I was told for 13 years my back pain was emotional. I tried journaling, going to therapy, “talking to my pain” and everything I could do to relieve my “emotional pain”. Well I had an MRI two days ago and I have multiple herniated discs. 13 years of hell and there really is something medically wrong with me. So no, I don’t believe this crap from Dr. Sarno. I’m actually quite pissed what I have endured and being told it was stress or emotional.
I've been dealing with some weird fucking symptoms lately and have been doing all sorts of tests, gone to judgemental 'specialists' who don't give a flying fuck, taken pills and yet... I still suffer from the same bloody symptoms. I believe in things like plans from the universe, and as an ex-massage therapist I've experienced some freaky energetic shit which I can't explain through science. But for physical pain, I still struggle to think outside the box. Thanks for sharing this, I'm going to look into it all a bit better.
Last summer I was sidelined, out of the blue with excruciating back pain - from no apparent cause other than waking up! I went from feeling a twinge in my left kidney area to not being able to rise from a prone position in bed, to a sitting position without screaming in pain. I was out of work from May until almost September. I went through all the usual medical hoops - x-rays, mri's, etc., to find out I was bone-on-bone (or vertebrae-on-vertebrae) between my L-5 & L-7 & the excruciating pain was likely coming from nerve endings all sandwiched up in there!!. Almost had medical grade concrete injected into my spine for stabilization, but that got rejected by insurance & I'm glad it did in hindsight. Through PT, Gabapentin (don't recommend!) & a 4 month work hiatus, I was able to heal enough to function in life. But I've noticed in recent weeks, pain is intensifying again, & differently this time. I'm intrigued by your experience & have downloaded the book.The logic behind it makes sense to me, as I KNOW I have a lot of tamped down/repressed "stuff." Looking forward to reading it & implementing his strategies.🤞
I’m so sorry you’ve been going through all that, and I really hope the Sarno theory can help you. I was SO skeptical going in to it, but also desperate for relief. I’m so glad I picked up that wacky little book though—it was truly life-changing and I still use the techniques now when I feel a flare-up coming on (or a headache, or any other physical symptom that seems like it could just be my brain playing tricks on me). It hasn’t failed me yet!
Holy shit, Sarah. Thank you. Since reading this post yesterday I’ve realized that so much of what I think of as stress is much more than that—it’s rage, absolutely. And some of it I’ve been carrying around for 37 years, since the unconscionable actions of my then-husband when our first child was born, which sends me into a fury every time I think of it. I haven’t read either book you mentioned, but today I chose a beautiful little notebook to be my rage journal and started writing. I feel better already. I’m thinking of supplementing it with periodic mutual rage-expression sessions with a friend who knows me best and knows all the gory details of my history. And yeah, I’m going to buy one or both of those books. And I’m going to say “fuck” (already one of my favorite words) a hell of a lot more often. Thank you again.
I'm so happy to hear this! I really can't overstate how much those books helped me--I've been pain free for well over a year now, and any time I feel that sciatica creeping in I just stop and interrogate my rage and once I realize what has triggered me, the physical pain just goes away. It's truly magical. I wish you all the best in exorcising that 37 years' worth of pent-up emotion. You can do it!
Did you read The Mindbody Prescription? I see a couple of Sarno books out there. (I’m not sure what I’m like as a candidate since a lot of my pain IS accident-related, but I’m still VERY curious).
Thanks to you, I am reading the book now, and OMG it explains me!! I’m not done yet, but as I sit here with intense back pain that “coincidentally” flared up after finding out I don’t qualify for employment insurance, and GI problems that won’t quit no matter what I do or don’t eat, I know that this is what I need to try. Whatever works!!
Did you just keep writing down the things that gave you the rage plus the mantra and it stopped ? I definitely have TMS but my back is so bad at the moment
It requires a bit more deep thinking, because the problem isn’t really what you can easily identify or put on a list—it’s the layers underneath that which are (according to Dr Sarno) being repressed by your conscious mind, because your brain thinks they are TOO painful to be acknowledged.
So for example, one could begin with “I’m angry at my boss.” But the pain is still there, because it’s the deep-rooted feelings *behind* that anger that your brain is still repressing.
So then you’d have to ask yourself, “OK but what is it about my boss’s actions or behavior that are triggering me, and how deep does it go?”
