Kelvin’s Thank You

KelvinI started experiencing severe back pain in my mid-twenty’s – sometime in the late 1970’s. This was before the days of MRI scans and my family doctor diagnosed the pain as a “pulled muscle” and prescribed muscle relaxants. At first, I would have one of these pain episodes every few years, and then more frequently as time went by. I took the muscle relaxants and lay in bed a few days and the pain would eventually go away.

In August 1994 I began a new career which required much less physical activity but put much more stress on me psychologically. The back pain started occurring more frequently and was much more severe. In the fall of 1995 I went to a pain specialist who ordered an MRI. The results showed a mild herniated disc and he prescribed physical therapy. After several months of no improvement I decided to see a neurosurgeon who ordered a new MRI. He also diagnosed me with a herniated disc and recommended surgery. I had laminectomy surgery in my low back in May of 1996 and it took me about a year before I could walk normally again. I went a few years with only mild back pain, but started experiencing new health problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome in my wrists, tinnitus/bursitis in my shoulder, acid reflux and frequent respiratory infections – all of which I now believe to be related to the same syndrome.

Gradually, the back pain episodes started returning – getting more frequent and more severe each year. I started seeing another neurosurgeon in the summer of 2004. He recommended not having surgery unless the pain became unbearable. In November of 2004 the pain became so severe I was completely unable to work and requested that he go ahead and perform surgery. He preformed a disc fusion at L4/L5 in my low back. The results were very similar to my first experience. It was another year before I could walk without a cane, but I eventually got to a point where I had no back pain. However, the other symptoms of bursitis in my shoulder, carpal tunnel syndrome, acid reflux and the frequent respiratory infections still plagued me on a regular basis.

In February of 2006 the back pain returned suddenly and then rapidly got worse. Eventually, the pain became so severe that I could not get out of my chair or bed without a walker. I used the walker most of the time just to keep from falling. It gradually got a little better but I still had to use a cane to walk and get up out of my chair. I could not sit in my office chair or ride in a car for more than about 30 minutes without severe pain and I spent most of the day in a recliner or lying flat in bed – mostly in bed. I called the doctor who had preformed my previous surgery and made an appointment to see him and was planning to go through back surgery again. I didn’t know what else to do.

Then, on April 18th, 2006 (it was a Tuesday), I attended a doctor visit with my wife whom she was seeing to get some of her prescriptions refilled. She mentioned to him about her own experience with back pain and he started asking her questions about her history related to this. He told her about Dr. John Sarno in New York who was having a success rate of over 90% treating back pain and about something called Tension Myositis Syndrome, or TMS. He also told us about a book by this doctor called “The Divided Mind”. Of course, I listened intently because of my own back pain history.

This doctor told us that some people who suffer from long lasting or chronic pain often experience this pain because their subconscious mind uses it to distract them from unpleasant emotions and stresses of life. He showed us a picture of an iceberg and explained that the mind was very much the same – what we can see is very small, but under the surface is this huge structure that actually determines the course of the iceberg. He explained that the mind was very much the same. Underneath the conscious mind, which is the part of the mind where we think and reason and feel emotions, is a huge reservoir of feelings that we don’t even know exist. This unseen, unfelt (and often unreasonable) part of our mind can actually have more influence on our body than the conscious part.

Now, what was completely amazing to me was that when this doctor described the type of personalities that are prone to suffering from TMS, it was as though he was describing me personally in every detail. As I stated earlier, I had already had two back surgeries and was looking at a third. I was open to anything that would prevent me from going under the knife again.

So, I bought the book that day and had read most of it by that weekend. I had already improved so much by Saturday, just four days later, that I helped my son unload boxes and furniture from his move back home. I was still hurting, but knowing that there was nothing structurally wrong with my back and that the pain was psychological and not physical enabled me to push through the pain and lift heavy furniture and carry heavy boxes up the stairs to my son’s house.

Then, in May of 2006 my wife and I went to see Dr. James Rochelle in Mena, AR. He is an Orthopedic Surgeon and was trained by Dr. Sarno to diagnose and treat TMS. He also wrote one of the chapters in “The Divided Mind”. I was already about 80 to 90 percent pain-free by then, but my wife’s progress had been much slower. I was hoping that her hearing it from another doctor would help her accept it. He conducted an extensive personal interview and performed a physical exam on both of us and determined that we both have TMS. He talked to us at length and we stayed and attend his lecture that night. Since he was trained by Dr. Sarno, I assume that his exam and lecture are similar to what Sarno does. My wife and I both found his lecture and the information he sent home with us to be very helpful and he followed up by phone to check our progress a few weeks later. Since then, he has relocated to Kansas so we have not gone back to see him again.

