JH’s Thank You

Dear Dr. Sarno:

In 2000, my back had deteriorated to the point where walking over ten steps was practically impossible. I spent considerable time and money engaged with the ‘cures’ of the day: yoga, chiropractors, acupuncture, rolfing, prolotherapy,etc. Nothing helped. I therefore underwent surgery to correct the diagnosed problem of spinal stenosis. My surgery was deemed a success; within six months I was ambulatory again. It felt good. My instructions were clear: no heavy lifting, bend a certain way, don’t put too much pressure on your back, etc.

About 1 1/2 years later, I started to experience my initial symptoms all over again. The ‘pins and needles’ feeling in my legs returned, accompanied by pain and numbness. I could feel that within a month’s time, I’d be back walking like Groucho Marx. I felt hopeless, depressed and desperate. I got lucky: someone casually mentioned your name and to check out your books. In the Amazon reviews, I encountered a positive reviewer whose diagnosis was the same as mine. I ditched all of my advisors ( you gotta call this new chiropractor, he’s amazing!) and committed myself to your concepts, memorizing them and carrying them around with me. I stopped all attempts at having someone else ‘fix’ me. That was one of the more difficult things that I have ever done.

Approximately three months later, my back pain had ceased. It took about another year or two to conquer the fear of lifting things, but I did it. I’ve had a few TMS equivalents along the way, but thinking psychologically has given me a new lease on life. I’m profoundly grateful for all of your insights and research. Your work continues to have a large influence on my life—thank you for truly opening my eyes!

Sincerely,

JH

Elinor’s Thank You

Dear Dr. Sarno,

Your books have changed my life and put an end to two years of extremely sever back pain, thanks to your brave and groundbreaking discoveries, i was able to become totally pain free, go through the pregnancy and birth of my twins, completely free of back pain, and go back to professional belly dancing. it’s 11 years later, i am a 100% pain-free. I will forever be grateful.

Yours with admiration,

Elinor

UPDATE, 6/27/17
My savior has passed away. The brilliant brave man who went against the mainstream to save the quality of the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, mine included.

Thank you Dr. John Sarno, my life would have been miserable without your books and your wisdom.

If there is heaven, you are there now.

With my eternal gratitude and admiration, Elinor Carucci

Gerre’s Thank You

Dear Dr. Sarno,

I am one more of the many people who are so thankful to you for your books and ideas that have so changed our lives. I suffered with severe neck and leg pain and am now completely pain free and enjoying life as it was meant to be enjoyed. Today I ran the local 10K in my town for the 35th consecutive year. I’m 67 years old.

With sincerest gratitude,

Gerre

Michele’s Thank You

Dear Dr. Sarno,

Thank you does not even come close to acknowledging how much I appreciate all you have done for me. For 15 years, I lived with ever more frequent back spasms and the fear of never knowing when they would happen again. My life was so compromised that I missed out on many opportunities with my family and career. You gave me back the joy of living in six weeks by just reading a book (Healing Back Pain). Before that, I believed that I was doomed to a life of pain because of my so called structural defects. It was miraculous. I have since returned to school, got my masters degree in counseling and presently work as a mindbody TMS therapist.

I am so in awe of your perseverance and bravery in believing TMS to be a mindbody condition. It had to be so difficult to be treated as an outcast in your own profession and still stay true to your beliefs.

I wish you all the best in your retirement.

With deepest gratitude,

Michele

Susie’s Thank You

Susie's Thank You Dr. Sarno imageDearest Dr. Sarno,

I want to give you my thanks and love.