“My boss undermined me in the meeting today” is probably not enough. It’s more likely something like “When my boss undermined me in the meeting—even though my rational mind knows they were just being an asshole—it may be bringing up feelings of inferiority or imposter syndrome in my subconscious, and that’s the true emotional pain that my brain is trying to protect me from.”
The idea is that once you are aware of the source of the emotional pain, your brain can stop trying to protect you from it (by sending physical pain). It’s all out in the open. Does that help?
It seems like that was part of my problem to begin with 😂 Good luck! (It’s uncomfortable to dig around in there, but not NEARLY as bad as suffering the back pain…)
I pretty much only had to recognize them. I think if my issues were related to a deeper trauma (like abuse), I might have had to allow myself to get REALLY angry/upset/etc. There is an example in the Sarno book of a woman who had to come to terms with something like that and it was overwhelmingly emotional in the moment but then her physical pain did go away. For me it was more more just recognizing the connections/source.
That's my hope!! I have had 30 years of GI issues that worsened after work trauma a few years, plus back, neck and head pain that was only occasional until said trauma. Here's to hoping! Going to get my spouse to read the book, too, so that he gets what I'm trying to do.
I’m a believer in this! I’m a migraine sufferer and I also have chronic neck and back pain. When I was working at my toxic job, my neck hurt so badly that I had to get steroid shots in it that didnt even help, went through painful physical therapy that made things worse, and my stomach was constantly burning from all the nsaids I was constantly taking. I quit that job and I can’t believe it! My neck pain is gone along with the numbness and tingling in my arm and hand. I still get headaches but not nearly as badly. I plan to read the book you recommended. So glad you got relief!
This is beautiful! As an Md myself I can only say I'm so happy you shared this. I haven't heard of Dr. Sarno but I most definitely share his view on emotions and the body. I've been a chronic pain specialists for a long time, quickly realising the super intimate connection between physical pain and emotions. I can't address enough all of this to my patients and now through my newsletter. Thanks for this and for being open to try healing yourself. That's the hardest work of all. I applaud you! 🥰
Thank you! I appreciate the vote of confidence and it definitely helps my inner skeptic to get notes like these, validating the concepts in play and reinforcing the work!
My siactica is now considering dipping into the woo-woo....however I do believe the body is a lot smarter than we give it credit for. I'm excited to dig in. ✨
I'm glad you found something that worked for you. I don't think Dr. Sarno is snake oil. I heard this amazing interview on the Ezra Klein Show with Rachel Zoffness, who is a bona fide pain psychologist. She has all kinds of science to back up what Dr. Sarno is saying, in essence (she also talks about Dr. Sarno).
Science tells us that pain is physical, psychological and...wait for it...social. In other words, pain is complicated as fuck but also mostly located in our brains. And a lot of chronic pain can be lessened or resolved through changing our psychology and our social environment.
She has this fascinating story of the two nails. One construction worker jumps off a building onto a 7-inch nail. Goes right through his boot. He's in excruciating pain. Writhing and screaming. They take him to the emergency room. The nail missed his foot altogether--went between his toes. Did not puncture anything except his boot. But the pain he felt was REAL because his brain told him the nail had punctured his foot.
Second guy (trigger warning for ickiness)--working with a nail gun. It misfires. Ricochets off his jaw. He's fine. He has a mild headache and a toothache. Goes on with his life. A week later he says, "You know, I'm going to the dentist for this toothache." They do an X-ray and find the nail embedded in his face. His brain told him he was fine so he felt mostly fine.
Oh wow, thank you for sending this!!! I love knowing there's someone who has been able to incorporate all the "real" science and basically kind of extend Sarno's work into a more nuanced and explicable realm. Just like Rachel Zoffness, I felt that Sarno was "onto something" but didn't like his way of just kind of presenting his theories as fact. It's off-putting, frankly, and I feel like it can also prevent skeptics like me from getting to the good and useful part of what he's saying. After I read the books I wondered "Where would he be with all these theories and data if he'd had another 30 years to keep digging away at it?" And this seems to be the answer (or, one answer among many). I'm ordering her book right now--thank you again for alerting me to it, and to this podcast!
OMG OMG OMG! I too have debilitating (there’s that word) headaches and a whole slew of pain and other chronic conditions that just keep piling up and i am convinced there’s an emotional aspect to this as a little people pleasing perfectionist , but I had no idea how to address this. I am totally up for the wackadoodle woo woo. I guess I’m back to reading books. Thank you!
