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The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders
The book that will change the way we think about health and illness, 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. The Divided Mind 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 recognize and appropriately treat mindbody disorders has produced public health and economic problems of major proportions in the United States.
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 previous books. How and why this happens is a fascinating story, and is revealed in The Divided Mind.
402 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
862 people are currently reading
4107 people want to read
About the author
John E. Sarno
30 books151 followersJohn E. Sarno, MD was Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at the New York University School of Medicine. He graduated from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and was board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Sarno served in the U.S. Army Medical Department, 67th Field Hospital-European Theater from 1943 to 1946. He practiced as a family physician for ten years preceding his specialization in rehabilitation medicine. In the early 1950s he initiated the establishment of the Mid-Huson Medical Group in Fishkill, New York. He served as Director of Outpatient Services and Attending Physician at the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York University Medical Center for several decades.
Fun fact: His book Healing Back Pain is recommended by Paul Lieberstein, actor and writer of "The Office," a popular television comedy.
Fun fact: His book Healing Back Pain is recommended by Paul Lieberstein, actor and writer of "The Office," a popular television comedy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
July 22, 2013
After reading Dr. John Sarno's latest book, I am more convinced than ever that his concepts around the mind creating pain in the body to camouflage more troublesome issues buried in our subconscious are extremely valid. Several years ago, I was able to completely eliminate a lower back pain that had plagued me for years - just by reading Sarno's book "Healing Back Pain".
Many years passed and I once again had pain (elbow and shoulder) that refused to go away, so I read Sarno's subsequent books, culminating with"The Divided Mind" which comprehensively describes Sarno's subsequent findings which astonishingly encompass everything from migraines to sinus infections to orthopedic problems associated with just about every body part. His theory is that the mind is so powerful, it can protect us from psychological pain by creating real pain in our bodies. He debunks traditional medicine that avows: 1) physical symptoms must have a physical cause 2) we are inherently fragile and susceptible to injury 3) certain injuries can result in chronic pain 4) healing can take a very long time 5) we have to live with certain kinds of pain. Sarno, and many medical practitioners who contribute chapters to the book, maintain this is a myth. The brain is fooling us and pushes past and current stressors as well as certain personality traits (like perfectionism and what he calls "goodism") into our subconscious in order to protect us.
I wish I had read these books sooner as I could have avoided multiple cortisone shots, x-rays, MRI's, pain pills, visits to four different orthopedics, some of whom wanted to operate to do a "search and destroy" mission, meaning I don't now what the hell the problem is so I might as well operate. I could have been playing golf and tennis all this time rather than sit on the sidelines, obsessed with my pain and seeing myself merely a victim of old age. I just played golf without pain for the first time in 7 months and plan to play tennis right away.
If this sounds like mumbo-jumbo to you, I can certainly understand that. See, you have to believe it to make it work and very few medical people would give the slightest credence to this concept. As my former chiropractor said, "If it weren't for stress, I'd have to close my doors". Scoff if you will, but I would advise you to read this before making up your mind. You might just avoid a lot more pain and agony and start to live life to its fullest. You owe it to yourself.
Many years passed and I once again had pain (elbow and shoulder) that refused to go away, so I read Sarno's subsequent books, culminating with"The Divided Mind" which comprehensively describes Sarno's subsequent findings which astonishingly encompass everything from migraines to sinus infections to orthopedic problems associated with just about every body part. His theory is that the mind is so powerful, it can protect us from psychological pain by creating real pain in our bodies. He debunks traditional medicine that avows: 1) physical symptoms must have a physical cause 2) we are inherently fragile and susceptible to injury 3) certain injuries can result in chronic pain 4) healing can take a very long time 5) we have to live with certain kinds of pain. Sarno, and many medical practitioners who contribute chapters to the book, maintain this is a myth. The brain is fooling us and pushes past and current stressors as well as certain personality traits (like perfectionism and what he calls "goodism") into our subconscious in order to protect us.
I wish I had read these books sooner as I could have avoided multiple cortisone shots, x-rays, MRI's, pain pills, visits to four different orthopedics, some of whom wanted to operate to do a "search and destroy" mission, meaning I don't now what the hell the problem is so I might as well operate. I could have been playing golf and tennis all this time rather than sit on the sidelines, obsessed with my pain and seeing myself merely a victim of old age. I just played golf without pain for the first time in 7 months and plan to play tennis right away.
If this sounds like mumbo-jumbo to you, I can certainly understand that. See, you have to believe it to make it work and very few medical people would give the slightest credence to this concept. As my former chiropractor said, "If it weren't for stress, I'd have to close my doors". Scoff if you will, but I would advise you to read this before making up your mind. You might just avoid a lot more pain and agony and start to live life to its fullest. You owe it to yourself.
April 11, 2012
I find it more than a little disturbing that so many reviewers rave about this book. Dr. Sarno provides no science to back up his assertions at all. None. He merely presents a few anecdotal stories about having helped patients by convincing them their medical problems are, in essence, originating in their minds. He writes repeatedly about the medical community attacking his theories - perhaps that is because they, too, see a lack of science, and after all, doctors are scientists. They want facts, studies, statistics, something to support a theory before they can endorse it. Dr. Sarno's writing is irritatingly circumlocutory and self-congratulatory, and the extra chapters at the end supposedly written by other people in support of his theories add nothing to the substance, merely praise Dr. Sarno. The book as a whole struck me as a Dr. Sarno ego fest.
All that said, sure, it's certainly possible there are people who fit Dr. Sarno's theory - that their physical conditions are a manifestation of mental stresses/anxieties. It is ALSO possible that people respond to his treatment methods because the brain is a powerful tool, and people can meditate their way out of feeling pain. I can think of about a dozen other theories that also support the results Dr. Sarno professes to have achieved by convincing people that their physical problems are mental in origin.
It's great that some people have found relief by believing what Dr. Sarno peddles. I, however, will be looking for medical books with at least some semblance of science to support them.
All that said, sure, it's certainly possible there are people who fit Dr. Sarno's theory - that their physical conditions are a manifestation of mental stresses/anxieties. It is ALSO possible that people respond to his treatment methods because the brain is a powerful tool, and people can meditate their way out of feeling pain. I can think of about a dozen other theories that also support the results Dr. Sarno professes to have achieved by convincing people that their physical problems are mental in origin.
It's great that some people have found relief by believing what Dr. Sarno peddles. I, however, will be looking for medical books with at least some semblance of science to support them.
March 12, 2012
This book should garner some needed attention to the concept of psychogenic or mind-body disorders. The scientific community has acknowledged many mind-body connections, from comorbidities between psychiatric and pain disorders, to the exacerbation of pain symptoms as a result of stress, and depression suppressing the immune system. However, fully attributing certain pain “disorders” to unconscious psychological disturbances parallels 'voodoo' to many in traditional medicine.
It is a fascinating topic that I will integrate into my “thought paradigm” of pain, but I plan to proceed with caution due to the lack of scientific evidence. The authors made some lousy excuses as to why rigorous trials on the subject could not be conducted, including that in order for treatment (such as psychotherapy) to be effective, the patient must be accepting of the psychological diagnosis. I’m unsure why this hinders research; perhaps do a subpopulation analysis of subjects who do and do not believe the mind-body concept. I feel there are much more abstract concepts that research has attempted to model with some success. Also, I know the book is geared for a lay audience, but I wish there was slightly more discussion of the underlying physiology of tension myositis syndrome and the “TMS-equivalents”, even if purely theoretical, to provide a stronger backbone for his arguments.
