Does this forum honor Doctor John E. Sarno?

Mostly yes. There are doubters in the form of posting links to retraining pain, or programs to find the inner child, and how to meditate, etc, etc, etc.

It is worth repeating there is NO physical cause, etiological causation, for the wonderful bastard pain symptoms.

How did people get through life in times gone by? They did not have MRI. My goodness, they found resolve and unimaginable strength in their minds to accommodate the challenges they faced and they are our heroes. You bet they are. God bless them.

 

I feel it is important to clarify something here; people who post about their success and experience with healing methods other than journaling are not doubters but rather are people who fall beyond the simple TMS definition. There are other forms of chronic pain besides TMS where chronic pain is but one symptom of a range.

John Sarno himself very clearly explained this is his book The Divided Mind:

On page 3-4 of The Divided Mind, Sarno states:

"Over the last thirty-two exciting and fruitful years, my colleagues and I have learned much. I've published three books to describe our work, our discoveries, and our successes. Those dealt largely with what I called the tension myositis syndrome (TMS), a painful psychosomatic disorder afflicting millions. The Divided Mind will deal with the full range of psychosomatic disorders, a far broader and more important subject. Psychosomatic disorders fall into two categories:

1. Those disorders that are directly induced by unconscious emotions, such as the pain problems (TMS) and common gastrointestinal conditions including Reflux, ulcers, Irritable Bowel syndrome, skin disorders, Allergies and many others.

2. Those diseases in which unconscious emotions may play a role in causation, but are not the only factor. They include autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, certain cardiovascular conditions, and cancer."

The healing protocols that generally work with TMS are harmless and can be embraced in the treatment and recovery of other psychosomatic and psychogenic disorders. I have said many times that the continued exploration of neuroscientific work does not diminish Sarno one iota. The place of TMS within the classification of psychosomatic disorders is assured. That there is a spectrum of other disorders is clear. This is why the writings of Dr. Hanscom, Dr. Schubiner, Claire Weekes etc are so powerful, enduring and effective.

Personally I consider it a true blessing that this forum is a sanctuary for people suffering from the range of psychosomatic ills. Imagine if those who didn't fit the classic TMS definition (i.e. are diagnosed with autoimmune conditions, or cancer, as described by Sarno in the above quote) were routinely scolded and flamed, this gentle place would become a hotbed of desperation, fear, defensiveness, anger, guilt, insecurity and profound sadness...the self-same woes and wounds so many come here to resolve and heal.

I celebrate this forum. I celebrate its enveloping of Sarno's last book. I celebrate the expansiveness of that gesture and the way neuroscience and psychology rest contentedly with Christianity and Buddhism. I celebrate that people come here with hurt and confusion and with time discover the deep and abiding beauty that resides within them. I celebrate the ways the souls here are learning that their very essence is love and the expression of this is unconditional. It is only our beliefs that hinder us. Let us not be inhibited by misunderstanding Sarno's great gift to us. His field was psychosomatic healing with special reference to TMS. He implores us to honour the emotional and unconscious forces but beyond the realms of TMS he didn't extrapolate much. The full exploration of mindbody medicine is the new frontier and this forum is a part of that. In no small way we are all heroes in that endeavour.

 

plum, your response is kind, thoughtful. Thank you. It is courageous and inspiring what people are doing in this forum and to read their stories. A few people in my life who are taking this approach, it gives me such momentum to see them improve and it is exciting beyond words. Because it is so rare.

I will clarify there is doubt, which is part of the strategy of the mind to continue justification of causation of the symptoms. It takes a hell of a lot of courage to press on in the face of doubt as there is avalanche of misinformation from 'experts' and messaging on all fronts in society. It is amazing the inclination to find a structural basis for every single thing people do, including a study to search for the gene that causes people to drink more than one cup of coffee per day. It is ridiculous.

So where do people go? Some of them come here. This forum to honor the achievement and leadership of Doctor Sarno is a blessing.

