Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection

Worth a look.

I think this book will be most helpful for people who have been suffering with back pain for a long period of time (months to years). Most back pain lasts only a short time, and if it persists, you probably either have a really serious medical problem (that is usually obvious) or there are psychological factors involved.

If you've been through the conventional medical system with your back pain for a long time with no satisfaction, have had many physical treatments (such as heat, massage, manipulation, etc.) with no relief, AND have had serious back pain issues ruled out, then I say it would be well worth your while to at least check out this book. While there are true physical causes of back pain that are not psychological, this book will make you think about any stress related issues that could be a part of your pain. Other self-help books I liked include Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff. Good luck!

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

changed my life

What can I say that everyone here already has? Protruding L5, couldn't sit at work, sit in the car without pain. Then the lists of couldn'ts just kept growing. This book was recommended by my doctor, read it in a couple hours and decided to change my way of thinking. It works! I sit all day at work, I drive, I ski, I go to spinning, I can do anything! If it starts to creep back in, I become aware of my stress levels, talk to myself, breathe, mediatate, and it's gone. Please have an open mind and get this book!

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

READ THIS BEFORE TAKING MORE MEDICINE FOR PAIN!

This book offers very well presented information into the "real" reasons for back pain as expressed by John Sarno.
It provides solid information into the instinctive responses our body goes through during physical and/or emotional stimulus (either positive or negative)and the process into pain.
Highly recommended.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

This book changed my life...

I had chronic lower back pain for about five years. During that time, I sought treatment from chiropractors and MD's. Additionally, my mother and brother are both disabled because of back pain. After reading this book, the pain started to subside and now I can say I'm pain free! I highly recommend this book to anyone that suffers chronic back pain.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

More for long-term, chronic back pain.

Don't buy this book if you have had back pain less than a couple of months or so. Studies clearly show that the majority of people with back pain get better in a month or two- regardless of what kind of treatment they get- its just the nature of back pain. On the other hand, if you're a long-term, chronic back pain sufferer, and have tried many different kinds of back pain treatments without relief, then this book will definitely be worth your while to read. There are definitely links between back pain and psychological issues according to the literature and this is an area that could be well worth your time exploring.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Did nothing for me

A good friend of mine who had suffered back probkems, as I do, advised me to read this book. I read it, thought the premise was interesting. but it did absolutely nothing to alleviate my back pain - which confirmed my suspicion that the root cause of many back problems IS joint or disc-related, not muscular like Dr. Sarno suugests.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Life changing book-Read this before considering any spinal surgery!

It ia an amazing, life-changing read. Once you can open up your mind and realize that physical pain can manifest itself from unresolved psychological issues, it is quite liberating. It's not as though you need to realize some great psychological scar from childhood...it can be as simple as realizing that an issue or conflict with a co-worker or family member can be triggering physical pain becuase you subconsciously let it. You also don't need to resolve all your problems--but rather simply be open and aware that many common physical ailments can be the result of this subconscious act. It's something you may need to practice and re-read the book if pain should come back but it is quite amaazing to realize that you can control many of the pain issues you experience. Be open to the thought and you'll be very happy with the results!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommended

My doctor told me about the book. It has been very effective in relieving my neck/back pain.

I have purchased extra books for my friends and family!

This Book Really Helped Me!

Dr. Sarno uses example after example to convince the reader to overcome skepticism and consider the connection between back pain and the suppression of anger and anxiety. Dr. Sarno's experiences over many years with his numerous patients provide very compelling evidence and made a believer out of me. Two years of chronic back pain ended abruptly when I was about half-way through this book. What more can one say as an endorsement?!

Out of pain in 2 weeks - permanent cure

Doubled over in pain I went hobbling into the local Barnes & Noble and found this book. A quick read and I knew this was my story. I jumped out of bed and got back into my gardening activities immediately and back to a fully active life. Within 2 weeks the pain was gone. It returned intermittently for a while but I have now been pain-free for more than 10 years. I have helped many others through this book. Dr Sarno saved my life.

this book saved me

This is my first online book review ever. I'm only taking the time because this book saved my health. I was a total non-believer regarding the whole concept of psychosomatic injuries before this book basically cured me. 6 months of pain, sufferering and depression ended in one week for me. After reading and buying in to this book, I put my fears behind me and was back charging down the basketball court 5 days later. Hard to believe I know, but it also worked perfectly for a great friend of mine. We were both in our mid 20s at the time. If you match the personality type described in one of the early chapters this could book could make all the difference. Give it a shot!

Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection

If you suffer from back pain or any kind of pain, I command you to buy this book! I am not one to beleive in these types of things in general, but this book saved my life. I am a mother of two little girls, and have overcome my pain due to a 'herniated disc.' I read this book two years ago, was pain free within a week, and have been perfectly fine ever since. Please read this! If you have read it and are unsure, please contact me with any questions. I am sure I can help...Good luck on your short path to feeling great!

Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection

I was a young mother of two babies when I found this book. I now come back to write this review two years later because I want to tell everyone that my horrible pain from a herniated disc is still gone. I am not usually one to beleive in these kinds of things, but Dr. Sarno has changed my life.I never even worry that something may hurt my back. If you have back pain or know someone who does, you MUST get this book. Remember, I used to be a skeptic too. IT REALLY WORKS! Good luck..

An interesting read.