I liked the idea of having chapters written by physicians of different specialties, but I felt like they were all Dr. Sarno imposters! They all had the same arguments and a strikingly similar voice, making the last 100 pages extremely repetitive and tedious to finish. If someone is particularly intrigued by the topic, I might recommend it, but I certainly won’t be buying copies for everyone I know (like some patients from the book supposedly did…)
It is a fascinating topic that I will integrate into my “thought paradigm” of pain, but I plan to proceed with caution due to the lack of scientific evidence. The authors made some lousy excuses as to why rigorous trials on the subject could not be conducted, including that in order for treatment (such as psychotherapy) to be effective, the patient must be accepting of the psychological diagnosis. I’m unsure why this hinders research; perhaps do a subpopulation analysis of subjects who do and do not believe the mind-body concept. I feel there are much more abstract concepts that research has attempted to model with some success. Also, I know the book is geared for a lay audience, but I wish there was slightly more discussion of the underlying physiology of tension myositis syndrome and the “TMS-equivalents”, even if purely theoretical, to provide a stronger backbone for his arguments.
I liked the idea of having chapters written by physicians of different specialties, but I felt like they were all Dr. Sarno imposters! They all had the same arguments and a strikingly similar voice, making the last 100 pages extremely repetitive and tedious to finish. If someone is particularly intrigued by the topic, I might recommend it, but I certainly won’t be buying copies for everyone I know (like some patients from the book supposedly did…)
March 28, 2009
While I'm sure plenty of people experience psychosomatic pain, Sarno's book is largely opinion-based and extraordinarily self-congratulatory. I'll admit I was extremely skeptical when I checked this out of the library, but I was willing to give it a shot, and it failed to convince me of anything.
If you like boring, poorly written pseudoscience, pick this one up. But I found myself first skipping a page, then two, then a chapter, and soon giving up.
If you like boring, poorly written pseudoscience, pick this one up. But I found myself first skipping a page, then two, then a chapter, and soon giving up.
February 21, 2019
The book is on a really cool theme. John Sarno is defending his stand on psychosomatic decease, in hope of convincing physicians and people with psychosomatic injuries of his theories.
The book could easily have been half the size, if written more precise and short. The first half of the book is written by John Sarno himself, and he is trying too hard to make his point. I get the impression that I am finding myself in the middle of an argument, in between dr. Sarno and the established medicinal viewpoint.
I don’t mind reading books with good arguments in. But i get the feeling that Dr. Sarno is endlessly trying to defend his view, and most of the time it fails. Just sounds like he wants to sound more intellectual on top, then he is. Quoting Freud and challenging him a bunch of times, doesn’t makes his theories better or worse, and is therefore unnecessary.
The 2 part of the book is written by a bunch of different M.D practitioners, who agree with Sarno. I find it annoying, to read how these M.D practitioners praises John Sarnos work, by quoting him, and writing about how sublime he is. Sometimes i get a indian-guru feel from Sarnos 'disciples', when he is quoted as a superb teacher etc. or when Sarno writes about himself in third person in the first chapters.
I had to check a few times if it was Sarno himself who wrote the book or if it was somebody who wrote the book about him, and his theories.
In general I was bored when reading pages of cases where the patients got better. The point could have been made with 90% less cases, but explained better
I am from Denmark, and study psychotherapy. I had to read this book for my study, and i learned a lot from it. At the same time i would never recommend anyone reading this book. There must be better options if one wants to read about psychosomatic medicine.
I can recommend Peter Levines books, which also addresses psychosomatic orders, but with the difference, that he is a good writer, and knows how to distinguish what is necessary to put in a book, and what is not
The book could easily have been half the size, if written more precise and short. The first half of the book is written by John Sarno himself, and he is trying too hard to make his point. I get the impression that I am finding myself in the middle of an argument, in between dr. Sarno and the established medicinal viewpoint.
I don’t mind reading books with good arguments in. But i get the feeling that Dr. Sarno is endlessly trying to defend his view, and most of the time it fails. Just sounds like he wants to sound more intellectual on top, then he is. Quoting Freud and challenging him a bunch of times, doesn’t makes his theories better or worse, and is therefore unnecessary.
The 2 part of the book is written by a bunch of different M.D practitioners, who agree with Sarno. I find it annoying, to read how these M.D practitioners praises John Sarnos work, by quoting him, and writing about how sublime he is. Sometimes i get a indian-guru feel from Sarnos 'disciples', when he is quoted as a superb teacher etc. or when Sarno writes about himself in third person in the first chapters.
I had to check a few times if it was Sarno himself who wrote the book or if it was somebody who wrote the book about him, and his theories.
In general I was bored when reading pages of cases where the patients got better. The point could have been made with 90% less cases, but explained better
I am from Denmark, and study psychotherapy. I had to read this book for my study, and i learned a lot from it. At the same time i would never recommend anyone reading this book. There must be better options if one wants to read about psychosomatic medicine.
I can recommend Peter Levines books, which also addresses psychosomatic orders, but with the difference, that he is a good writer, and knows how to distinguish what is necessary to put in a book, and what is not
March 11, 2008
I absolutely LOVED this book. I have put Dr. Sarno's suggestions to use, and lo and behold my intense shoulder pain is gone! This is a MUST read if you have fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, etc. I have always believed that our bodies are not meant to be constantly plaguing us, and this book can help heal you.
March 16, 2021
This book was truly transformative for me, having suffered back pain for nearly 25 years which at times was debilitating to the point of being bed-ridden for days. I had tried every form of therapy short of surgery and was one week shy of a spinal injection. In a moment of relief, I picked up this book after leaving it shelved for two years. It had been given to me by a friend who was convinced it may help given her assumptions and intuition seeing my entire picture. However, I dismissed the notion that my pain was a symptom of psychosomatic disorder. After all, the pain was very real and very bad.
Sarno doesn't downplay the reality of one's pain and condition. Rather, he posits the very real mind-body connection which converts stress, anxiety, and emotional pain into very real symptoms of physical pain targeting areas of one's body that may already be predisposed by minor existing conditions which in-turn become inflamed and exacerbated manifestation of one's mind.
I have been known to question and challenge non-conventional medicine in favor of chemical, physical, and manipulative treatments. But I am also one to fully accept and appreciate cognitive behavioral and clinical phycological therapy practices. Physiology transcends mind and body, and one must treat both equally to have a well-functioning whole.
I am currently four weeks completely pain free.
Sarno doesn't downplay the reality of one's pain and condition. Rather, he posits the very real mind-body connection which converts stress, anxiety, and emotional pain into very real symptoms of physical pain targeting areas of one's body that may already be predisposed by minor existing conditions which in-turn become inflamed and exacerbated manifestation of one's mind.
I have been known to question and challenge non-conventional medicine in favor of chemical, physical, and manipulative treatments. But I am also one to fully accept and appreciate cognitive behavioral and clinical phycological therapy practices. Physiology transcends mind and body, and one must treat both equally to have a well-functioning whole.
I am currently four weeks completely pain free.
September 27, 2019
Life saver for me.
Was struggling with CFS(chronic fatigue) like symptoms which includes fatigue, dizziness, body pain(for me it was leg), and specially PEM(Post Exertion Malaise) and heart palpitations. Went for atleast 5 doctors and dozens of blood tests in last 8 months. Nothing found.
Although one doctor suspected it might be from my mind, I didn't believe him (as CFS is under diagnosed).
Anyway, luckily I stumbled upon this book and I am better 80% in last 3 weeks, and getting better by the day. For me the most helpful thing was reading reviews on Amazon or goodreads about people who got better from this.
I am just paying back here.