Oh you DO sound like a prime candidate for a TMS diagnosis…there’s a lot of stuff in the books about people like us (perfectionist overachievers) being prone to repressing our emotions. I found it fascinating once I got past the initial feeling of “Seriously? This is too weird.” 😂 I really hope it helps you (and thanks for subscribing)!
This could be life changing if it works. I’ve downloaded the book. I come from an immigrant family with all the model minority trappings and the high achievement goals etc etc - tale as old as time, right?
And you’re welcome! I felt like I was hanging out with an old friend while I read this.
Thank you Sarah. So happy for you! You have A beautiful spirit.
Reading about your interactions with the medical Hive Borg Gulag my pulse shot up and my breath got shallow and neck and shoulders tensed as I recall the absolute imbeciles with degrees we are forced to endure to get relief and answers. My quest is still ongoing as I look for answers to my “ autoimmune disease” WTF? Autoimmune? You saying my body hates itself??
But what they are selling to me I am not buying. There has to be a connection to something I’m burying and my body thinks is a foreign invasion. Thanks so much for the encouragement your article gives that 1. I am not crazy 2. To keep on
Treat it like a quest of epic proportions that you have to complete yourself. No one else can do it for you. They can only pray for your strength and courage not to give up
Thank you Tim, and I wish you all the success in getting to the bottom of your health woes. It is a jungle out there, for sure. The medical “HBG” as you call it can be so disheartening. Good luck to you!!!
I was told for 13 years my back pain was emotional. I tried journaling, going to therapy, “talking to my pain” and everything I could do to relieve my “emotional pain”. Well I had an MRI two days ago and I have multiple herniated discs. 13 years of hell and there really is something medically wrong with me. So no, I don’t believe this crap from Dr. Sarno. I’m actually quite pissed what I have endured and being told it was stress or emotional.
I’m sorry that this was your experience. I hope you are able to get relief.
I've been dealing with some weird fucking symptoms lately and have been doing all sorts of tests, gone to judgemental 'specialists' who don't give a flying fuck, taken pills and yet... I still suffer from the same bloody symptoms. I believe in things like plans from the universe, and as an ex-massage therapist I've experienced some freaky energetic shit which I can't explain through science. But for physical pain, I still struggle to think outside the box. Thanks for sharing this, I'm going to look into it all a bit better.
I hope it helps!
Me too 🙏
Last summer I was sidelined, out of the blue with excruciating back pain - from no apparent cause other than waking up! I went from feeling a twinge in my left kidney area to not being able to rise from a prone position in bed, to a sitting position without screaming in pain. I was out of work from May until almost September. I went through all the usual medical hoops - x-rays, mri's, etc., to find out I was bone-on-bone (or vertebrae-on-vertebrae) between my L-5 & L-7 & the excruciating pain was likely coming from nerve endings all sandwiched up in there!!. Almost had medical grade concrete injected into my spine for stabilization, but that got rejected by insurance & I'm glad it did in hindsight. Through PT, Gabapentin (don't recommend!) & a 4 month work hiatus, I was able to heal enough to function in life. But I've noticed in recent weeks, pain is intensifying again, & differently this time. I'm intrigued by your experience & have downloaded the book.The logic behind it makes sense to me, as I KNOW I have a lot of tamped down/repressed "stuff." Looking forward to reading it & implementing his strategies.🤞
I’m so sorry you’ve been going through all that, and I really hope the Sarno theory can help you. I was SO skeptical going in to it, but also desperate for relief. I’m so glad I picked up that wacky little book though—it was truly life-changing and I still use the techniques now when I feel a flare-up coming on (or a headache, or any other physical symptom that seems like it could just be my brain playing tricks on me). It hasn’t failed me yet!
Holy shit, Sarah. Thank you. Since reading this post yesterday I’ve realized that so much of what I think of as stress is much more than that—it’s rage, absolutely. And some of it I’ve been carrying around for 37 years, since the unconscionable actions of my then-husband when our first child was born, which sends me into a fury every time I think of it. I haven’t read either book you mentioned, but today I chose a beautiful little notebook to be my rage journal and started writing. I feel better already. I’m thinking of supplementing it with periodic mutual rage-expression sessions with a friend who knows me best and knows all the gory details of my history. And yeah, I’m going to buy one or both of those books. And I’m going to say “fuck” (already one of my favorite words) a hell of a lot more often. Thank you again.
