1. Alan has completed the new Pain Recovery Program. To read or share it, use this updated link: https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/painrecovery/
    Dismiss Notice
Dismiss Notice
Our TMS drop-in chat is tomorrow (Saturday) from 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Eastern (US Daylight Time). It's a great way to get quick and interactive peer support, with Bonnard as your host. Look for the red Chat flag on top of the menu bar!

All the Rage Film WE GOT A PRESS HIT!! Huffington Post did a story

Discussion in 'General Discussion Subforum' started by Caroline Rumur, Dec 17, 2014.

  1. Lori

    Lori Well known member

    I do wish the title of the article had been different because we all know the pain is very real! Of course Dr. Sarno says this himself too.

    The ones who comment that they don't believe it doesn't surprise me. Maybe as the medical establishment admits more and more issues are stress-related then more people will "get" it.
     
  2. Cap'n Spanky

    Cap'n Spanky Well known member

    Lorrie - first of all, welcome!! Based on your enthusiastic comments, I predict you will do well. I was also very enthusiastic when I first heard about Dr. Sarno and all this stuff. Now it did take about 5 or 6 months for my back problem to go away, but it did. I'm six years pain free now. So as Forrest said, the timing is different for different folks.

    In addition to Forrest's excellent advice (provided above), if you have the time and the inclination, you may want to pick up one of Dr. Sarno's books or audio-books, as well. There's nothing like getting it straight from the horse's mouth. There are other good books, too. But there's no need to overwhelm you with stuff. :)
     
  3. Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)

    Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021) Beloved Grand Eagle

    I agree that the Huffington Post article could have been a lot better,
    but as a former Chicago Tribune reporter and feature writer I know how hard it is to write about such a complex subject as TMS.
    And the thing is, at the Tribune they made another guy their new science and health editor and he knew zilch about either.
    So we're often at the mercy of unqualified writers. At least the slant of the Huffington article was positive. The writer could
    have slammed it.
     
    lorrie and IrishSceptic like this.
  4. IrishSceptic

    IrishSceptic Podcast Visionary

    thats amazing Lorrie, im still struggling with doubt due to my friends who I try to explain it to. they never realised just how much pain I was in and its embarassing to talk about such things during polite conversation.
     
    lorrie likes this.
  5. Forest

    Forest Beloved Grand Eagle

    Michael Galinsky just wrote a very thoughtful article about the article and what happened afterward:
    http://rumur.com/power-resists-change/

    Overall, I'm saddened by the way that things played out. Things have been going much better elsewhere in the movement. For example, Fran Anderson, who worked with Dr. Sarno for more than 30 years, was recently invited to give a very prestigious annual keynote:
    http://thebowlbycentre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Conference-leaflet.pdf
    You can see from her and Eric Sherman's events page that they have a busy schedule of presentations at various conferences:
    http://www.pathwaystopainrelief.com/upcoming_events.html
    Likewise, it seems like Dr. Clarke is regularly invited to medical conferences to talk about how stress can cause illness. Finally, there have been a number of very successful conferences focusing on TMS (or PPD as it was called in all of them after the first):
    http://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/TMS_Conferences
    Likewise, he upcoming conference organized by Georgie Oldfield and SIRPA is also looking to be very successful:
    http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/sirpa-conference-2015.6665/

    Michael Galinsky is very sophisticated, so I'm sure that he handled the interview very well. The question, then, is what went wrong, then?

    Personally, my hunch is that it was about the writer and the audience. The writer chose a headline that looks to have been specifically chosen to inflame passions and then used the word "cult" twice in the portion of the article that she wrote. I couldn't think of a better way to set the audience up for skepticism.

    In terms of the audience, my bet is that they are skeptical by nature and it is going to be hard to sell them a doctor to them who has been around for 40 years but hasn't been able to reach mainstream medicine. They probably trust the scientific method and immediately draw the conclusion that if a doctor's ideas haven't been accepted in 40 years, then its because he's a quack. To be honest, even though I think they are wrong in this case, I understand their skepticism.

