richard13

Had suffered periods of intense lower back pain and sciatica over many years and always attributed it to being just part of my very physical life/work, treating it with pain/anti-inflammatory meds, heat, massage, reiki, rest, etc. I had a particularly excruciating and debilitating bout: freezing up when sitting, driving, sleeping; crawling to the bathroom on hands and knees; crying in the shower when I couldn't climb out of the tub, etc. I tried to keep working, albeit slowly and stiffly, over at a neighbor's whose house guest (unknown to me or I to her) had left a copy of Dr. Sarno's "Healing Back Pain" that she had been reading open on their dining table. Started reading it and it "rang true" with my personality and experience; I then got myself a copy which I later threw against the bedroom wall in frustration/impatience (sound like rage/despair?) and then took a bunch of meds that did nothing and only confirmed that it wasn't inflammation/pain in my back. So I picked up the book and went back to the psychological/emotional treatment. Had a few "aha" moments when the chronic pain would suddenly drop out for a short period and affirmed that the TMS treatment was working. These periods of relief grew more frequent and longer, until after about four weeks, the pain was gone. I had a lot of dread when returning to the heavy lifting that had brought on the last bout of pain (which Dr. Sarno suggests as part of the recovery process), but I was fine! As is sometimes the case (per Dr. Sarno's material on "symptom imperative"), my mind began creating chronic pain in other "vulnerable sites" that I had previously injured or had had temporary strains: neck/shoulder, elbow, wrist (and later: knee, shin, and feet). Fortunately, the TMS treatment worked more quickly as the chronic pain moved around to each new site; finally leaving for over a year before returning to the original lower back site. But I remembered the pattern and the TMS re-treatment took only a few days instead of weeks. Have been mostly chronic pain free for the past 15-20 years with only a few, short-lived flare-ups during periods of much emotional/psychological stress. Fortunately, now I have the skills to quickly recognize when an acute strain becomes chronic pain, and have the tools to treat it. Am very appreciative of Dr Sarno's discovery of this information and have shared it with others who are open to a long-term solution.