I have had chronic neck and back pain since I was in my early 20’s and I’m now 56. I went to a doctor a few times and they offered to have me get an MRI but we didn’t have insurance so they would just give me Motrin 800. I just lived with the pain that I had. Last year (2011) my back got especially bad while doing the exercise program Power 90X so I went to my regular doctor and he suggested a chiropractor or physical therapy. I had tried therapy once before for my back and I got worse. I went to a chiropractor to see if she could do anything. She started manipulating my back and neck. At that time all I had for neck issues was a little crunching. She did five treatments and I was in such pain with my neck I couldn’t stand it. She finally sent me for an MRI on my neck and then my back because my back wasn’t responding to treatment either. She certainly did damage to my neck so that was my last visit to see her. The MRI’S showed 3 herniated cervical discs, a broken L5 and a deformed tail bone. I started searching for help and some how found YOU. I read your first book and became 90% pain free and am now about 95% pain free from believing what you had to say. I continue to try to think what could be emotionally bothering me when I get pain and I try to clear my mind of guilt. You’re the best. Enjoy your retirement.

Susan in northern NY

Julie’s Thank You

Dear Dr. Sarno,

You opened my mind to an entire new way of thinking about my body’s health and happiness. After reading your first book, recommended by Dr. Andrew Weil, I was hooked and read everything else you have written (that I know of!) and then read Candace Pert’s books, and many other authors with related material. It sure is a whole different universe than we all think!

My husband and I are both artists who paint imaginative realism and I also have a blog that is about health and fitness. In my health and fitness blog, I dedicated a post to you (http://juliebellfitness.blogspot.com/2009/08/dr-john-sarno.html )
in August of 2009, along with separate posts about Candace Pert, Andrew Weil, and Steven Gurgevich. For your blog post, I asked my husband to create the attached cartoon. I hope you like it!

I wish there was a way to say thank you that would come at least a little bit close to how much I mean it, but, please imagine that there is and then accept that from me.

Take care of yourself!

Julie

From Julie’s Blog:

Dr. John Sarno
I was going to talk about Candace Pert next, but I realized that it was Dr. Sarno who led me to Dr. Pert, so it makes sense to talk about him first. I first heard of Dr. Sarno’s work through Andrew Weil’s recommendation. Dr. Weil had been saying forEVER that most any kind of back problem could be helped without drugs or surgery and that Dr. Sarno’s book, “MindBody Prescription” was a good place to learn about his theory. I didn’t pay much attention until I had a really yucky time with back, knee, and hip pain that just wouldn’t go away. I went to all kinds of doctors, got all kinds of tests including blood tests to see if I had some weird rheumatoid problem. To make my long, painful story short and painless, I took Dr. Weil’s recommendation and read Dr. Sarno’s book and (FOR REAL!)within 2 weeks after finishing the book, I was perfectly pain-free and back to running, weight lifting, and yoga.

Dr. Sarno has put himself out on a limb by spelling out a treatment that really consists of education. No drugs, surgery, or special exercises, just a new understanding of how the body’s systems of creating pain works. And it was this new understanding that opened my mind to a completely different approach to thinking about the entire subject of health. The beauty of this education is that once you understand it, the back-and-forth communication between your mind and your body becomes a source of knowledge for you that you didn’t know you already possessed!

Enrique’s Thank You

Enrique Running

 

Dr. Sarno,

I overcame severe RSI in my hands and lifelong pains including back, neck, and plantar faciitis, to name a few. As a result, I have been able to rediscover my childhood love of sport and exercise which I had abandoned so many years ago. Here’s a photo of me competing in an Ironman race in 2011, something which I would have considered impossible just a handful of years ago.

Thank you so much, Dr. Sarno. Your work made a huge difference in my life.

Best Regards,

Enrique

Barbara’s Thank You

An image of BarbaraDear Dr. Sarno,

Twenty years ago I called you after reading your second book, “Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection.” I had been confined to bed with severe back pain for three months. This was due to an “adjustment” by a chiropractor (the trigger) that I saw for my frozen shoulder. Interestingly, once I became focused on my back, the frozen shoulder and pain from that disappeared. You told me that there was nothing physically wrong with my back (I had seen a doctor and had an MRI) and that I needed to become active again.

Because I was not quite desperate enough at the time and still unsure of the TMS diagnosis, I pursued medical help for my pain. I had every test and treatment imaginable. I went to a pain clinic run by a doctor who was both a physiatrist and psychiatrist so I figured if anyone could help me it would be him. Not so….he recommended surgery; a spinal fusion. When he could not explain sufficiently how that would help my pain (maybe he was going for the placebo effect!), I refused the surgery and instead, called you again. By then I had been practically bedridden for over a year.