    This might explain why other doctors seem to be getting more traction. Dr. Schubiner has his own mindbody clinic in a major hospital, a blog at Psychology Today, and got funding to do a Randomized Controlled Trial to show that his method works. The PPC is making absolutely amazing strides at connecting with mainstream institutions. And then there are the many successes listed above. David Hanscom has been selling a huge number of books, likely being the first person since the 80s to say that emotions can be the cause of the common pain syndromes and (ever so briefly) sell more than Dr. Sarno:
    http://www.novelrank.com/user/forestfortreestms
    It raises the question of whether Dr. Sarno's brand has been so tarnished in the eyes of the mainstream audiences that another name may do a better job of helping carry the movement forward.

    We can't know that yet, but it's an interesting question. In the meantime, it's just nice to know that there are bright spots elsewhere in the movement. As we gain more experience, we will become better and better at spreading the word.
     
  6. Ellen

    Ellen Beloved Grand Eagle

    I don't think we should be too disheartened by what happened with the Huff Post article, as internet comments don't represent what is really happening in people's day to day lives. I just listened to a podcast at Slate where they were talking about the topic of how outrage is ubiquitous on social media, and the media in general now. They stated that headlines are written specifically to get people to click on the article, so they are written to excite people and fan the flames of outrage, which increases the number of comments. So I think we just witnessed the way things are now in the media. This seems to be the nature of public discourse right now. This Forum is quite unusual in it's calm, thoughtful, and supportive discussion. We owe that to Forest's diligent moderating.

    I think people who are ready to hear the message of Sarno's ideas will come to it by searching on Google, reading different books, talking to trusted friends....in the same manner we all ended up here. Galinsky will make an excellent film (as his others are) and more people will learn about TMS and join us. But I doubt there will be a huge stampede. The concepts are too complex and nuanced, and the work of healing is....well, work. This will leave many people disinterested or outraged, as the case may be.
     
    Oscar B. and Forest like this.
  7. galinsky

    galinsky Director, All The Rage

    I wanted to point out that nothing went "wrong". There's no controlling ideas or people. I think that the TMS folks who responded were polite and on point. However, in the end, since the headline was simply click bait, it might have been best to just let it go..... The headline was terrible, which was only the fault of the editor. At first I tried to figure out what I did wrong, but quickly realized that my problem was that I didn't believe the overriding paradigms of the culture. If that's a crime......

    I was frustrated by how our hour long conversation was condensed and framed, but the article wasn't absolutely terrible, just a little flawed. I don't see this as a loss as much as a lesson. Our film is not part of a battle but instead a journey. If it's viewed as a battle it will take on the ethos of a campaign. Instead it's an exploration, in which there is no quarter to be gained, but instead knowledge to be gleaned.

    From the comments section it may seem that it was a bad thing. However, from other data, I can see the very positive outcomes. For example, the Jon Ames scene was loaded 35k times (the number of times the article was viewed) and watched 1.3k times ( the majority of people watched the whole thing). Also, one person joined the Wiki after having had a fairly spontaneous cure- because she was prepared to understand. I imagine that of the 35 k people who read the article hundreds if not thousands had a seed planted that will someday bear fruit. A few thousand other people who are invested in other ideas, rejected the concepts without even entertaining them. They were not going to be reached even if the article was great.

    We are committed to honoring Dr. Sarno and his work; giving him the respect that he deserves. We also want to bring even more relevance to his work by connecting it to that of people like Dr. Clarke, Dr. Schubiner, and Dr. Mate. These doctors are not all going to agree on the whole package, or the science. However, they all understand that the connection between the mind and the body is sorely undervalued in the current medical system. In the end that is the most powerful message of the film. It's not going to be about the details or the science but instead - the story- because everything is story.
     
  8. IrishSceptic

    IrishSceptic Podcast Visionary

    Exactly!
    important to echo Forrests wariness of being viewed in terms of a cult to the ''mainstream''.

    ''For example, the Jon Ames scene was loaded 35k times (the number of times the article was viewed) and watched 1.3k times ( the majority of people watched the whole thing). Also, one person joined the Wiki after having had a fairly spontaneous cure- because she was prepared to understand. I imagine that of the 35 k people who read the article hundreds if not thousands had a seed planted that will someday bear fruit.''

