The Mind/Body Prescription

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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. It is very important to note that he has a high success rate that can also be linked to the screening process. He purposely selects the patients he believes will be able to be open to his kind of therapy. In this case, I think he should be more careful in generalizing hidden emotions as cause for disease in so many diseases, as he does. His good results might be making him biased. I did get a strong feeling he might be exaggerating in some cases, such as Epstein-barr and fibromyalgia. But it is clear he gets it right many times in others. our diagnosis and treatment of tension myositis syndrome [same or similar to myofascial pain syndrome — Paul] represent yet another instance of what is possible when the power of the mind is mobilized for healing the body. It’s not magic; it is as scientific as the appropriate use of antibiotics, for science encompasses everything that is true in nature.

When Dr. Sarno wrote this book he was a practicing physician and professor at the New York University School of Medicine and had successfully treated countless patients for chronic pain. If this book gave me anything and everything it is this: My pain is an illusion. It is not real even though it feels that way! It can be healed! I do not have to buy into the mind game that my body is distracting me from identifying what my feelings are and where the pain is being directed to. I get that now.

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For those who are interested, an appendix covers the more academic aspects of the mindbody (psychosomatic) process. The hidden feeling is mainly interpreted as anger. Anger is a very testosteronic emotion. Women have testosterone too, just as anger, but I do not believe all the repressed feelings we have are linked to anger. He says loosing someone you love and depend on causes anger; well, for me it causes fear and sadness. Personally I have experienced a lot of traumatic events, and have been into psychotherapy for many years ( my uncle studied with Jung ). If most of these are psychogenic-that is, they originate in the mind (and it is my goal to demonstrate that they are)-we have a public health problem of staggering proportions. The medical, humanitarian and economic implications are obvious and will be enumerated. I do not believe doctors are so unaware that emotions can cause disease, as Dr. Sarno states; I just think they might not be aware of how frequent this can be, or how to deal with it.

Dr. John E. Sarno’s book, “The Mindbody Prescription”, delves deeper into the vital connection between mental and bodily health. The Mindbody Prescription” is your invaluable guide to a healthy and pain-free life. “The Mindbody Prescription” by Dr. John Sarno - Book contents Reading "The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain," Dr. Sarno lectures on the same subject over and over again, in a variety of examples, covering the technical biological conditions and TMS symptoms in just about every part of the body, however the point is always the same: TMS is a practice of distracting your from unconscious rage, and that education and awareness can work wonders in healing and providing a permanent cure. However, as Dr. Sarno deftly points out, it takes some time and work to make the healing-cure happen, and each person has a different depth of unconscious rage to contend with. Some are cured just by reading the book, or attending a TMS lecture or two, others should get help with their unconscious rage through a psychiatrist or psychotherapist. No matter what the case, it all comes down to an individual learning about TMS, and buying into it one hundred percent.This book is also filled with practical exercises and techniques that readers can use to identify and manage their emotional stressors, making it a useful tool for self-empowerment and long-term pain management.

Also, I believe that Sarno plays too fast and loose with some of his facts, conspicuously ignoring some evidence which undermines his position, and sometimes making too much of evidence that supports it. And many of his citations are of dubious quality. Secondly, Sarno seems to think that this subconscious rage wants to express itself as actual rage, or perhaps tears of frustration, which are not socially acceptable affect displays in Western society. Thus, we must sublimate the rage. But wait. I thought this wasn't conscious rage. Wouldn't we be sublimating conscious rage in that case?

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By sharing real-life stories of patients who have overcome chronic pain through his approach, Dr. Sarno helps you to understand the effectiveness of his method and gives you hope that you too can overcome your pain. He believes that simply treating the physical symptoms of pain, such as with medications or physical therapy, is not enough to resolve the underlying problem.