You were again so kind and helpful to me and referred me to Dr. Segal who had trained with you during the past year and was within 70 miles of my home. My daughter drove me as I had not sat for more than five minutes since the beginning of this ordeal. I had to lie on a couch in Dr. Segal’s waiting room for the same reason. However, after she examined me and took a history, she insisted I sit back on a chair with my legs crossed as she told me there was nothing structurally wrong with my back that could be causing this pain. Although my lower back hurt terribly, I was determined to do her bidding, as this was my last hope. Two weeks later I drove to her office for my follow-up appointment.

Getting better was the hardest thing I have ever done. I was weak from lack of exercise and extremely nervous about resuming a normal lifestyle. I solved these problems by enrolling in the wellness center in our local community college and taking a psychology class. That was in January 1994. One class turned into two, then three as I worked part time while studying psychology and social work. It took me ten years but in July of 2004, I finished grad school with an MSW in Clinical Social Work. My goal was to help others who were suffering the same way I had. I am now an LCSW-C (Licensed Certified Social Worker-Clinical) with a private practice specializing in helping others CURE their chronic pain and other psychophysiological disorders. My bookshelf is filled with your books and those of others who have been influenced by your work.

hank you so much for your hard work and perseverance in the face of negative feedback from your medical peers. And thank you especially for your kindness and willingness to help me when I needed it most. I will always be indepted to you for giving me a new life and new career!

I wish you a long and happy retirement.

Barbara

 

Disclaimer

Linda’s Thank You

Dear Dr. Sarno,

I would like to give my sincere thanks to you for giving my life back.  I had severe right shoulder pain, spasms that would radiate into my neck and other areas of my back. After seeing a pain specialist and having him tell me that my pain could be related to some anger issues I searched the library for answers. There I found your books and read them both numerous times and found relief from the unrelenting pain. I did some psychotherapy and found much relief after unleashing some anger issues. I am so fortunate that I found your books in the library and reading as much as I could on the internet. I wish you a happy retirement. Thank you for dedicating your life in this area to help people with pain.

Linda

JanA’s Thank You

Dear Dr. Sarno:

In September of last year I was advised by a PT to look into migraine diets for my many symptoms, including dizziness and neck pain. I found an internet forum with a lot of conflicting and apocryphal information – but no coherent answers. One person suggested reading The Divided Mind, for which he was severely abused by other users, but as he was the only one with something positive to offer, I was intrigued enough to get a copy. Needless to say, it changed my life.

A year ago, at age 60, I thought I was going rapidly downhill in spite of a healthy lifestyle and years of self-help attempts through yoga and physical therapy, as well as seeing practitioners in chiropractic, craniosacral, and traditional medicine. Now, approaching 61, I haven’t seen any kind of health practitioner other than my dentist since September, I’m doing weights with a personal trainer, and I am from 90-100% free of my symptoms most of the time. After reading your book, I went on to do some much-needed emotional work in order to achieve the level of relief I now experience, and I am quite sure that I could not have made that leap without your ability to explain TMS in a way that was logical, pragmatic, and easily understood.

I can’t thank you enough, not only for your brilliant work, but for making it accessible to the rest of us. We will do our best to continue to spread the word in your honor.

JanA

Pranav’s Thank You

Dear Dr. Sarno,

I am writing to you from India. I have had RSI since 2001. I used to
experience pain while typing using my right hand. My left palm is partially
formed so using that hand was not an option. The computer is like a limb to
me and is vital not only in my work but also in my personal life since I
have other disabilities.

I have read some of your books and more importantly, met a number of people
who have used your techniques successfully. I am on the road to recovery and
wanted to thank you not only for your path breaking research but also for
the ecosystem of fantastic patients and professionals that you have created.

Pranav

Caryl’s Thank You

an image of CarylDear Dr. Sarno,

Of all the untold legion of people you have helped, all of your books were written for only one person in the entire world: me.

I read MBP in 1988. At that time I had been reduced to abject terror by well regarded doctors here in the San Francisco Bay Area.