 

My love, it also takes a lot of courage to be a person of faith these days. I do not like the reductionistic extremes of cold science nor that these views are driven by an even colder greed for hard cash and status.

Life is astonishing and even though the finest explanations of physics can tell us how there is life they stumble on telling us why. Why is there something? Physics tells us that someday there will be nothing but a sea of energy...fascinating, mind-blowing stuff. It may not be our privilege to know all the answers but it is enough to be genuinely awestruck at the majestic nature of creation and The Creator.

You are quite right, doubt is part of TMS. As are the constellation of mindgames we can so easily fall prey to. In articulating these Sarno gifted us with a prism of healing irrespective of our condition. He reminded us that we are stronger than we think. Literally.

You are also bang on regarding the resilience of our ancestors. Faith, community, a life lived in harmony gave them a rich connection that I fear we lack today. They also understood and respected death. Modern people are numb to the realities of this. How easily they can watch and cheer the slaughter of people in movies but what would their reaction be if they could smell the blood and see the viscera in the flesh? It is easy to deny divinity when isolated from the very stuff of life.

I am glad you are here. I admire strong faith and appreciate the resonance and reminder that we are all part of something bigger.

I am grateful for the years I devoted to pure TMS healing. Any and all heart-wounds were soothed, tended and resolved. From there healing my body has been plain-sailing.

Thank you for adding your strong voice to a community that has need of it.

God Bless.

 

Amen.

I love that!!

Which is the most important aspect of mindbody healing, healing our inner life and growing better within. The body follows when the mind says lets go.

The second sentence of part 2. in the book quote say, "No one, as far as I know, who is currently studying these disorders includes unconscious emotions as potential risk factors. To my mind, this borders on the criminal."

Page 27 of 'The Divided Mind', 'The New England Journal of Medicine' is quoted, "Whether emotional factors can influence the course of autoimmune disease, cancer, and infections in humans is a subject of intense research that has not been satisfactorily resolved at this time."

In 'Healing Back Pain', top of page 164 of the mass produced version, Doctor Sarno states, "Let me emphasize that in my view, the mind can influence any physical process."

Howard Stern in his on air radio interview with Doctor Sarno claims Sainthood for Doctor Sarno. Four miracles did occur. The four books Doctor Sarno gifted the world that are beacons of clarity from now on.

I need to contemplate your words plum, on faith, community, the richness of harmony. We are isolated from the harsh realities afflicting much of the world. Only a very few, mostly in the military, experience the outside world in it's darkest extreme.

Peace.

 

Here is an interesting resource:

http://noetic.org/ (Institute of Noetic Sciences)

Noetic Sciences is simply a fascinating project that invites people to become a part of their research. There is much on healing and consciousness.

"The term noetic sciences was first coined in 1973 when the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) was founded by Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell, who two years earlier became the sixth man to walk on the moon. Ironically, it was the trip back home that Mitchell recalls most, during which he felt a profound sense of universal connectedness—what he later described as a samadhi experience. In Mitchell’s own words, “The presence of divinity became almost palpable, and I knew that life in the universe was not just an accident based on random processes. . . .The knowledge came to me directly.”

"It led him to conclude that reality is more complex, subtle, and mysterious than conventional science had led him to believe. Perhaps a deeper understanding of consciousness (inner space) could lead to a new and expanded understanding of reality in which objective and subjective, outer and inner, are understood as co-equal aspects of the miracle of being. It was this intersection of knowledge systems that led Dr. Mitchell to launch the interdisciplinary field of noetic sciences."

Much food for thought.

Plum x

 

Profound, and hilarious what he says to the politicians.

There is no money in interconnectedness. And medicine cannot monetize mindbody theory.

Which is why a new paradigm must form so people can live as we are meant to. Interconnected human beings living and feeling well. Not as a source of cash to harvest for the clever.

Medicine should lead the way instructing new Doctors with this understanding of how the mindbody will heal given correct diagnosis and guidance meant mostly to reassure their clients. I don't like the term 'patient'. Patience is helpful while learning.