Your pain may be all in your head

I first heard of Sarno back when Howard Stern was on terrestrial radio.  Howard was a big proponent.  Sarno helped cure Howie's back pain back in the day and he sang his praises often.

While I disagree that the pain is "all" in our heads, I do believe stress exacerbates and prolongs many injuries. 

So your saying that pain from things like a disc herniation or ITB, calf strain etc is not a physical but a mental thing?

I consider I have a positive mental attitude and no residual underlying stress other than the normal cut and thrust of daily life, but I have suffered from a disc prolapse for some 10 months, with the latest flare up seeing me on my back for 7 days. Over these 10 months it sbeen at differing levels and I have got to the stage of a 30min run before it hit me again.

So I can cure my back and get back to training with Sarno?

You're right. Howard Stern is one of the big names who had TMS.  There are other celebrities such as John Stossel and Anne Bancroft.

Hi kiwee,

You may very well have TMS, but you may have a real neurological symptom.  The best advice I feel I can give is to visit a doctor who is medically triained and also is a TMS trained physician.    You can start looking for one on this website:
http://tmswiki.wetpaint.com/page/Find+a+TMS+Doctor+or+Therapist

Secondly, I strongly encourage you to pick up a book on the subject and see if it rings true for you.  One suggestion is "Healing Back Pain" by Dr. Sarno.  It's an easy read.

Lastly, I'll share with you that for many years I suffered excruciating neck pain that I thought was the result of a car accident many years ago.  Normally it was asymptomatic, but every once in a while I'd jerk my head (e.g. riding on a roller coaster) and my neck would hurt for days and I couldn't look to the left/right without severe pain.  X-Rays showed obvious spurs in my neck.  I lived with this condition for 15+ yrs.  Not any more.  Since learning about TMS, I have never, not even once, experienced that debilitating neck pain.  Pain free for 3 yrs.  Seems like a miracle sometimes.

Best!!

Enrique

Ordered a copy on Amazon today! Will give it a go as I am over having sciatica and bouts of not being able to walk and no running or cycling!  MRI shows major disk protrusion, going for a Epidural next week and then if that does not work a discectomy as nearly a year since I've ridden my bike or run!  Hopefully Sarno works before the surgeon!

Thanks!

That's great.  I think if you do your research, you'll find that there are numerious people with similar stories like yours (and some worse) and who find healing without surgery.  

For instance, check out this video.  The woman in the story, Peg Hanson, is someone I personally know.
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/16325598/index.html

A good general resource for information is the TMS wiki:  tmswiki.wetpaint.com

Best!!

Enrique

I ran across this blog post from a fellow BT'er last year.  Hers is another good example of how the mind and body are so connected that physical pain that is perceived as coming from disc herniation is found to actually be from inner stress and tension.  Of course, keep in mind that ALL pain is not TMS, but often, chronic pain is.

http://commitmentisliberating.blogspot.com/2009/04/mindbody-prescription-healing-body.html


Best,

Enrique

I just read this thread because I have had some chronic pain and am beginning to wonder if it's all in my head, because none of the doctors I have seen have been able to come up with a diagnosis.   I was wondering if chronic pain that is getting worse (almost unbearable) could be all in my head?  I'm also running fevers with no known cause...any info would be greatly appreciated.  I'm going to go read the wiki now.
Thanks!
Anastasia

Hi Anastasia,

Given what you've just written, it is likely that you have TMS which is a mindbody disorder that affects the autonomic nervous system. The pain and the fever is very real (i.e. NOT in your head), but the CAUSE is in your head.  Meaning that in order to get better, you need to address this in a whole different manner.  Any physical treatment will only be a placebo at best.

I usually will tell people to see a doctor to rule out any serious conditions like cancer or infection, but it sounds like you've already done that. 

I'd encourage you to read the wiki, post a message to get some feedback from others.  There are many people who have had very bad chronic pain symptoms and even fevers as you mention and have gotten better by following a TMS treatment program.  There's a section there of common symptoms and links to stories of people who have resolved their issues.
LINK: http://tmswiki.wetpaint.com/page/Specific+Symptoms+%26+Diagnoses

There's also a really great forum at http://tmshelp.com where you can get feedback from other people who understand TMS and are at some point in their journey toward healing.  It's a very active forum.

All the best to you and please let me know if I can be of assistance in any way!!

Enrique

You just accept that it's in your head, not listen to the pain and focus on other things besides the pain, conduct your life as if the pain wasn't there, and your pain decreases?  Is there something in his book that isn't within my summary?

An answer like "just buy the book" won't be good enough. Be serious, how did you do it?

Hi ace1dc,

Thanks for the question.

There's a bit more to it than that so I'll try to expand a bit more here why reading the book is important.  You see, most people find it hard to believe that real pain can be caused by the unconscious mind. Especially, when an xray or MRI shows something that "could" be the cause.  Or when pain appears after some physical action such as running or bending over.  People are strongly conditioned (like Pavlov's dogs) to automatically look for a physical cause of the pain. 