It’s been 31 years of back pain now and I have voraciously devoured all books and materials by you and your wonderful disciples.

Two years ago, I got a computer and you, Doctors Dave (Clarke), Sopher et al., suddenly came alive, in a new way, through the dear voices of the more seasoned and grounded TMS’ers of the Forum & Wiki.

I thank you for all of them. Perhaps it will be the fiery passion of Steve Ozanich’s strong writing and personality that will finally catapult me over the top. I will never give up, especially now, after hearing the voice of a fellow 30 year sufferer.

I cannot find the words to thank you for beginning to change the face of medicine by patiently and generously shepherding your colleagues. If only your books were required reading in all Medical Schools.

Insight is born out of suffering. Thank you for having the guts to share yourself with all of us.

I am sorry that New York City has always been off the geographical radar for me. I’m sure all I’ve ever needed was your stamp of authority in person!

Best wishes to you and your wife in this new & ever challenging phase of your life.

You will remain in my heart until the day I die.

Sincerely,

Caryl

Graham’s Thank You

Dear John

(I use the familiar because you have been an integral part of my life for the past 15 years)
Thank you for saving my life, opening my mind, and giving me a new life to go on with.
Your work is a revelation.

Sincerely

Graham
Adelaide
South Australia

J.N.’s Thank You

Image of JN

Dr. Sarno, your books have saved me time and time again for the last 12 years. Back in 2000, I was suffering from multiple food sensitivities, multiple chemical sensitivity, and unidentified pelvic pain. I’d tried everything, and had had to quit my job due to a coworker’s aftershave and find another place to work. Then, I started getting low back pain, and found your book “Healing Back Pain”. It intrigued me, and I bought “The MindBody Prescription”. I read the book cover to cover, over and over again. My back pain disappeared within 2 months. It dawned on me that my pelvic pain was TMS, and that disappeared soon thereafter. It was harder for me to accept that my food and chemical sensitivities were TMS, but they also disappeared.

Over the years, I have repeatedly adopted manifestations of TMS, and time and time again, I have reread your book and have eliminated the symptoms of the great majority of them (and reduced a few others, so far). I’m deeply grateful to you and your work, Dr. Sarno. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you’ve done. Please enjoy your retirement and know how many hearts and lives you’ve touched. Much much love!!!!

-J, N. Adams, MA.

YB44’s Thank You

When I bought Healing Back Pain a few years ago hoping to relieve my sciatica, I also bought another book that was based on the premise that all back pain was caused by structural damage. I read your book with great enthusiasm. I barely skimmed the other book and eventually discarded it. Since fully accepting the TMS diagnosis – and it did take me a while – I have begun to enjoy my life for the first time.

Thank you, Dr Sarno, for the help you have given me and thousands of other people all over the world.

YB44

Nancy’s Thank You

Your books are so brilliantly written, clear, concise and make so much sense. I can’t thank you enough for being so honest and direct about your findings. You have created a formidable antidote to traditional medicine’s somewhat archaic approach to long-standing sufferers for whom delivery of medicine has been inadequate.

Again, I cannot thank you enough, Dr.Sarno.

Hasanna’s Thank You

HasannaDear Dr. Sarno,

I’m so happy to have this opportunity to say thank you. Your wonderful work has changed my life personally and professionally. Twelve years ago, I had already had two (unnecessary!) shoulder surgeries and I was starting to have severe hip pain when I discovered your book Healing Back Pain. Within a month the hip pain, as well as chronic back and neck pain, were gone. And as a TMS psychotherapist, I’ve been able to help so many other people get their lives back too. Thank you for persevering for so long in the face of so much resistance!

Hasanna

Brian’s Thank You

Brian
During my junior year in college I suddenly began developing what I thought was RSI. It got so bad that I had to drop out of school and leave work. During my intense 10 months of incredible pain I finally discovered your book through a forum; http://tmswiki.org. After reading “The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain” I quickly began my road to recovery.

I have now been back at work and school for two full years now. I can’t ever thank you enough. You literally saved my life.

