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’m so glad your pain has gone! I’m a therapist, and totally get this. So many times, when just talking to people about their issues, the pain they experience, which wasn’t what they came to deal with, just goes away. Poof! Back, shoulder, neck. It is well known in my therapy community that emotional pain is held in the body and experienced as physical pain. The body psychotherapists ‘bible’ is called Job’s Body 🤯 because they know it’s the things that happen to us are what causes the physical pain, because yes it is easier to deal with physical than emotional pain. So if you suffer from physical pain, talk about your feelings. (Not suitable for all pain like you say but unexplained, definitely) Thank you for sharing this story! 🫶
Thanks! I’m glad it resonated with you—and I’m always interested in perspective from therapists. I talked to mine about the whole back pain journey and she was like “Yup, this makes perfect sense to me” 😂
This isn't to deride the placebo effect, on the contrary, a placebo is often staggeringly effective for many people with many different conditions. It even works for some people when they've been told they're receiving a placebo treatment.
There is a chapter in the book about the placebo effect (as well as the “nocebo” effect), and Dr. Sarno explains why treatment for TMS does not qualify as placebo—essentially because a placebo would wear off at some point whereas his patients are typically cured permanently—but either way, as I said, “Whatever works!” 😂
I assume he's self evaluating his own method as not qualifying as a placebo. A placebo is typically an actual intervention of some kind, so his method would qualify on that basis alone.
With a placebo effect lasting up to 12 months, the benefits would last longer than many other medical treatments.
Placebos have avd do help many people, I would think that's a good thing.
He addresses all of this in the books. He’s long dead though, so he can’t debate the points with you, and I’m not going to keep trying to do it for him 😂 Have a good day!
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 😂
I’m a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and your story makes so much sense. Thanks for sharing it with such humor.
Thank YOU for reading!
I’m so glad your pain has gone! I’m a therapist, and totally get this. So many times, when just talking to people about their issues, the pain they experience, which wasn’t what they came to deal with, just goes away. Poof! Back, shoulder, neck. It is well known in my therapy community that emotional pain is held in the body and experienced as physical pain. The body psychotherapists ‘bible’ is called Job’s Body 🤯 because they know it’s the things that happen to us are what causes the physical pain, because yes it is easier to deal with physical than emotional pain. So if you suffer from physical pain, talk about your feelings. (Not suitable for all pain like you say but unexplained, definitely) Thank you for sharing this story! 🫶
Thanks! I’m glad it resonated with you—and I’m always interested in perspective from therapists. I talked to mine about the whole back pain journey and she was like “Yup, this makes perfect sense to me” 😂
Placebo effect.
This isn't to deride the placebo effect, on the contrary, a placebo is often staggeringly effective for many people with many different conditions. It even works for some people when they've been told they're receiving a placebo treatment.
There is a chapter in the book about the placebo effect (as well as the “nocebo” effect), and Dr. Sarno explains why treatment for TMS does not qualify as placebo—essentially because a placebo would wear off at some point whereas his patients are typically cured permanently—but either way, as I said, “Whatever works!” 😂
I assume he's self evaluating his own method as not qualifying as a placebo. A placebo is typically an actual intervention of some kind, so his method would qualify on that basis alone.
With a placebo effect lasting up to 12 months, the benefits would last longer than many other medical treatments.
Placebos have avd do help many people, I would think that's a good thing.
He’s complimentary of placebo effects; he just doesn’t think TMS qualifies and he explains why. As far as I’m concerned, it’s all semantics.
Anecdotes aren't data. Hypothesis and theory aren't mere semantic differences.
It's great that the method works for some people.
He addresses all of this in the books. He’s long dead though, so he can’t debate the points with you, and I’m not going to keep trying to do it for him 😂 Have a good day!