Was struggling with CFS(chronic fatigue) like symptoms which includes fatigue, dizziness, body pain(for me it was leg), and specially PEM(Post Exertion Malaise) and heart palpitations. Went for atleast 5 doctors and dozens of blood tests in last 8 months. Nothing found.
Although one doctor suspected it might be from my mind, I didn't believe him (as CFS is under diagnosed).
Anyway, luckily I stumbled upon this book and I am better 80% in last 3 weeks, and getting better by the day. For me the most helpful thing was reading reviews on Amazon or goodreads about people who got better from this.
I am just paying back here.
November 24, 2021
God, this was a waste of my time and energy.
Up front, Sarno claims that empirical studies aren't necessary for his theories, and that they wouldn't be possible due to some excuse or another, and the very fact that his method WORKS! I SWEAR! proves that it's not the placebo effect. What?
Might this book have some cogent points? Sure. There's a lot to be said about the connection between mind and body, and about how lifestyle interventions can be more effective than simply rushing to pharmaceuticals. There's also a lot to be said about how unresolved negativity and trauma can manifest itself in the body, and about how both top-down and bottom-up approaches can be used towards healing. His work does speak to this, but in a very Jedi-hand-wave, trust-me-I'm-totally-legit kind of way, because he's too cool for empirical evidence, apparently.
Sarno spends most of his book repeating the same points, boasting about how ~THE MAINSTREAM MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT WON'T TELL YOU THIS SIMPLE TRICK!~ , and giving case studies that don't contribute to the conversation other than continuously pat him on the back for how great he is. Most of the book is redundant with itself.
(Also...a 21st-century physician who was so proudly neo-Freudian and who took "hysteria" so seriously should probably have had his medical license reassessed, but that's just my opinion.)
If you're interested in psychosomatic illnesses, and looking to read public-accessible literature, don't start here.
Up front, Sarno claims that empirical studies aren't necessary for his theories, and that they wouldn't be possible due to some excuse or another, and the very fact that his method WORKS! I SWEAR! proves that it's not the placebo effect. What?
Might this book have some cogent points? Sure. There's a lot to be said about the connection between mind and body, and about how lifestyle interventions can be more effective than simply rushing to pharmaceuticals. There's also a lot to be said about how unresolved negativity and trauma can manifest itself in the body, and about how both top-down and bottom-up approaches can be used towards healing. His work does speak to this, but in a very Jedi-hand-wave, trust-me-I'm-totally-legit kind of way, because he's too cool for empirical evidence, apparently.
Sarno spends most of his book repeating the same points, boasting about how ~THE MAINSTREAM MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT WON'T TELL YOU THIS SIMPLE TRICK!~ , and giving case studies that don't contribute to the conversation other than continuously pat him on the back for how great he is. Most of the book is redundant with itself.
(Also...a 21st-century physician who was so proudly neo-Freudian and who took "hysteria" so seriously should probably have had his medical license reassessed, but that's just my opinion.)
If you're interested in psychosomatic illnesses, and looking to read public-accessible literature, don't start here.
September 20, 2012
The divided mind is a non-fiction book, but not in the traditional sense in that it is a list of raw facts and statistics. Its main purpose is to inform, but also to break apart previous (and false) speculations. Before we get into what the book is mainly about let’s first talk about what the author’s (Dr. John E. Sarno) qualifications are. First of all the book he wrote, The Divided Mind, was a New York Times best seller, along with his other works which include “Healing Back Pain” and “The mind body prescription. Not only are these books best sellers but have treated many people by just reading the book “there are people who have claimed to be cured of years and years of back pain by simply reading one of Dr. Sarno’s works” (Sarno Chapter 8 0:34-0:46). He has also trained in medicine at the University of Columbia and had a successful early career in orthodox and non-controversial medicine. He is still a professor of Clinical Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University Medical Center. Somewhere along the line he started attempting to treat back pain without any real explanation of where it came from.
The modern public opinion is that nearly all disorders and purely physical and able to be seen by the naked eye or by microscope (in the divided mind the author uses the word organic to describe this kind of disorder). In reality, there are millions of cases that he talks about first hand that are caused by mere stress alone. During an Interview, the interviewer said to Dr. Sarno “I think it should be interesting to note that the owner here at CDM said ‘Oh Dr. Sarno! You cured my father’s back pain 20 years ago! He’s out playing tennis two times a week now!’” (Sarno Chapter 8 6:57-7:08). When people develop emotions that they are not proud of or don’t want their subconscious considers them dangerous and traps these emotions in the subconscious, almost like a prison. This happens to everybody. In fact Dr. Sarno quotes “mind body disorders, and I’m going to use that term because it’s less offensive to a lot of people, mind body disorders are universal. I don’t think that anybody alive has ever gone through life without experiencing a pain brought on by emotional factors,” (Sarno Chapter 8 2:28-2:45). When the emotions become stronger than the person can handle, it becomes too much for the subconscious to contain alone. That’s when the subconscious starts ordering minor oxygen deprivation, which is physically harmless but can become extremely painful. This is you’re your brain denying your certain muscles oxygen. This pain is meant to distract the conscious from the ‘dangerous’ emotions so that they are not brought to the conscious mind. This is very common in perfectionist and people with feelings of inferiority because stress is built up from anger at either having to be perfect or being inferior (feelings of inferiority often lead to perfectionist tendencies). Normally this would be very hard to believe, but the author explains and shows several cases of people that have had this happen. The ironic part is that this extremely painful experience can be treated by just finding the source of your stress and bringing it to the conscious.
I have experienced a severe case firsthand with my brother. He went from being extremely successful at sports to getting a terrible football injury that robbed him of his ability to walk without severe pain. When it was x-rayed to the origin of the pain (his back) no broken vertebra were found so his football coaches continued to push him and yell at him for not working hard enough. This quickly developed an inferiority complex. Almost all of his confidence originated from sports and now he couldn’t successfully do sports without being yelled at or going through extreme pain. Later, an MRI reviled hairline fractures in his 7th and 8th vertebra. This got him off exercise but stress continued to build up from a lack of self esteem an ever-growing fear of nightly pain attacks from his back. TO add to this, his sister made the GT program along with me at about the same time I was accepted into the Duke TIP program for getting a good grade on the SAT. These events lead to an inferiority complex with his intellectual aspects as well as physical. When the fracture healed we put him back on physical therapy to put him back in shape but this only made his pain skyrocket. He quickly lost his ability to walk for a horrifying and hellish 4 weeks. When it didn’t get any better we signed up for a physical therapy at children’s hospital that was supposed to increase his pain tolerances. It was going to be painful and the closer we got to starting the worse the pain got.
After a week of therapy he begged my mom to stop sending him there and when we did his condition immediately improved. Josh started to show the same symptoms of recovery that Dr. Sarno described; A very sudden and rapid recovery, along with increased moral and energy. The source of his stress was the fear of the pain he would have to go through and the lack of control he had over the situation. When his mom gave him complete control over the situation, he stress melted and his pain came with it. He regained his ability to walk and is now doing all ranges of physical activity, but still can’t run. Although I am very grateful for his rapid recovery, if he ever has too much of a stress buildup again, the brain will target that same spot to keep the thoughts in the unconscious. This is because the injury will be easier to explain and harder to bring to the conscious. So in conclusion, if you are a perfectionist with pain that you can’t really explain, read this book. However another interesting but rare case is when the physiatrist decides that the emotions are too overwhelming to bring to the conscious.
