The basic problem is that our conscious mind is unaware, or neglecting, of aspects of ourselves which are therefore not being permitted expression in a normal, healthy way. One could think of the analogy that the entire human being is like a society, and certain elements of the society have been oppressed into underclasses, ghettos, rejects, by the haughty, tyrannical upper classes and overlord. But these rejects are nevertheless real parts of society. If their existence is not given healthful, positive expression within society, it will manifest as problem elements in prone to rejection of the system and protest. There were days that I had a break from the pain and I could not tell you why. It was always a mystery to me that left me feeling frustrated. Why would today I feel better than yesterday? What did I do differently and … I could never come up with an answer!

B.) – The traditional recommendation of physical therapy grated on me. (This is the doctor’s favorite method of treating pain when they do not know what do to with you.) It should be noted, very early on, that this only applies to maladies with no discernible physical cause. Make a Written List: List all of the stresses, pressures, and anxiety you have in your life, including things that are self-imposed pressures, and any anger or issues from your childhood. Although Sarno has impressive expertise and clinical experience, he does not have the extensive hands-on experience that I have as a former massage therapist.I’ve journaled faithfully for the last 6 years. I truly love to write and journaling opened up a porthole of creativity that unleashed something within me that was able to break free and yet, I still had pain.

Think Psychological: Whenever a person is in pain they should think of what repressed rage is causing the pain.It is my impression that ‘pain-killing’ drugs improve the patient’s mood rather than take away the pain. Learn how repressed emotions contribute to chronic pain and how to treat it without medical, physical interventions, or surgery. I started journaling in an enhanced way. Instead of trying to write my inner musings down in a way that is pleasant to read; making sure that I corrected all of my spelling and my sentences were punctuated to reflect my true feelings, I started unleashing the beast. (Yes, even my journaling needed to be perfect. I never allowed myself to misspell a word or put punctuation in the wrong place.) Goodism (co-dependency) is the need to be excessively good. Driven to be helpful, to ingratiate, to want everyone to like them. Rage is generated when the individual excessively sacrifices what is good for them in the interest of others; when there is not enough appreciation from others for what they have given.

Being in my fifties, I have also had a chance to observe human behavior for a while. I have noticed how men are more prone to anger and women more prone to fear. If it is due to the amount of testosterone, or cultural, or both, I cannot say. Even when women get angry, after the initial release they end up falling in tears - at least I do. So our anger might be covering our sadness, frustration, feelings of powerlessness. That can come from fear too. Besides, women have been trained, culturally and emotionally, to have fear. Have you listened to any of Brian Holsopple’s other performances before? How does this one compare? On the day I finished the book, I found that a good portion of my subconscious rage had surfaced, and for the first time since middle school I actually wanted to fight someone, lmao. That boiling anger lasted for a few days before receding. Not even a week later, the pain had basically vanished. A few weeks later I went to a neurologist who told me my nerves were incredibly healthy and that what I had been experiencing was a software issue, not a hardware one. The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain” by Dr. John Sarno is a pioneering book that challenges traditional medical thinking surrounding the treatment of chronic pain.With that in mind and with little expectation, I decided to give this audiobook a shot.. Dr. Sarno assured me that the pain is not imaginary but that there is a way to get rid of it and he explained what steps I could take to do so. I know this is probably too early to report for sure, and ideally I'll have the discipline to update my review later on, but one day after finishing listening to this audiobook and applying some of the recommendations, I feel much better---and feel obligated to write a review. The invocation of psychoanalytical theory is either too much or too little. It's there for a good reason--to help assuage the doubts of more analytical readers, giving a scientific basis to psychological side of the book. For my taste, it didn't delve far enough--it just let me with a lot more questions. Pros: Sarno has built his career around an important and interesting idea, about the importance of the mind in health. This is a valuable baby that should not be thrown out with the bathwater. Sarno was saying the same thing about twenty years sooner, and he deserves credit for an early illumination of something profound about human nature: that just like blind faith can cause some healing via the placebo effect, informed confidence can also have startling effects. Some more quibbles That I have the power to heal myself. That emotions, though intrinsic to living, important and necessary, if they are out of balance can be very toxic.

By exploring the mind-body connection and the role of psychological factors in chronic pain, Dr. Sarno offers you a fresh perspective on pain management that is both empowering and effective. Accessible writing style The next day, I awoke in pain however, I knew that I was on to something helpful and I’ve wanted to keep exploring it. Perhaps that is the fuel that keeps us doing the work that this book suggests. It’s going to be a daily practice. It’s going to require me to take the time to scavenge, dig and unleash and I’ve discovered that the only way that is going to happen is if I begin with my first thought/sentence and let it take me from there. I’m too tired to worry about ugly emotions or feelings. I have reached a place of desperation and I’m now willing to bring my ghosts out of the closet.I got tired of talking to someone who might understand my pain because guess what?! NO ONE UNDERSTOOD MY PAIN!!! NO ONE!!! surgery is a powerful placebo, perhaps the ultimate placebo. The effectiveness of a placebo is directly proportional to the impression it makes on the patient’s subconscious mind. The truth the author exposes about dealing with chronic pain saved me thousands of dollars and steered me toward years of peace.