While other back pain books promote stretching, strengthening, good posture, and such, this book takes a quite different direction- do not do any of those things, just realize that your pain is a tactic your body is using to distract you from some psychological stressor and you'll get better. I recommend this book more to people with back pain of a long duration that have tried everything rather than those with acute back pain.

Wow!

Reviewer: A reader from Seattle, Washington This book saved my life! For five and half years I suffered from back and leg pain. I tried everything under the Sun and the Moon! Nothing worked, until a friend told me about Healing Back Pain. It worked like magic. It's been six months and I am doing great. Don't wait another day. Get it today. If you have read it and need additional help get Rapid Recovery from Back and Neck Pain and Back Sense. These two books also can give you valuable information. Don't wait for the doctors to cure you. Take charge of your health.

Dr Sarno Changed My Life!

Several years ago I would have laughed at the ideas Dr. Sarno talks about in his book. Now I have nothing but praise for Dr. Sarno. I saw seven doctors in two years after wrist injuries that never healed and nearly debilitated me with daily pain. Looking in the bookstore in desperation, I found Dr. Sarno's book. I couldn't believe how well his theory fit my case and within a few weeks my life became painfree. I still have various neck and back pains that pop up, but now that I am aware of TMS it will never control my life again. I am a registered nurse and believe in the scientific method, but there is nothing harmful in Dr. Sarno's ideas. He stresses that medical care should be sought out to rule out major problems before trying his method. There is huge untapped potential in the mind body connection. It's a shame that more doctors can't seem to accept this fact. Kudo's to Dr. Sarno for going against conventional thinking and helping thousands of people claim their lives back.

Very good!

Healing Back Pain is truly a work of genius. It is a groundbreaking work that has to be recognized for how it has helped me as well as thousands of others get well. For those of us struggling to get out of the maze of back pain diagnoses and treatments, this is the time to keep an open mind and try Sarno's approach. It worked for me.

Page 22.

In this book, the author writes that most back pain is the result of psychological stressors. In other words, the back pain is just a distraction to get your mind off of something that is really bothering you. He argues that most physical findings have very little to do with back pain, things such as herniated discs, spinal stenosis, pinched nerves, and so on. The book got me thinking about how stress can affect back pain, that is for sure, however I have read a book that is a direct contradiction to this book. In "The Multifidus Back Pain Solution" (available here at Barnes and Noble too) the author makes an extremely convincing argument based on a plethora of studies, that there is indeed a physical finding present in back pain patients that is not found in pain free backs-- abnormal multifidus muscles. In light of these findings, the basis upon which mind-body back pain books rest appears to be on very thin ground. Stress's influence should not be ignored, but let's not let the pendulum swing too far in any direction.

Well Written and Convincing

I have seen several different negative reviews of this book. I found it to be very thought provoking and controversial, if not downright eye opening. His description of the course of medical research being biased by the mind/body dichotomy of Rene DesCartes was right on the money. So far the criticisms I have read on this and other websites either reflect a total misunderstanding of the text or are simply iconoclastic. Someone says they need to see the clinical trials to be convinced. That is all good and well, and certainly we would not want to see the FDA willy nilly approving new drugs for the market without them. However, due to the controversial nature of Dr. Sarno's thesis, that is probably not realistic until the medical establishment, which tends to be extremely conservative, starts to listen to his arguments and then gets funding for such studies. Having spent nineteen months in India back in the late 70s, I was able to begin to see our culture through their eyes. For that reason I can relate to Dr. Sarno's comments about our culture being one fraught with anxiety. Therefore I do not see why anyone would be suprised to hear that various maladies such as back pain could be rooted in stress and repressed emotions, unless they are either in denial or just plain unable to recognize such factors in the society in which they live. Kudos to Dr. Sarno. History may just well show his discoveries to be on a par with those of Louis Pasteur.

Well written, but I'm not so easily convinced.

I found this book to be very interesting. It proposes that the true cause of back pain is psychological in nature, that the back pain is there to distract you from psychological issues. Evidence is provided in the form of the author's own consecutive case series of patients (whether they were assessed by an independent observer to avoid observer bias we don't know) and a myriad of examples of structural findings (such as herniated discs) that while abnormal, are found a lot in people with no back pain so they couldn't possibly be the cause of back pain. The obvious flaw here, of course, is the fact that it works the other way around too. There are lots of people that are stressed, anxious, and have repressed emotions that have no back pain either. Looks like a poor way to prove a theory of back pain if you ask me. Another issue that pops up is the lack of controlled studies to support this claim. None exist. Thank god we don't use this kind of approach with things such as surgery or medication but I guess the book thinks it's alright to do so with back pain treatments, I mean what's really the harm anyway? I'm sorry, but that's just poor medicine. Readers should be asking themselves why a professor who works/is affiliated with the prestigious Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine in New York, an institution that has been successful in attracting more than 60 million dollars in research funds, has yet to conduct or fund a proper test of the books theory with a controlled trial. Now that would give the book some oomph and for sure silence some of the critics. However if it failed, I'm not sure we'd see any future books either that advocate this theory. In conclusion, I cannot even begin to compare the author to Louis Pasteur who is quoted as saying, "Imagination should give wings to our thoughts but we always need decisive experimental proof, and when the moment comes to draw conclusions and to interpret the gathered observations, imagination must be checked and documented by factual results of the experiment."