“Sarno: ‘it’s emotions with that are possibly destructive or threatening that the mind tries to suppress like intense anger, certainly that one, but there are many others like the pain used to suppress sadness and this is very powerful. I think that the way to cover the whole area is to say that the brain has deemed to powerful to come to consciousness. Interviewer: So speaking of that sometimes it’s better off to let a patient have their pain. Is that possible? That it’s better to let the patient have their pain than to truly understand? Sarno: Well I’ll tell you what happens sometimes. The therapist decides that the person may indeed not be able to deal with the emotions and therefore they are simply going to support them. That doesn’t happen too terribly often but it certainly is one of the possible outcomes,” (Sarno Chapter 8 31:06-32:05).
The modern public opinion is that nearly all disorders and purely physical and able to be seen by the naked eye or by microscope (in the divided mind the author uses the word organic to describe this kind of disorder). In reality, there are millions of cases that he talks about first hand that are caused by mere stress alone. During an Interview, the interviewer said to Dr. Sarno “I think it should be interesting to note that the owner here at CDM said ‘Oh Dr. Sarno! You cured my father’s back pain 20 years ago! He’s out playing tennis two times a week now!’” (Sarno Chapter 8 6:57-7:08). When people develop emotions that they are not proud of or don’t want their subconscious considers them dangerous and traps these emotions in the subconscious, almost like a prison. This happens to everybody. In fact Dr. Sarno quotes “mind body disorders, and I’m going to use that term because it’s less offensive to a lot of people, mind body disorders are universal. I don’t think that anybody alive has ever gone through life without experiencing a pain brought on by emotional factors,” (Sarno Chapter 8 2:28-2:45). When the emotions become stronger than the person can handle, it becomes too much for the subconscious to contain alone. That’s when the subconscious starts ordering minor oxygen deprivation, which is physically harmless but can become extremely painful. This is you’re your brain denying your certain muscles oxygen. This pain is meant to distract the conscious from the ‘dangerous’ emotions so that they are not brought to the conscious mind. This is very common in perfectionist and people with feelings of inferiority because stress is built up from anger at either having to be perfect or being inferior (feelings of inferiority often lead to perfectionist tendencies). Normally this would be very hard to believe, but the author explains and shows several cases of people that have had this happen. The ironic part is that this extremely painful experience can be treated by just finding the source of your stress and bringing it to the conscious.
I have experienced a severe case firsthand with my brother. He went from being extremely successful at sports to getting a terrible football injury that robbed him of his ability to walk without severe pain. When it was x-rayed to the origin of the pain (his back) no broken vertebra were found so his football coaches continued to push him and yell at him for not working hard enough. This quickly developed an inferiority complex. Almost all of his confidence originated from sports and now he couldn’t successfully do sports without being yelled at or going through extreme pain. Later, an MRI reviled hairline fractures in his 7th and 8th vertebra. This got him off exercise but stress continued to build up from a lack of self esteem an ever-growing fear of nightly pain attacks from his back. TO add to this, his sister made the GT program along with me at about the same time I was accepted into the Duke TIP program for getting a good grade on the SAT. These events lead to an inferiority complex with his intellectual aspects as well as physical. When the fracture healed we put him back on physical therapy to put him back in shape but this only made his pain skyrocket. He quickly lost his ability to walk for a horrifying and hellish 4 weeks. When it didn’t get any better we signed up for a physical therapy at children’s hospital that was supposed to increase his pain tolerances. It was going to be painful and the closer we got to starting the worse the pain got.
After a week of therapy he begged my mom to stop sending him there and when we did his condition immediately improved. Josh started to show the same symptoms of recovery that Dr. Sarno described; A very sudden and rapid recovery, along with increased moral and energy. The source of his stress was the fear of the pain he would have to go through and the lack of control he had over the situation. When his mom gave him complete control over the situation, he stress melted and his pain came with it. He regained his ability to walk and is now doing all ranges of physical activity, but still can’t run. Although I am very grateful for his rapid recovery, if he ever has too much of a stress buildup again, the brain will target that same spot to keep the thoughts in the unconscious. This is because the injury will be easier to explain and harder to bring to the conscious. So in conclusion, if you are a perfectionist with pain that you can’t really explain, read this book. However another interesting but rare case is when the physiatrist decides that the emotions are too overwhelming to bring to the conscious.
“Sarno: ‘it’s emotions with that are possibly destructive or threatening that the mind tries to suppress like intense anger, certainly that one, but there are many others like the pain used to suppress sadness and this is very powerful. I think that the way to cover the whole area is to say that the brain has deemed to powerful to come to consciousness. Interviewer: So speaking of that sometimes it’s better off to let a patient have their pain. Is that possible? That it’s better to let the patient have their pain than to truly understand? Sarno: Well I’ll tell you what happens sometimes. The therapist decides that the person may indeed not be able to deal with the emotions and therefore they are simply going to support them. That doesn’t happen too terribly often but it certainly is one of the possible outcomes,” (Sarno Chapter 8 31:06-32:05).
February 24, 2026
Pivotal, ahead of it's time and completely life altering!
I would rate it 5 stars as a solid foundation to build comprehension in the field of Mindbody disorders, however, it's not the 'Be all and End all'.
I believe it's crucial to get your head around Sarno's work before diving into more modern neuroscience. While his approach may be effective in many cases, some further nuance can be applied to his treatments.
So here's the break down of what I thought about his teachings:
Sarno discusses how *emotions can be perceived as threats by the body*, which when repressed, can trigger the nervous system. The nervous system is responsible for a bunch of bodily processes and can initiate sensations, symptoms and pain in our bodies. This concept makes perfect sense and I see it being highly applicable to a range of health practices.
Sarno's theory of us having 'Emotional Reservoirs' is also a useful illustration of how repressed emotions contribute to pain. It explains why one event may have affected us more (physically) than another event. Why some people seem more sensitive to their environments than other people. The answer lies in their emotional reservoir, how full it is or in other words, how many emotions they've left unacknowledged.
Sarno poses that *rage* is a primary emotion behind chronic pain. I'm not completely on board with Sarno's hyperfocus on this emotion. It's valid and likely very common, but in my experience, other feelings may be louder than rage for some people, such as grief.
The way Sarno links emotions to the nervous system and the nervous system to pain responses is gold to the over-intellectauliser. He goes into depth about the structural processes that are taking place in the body. I believe the reason his system is so successful is because people suffering with chronic pain are often over-intellectualisers by nature and it's an explanation that they can easily adopt. So for Sarno's first call of treatment to be education is not unexpected. Especially since he pins nervous system disregulation on 'Repressed' (not supressed) emotions, which can only be acknowledged logically. However, my own experience is that we escape our feelings further by over-intellectualising. It's a trauma response we've formed to distract from our emotional pain. While the education might be a great launching pad for recovery, it's simply not enough. If true recovery is hinged entirely on education as Sarno suggests, it excludes entire demographics of people with reduced cognitive function, maturity and learning styles (elderly, children, physical learners, etc.). It also doesn't explain how people healed from their symptoms without this information, before this time, before our brains developed to need this level of intellectual answers.
While I don't disagree with Sarno's diagnosis of repressed emotions contributing to pain, I would add that treating soley 'repressed' emotions isn't the answer. Facing 'supressed' emotions might be a more effective treatment. Through further research and cross-referencing with other practitioners in the field, I resonated more with Dr. Mickel's approach in this specific instance. In Mickel therapy there's the concept of thought-created emotions and body-emotions. Body emotions are our true emotions and before the rumination. We deal with them by acknowledging them in the present moment, especially when we get a symptom flare. By real-time 'ALLOWING' not 'DIGGING' for emotions/causes, we tell our brains we are safe to experience our emotions. This signals to the body the need symptoms is no longer necessary. The purpose symptoms bring are already being addressed.
