any real injury to my back. I can thus go about my business and simply manage the pain as it arrives. Thank you, Dr. Sarno, thank you.
Incidentally, before I close, I should mention many people rave about Fred Amir's book "Rapid Recovery from Back Pain". I too have that book, but I have not found it that helpful (see my review). Regardless, whatever answers you seek beyond this book, don't do so until you've started here. Dr. Sarno's book is the foundation for any further help you may seek.
REVIEW UPDATE: 15 JANUARY 2004
I am writing to reaffirm how wonderful this book truly is. I am very happy to report I have had literally no back pain in nearly two years now. None. My treatment? Nothing other than reading Dr. Sarno's book. That's it. Please, folks, do yourself a favor. Give this book a try. I exaggerate not when I say that reading this paperback alone can free you of pain forever. I'm living proof.
Book Review: This book has changed my life.
Summary: 5 Stars
I have suffered from lower back pain for over 20 years. The pain would vary from severe, putting me in the hospital, to almost nonexistent allowing me to lead a virtually normal life, but these periods were few and far between. I was diagnosed with bulging discs in the L4/L5 area and surgery was constantly recommended. However I was always afraid I would be worse off than before and a lot of what I was told didn't make sense (I'm an aerospece engineer and would analyze everything I was told). Contradictions abounded, but one thing I was convinced of was that the problem was structural and I was constantly told to limit activities, do things in a certain way, always be careful to prevent additional injuries, etc, etc. When I read Dr. Sarno's book, and eventually all of his books about back pain, I found myself described to a 'T' by him,yet realized that I couldn't be the only person he was writing about, that thousands of others had the same experiences I did. Upon reading his opinion about how back pain is caused I realized my problem was mental, not physical, and that I could be free of the pain. It has been very difficult to overcome 20 years of programming, but his explanations were the only ones which made sense to me. I have been able to resume many of my 'forbidden' activities and continue to do more all the time. I'm sure that I will be able to resume all my normal activities in full. Dr. Sarno presents so many convincing explanations which explain the contradictions doctors have given me and I thank God for him every day. As he says, one doesn't have to do anything except read, understand, and accept his explanations. Getting past the fear of doing things again is probably the most difficult part, but the results are incredible. He emphasizes seeing a doctor to make sure a real physical problem, tumors, etc are not at fault but MRIs which show bulging discs are common in many people without pain, as are many other conditions which are used to explain back pain. I can't say enough about the sensible way he approaches this epidemic of back pain except to say read his books and form your own opinion. I hope others are helped as much as I have been and will let others know so they can be helped too. I don't normally comment on books, but I feel so strongly about this and I hope my few words will convince others to read his books and be helped too. Good luck to all of you who suffer from these problems. I am certainly not unique and neither are you.Book Review: If your here maybe you'll listen
Summary: 5 Stars
The main reason I am writing this review is to hopefully persuade someone to read this book and get over their pain. The second reason is that I have been telling everyone I know about TMS and mind body medicine and have probably been driving them nuts! So, I figure by writing this review I can get it out of my system.
I am in my late twenties and had minor prostitus, I actually went to an authors website about healing prostitus and read a review of this book. Naturally, the people on the forums were skeptical but I am an open minded person so I gave it a whirl. To my surpise, after about a week my pain was gone!
However, the pain moved (you will understand why when you read the book)to my right shoulder and neck. I am talking about debilitating, throbing, spasms, shocks running through my shoulder. This did not go away after a week so I bought his other book Mindbody medicine. After a week my pain lessend about 70-80%, but still it was agony to try and sleep and hurt for much of the morning. This pain lasted a couple of months and I was getting anxious that it may never go away.
This is when I bought Dr. Fred Amir's book Healing back and Neck pain. I remember while I was reading this book I participated in a back yard football game and three plays into the game my hamstring popped! I was really at a low point when this happened however I stuck to reading Dr. Fred Amir's book and treated this pain as TMS. I would still run, even if it was only around the block, and I noticed the pain started to subside. One week later I was running full boar on the treadmill. TMS essentially manifest itself as a pulled hamstring and when I didn't buy into the physical injury it went away. Gosh, I will the Colts team of 2006-2007 would read this book!
I am now pain free, I can do anything I want and it feels great! There were times I wasn't sure if I would ever be 100% again and started to envy people that didn't seem to have any pain. I would think "Man, I would give anything to just be pain free again!" and looked forward to the day I could once again sleep in peace. Well, funny thing is that day is here and I almost never sit back and feel grateful that I am healed. I guess life has a funny way of keeping you focused on the next task. This is why I decided to write a review...to show a little gratitude to the author who is responsible for me living a pain free existence. Thanks Dr. Sarno and Fred Amir!