Brian

Georgie’s Thank You

Georgie Oldfield with Dr. SarnoDr Sarno, your work has changed my life for the better in so many ways. There is no doubt that I am personally healthier now, but my whole career and as a result my life, changed massively after coming across your work. I want to thank you for the time you spent with me when I visited you in New York, which enabled me to really get a handle on your work and your approach with your patients. That was the start of the most exciting stage of my career and within a short time I was working exclusively with my own TMS Recovery programme. Since visiting you in 2007 I can’t believe the changes I have made in my own life and the numerous patients of mine who have had life changing results from my diving head first into your visionary work.

Thank you from me and thank you from all my patients past, current and future who are resolving their symptoms as a result of your pioneering work, rather than carrying on managing them as best they can. I wish you a very happy and healthy retirement in the knowledge that you are leaving a wonderful legacy behind, which will live on after all of us are long gone.

With Best Wishes,

From Georgie

Tom’s Thank You


At 35, I had been suffering recurrent bouts of crippling back spasms for at least a dozen years. After I had been scheduled for spinal surgery, someone recommended Dr. Sarno’s book. Within a few days, I canceled the surgery and resumed a normal, active life. In the 22 years since, I have had one memorable bout. I got so mad at my TMS, I got on a bicycle with it and wouldn’t get off until it stopped being such a pain! I eventually won, but it took about 10 miles. I regularly run, bike, kayak and consider myself in the best shape of my life. I have since read more of Dr. Sarno’s work, had a conversation with him on the telephone, and passed on many copies of his books to anyone who dares to say “My back went out!” Dr. Sarno, you have changed my life in so many ways. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Allan’s Thank You

Allan's Thank You Image

I am now 82. At 70 years of age I became progressively worse in terms of back pain. It was diagnosed as spinal stenosis. I lost most of my strength in both legs which was diagnosed as being caused by motor nerve impingement from the spinal stenosis. I walked with a cane and then only for a few feet at a time before the pain became too intense. I was anticipating that I might spend the rest of my life in a wheel chair. My son sent me Dr. Sarno’s book which I devoured. I read it over and over. This was the summer of 2000. The pain left. My strength returned. The pain never came back.

I sent a letter of appreciation to Dr. Sarno. I have his reply of October 19, 2000 framed on my wall.

Allan

Ben’s Thank You

Rock and beachDear Dr. Sarno,

Reading your books felt like awaking from a very bad dream. Thanks to you, I am not having nightmares anymore. You did not only help me with my pain, but you also greatly improved my terrible MS relapses. You have also shown me, how to see my true self and how to change myself into a better person, a loving husband and a future father.

You dedicated your life to helping people, with the majority of your colleagues not believing in you. The sacrifices you made for helping and curing us will be remembered.

The picture was taken before I got TMS. Thanks to you, I can go back now and take pictures like that again.

Thank you Benjamin

Panda’s Thank You

Panda at an ice rink

Dear Dr Sarno,

I wanted to write and say thank you for totally transforming my life with your work on TMS. Before I knew about TMS I spent 10 years in severe and debilitating back pain and couldn’t walk more than about 100 yards without being in agony.

After reading Healing Back Pain I finally had hope and within 6 months I was walking more and more without pain. This is a recent photo of me and my family at the ice rink. I have learned to figure skate and am doing jumps and spins, I still can’t believe I can do so much these days; I am so grateful to you for giving me my life back. I can never thank you enough,

Panda

Andy’s Thank You

Andy Windsurfing

In the year 2000 your Healing Back Pain book and tapes were a major turning point in my life. My lower back improved after 20 years of pain and back difficulties. There were no internet or forums at that time, and in the privacy of my own home was able to overcome my distressful situation. Later that year I took up windsurfing. At last I was in control of my mind-body and had the truth and a better understanding of how stress reacts with the body. Thanks to you, I am grateful to windsurf to this present day.

Thank you Dr. I am now retired myself and recommend windsurfing for the young at heart, perhaps I’ll see you on the water.