In my experience of EMDR therapy, it was explained to me that our traumas are all linked up. The feelings evoked by each trauma all-cross over like an intricate web. Sometimes we can heal from one trauma by addressing another, even if it happened at a later date. Of course, this doesn't mean we avoid them IF emotions from these traumas come up. I like to imagine this webbed healing phenomenon is what happens when we ALLOW ourselves to feel emotions as they arise - even if they do not make logical sense at the time. Feeling them in our body rather than justifying them in our minds. Perhaps, this is why Sarno instructs us to acknowledge we have 'repressed' emotions and leave it at that, so we don't go digging, caught up in a never-ending quest to 'release' ALL of them. I imagine people could get quite neurotic with 'releasing' and probably setback their recovery further because of it. From what I'm learning, when emotions are 'addressed' and 'completed' they naturally release on their own, there is no need to force it. 'The Great Allowing' on Youtube discusses the dangers of *releasing* emotions before we've integrated the message they're sending us. Often they'll get released just to come back again, because there is no change or safety for that emotional experience to dissipate into. The emotions come back and are re-triggered because we still need them to protect us. Often they come back stronger, as we've learnt, emotions that aren't given conscious space will get our attention through pain and symptoms instead.
The idea that symptoms are a means to distract us from our emotional pain is very useful and I believe that framework would work well for some people. However, the explanation feels a little outdated for me. It suggests symptoms are obstacles to outsmart, rather than our messengers to listen and learn from. Sarno's approach is liberating and effective because it dissuades us from feeding our symptoms with fear. The ability to remove fear from the experience of symptoms is a common thread among all chronic illness recovery stories on the internet. While Sarno's philosophy is helpful, I prefer a more embodied reframing. Instead, I see symptoms as the louder voice of suppressed emotions... trying harder to get our attention (not to distract).
Also, the stories Sarno shared of people pushing through their symptoms with physical movement lacks some discernment. I get it. But it might not be a good idea for people who's body has deconditioned since they got their chronic pain diagnosis and are expecting themselves to be at the same fitness level that were before its onset. Sarno is not directly suggesting we jump straight back into physical activity, not at all... but I just thought some of the stories where that happened were a little careless to share within the context.
Oh... and also forgot to mention the 'Symptom Imperative' which Sarno coined. It describes how we can have symptoms that change locations, or present differently but are still a result of the same core issue. For example, anxiety becoming depression, back pain changing to leg pain, having both migraines and IBS but at different times in the day or week. The myth that each symptom is localised and separate makes treating Mindbody disorders even more illusive. The symptom imperitive is a super intriguing idea and I 100% believe it.
So those are my thoughts, thanks for reading! Hope it was insightful (:
I'd love to do a review where I cross-reference a bunch of practitioner's and their modalities. Maybe I'll do a video on my YT @breaking_open.
I haven't started posting yet but if you're interested in that lmk.
I would rate it 5 stars as a solid foundation to build comprehension in the field of Mindbody disorders, however, it's not the 'Be all and End all'.
I believe it's crucial to get your head around Sarno's work before diving into more modern neuroscience. While his approach may be effective in many cases, some further nuance can be applied to his treatments.
So here's the break down of what I thought about his teachings:
Sarno discusses how *emotions can be perceived as threats by the body*, which when repressed, can trigger the nervous system. The nervous system is responsible for a bunch of bodily processes and can initiate sensations, symptoms and pain in our bodies. This concept makes perfect sense and I see it being highly applicable to a range of health practices.
Sarno's theory of us having 'Emotional Reservoirs' is also a useful illustration of how repressed emotions contribute to pain. It explains why one event may have affected us more (physically) than another event. Why some people seem more sensitive to their environments than other people. The answer lies in their emotional reservoir, how full it is or in other words, how many emotions they've left unacknowledged.
Sarno poses that *rage* is a primary emotion behind chronic pain. I'm not completely on board with Sarno's hyperfocus on this emotion. It's valid and likely very common, but in my experience, other feelings may be louder than rage for some people, such as grief.
The way Sarno links emotions to the nervous system and the nervous system to pain responses is gold to the over-intellectauliser. He goes into depth about the structural processes that are taking place in the body. I believe the reason his system is so successful is because people suffering with chronic pain are often over-intellectualisers by nature and it's an explanation that they can easily adopt. So for Sarno's first call of treatment to be education is not unexpected. Especially since he pins nervous system disregulation on 'Repressed' (not supressed) emotions, which can only be acknowledged logically. However, my own experience is that we escape our feelings further by over-intellectualising. It's a trauma response we've formed to distract from our emotional pain. While the education might be a great launching pad for recovery, it's simply not enough. If true recovery is hinged entirely on education as Sarno suggests, it excludes entire demographics of people with reduced cognitive function, maturity and learning styles (elderly, children, physical learners, etc.). It also doesn't explain how people healed from their symptoms without this information, before this time, before our brains developed to need this level of intellectual answers.
While I don't disagree with Sarno's diagnosis of repressed emotions contributing to pain, I would add that treating soley 'repressed' emotions isn't the answer. Facing 'supressed' emotions might be a more effective treatment. Through further research and cross-referencing with other practitioners in the field, I resonated more with Dr. Mickel's approach in this specific instance. In Mickel therapy there's the concept of thought-created emotions and body-emotions. Body emotions are our true emotions and before the rumination. We deal with them by acknowledging them in the present moment, especially when we get a symptom flare. By real-time 'ALLOWING' not 'DIGGING' for emotions/causes, we tell our brains we are safe to experience our emotions. This signals to the body the need symptoms is no longer necessary. The purpose symptoms bring are already being addressed.
In my experience of EMDR therapy, it was explained to me that our traumas are all linked up. The feelings evoked by each trauma all-cross over like an intricate web. Sometimes we can heal from one trauma by addressing another, even if it happened at a later date. Of course, this doesn't mean we avoid them IF emotions from these traumas come up. I like to imagine this webbed healing phenomenon is what happens when we ALLOW ourselves to feel emotions as they arise - even if they do not make logical sense at the time. Feeling them in our body rather than justifying them in our minds. Perhaps, this is why Sarno instructs us to acknowledge we have 'repressed' emotions and leave it at that, so we don't go digging, caught up in a never-ending quest to 'release' ALL of them. I imagine people could get quite neurotic with 'releasing' and probably setback their recovery further because of it. From what I'm learning, when emotions are 'addressed' and 'completed' they naturally release on their own, there is no need to force it. 'The Great Allowing' on Youtube discusses the dangers of *releasing* emotions before we've integrated the message they're sending us. Often they'll get released just to come back again, because there is no change or safety for that emotional experience to dissipate into. The emotions come back and are re-triggered because we still need them to protect us. Often they come back stronger, as we've learnt, emotions that aren't given conscious space will get our attention through pain and symptoms instead.
The idea that symptoms are a means to distract us from our emotional pain is very useful and I believe that framework would work well for some people. However, the explanation feels a little outdated for me. It suggests symptoms are obstacles to outsmart, rather than our messengers to listen and learn from. Sarno's approach is liberating and effective because it dissuades us from feeding our symptoms with fear. The ability to remove fear from the experience of symptoms is a common thread among all chronic illness recovery stories on the internet. While Sarno's philosophy is helpful, I prefer a more embodied reframing. Instead, I see symptoms as the louder voice of suppressed emotions... trying harder to get our attention (not to distract).
Also, the stories Sarno shared of people pushing through their symptoms with physical movement lacks some discernment. I get it. But it might not be a good idea for people who's body has deconditioned since they got their chronic pain diagnosis and are expecting themselves to be at the same fitness level that were before its onset. Sarno is not directly suggesting we jump straight back into physical activity, not at all... but I just thought some of the stories where that happened were a little careless to share within the context.
