After reading this book, Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection my journey with 15 years of sciatica and lower back pain ended.

I had an especially acute bout of sciatica, last month. This time it got to the point I could not take a step – which was frightening. My daughter gave me this book and read sections out loud because I was so distraught. She had already used it on herself – had earmarked sections that were most powerful and transferred the message clearly to me. In about 30 minutes, I could move. I could not believe it! I felt a rush of extreme joy – I cried. I read the book in two days and the pain was gone. I would also recommend the second book below as well to do some of the psych work. It was truly shocking that my people-pleasing behaviour and repressed anger could cause this condition for over 15 years. I wish I had known about Dr. Sarno sooner.  I could not recommend it more.

“Think psychological, not physical, An idea that is most quizzical. No one would have guessed Emotions deeply repressed Could produce such tension Not even to mention TMS. There is nothing to fear! Subconscious, do you hear? You concentrate on pain, A back sufferer’s bane, To divert one’s attention From underlying tension. Your secret is out; You have lost your clout. So give it up, resign— TMS is benign! I am in control, not you. I have learned that I’ve got to— Think psychological, not physical.”

― John E. Sarno, Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection

Tension myositis syndrome (TMS), also known as tension myoneural syndrome or mindbody syndrome, is a name given by John E. Sarno to a condition of psychogenic musculoskeletal and nerve symptoms, most notably back pain.

John Ernest Sarno Jr. was Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, and attending physician at the Howard A. Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York University Medical Center.

Sarno originated the term tension myositis syndrome (TMS) to name a psychosomatic condition producing pain, particularly back pain. The theory of TMS and Sarno’s treatment of it have been hailed by many lay people as life-changing. A 2017 book on back pain treatments described Sarno as the “rock star of the back world”

TMS is a strategy of the brain to keep unpleasant thoughts and emotions from rising from the unconscious into the conscious mind. The brain, through established physiologic pathways, creates pain as a distraction. By focusing our attention on physical symptoms, we keep these painful thoughts and emotions repressed. This is a very effective strategy, as there is an absolute epidemic of mindbody disorders in our society.

These statistics suggest very strongly that the cause of most back pain is emotional, for the years between thirty and sixty are the ages that fall into what I would call the years of responsibility. This is the period in one’s life when one is under the most strain to succeed, to provide and excel, and it is logical that this is when one would experience the highest incidence of TMS.

The pertinent bias here is that these common pain syndromes must be the result of structural abnormalities of the spine or chemically or mechanically induced deficiencies of muscle. Of equal importance is another bias held by conventional medicine that emotions do not induce physiologic change. Experience with TMS contradicts both biases. The disorder is a benign (though painful) physiologic aberration of soft tissue (not the spine).

The pain is due to TMS, not to a structural abnormality.

• The direct reason for the pain is mild oxygen deprivation.
• TMS is a harmless condition, caused by my repressed emotions.
• The principal emotion is my repressed anger.
• TMS exists only to distract my attention from the emotions.
• Since my back is basically normal, there is nothing to fear.
• Therefore, physical activity is not dangerous.
• And I must resume all normal physical activity.
• I will not be concerned or intimidated by the pain.
• I will shift my attention from the pain to emotional issues.
• I intend to be in control—not my subconscious mind.
• I must think psychological at all times, not physical.

Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection

The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders

The Divided Mind is the crowning achievement of Dr. John E. Sarno’s distinguished career as a groundbreaking medical pioneer, going beyond pain to address the entire spectrum of psychosomatic (mindbody) disorders.

The interaction between the generally reasonable, rational, ethical, moral conscious mind and the repressed feelings of emotional pain, hurt, sadness, and anger characteristic of the unconscious mind appears to be the basis for mindbody disorders. Dr. Sarno traces the history of psychosomatic medicine, including Freud’s crucial role, and describes the psychology responsible for the broad range of psychosomatic illness. The failure of medicine’s practitioners to recognise and appropriately treat mindbody disorders has produced public health and economic problems of major proportions across the western world.

One of the most important aspects of psychosomatic phenomena is that knowledge and awareness of the process clearly have healing powers. Thousands of people have become pain-free simply by reading Dr. Sarno’s books – how and why this happens is revealed in The Divided Mind.

‘The Divided Mind is the crowning achievement of Dr. John E. Sarno’s distinguished career as a groundbreaking medical pioneer, going beyond pain to address the entire spectrum of psychosomatic (mindbody) disorders… thousands of people have become pain-free simply by reading Dr. Sarno’s previous books.’ Psychology Today

‘Dr. Sarno, is, in my opinion, the most brilliant doctor in America… In the past twenty years I have recommended his books to dozens of friends and acquaintances experiencing chronic pain, including several on the verge of surgery.’ Edward Siedle, Forbes

‘Dr. Sarno brilliantly explores the chasm between the conscious and unconscious minds where psychosomatic ailments originate.’ Mehmet Oz, co-author of You: The Owner’s Manual

‘Will change the way we think about health and illness… the crowning achievement of Dr Sarno’s distinguished career.’ The Watkins Review

“If you ask people to ease up on you because you’re emotionally overloaded, don’t look for a sympathetic response; but tell them you’ve got pain or some other physical symptom and they immediately become responsive and solicitous.”

“Put another way, painful or otherwise distressing psychosomatic symptoms are designed for self-preservation, not self-flagellation.”

“Most of the structural changes in your spine are natural occurrences.” “The brain doesn’t want to face up to the repressed anger, so it is running away from it.” “By laughing at or ignoring the pain, you are teaching the brain to send new messages to the muscles.” “We’re going to help you take the Sword of Damocles into your hands instead of having it hang over your head.”

“People often say that they have a very stressful job and that’s why they’re tense. But if they weren’t conscientious about doing a good job, if they weren’t trying to succeed, achieve, and excel, they wouldn’t generate tension. Often such people are highly competitive and determined to get ahead. Typically, they are more critical of themselves than others are of them.”

“It’s all in your mind” is almost insulting, implying there’s something strange or weak about you or that the symptoms are in your imagination. This is most unfortunate, since the symptoms are very real, the result of a very physical process.”