    You will never reach some and if I hadn't put in 6 years with pain and no improvement I would never have reached for Sarnos book. it took me 8 months until I actually read it(partly out of fear as the reviews were too good to be true!) .

    I have a lot of work to do but I no longer have the depth of hopelessness that can accompany long term pain.

    the medical establishment are propagating fear unnecessarily(even if its unintentional)and as Sarno says it malpractive generally practised if he is indeed correct.

    The Ego of a typical medic will understandably react dismissively but it will be the ordinary people who recover as a result of this work that will lead to a tipping point at some eventual stage. of course then Doctors will say they knew the answer all along!

     
    Cap'n Spanky and mike2014 like this.
  9. lorrie

    lorrie New Member

    I was expecting hundreds of people to join.

    You know, I'm thrilled that I kicked morphine so fast but I did notice something interesting on my FB feed. People kept calling me brave and strong and I felt like I had done the equivalent of having a limb sawed off while chewing on a silver bullet.

    I explained over & over that by the time I woke up from the horrible event that preceded me going off morphine (gastrointestinal) I had already been passed out for 3 days from sheer exhaustion. And that it is very easy for me to quit almost anything due to years of carefully watching my weight, I guess.

    But the accolades continued. Is it the American Pioneer Spirit? We are supposed to bravely endure suffering with a cheeky grin? Ridiculous!

    I kept saying..and will say it again..I'm a sniveling coward. I was NOT going to live 30 more years in pain. Period.

    smh! Cheers, Lorrie
     
    IrishSceptic, Cap'n Spanky and Forest like this.
  10. Oscar B.

    Oscar B. New Member

    I agree, Ellen. Those folks are not going to budge based on what we declare. They are that large percentage of people who cannot accept that their pain is induced by psychological circumstances. I couldn't believe it either, until I read one of Dr. Sarno's books.

    Funny how you can feel the anger in the posts. Actually, it's pretty sad.
     
  11. Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)

    Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021) Beloved Grand Eagle

    I think the best way to lead skeptics to believe in TMS causing their pain is by good example. If they know we were in pain and we believe we healed
    by TMS repressed emotions, they may eventually give it a try. If they are skeptical about trying TMS healing, it won't work for them, so they have to
    be at least closer to accepting than doubting. And also, all we can do is try to lead them to TMS knowledge. Ultimately, each of us heals our own way.

    Anger in skeptics can also mean they are angry with themselves for not believing in TMS or being unwilling to even give it a try. They may eventually decide it's worth trying.
     
    Oscar B. likes this.
  12. Cap'n Spanky

    Cap'n Spanky Well known member

    It's funny. There are several people who know I had real problems with my back, but when I tell them how I got cured, almost no-one believes it. The big exception was my dear-old mom. God rest her soul.

    I think Michael's film will go a long way in changing minds.
     
    IrishSceptic likes this.
  13. IrishSceptic

    IrishSceptic Podcast Visionary

    Cap'n'spanky, I'm almost afraid to ''get better'' because I'll start telling friends....then they'll think I'm ready for the funny farm!
     
  14. Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)

    Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021) Beloved Grand Eagle

    IrishSeptic, then only tell friends who are true friends and won't think you've gone bonkers.
    True friends are happy for us, unconditionally. Their friendship doesn't depend on them believing in TMS.
    They should be glad you are no longer in pain because of your acceptance of "TMS Penicillin."
    Some day they may need to accept TMS if they're in psychological pain.

    Stay pain-free and happy, and share the good news with those who will be glad for you.
     
    IrishSceptic likes this.
  15. lorrie

    lorrie New Member

    I have to report I was thrilled and amazed when THREE of my friends responded to me by expressing interest. Now I know why they are my friends. One had the book downloaded immediately.

    Progress report is that 8 years started on January 8 and on January 9, 2015, I was on NO painkillers AT ALL. Today, yes. A pain patch & two Tramadol.

    It is going to take a long time to get back to thinking I am healthy.

    I have NO old injuries. The hardest work I ever did as a child was turning pages in a book, oh, ballet wasn't work, it was a joy.

    So my pain hits me in such ridiculous spots it makes me laugh.
     
    IrishSceptic, Forest and Enrique like this.

Share This Page