Oh... and also forgot to mention the 'Symptom Imperative' which Sarno coined. It describes how we can have symptoms that change locations, or present differently but are still a result of the same core issue. For example, anxiety becoming depression, back pain changing to leg pain, having both migraines and IBS but at different times in the day or week. The myth that each symptom is localised and separate makes treating Mindbody disorders even more illusive. The symptom imperitive is a super intriguing idea and I 100% believe it.
So those are my thoughts, thanks for reading! Hope it was insightful (:
I'd love to do a review where I cross-reference a bunch of practitioner's and their modalities. Maybe I'll do a video on my YT @breaking_open.
I haven't started posting yet but if you're interested in that lmk.
February 26, 2022
5 stars for the concept, not the writing. He is very repetitive and whiny, but he's got chronic pain figured out. Highly recommend to anyone with chronic back pain, heel/foot pain, wrist pain, shoulder pain, etc. Especially if it's not from a clear accident, and you are a high functioning individual. Come drink the koolaid with me! Seriously. Cured myself with this book. No more chiropractic bills. Freedom.
March 6, 2017
An eye-opening account of the mental patterns that keep us rooted in pain and anguish and hope for the notion that shining the light of consciousness on them can be just enough to self-correct back to health.
April 12, 2019
Combined with the Curable app, all these mind-body books are saving my life...literally.
December 4, 2023
A quite interesting read that makes you have to go to back to a framework you had developed from a child and give it a new fresh coat a paint.
The book talks about psychosomatic disorders. The idea is that we as humans can bury a deep rage or trauma or fear in our unconscious and our brains will trick us making us experience a physical symptom (back pain, migraine, stomach issues) to distract us from letting these unconscious emotions come to the surface. Really a quite interesting view that is often left out of modern medicine but highly probable.
If we are so easy to accept when we are anxious are hands become sweaty, then is it really that far fetched to think due to unconscious rage we can get a physical symptom like back pain? I think not.
The book talks about psychosomatic disorders. The idea is that we as humans can bury a deep rage or trauma or fear in our unconscious and our brains will trick us making us experience a physical symptom (back pain, migraine, stomach issues) to distract us from letting these unconscious emotions come to the surface. Really a quite interesting view that is often left out of modern medicine but highly probable.
If we are so easy to accept when we are anxious are hands become sweaty, then is it really that far fetched to think due to unconscious rage we can get a physical symptom like back pain? I think not.
August 26, 2014
As much as I admire the work of Dr. John Sarno, and got a lot out of reading his book "The Mindbody Prescription," I struggled to oblivion reading his "The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders." First off, Dr. Sarno only writes half of the book, a half that only serves as a repeat of everything he wrote about already in "The Mindbody Prescription." Sure, I appreciate Sarno's reinforcement of ideas in order to drive the point home as to the importance of understanding TMS. However a reading experience, it was bloody torture.
The second half of "The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders" consists of other doctors that Dr. Sarno hands the book off to: general practitioners, orthopedists, etc..to get their own professional take on TMS. Yet few of the doctors offer anything of value, aside from repeating the same thoughts and ideas previously expressed by Dr. Sarno. One doctor at least makes an attempt to describe in detail the psychotherapeutic approach to healing TMS, yet the rest only speak in generalities, and offer up the same old boring stores about this or that patient who suffered from X, Y and Z, only to be cured after a few office visits. The physicians take the time to be self-congratuatory, yet do not take the time to go into any specifics as to what exactly happened in this or that patient's. Instead, it was always "John Smith had back pain. He came to see me. I diagnosed TMS. Now he's fine." Not that I doubt the merit of the stories, it's just their repetitive nature mixed with a scarcity of details left me bored, with no new knowledge gained. Okay, even if there was NOT any more to these patient stories, then why waste pages after pages on them? I'd rather the space used to further enhance my knowledge of TMS. I mean, wasn't that the point of the book?
TMS is a terrible condition, and I do applaud any literature that attempts to educate the public as to its workings, and the importance of understanding the unlimited power of the brain, and the unconscious. True, perhaps had I not read Dr. Sarno's "The Mindbody Prescription" first, I would have appreciated "The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders" a lot more. Yet the fact is, I came into reading "The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders" in hope of gaining further insight not covered in Dr. Sarno's other book. Unfortunately, that's not what I got.
The second half of "The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders" consists of other doctors that Dr. Sarno hands the book off to: general practitioners, orthopedists, etc..to get their own professional take on TMS. Yet few of the doctors offer anything of value, aside from repeating the same thoughts and ideas previously expressed by Dr. Sarno. One doctor at least makes an attempt to describe in detail the psychotherapeutic approach to healing TMS, yet the rest only speak in generalities, and offer up the same old boring stores about this or that patient who suffered from X, Y and Z, only to be cured after a few office visits. The physicians take the time to be self-congratuatory, yet do not take the time to go into any specifics as to what exactly happened in this or that patient's. Instead, it was always "John Smith had back pain. He came to see me. I diagnosed TMS. Now he's fine." Not that I doubt the merit of the stories, it's just their repetitive nature mixed with a scarcity of details left me bored, with no new knowledge gained. Okay, even if there was NOT any more to these patient stories, then why waste pages after pages on them? I'd rather the space used to further enhance my knowledge of TMS. I mean, wasn't that the point of the book?
TMS is a terrible condition, and I do applaud any literature that attempts to educate the public as to its workings, and the importance of understanding the unlimited power of the brain, and the unconscious. True, perhaps had I not read Dr. Sarno's "The Mindbody Prescription" first, I would have appreciated "The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders" a lot more. Yet the fact is, I came into reading "The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders" in hope of gaining further insight not covered in Dr. Sarno's other book. Unfortunately, that's not what I got.
August 27, 2022
A disappointing read. I think the mind body connection is vastly overlooked, to the detriment of patients, but Dr. Sarno goes to far in his diagnosis of his pet disorder, tension myositis syndrome (TMS). As he pushes his theory he offers no scientific evidence for it.
Dr. Sarno states "experience suggests that anxiety, depression, and OCD" are caused by TMS. "Bulimia, anorexia nervosa, and neurasthenia are quasi-physical equivalents of TMS." But no proof is given for the latter and the former is completely anecdotal. Statements like these when made by medical professionals are dangerous.
Dr. Sarno mentions irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) a few times throughout his book and makes it clear that he believes all the symptoms of IBS are psychosomatic. As someone who has suffered with IBS for over a decade this greatly diminishes not only my pain and suffering but the dramatic changes I have made in my life to prevent symptoms. While emotions (positive and negative) do effect my symptoms the greatest effects have come from dietary changes. If IBS were mediated by the autonomic-peptide system, as Dr. Sarno claims, then the medication that controls my GERD symptoms (another "TMS disorder") should have a positive effect on IBS symptoms. Alas, it absolutely does not.
I picked up this book from the library looking to learn about the connection between our mental state and physical state. Instead a pet diagnosis was pushed hard and many diagnosis were lumped into Sarno's biased views. Looking at the back cover, there is a line about "how to return to pain-free health". Cure alls simply do not exist. The body and the mind are too complicated.
Dr. Sarno states "experience suggests that anxiety, depression, and OCD" are caused by TMS. "Bulimia, anorexia nervosa, and neurasthenia are quasi-physical equivalents of TMS." But no proof is given for the latter and the former is completely anecdotal. Statements like these when made by medical professionals are dangerous.