To quote Dr. Sarno, "Knowledge is the key to treating TMS".  It is necessary to gain an understanding of the anatomy, physiology, and psychology of TMS and how they are interrelated.  A person needs to understand how TMS works before they can believe that they might have it.  I should also add that it takes time for a person to become "un-conditioned".  Some people "get it" faster than others.  In New York at the Rusk Institute, Dr. Sarno holds a half-day seminar for new patients where he covers a lot of information about TMS.  However, given the geographical challenges for most people, the next best thing is to read and learn.   In addition to the seminar, he gives his patience "homework" to do before checking back in several weeks later.  This might consist of additional reading, some work-book type of exercises, and often journaling.   My point is that it takes time to digest it all.

So, the knowledge part takes time and in the absence of a presentation the book provides all the information necessary to gain that knowledge.   

Secondly, I feel that I should add that Dr. Sarno goes on to say that while knowledge is important, the second and also necessary component to treatment is acceptance.  This isn't a "blind" faith, but acceptance of the idea based on the information that's been learned.  Blind faith only leads to a placebo cure.  Acceptance is a personal matter, and based on my own personal experience, it naturally happens after the knowledge has been procured.

Lastly, I will add that the internet is also a fantastic resource for information.  You can find a lot of information on the wiki that I mentioned before. (tmswiki.wetpaint.com)  One thing that you won't find there is a specific TMS Treatment Program, which is why a book is highly recommended.  We are trying to put one together that will be freely available on the wiki, but it takes time to put together and is in progress.  Until that is complete, however, most people find that a book is best way to get access to that information.

Hope that helps.  If not, let me know where I can help fill in the gaps.

Best!

Enrique

I looked-up the author on Amazon. It seems he's published numerous books.  Which one do you suggest?

After dealing with PF for years, I am beginning to think it's in my head, mostly. While ART has helped a lot, I still notice that  I when I awaken in the morning clenching my jaw, my back is in knots, and I generally feel like I haven't slept well, my PF usually hurts as well.   

Hi betyoursliver,

It's difficult for me to recommend one because I've only personally read the most recent one, The Divided Mind.  I will say that this book is probably the most comprehensive.  Dr. Sarno wrote four books, each one several years apart.  From my understanding, each book written had more and more information in it as Dr. Sarno discovered more about the disorder through his work with patients.  So this last one is very comprehensive, but some people might think it gets too technical.  Personally, I liked that aspect of the book because I like to know all the facts.  I've been told that if that is a turn off, then reading the previous book, The Mindbody Prescription is probably a better choice.  If you want to read a short review of each of the books, you can find that on this wiki page linked below.  Just look for the books written by Sarno.
http://tmswiki.wetpaint.com/page/Books+%26+DVDs%2C+etc

I almost forgot to mention to you that I suffered from PF for many years before I found out that I was a TMSer.  I had pretty much given up on running.  After I realized that I suffered from TMS, I have never had PF again.  Three years being pain free.

Hope that helps!

Enrique



Edited by ecpasos 2010-11-15 1:28 AM

Actually, ALL pain IS in your head. WHY your head is giving you the sensation of pain can be due to any number of reasons, including what we would call "mental" stress but that actually has very real effects on the body, including pain and illness.

It can be due to acute injury and illness.

It's always good to have another tool in the arsenal for dealing with pain, especially if it helps chronic pain sufferers out of a cycle or the need for narcotic analgesics.

Just my opinion.

Hi TriAya,

That's insightful.  Thanks for posting.  I once heard someone say that human beings are brains with bodies, not the other way around.  In other words, the tail does not wag the dog.  Our minds truly are powerful.

Enrique

 I played golf with an old friend I hadn't seen in a couple years. He told me he had back pain for sometime from a bulging disc & used chiropractor, accupunture, & percocet to deal with it. His Dr wouldn't give him any more pain pills. He had wellbutrin prescribed for depression & it seems to have cured his pain. He & the Dr. don't understand why, but perhaps this may have something to do with it. I'll forward him the link. Thanks.

Schrup,

I didn't have any thoughts on what you first posted, but I found an interesting section in the book, The Mindbody Prescription, which I picked up over the weekend.  I figured I would read it as part of my ongoing education on TMS.  

There's a section called Anxiety and Depression as Equivalents (of TMS).   Basically, Dr Sarno writes about the substitution of anxiety and depression for pain.  He recalls some cases where a person's chronic pain was treated as TMS and the pain went away only to be replaced by anxiety.  Or in another case  the person suffered from depression and when that was treated via medications and psychotherapy it went away, only to be substituted by chronic pain suddenly thereafter.

Although your friend's case isn't exactly this, perhaps there's some correlation there.  If depression and chronic pain are equivalents as Dr Sarno suggests, perhaps it is possible that the medication alleviated, in some way, the underlying unconscious repressed emotions which were causing both.  Another conclusion is that it was just a placebo effect, in which case, the pain and/or depression will come back.  In TMS, it is very common for pain to come back when a placebo is applied and the pain often comes back in a new location (symptom substitution).  I'm just theorizing now, but it's something to think about.