I'm so happy to hear this! I really can't overstate how much those books helped me--I've been pain free for well over a year now, and any time I feel that sciatica creeping in I just stop and interrogate my rage and once I realize what has triggered me, the physical pain just goes away. It's truly magical. I wish you all the best in exorcising that 37 years' worth of pent-up emotion. You can do it!
Thank you! I’m inspired!
Ma’am I’ve been having back pain that is slowly driving me insane for months and I will abbbbsolutely be trying this thank you for your service
Honestly: LIFE-CHANGING. I was so skeptical, but it worked then, and it's kept working for a year, so consider me a convert!
Did you read The Mindbody Prescription? I see a couple of Sarno books out there. (I’m not sure what I’m like as a candidate since a lot of my pain IS accident-related, but I’m still VERY curious).
Yes, I actually read THE MINDBODY PRESCRIPTION first and then I read HEALING BACK PAIN.
Thanks to you, I am reading the book now, and OMG it explains me!! I’m not done yet, but as I sit here with intense back pain that “coincidentally” flared up after finding out I don’t qualify for employment insurance, and GI problems that won’t quit no matter what I do or don’t eat, I know that this is what I need to try. Whatever works!!
I’m so glad you found the post—I hope it helps you!
I’m a chiropractor and when I don’t get results within a few visits I work on their emotions.
Sometimes it only takes a few seconds. I’ll check them with my emotion chart and when I get a “hit” we will clear that emotion.
I used to feel funny about it when people thought it was weird, but you can’t argue with results.
Fascinating!
Did you just keep writing down the things that gave you the rage plus the mantra and it stopped ? I definitely have TMS but my back is so bad at the moment
It requires a bit more deep thinking, because the problem isn’t really what you can easily identify or put on a list—it’s the layers underneath that which are (according to Dr Sarno) being repressed by your conscious mind, because your brain thinks they are TOO painful to be acknowledged.
So for example, one could begin with “I’m angry at my boss.” But the pain is still there, because it’s the deep-rooted feelings *behind* that anger that your brain is still repressing.
So then you’d have to ask yourself, “OK but what is it about my boss’s actions or behavior that are triggering me, and how deep does it go?”
“My boss undermined me in the meeting today” is probably not enough. It’s more likely something like “When my boss undermined me in the meeting—even though my rational mind knows they were just being an asshole—it may be bringing up feelings of inferiority or imposter syndrome in my subconscious, and that’s the true emotional pain that my brain is trying to protect me from.”
The idea is that once you are aware of the source of the emotional pain, your brain can stop trying to protect you from it (by sending physical pain). It’s all out in the open. Does that help?
Ooh that’s deep. Very helpful and very scary
Yes although I will need to work hard at it. I’m not big on digging into my feelings at the best of times
It seems like that was part of my problem to begin with 😂 Good luck! (It’s uncomfortable to dig around in there, but not NEARLY as bad as suffering the back pain…)
Did you have to fill out feel the feelings? Or just recognize and name them?
I pretty much only had to recognize them. I think if my issues were related to a deeper trauma (like abuse), I might have had to allow myself to get REALLY angry/upset/etc. There is an example in the Sarno book of a woman who had to come to terms with something like that and it was overwhelmingly emotional in the moment but then her physical pain did go away. For me it was more more just recognizing the connections/source.
That's my hope!! I have had 30 years of GI issues that worsened after work trauma a few years, plus back, neck and head pain that was only occasional until said trauma. Here's to hoping! Going to get my spouse to read the book, too, so that he gets what I'm trying to do.
I’m a believer in this! I’m a migraine sufferer and I also have chronic neck and back pain. When I was working at my toxic job, my neck hurt so badly that I had to get steroid shots in it that didnt even help, went through painful physical therapy that made things worse, and my stomach was constantly burning from all the nsaids I was constantly taking. I quit that job and I can’t believe it! My neck pain is gone along with the numbness and tingling in my arm and hand. I still get headaches but not nearly as badly. I plan to read the book you recommended. So glad you got relief!
Wow, you managed a lot of improvement without even reading the book—soon you’ll be unstoppable!!!