Dr. Sarno mentions irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) a few times throughout his book and makes it clear that he believes all the symptoms of IBS are psychosomatic. As someone who has suffered with IBS for over a decade this greatly diminishes not only my pain and suffering but the dramatic changes I have made in my life to prevent symptoms. While emotions (positive and negative) do effect my symptoms the greatest effects have come from dietary changes. If IBS were mediated by the autonomic-peptide system, as Dr. Sarno claims, then the medication that controls my GERD symptoms (another "TMS disorder") should have a positive effect on IBS symptoms. Alas, it absolutely does not.
I picked up this book from the library looking to learn about the connection between our mental state and physical state. Instead a pet diagnosis was pushed hard and many diagnosis were lumped into Sarno's biased views. Looking at the back cover, there is a line about "how to return to pain-free health". Cure alls simply do not exist. The body and the mind are too complicated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2019
Great insight into the nature and treatment of psychosomatic pain disorders. Unfortunately, the psychological aspect of pain (especially chronic) is oft overlooked by clinicians. They (myself included) are often trained to look almost only for mechanical issues as the cause of pain, not take any kind of extensive social history, and rarely consider psychosomatic issues except in the most obvious of cases; this can often lead to many years of profound suffering, the prescription of harmful medications, or a recommendation for unnecessary surgeries. Patients, unfortunately, also generally demonstrate resistance to a psychosomatic diagnosis, however, hopefully knowledge of the great work of Dr. Sarno will continue to spread.
February 8, 2022
I’ve got no quantifiable proof, but I’ve read lots of Freud. Also, here’s lots of anecdotes about people who have been cured by me and my friends from the disease I invented.
September 27, 2021
If you're having physical problems that don't seem to have a physical explanation, this is a must read. I was a little bit skeptical about psychosomatic pain before reading this, but feel strongly that it is a very common experience now. I'm trying to parse through my own seemingly inexplicable physical pain right now, and am now fairly convinced that it's a least partially explainable as a psychosomatic experience (I imagine me saying partially would be pointed at by Sarno as the reason why the pain hasn't gone away yet.
My hesitations with the book, still, are several:
1. The character traits that were described as evidence of TMS (tension mytosis syndrome, or the psychosomatic ailment Sarno diagnoses) seemingly could apply to most people, or at least some of the traits (they unincluded perfectionism, deep desire to please others, inferiority or impostor complexes, etc. There was an exercise I did in high school history class where the teacher handed us all a slip of paper that was supposedly tailored to each student. We all 'saw' ourselves in the paper. Then, the teacher told us to trade with a neighbor - and we all had the same slips! Feels a bit like we could all see the elements of TMS in us
2. Part of the recommended therapy for TMS was READING THIS BOOK, which just raises alarm bells in my head. There's the knowledge-gaining point - that part of curing TMS is learning about it and how it works - and I feel fine about that. But the other point they make is that reading this book should become part of your daily practice so you can reflect on the things that might be lurking in your unconscious that is causing you pain. It might be totally fine, but it feels a bit like your econ professor assigns you his or her textbook for the class - well, feels a bit fishy and I don't like it.
My hesitations with the book, still, are several:
1. The character traits that were described as evidence of TMS (tension mytosis syndrome, or the psychosomatic ailment Sarno diagnoses) seemingly could apply to most people, or at least some of the traits (they unincluded perfectionism, deep desire to please others, inferiority or impostor complexes, etc. There was an exercise I did in high school history class where the teacher handed us all a slip of paper that was supposedly tailored to each student. We all 'saw' ourselves in the paper. Then, the teacher told us to trade with a neighbor - and we all had the same slips! Feels a bit like we could all see the elements of TMS in us
2. Part of the recommended therapy for TMS was READING THIS BOOK, which just raises alarm bells in my head. There's the knowledge-gaining point - that part of curing TMS is learning about it and how it works - and I feel fine about that. But the other point they make is that reading this book should become part of your daily practice so you can reflect on the things that might be lurking in your unconscious that is causing you pain. It might be totally fine, but it feels a bit like your econ professor assigns you his or her textbook for the class - well, feels a bit fishy and I don't like it.
July 4, 2022
Interesting insights theorizing the connection of the mind to physical pains which are prevalent in today's society such as back and neck pain, joint pain, pain in lower extremities, etc. Talks on how the term mindbody should be read as one word and not two being as they are intricately connected. Focusing on how repressed feelings even from childhood such as rage, sadness, guilt, fear, etc. are being protected by the mind from surfacing so as to protect the individual from intense emotional pain and creating physical pain to take it's place. Enjoyed the case studies immensely and very good insight for those open to such ideas. Includes an interview with the author at the conclusion of the book on the audio version. Recommended for all pain sufferers. Knowledge is power regardless if the individual is ascribed to it's theories.
September 29, 2018
This book offers insights into the mind-body connection for commonly diagnosed illnesses, such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, tension myosiyis syndrome (TMS), tinnitus, migraines, peptic ulcers, pinched nerves, disc bulges and/or herniations, sciatic pain, plantar fasciitis, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and many other conditions.
Like many people my age, I have experienced or continue to experience several of these and was intrigued by the concept that our emotions could be integrally responsible for much of the pain we feel.
The author states right up front that he does not have scientific evidence to back up his claims, and I'm not sure how much I am willing to accept, but I figured it was worth a read.
interesting quotes:
"I have concluded that since everyone experiences psychosomatic symptoms, the mind-split is a universal human trait, not something associated only with the neuroses. Or to put it another way, we are all 'neurotic.' Therefore, neurotic is normal." (p. 52)
"" (p.)
"" (p.)
"" (p.)
Like many people my age, I have experienced or continue to experience several of these and was intrigued by the concept that our emotions could be integrally responsible for much of the pain we feel.
The author states right up front that he does not have scientific evidence to back up his claims, and I'm not sure how much I am willing to accept, but I figured it was worth a read.
interesting quotes:
"I have concluded that since everyone experiences psychosomatic symptoms, the mind-split is a universal human trait, not something associated only with the neuroses. Or to put it another way, we are all 'neurotic.' Therefore, neurotic is normal." (p. 52)
"" (p.)
"" (p.)
"" (p.)
August 5, 2024
Psychosomatic pain is a new passion of mine, as I've dealt with my own over the past few years. I loved The Way Out by Alan Gordon was well, but wanted a more clinical perspective. I found Dr. Sarno's first book (Mind Body Prescription) a little too stuffy and arrogant, but this one was better. Great, in fact. Western medicine has totally missed the mark on chronic pain.
January 23, 2022
So I know this is a really good book
But I was honestly very confused half the time
But I was honestly very confused half the time
May 17, 2025
Excellent information!! I love that although the book is written by Dr. Sarno there are a wealth of perspectives from other doctors within different disciplines. Definitely worth the read!
January 6, 2026
Annoyingly self-congratulatory, but helpful concepts. Take what you want from it, leave the rest. I found a few of the guest essays at the end the most helpful.
January 6, 2014
I really like John Sarno's theory. For the last 20 years of so he has been writing books about his theory that back pain is primarily psychogenic. It is caused by your subconscious trying to hide feelings of anger, fear, and anxiety. I've read at least 3 of his books, and consider "Healing Back Pain" the gold standard. Is is short, easy to read, and convincing. If you have recurring or chronic back pain, you really should read it. I have ended decades of back trouble merely by reading the book.
The more he has studied this area, the more diseases he attributes to this same underlying cause. It seems a little over the top, but he does make a pretty good case for it.
