The mind’s connection to chronic pain
I find that more often than not, you don’t find the books you need to read, they find you. A few months ago, a work acquaintance suggested “Healing Back Pain” by John E. Sarno, M.D. (Warner Books, 1991, 193 pages) and it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.
In this book, Dr. Sarno uses case histories of his patients to explain how unexpressed emotions, particularly anxiety and anger, can cause chronic back pain. This process, which he named Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS), involves the brain’s unconscious use of physical pain to distract a person from the emotional pain that is repressed, or about to surface.
While much of his research is dismissed by mainstream medical thought, Dr. Sarno has a firm, respectful response, letting the results of his work speak louder than words of defense. That being said, he still provides a rich, detailed explanation of what is occurring physically in TMS. We’re discovering more and more about brain functions and much of Dr. Sarno’s approach rests on that. He sees the human person as a composite of mind and body, not simply a body that happens to have consciousness, separate and unconnected.
This holistic perspective, seeing a person as more than just parts to make up a whole, resonated with me deeply. But the book struck a chord with me for another reason too: my own story could be one of the countless case histories described.
To briefly recount my own experience of back pain. Four years ago, I awoke one morning with a pain in my upper back. Since I had never had any back issues until then, I assumed I slept poorly. It rapidly worsened over the next couple days until I could no longer move my neck. There was no position of relief and ibuprofen had the same effect of arrows being shot at a stone wall. My brother’s chiropractor was able to fit in me and there I discovered that my spine was inversely shaped. A genetic problem was causing the deterioration of the plates between my vertebrae. A ticking-time bomb. Weekly chiropractor visits, anti-inflammatory diets and heavy physical activity reduction were all among the requisites I was given so as to ensure I have mobility in my neck by the time I’m 40.
As anyone who receives an unexpected diagnosis knows, the sudden feeling of being weak and incapable is just one of the many negative side effects. The reality of shifting your lifestyle, the constant awareness to sit a certain way, sleep a certain way, not bend over in the garden too long, hold books up high, stop eating so much meat, no more wine and not to run all seemed to require more adjustment than my spine.
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But it must’ve worked. Other than the very occasional, mild discomfort which Advil easily chased away, I never had a recurrence. Eventually I found another chiropractor I was able to visit more frequently and my activity and life resumed more normal to what it had been before. Back pain seemed to be a forgotten, conquered foe. Until a few months ago.
A therapeutic method had come across my path, one intended to help clarify emotions and shift mindsets. With it, I revisited a negative personal experience to process hurt I hadn’t realized still lingered. The next day I awoke with back pain nearly as intense as my first flare-up. Nothing like it had happened since then and I was baffled as to the sudden change, especially since my chiropractor had just expressed to me the positive progress and the likelihood of decreased visits. But even more puzzling was the uncanny realization that my initial incident of back pain had struck right after the negative experience I was reflecting on had happened.
Dr. Sarno’s book soon fell into my lap and I can’t help but feel so grateful. While the acknowledgement of connection helped the pain go away, I’m even more relieved to have the tools and techniques to prevent it from happening in the future. Additionally, this book has invigorated me to do a spring cleaning of my emotional state and declutter the basement of my subconscious. There have been plenty of studies that show the connection between positive mindsets and healthier people, of optimism having physical benefits, so the connection between pain and negative emotions makes so much sense.
However, Dr. Sarno’s book is far more than just the power of positive thinking. It’s not simply mind over matter. It’s groundbreaking research showing the mind-body connection, bolstered with many case studies and results. It explains the physiological reaction that is occurring when TMS hits and how the physical treatments can alleviate the symptoms, but it’s knowledge and emotion that strikes at the root cause.
Some may be skeptical, and I don’t blame you. This book is not your typical medical attitude. But Dr. Sarno makes a convincing, balanced case. He says many times throughout that not all chronic pain is TMS and other avenues need to be checked out as well. But the fact that this avenue is so prevalent, yet never mentioned, is truly a shame. Like Dr. Sarno, I believe many people could be cured of chronic pain that has been a weight on their lives for years; and while it sounds too good to be true, it could be as simple as reading this book.
(Ann Barren is lifelong book lover.)