Andy, the fortunate windsurfer

KO’s Thank You

I was living in NYC, working in film production, and running 15 – 20 miles a week.  Magazine articles warned about running on pavement and advised making sure there was enough support in running shoes.  I never had a hint of a problem until one day on a particularly stressful shoot I was impatiently hauling an ice chest from one part of the set to the other, and it happened.  I pulled a muscle in my back.  The next morning I felt an electric-like jolt when I leaned over the sink to brush my teeth, followed by an incredibly painful muscle spasm that dropped me to my knees.  When I could move again I called a friend who recommended a physical therapist.  She listened to my story and told me I had probably herniated a disc and that the “electric” feeling was caused by the disc impinging on my sciatic nerve.  I could picture it.  My back kept spasming.  I took muscle relaxers that made my tongue thick and uncooperative.  The sciatica hurt, and I took pain pills that would have knocked out a horse.  I slept on a mat on our hard wood floor.  Nothing worked.  Over the next few months the sciatica crept down my leg and finally reached all the way into my heel which became tingly and numb.

As it went from bad to worse, I went to chiropractors.  I got Rolfed(TM).  I got acupuncture.  I got acupuncture with pulses of electricity running through it.  I went to back specialists recommended by heads of athletic departments.  I was X-rayed, CAT Scanned, and MRI’d.  I learned I have scoliosis, extensive arthritic degeneration of my bottom 5 vertebrae, and several more slightly herniated discs that would surely cripple me if nothing was done.  In any event, I was advised never to run again.  The pain had become so bad, I couldn’t walk more than 3 or 4 feet without tearing up.  I couldn’t sit upright, so I worked lying on my back.  I slept with my right knee propped on hard pillows.  A very expensive specialist with a posh office overlooking Columbus Circle told me I might never walk again if I didn’t have surgery immediately.

A producer I met gave me a copy of Dr. Sarno’s book “Mind Over Back Pain.”  I was insulted.  I didn’t accept the idea that this kind of pain was in my head.  I had cat scans, mri’s, and an x-ray that showed the horrific problems in my spine.  If I touched the place where the herniated disc was impinging on the nerve, the pain was so intense it made me nauseous.  But I was terrified of back surgery going wrong.  I wanted to run again.  So I read the book. Cover to cover.  It was encouraging.  It made sense.  I hoped it was true, but I wasn’t sure.  I mentioned Dr. Sarno to the last back doctor I will ever see.  He hadn’t read the book, but he’d heard of Dr. Sarno, and he scoffed at the mind-body connection in a smug way that I found offensive.  So I called Dr. Sarno’s office to make an appointment to see the man himself.  I was told he didn’t take many patients, and that the waiting list was months long.  I begged.  I pleaded. I somehow convinced his secretary to put me on the phone with him.

Dr. Sarno: “This is John Sarno.”

Me: “Dr. Sarno, thank you for taking my call. I read your book and I think I’m a Sarno patient, but I need to see you to be sure.”

Dr. Sarno: “You should read the book again instead.”

Me: “You don’t understand, I’ve…(and here I listed what I’d been through)…and I just need to be sure there’s really nothing wrong with my back.”

Dr. Sarno:  “There’s nothing wrong with your back.”

Me:  “I just need to see you in person.”

Dr. Sarno:  “I’m not charismatic.  I’m not going to ‘heal’ you.”

Me:  “Please, if you could just see me so I can be sure.”

Dr. Sarno:  “Young lady, it’s very expensive.  And I don’t take insurance.”

Me (sensing he was going to give in):  “That’s fine!”

Dr. Sarno:  “(audible sigh) Ok.  I’ll put you back on with my secretary.”

She had a cancellation for the next day.  My husband carried me through the halls of NYU hospital to Dr. Sarno’s small waiting room where I lay on the floor.  When he called my name, I raised myself with my hands underneath me, crawled into his office front-wise, and lowered myself gingerly onto the floor next to the chair that was there.  He peered over the desk at me.  A small man with salt and pepper hair and black glasses, he gestured impatiently at the chair, “Aren’t you going to sit?”

“I can’t.”  I said and my tears started to roll.

“So you read my book?” he asked.