This book goes into greater detail that previous books about the general problem of "Mindbody Disorders"--problems whose symptoms are clearly physical like back trouble, fibromyalgia, migraines, allergies etc, but which he believes are caused by repression of unpleasant emotions--especially anger. His theories are very interesting, mostly believable, and well worth reading. He makes a better case that you might think possible. And, he has the success stories to back it up. He's been treating patients for years with great success--especially when you compare his success rates with standard practices.
What made this book special for me is the several chapters written by other physicians who have started treating their patients with treatments based on Sarno's theories. It is nice to get a different perspective from qualified people.
Particularly interesting was the cardiologist. She pointed out that there are two types of high blood pressure: The kind driven largely by sodium intake, and everyone else. The sodium driven kind responds very well to typical blood pressure drugs. The other kind doesn't and many people spend a lot of time and money trying to find a drug and dosage that is effective.
This Dr. says that when the pressure isn't responding to drugs the patient usually fits the profile outlined by Sarno: well intentioned perfectionist who tries hard to be good and successful. According to Sarno, this person probably has some repressed anger and if you can get them to realize this anger the blood pressure would be reduced.
However, this cardiologist is not interested in this solution. This repression has worked well for the patient for years and who is she to cause them emotional grief by bringing the issues out in the open? Instead, she prescribes anti-depressants with make the repressed angers less of an issue. This, in turn, lowers the blood pressure in the patient.
It is a wonderful/horrifying tale of how modern medicine treats patients. It is wonderful that she has realized a new application of Sarno's theories, but horrifying that she feels the best treatment is to use the insights to treat the symptoms with a different drug and not actually cure the problem.
The more he has studied this area, the more diseases he attributes to this same underlying cause. It seems a little over the top, but he does make a pretty good case for it.
This book goes into greater detail that previous books about the general problem of "Mindbody Disorders"--problems whose symptoms are clearly physical like back trouble, fibromyalgia, migraines, allergies etc, but which he believes are caused by repression of unpleasant emotions--especially anger. His theories are very interesting, mostly believable, and well worth reading. He makes a better case that you might think possible. And, he has the success stories to back it up. He's been treating patients for years with great success--especially when you compare his success rates with standard practices.
What made this book special for me is the several chapters written by other physicians who have started treating their patients with treatments based on Sarno's theories. It is nice to get a different perspective from qualified people.
Particularly interesting was the cardiologist. She pointed out that there are two types of high blood pressure: The kind driven largely by sodium intake, and everyone else. The sodium driven kind responds very well to typical blood pressure drugs. The other kind doesn't and many people spend a lot of time and money trying to find a drug and dosage that is effective.
This Dr. says that when the pressure isn't responding to drugs the patient usually fits the profile outlined by Sarno: well intentioned perfectionist who tries hard to be good and successful. According to Sarno, this person probably has some repressed anger and if you can get them to realize this anger the blood pressure would be reduced.
However, this cardiologist is not interested in this solution. This repression has worked well for the patient for years and who is she to cause them emotional grief by bringing the issues out in the open? Instead, she prescribes anti-depressants with make the repressed angers less of an issue. This, in turn, lowers the blood pressure in the patient.
It is a wonderful/horrifying tale of how modern medicine treats patients. It is wonderful that she has realized a new application of Sarno's theories, but horrifying that she feels the best treatment is to use the insights to treat the symptoms with a different drug and not actually cure the problem.
December 13, 2015
Sarno has convinced me that psychology and stress play both a significant and frequent role in a variety of illnesses. I now believe simply being aware of this and making a deliberate effort to identify and address underlying stress-related problems can significantly help alleviate some pains (or at the very least speed up the recovery process).
The reason this book gets 3 stars is the authoritarian tone. Given the nascent research in how the mind affects the body, I can forgive an over-reliance on empirical analysis and anecdotes instead of hard data. However, reading this book (and listening to the audio version) sounded one-sided, as if the author discovered a new cure in medicine that only he understands. He left little room for doubt and was quick to dismiss traditional explanations for injuries and pain, as if he solely monopolizes truth.
Although I agree with the content, I am in general wary of overconfidence and sweeping generalizations, which this book has many. Definitely worth looking into the topics covered here if you suffer from chronic illnesses and have failure with traditional treatments, but don't come looking for a whole lot of science here.
The reason this book gets 3 stars is the authoritarian tone. Given the nascent research in how the mind affects the body, I can forgive an over-reliance on empirical analysis and anecdotes instead of hard data. However, reading this book (and listening to the audio version) sounded one-sided, as if the author discovered a new cure in medicine that only he understands. He left little room for doubt and was quick to dismiss traditional explanations for injuries and pain, as if he solely monopolizes truth.
Although I agree with the content, I am in general wary of overconfidence and sweeping generalizations, which this book has many. Definitely worth looking into the topics covered here if you suffer from chronic illnesses and have failure with traditional treatments, but don't come looking for a whole lot of science here.
June 27, 2016
Historically an extremely healthy 23-year-old, four months ago I developed severe and nonsensical symptoms -- chronic fatigue, chronic GI problems, insomnia, dizziness, etc. After three and a half months and dozens of traditional and alternative medical tests and therapies, nothing had gotten better. Two weeks ago I discovered Sarno and this book, and it started me on an unconventional journey of healing that has already alleviated about 50% of my symptoms. I can't believe it, and I'm appalled at the lack of understanding and acceptance in mainstream medicine of the relationship between mind and body. WOW. I encourage anyone who has ever experienced any kind of unexplained ache, pain, or ailment at all read this book ASAP -- it will likely change your life!
(One star off because it was a bit repetitive and dragged at the end, and because Sarno is a little vague about what to actually do day to day in order to heal, instead focusing on the big concepts. Luckily there's the internet for that!)
(One star off because it was a bit repetitive and dragged at the end, and because Sarno is a little vague about what to actually do day to day in order to heal, instead focusing on the big concepts. Luckily there's the internet for that!)
May 23, 2019
Skip this; try Curable
Flawed logic (heavy on post hoc and begging the question) and a faith-healer's admonition to "believe" make this a painful read. I know people who have felt better post-Sarno, and more power to them, but this book is largely bunk, though, like a broken clock, it has its reliable moments.
Brain and pain science these days is better than this.
Sarno insists that his success rate proves his diagnosis of TMS and treatment of it are sound and decidedly not placebo effects... but placebo effects are nothing to sneeze at. People get better after crystal healings, Reiki sessions, and psychic consultations, too, but I'm not about to sing the praises of those methods. TMS has become one of the many things people shove in my face unsolicited when I mention my fibromyalgia/chronic pain (which is now in remission WITHOUT the help of Sarno, crystals, Reiki, diet, drugs, or alien intervention, thank you very much).
If you're in search of something Sarno/TMS-flavored but heavier on the logic and science, I recommend the Curable app.
Flawed logic (heavy on post hoc and begging the question) and a faith-healer's admonition to "believe" make this a painful read. I know people who have felt better post-Sarno, and more power to them, but this book is largely bunk, though, like a broken clock, it has its reliable moments.
Brain and pain science these days is better than this.
Sarno insists that his success rate proves his diagnosis of TMS and treatment of it are sound and decidedly not placebo effects... but placebo effects are nothing to sneeze at. People get better after crystal healings, Reiki sessions, and psychic consultations, too, but I'm not about to sing the praises of those methods. TMS has become one of the many things people shove in my face unsolicited when I mention my fibromyalgia/chronic pain (which is now in remission WITHOUT the help of Sarno, crystals, Reiki, diet, drugs, or alien intervention, thank you very much).
If you're in search of something Sarno/TMS-flavored but heavier on the logic and science, I recommend the Curable app.
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