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This is very true - I could not say it any better. I came to this forum upon reading Sarno's book. It helped, but did not get me fully healed. It was only after I discovered Dr. Weekes here, I realized that my recurring health issues (severe insomnia for 25+ years, various back/knee/foot/arm pains for 15 years, finally, CRPS/RSD and dystonia) all were a product of over-sensitized nervous system and general anxiety syndrome. My life full of stressful events did not help either. Each time I would get sick again, I would frenetically google my conditions, seek out treatments and chase my symptoms away aggressively. Even though I understood better than my doctors that my insomnia was caused by anxiety and fought them to get a Xanax prescription, I did not realize how far-reaching were the impacts of anxiety on my body. Xanax helped to sleep, but only for a few years, then stopped. This is when my agitated brain developed CRPS/RSD.

Once I started meditating and recognizing my fear, I immediately started sleeping better. When I wake up at night, I let my anxiety flow through my body. I feel my emotions, whether I like them or not. I stopped swatting away depressive feelings when I exercise, I know it is a much needed emotional release - and they do go away after a while.

I relaxed over the symptoms and stopped searching for the cure. I stopped freaking out over bizarre sensations in my body. I no longer care if my hands or feet are numb or painful or feel like I am holding a bare electric wire, although I feel it most of the time.

As a result, my symptoms have not disappeared, but they are slowly receding. A year ago, I nearly lost ability to grab and hold things with my both hands, due to the extreme tension in the muscles and tendons, swelling and extreme sensitivity to touch and temperature. I am able to regain nearly full control of my hands for few hours a day now. Neuropathic pain is gone and pain level mostly remains under 3-5 points out of 10. But each time something stressful whack out my sleep, my symptoms get worse. Then I know I need to meditate more and pay more attention to my emotions as I am very good at shoving them under the rug. And after a while, my sleep returns.

Sleeping well and being emotionally healthy is what I am focused on now and wish all of us same in these stressful times.