“Yes, twice.” I said.

“I have a new one coming out.  I advise writing down everything that’s upsetting you.  What do you do for a living?”

“I work in film production.”

He groaned.  “You don’t know how many of you people I get in here.”  I could see he was taking notes.

I had brought my scans in big envelopes.  I asked him if he wanted to see them.  He said no.   I asked, “How do you KNOW there’s nothing wrong with my back?”

He waved his hand dismissively at the envelopes I offered,  “You wouldn’t have been able to crawl in here like a crab if there was anything wrong with your back.”

I said, “But there’s a place there that hurts so much when I touch it, it makes me want to vomit.”

He lowered his glasses and looked over the desk at me, “Don’t touch it.”

I thought about that for a second.  “Don’t you even want to examine me?”

“Ok.” He seemed resigned.  He stood up and opened a door behind him that connected to a small examining room.  As I scooted on hands and feet toward the room, I told him my leg was numb along the back and down to the heel.  Once I had made my way up onto the table, he did a needle test on the back of my leg and confirmed, “You’re right.  It’s  numb.”

“Doesn’t that mean anything?”

“No.”  He repeated some of the facts about TMS and how the symptoms develop that I recalled from his book.  He told me he’d written a new book incorporating what he’d learned since he’d written the first one.  I started to believe him.

I made myself stand up and walk out.  The whole thing had taken 15 minutes.

In the waiting room I leaned on my amazed husband.  It was painful.  But I was standing, and walking.

“By the way,” Dr. Sarno said from his office door, “don’t sleep with a pillow under your knee anymore.”  I hadn’t mentioned the pillows.

The pain and numbness took several months to go completely away, but my recovery started that day.  There was nothing wrong with my back.  Patients of Dr. Sarno were encouraged to attend a class he taught about the mind-body connection and how we needed to reinforce the association between chronic pain and life-stresses. I took the class.

I saw a therapist, briefly.  I filled notebook after notebook with lists of things that were making me angry, scaring me, and upsetting me.  I listed the same things over and over again.  I was never going to be able to change most of the them, but acknowledging them, driving the association between the things on the list and the pain into my subconscious finally ended my ordeal.

I still get what I call “Sarno Things.”  It’s my personality.  At stressful times I’ve had mock arthritis, mock bursitis, mock “runner’s knee,” mock TMJ, mock carpal tunnel, mock plantar faciitis.  As soon as I realize what is happening, I stop and make myself list everything that’s bothering me.  If I’m running, I ignore the pain and make the lists in my head.  And every time the pain goes away like a headache fades when you take ibuprofen.

I know I will never have chronic pain again.  I don’t pay money  to masseuses or chiropractors.  I don’t worry about running on cement, or the shape of my running shoes.  I run 20 to 30 miles a week.  My life is my own, thanks to you, Dr. John Sarno.  For as long as I live I will be grateful to you.

I hope you enjoy your retirement.

All the very best,
K.O.

Forest’s Thank You

Forest in Jerusalem

My TMS first started when I was a teenager. I was highly driven and passionately devoted to programming computers. The TMS began in my hands and slowly moved to my arms, neck , back and knees. Doctors diagnosed me at first with repetitive strain injuries and then with fibromyalgia, myofascial pain syndrome, and thoracic outlet syndrome. My junior year of college a doctor told me I would never be pain free, and that it was unlikely that I could ever become a programmer. Within a couple of years, my ability to type, handwrite, run, and maintain certain static positions were all severely limited. I lived this way for more than a decade, just trying to get by.

Several years ago, a friend showed me several TMS success stories and for the first time in years I had hope for the future. Through steadily pushing my boundaries, I slowly regained functionality, regaining my ability to do what I needed to do. When the pain occasionally returns, I no longer worry, and just go about my business.

This is photo of me in Jerusalem’s Old City. I spent two weeks there and was able to walk around for hours without the slightest hint of pain. Before I wouldn’t have even considered the trip.

Dr. Sarno thank you so much for all the work you have done. Learning about TMS has given me my life back.

With Deepest Gratitude,

Forest