This is beautiful! As an Md myself I can only say I'm so happy you shared this. I haven't heard of Dr. Sarno but I most definitely share his view on emotions and the body. I've been a chronic pain specialists for a long time, quickly realising the super intimate connection between physical pain and emotions. I can't address enough all of this to my patients and now through my newsletter. Thanks for this and for being open to try healing yourself. That's the hardest work of all. I applaud you! 🥰
Thank you! I appreciate the vote of confidence and it definitely helps my inner skeptic to get notes like these, validating the concepts in play and reinforcing the work!
You rock 😊✨
My siactica is now considering dipping into the woo-woo....however I do believe the body is a lot smarter than we give it credit for. I'm excited to dig in. ✨
I hope it helps!!!
I'm glad you found something that worked for you. I don't think Dr. Sarno is snake oil. I heard this amazing interview on the Ezra Klein Show with Rachel Zoffness, who is a bona fide pain psychologist. She has all kinds of science to back up what Dr. Sarno is saying, in essence (she also talks about Dr. Sarno).
Science tells us that pain is physical, psychological and...wait for it...social. In other words, pain is complicated as fuck but also mostly located in our brains. And a lot of chronic pain can be lessened or resolved through changing our psychology and our social environment.
She has this fascinating story of the two nails. One construction worker jumps off a building onto a 7-inch nail. Goes right through his boot. He's in excruciating pain. Writhing and screaming. They take him to the emergency room. The nail missed his foot altogether--went between his toes. Did not puncture anything except his boot. But the pain he felt was REAL because his brain told him the nail had punctured his foot.
Second guy (trigger warning for ickiness)--working with a nail gun. It misfires. Ricochets off his jaw. He's fine. He has a mild headache and a toothache. Goes on with his life. A week later he says, "You know, I'm going to the dentist for this toothache." They do an X-ray and find the nail embedded in his face. His brain told him he was fine so he felt mostly fine.
So, yeah, pain is fucking complicated.
Here's the podcast:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/21/opinion/17eks-ezra-klein-podcast-rachel-zoffness.html
Oh wow, thank you for sending this!!! I love knowing there's someone who has been able to incorporate all the "real" science and basically kind of extend Sarno's work into a more nuanced and explicable realm. Just like Rachel Zoffness, I felt that Sarno was "onto something" but didn't like his way of just kind of presenting his theories as fact. It's off-putting, frankly, and I feel like it can also prevent skeptics like me from getting to the good and useful part of what he's saying. After I read the books I wondered "Where would he be with all these theories and data if he'd had another 30 years to keep digging away at it?" And this seems to be the answer (or, one answer among many). I'm ordering her book right now--thank you again for alerting me to it, and to this podcast!
OMG OMG OMG! I too have debilitating (there’s that word) headaches and a whole slew of pain and other chronic conditions that just keep piling up and i am convinced there’s an emotional aspect to this as a little people pleasing perfectionist , but I had no idea how to address this. I am totally up for the wackadoodle woo woo. I guess I’m back to reading books. Thank you!
Oh and subscribed! I love this!!
Oh you DO sound like a prime candidate for a TMS diagnosis…there’s a lot of stuff in the books about people like us (perfectionist overachievers) being prone to repressing our emotions. I found it fascinating once I got past the initial feeling of “Seriously? This is too weird.” 😂 I really hope it helps you (and thanks for subscribing)!
This could be life changing if it works. I’ve downloaded the book. I come from an immigrant family with all the model minority trappings and the high achievement goals etc etc - tale as old as time, right?
And you’re welcome! I felt like I was hanging out with an old friend while I read this.
Thank you Sarah. So happy for you! You have A beautiful spirit.
Reading about your interactions with the medical Hive Borg Gulag my pulse shot up and my breath got shallow and neck and shoulders tensed as I recall the absolute imbeciles with degrees we are forced to endure to get relief and answers. My quest is still ongoing as I look for answers to my “ autoimmune disease” WTF? Autoimmune? You saying my body hates itself??
But what they are selling to me I am not buying. There has to be a connection to something I’m burying and my body thinks is a foreign invasion. Thanks so much for the encouragement your article gives that 1. I am not crazy 2. To keep on
Treat it like a quest of epic proportions that you have to complete yourself. No one else can do it for you. They can only pray for your strength and courage not to give up
Thank you Tim, and I wish you all the success in getting to the bottom of your health woes. It is a jungle out there, for sure. The medical “HBG” as you call it can be so disheartening. Good luck to you!!!
I’m reading it now. Slightly scared of writing down the things that cause me rage!
Thus proving Dr. Sarno’s hypothesis 😂