The last time I had any significant, long lasting back pain was later that summer of 2006. By identifying the issues causing stress and repressed emotions that were current in my life at that time, I was able to ignore that pain and continue a normal life. I will occasionally have a mild TMS symptom, but they quickly disappear once I have identified the true source of the problem – that the cause is psychological, not physical.

Incidentally, I have not had a single episode of acid reflux in the past year; the bursitis in my shoulder has completely disappeared; I will occasionally have a mild episode of pain in my arm (I used to attribute this to carpal tunnel syndrome) or mild back pain – but, these quickly go away once I recognize the recent event causing the underlying stress in my life and deal with it accordingly.

While becoming pain free has been a great milestone in my life, and my reason for writing this is to hopefully help others become pain free, this whole experience has been used of God to draw me closer to Him and to help me identify areas in my life where I had not completely trusted Him and surrendered to His perfect will.

To know Jesus as Savior and Lord is the greatest experience anyone can ever have. The only way to receive complete peace (either consciously or subconsciously) is to place your absolute trust in Him as your hope of salvation and eternal life. According to the Bible in John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

He offers eternal life in Heaven as a free gift to all who will receive it – but the choice is up to you:

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Sincerely,

Kelvin

Jonna Lee Barta’s Thank You

Dr. Sarno,

It is hard for me to adequately express the deep gratitude I have regarding your work and professional contributions. Not only have your ideas and treatment benefitted me personally, but you have transformed how I conceptualize and work with clients.  I have been working as a psychologist treating TMS for several years now and my clients continue to benefit from your pioneering ideas and treatment.  You have paved the road for so many people to heal from their pain, and we are all deeply grateful for this.

Thank you so much,

Jonna Lee Barta, Ph.D.

Dallas, Texas

Louise Levy’s Thank You

LouiseHaving suffered for 12 years with chronic back pain and undergone four spine operations during that time I am incredibly grateful to Dr Sarno and also to the growing amount of evidence that allowed and encouraged me to finally take a leap of faith and walk away from orthopedic surgical treatment and interventions for good.

For over 12 years i believed the label that I had degenerative disc disease at three levels of my lumbar spine based on the black discs that I saw on my MRI scan. I felt despondent with life, believing I had to resign myself to living with a condition that by its very nature, was only going to get worse and worse, possibly requiring even more surgery as time went by. It was only after my third spine operation that I really began to question whether it could be all down to ’emotional’pain’ as opposed to physical. I remember showing my spinal surgeon a copy of Healing Back Pain during one of my hospital consultation’s and asking him if he thought my pain could be emotional to which he replied ‘I don’t know I’m a spinal surgeon, ask me something about spines’.

Now, working as a Hypno-Psychotherapist and having trained with Georgie Oldfield as a SIRPA (Stress Illness Practitioner) I am extremely passionate about helping others suffering with chronic pain, supporting them through their own healing journey, in order that they not lose out a large chunk of their life believing they are disabled as I once did.

Thank you so much Dr Sarno, enjoy your retirement.

Louise Levy

Irene’s Thank You

image of IreneDear Dr. Sarno,

I was scheduled to go under the knife when I heard about you and TMS. This was over twenty years ago. At the time I had a two year old, 25 pound, very active baby in diapers, and when the surgeon told me I’d never again be able to lift over 15 pounds even after surgery I knew his cure would not restore my life to normalcy. A friend of my mother’s, who couldn’t have been more traditional with medicine, told me about you. After hearing many explanations for my back pain from GPs, chiropractors, pain management therapists, and back surgeons, none of which made sense, TMS was the first thing that sounded to me like the diagnosis fit the symptoms! I read your books, and I believed! But my back pain wasn’t going away and I knew I needed to see you. I had one hurdle to getting an appointment, though – I didn’t live in the NYC area. I spoke with you, and I’ll admit it, I probably begged, and I convinced you that I’d have the support I need in NYC (my wonderful aunt and uncle who lived in Queens) to come to NY for the 8 days necessary for an appointment and the lectures. (At the time you were doing a two-lecture series.) I recorded the lectures and listened to them over and over – they replaced the Raffi kids songs in the car for weeks! You gave me back my life, pain-free – thank you for that. Since then, when life gets stressful – work, kids going off to college, etc., if my back or my neck or my foot starts hurting, my husband says, “Pull out your Sarno tapes!”, and I realize he is right, and that’s what I do.

One other short anecdote – my brother was suffering from back pain at around the same time. He was living on the other side of the world, and I called him after seeing you and spoke to him for over an hour, and told him about TMS and the “think psychological” cure. Wouldn’t you know it, it clicked for him even faster than it did for me, and he was better in just a few days!

Thanks again, and I only wish there were more like you carrying on your legacy!

Sincerely,
Irene from Illinois

Matthew’s Thank You


Dear Dr. Sarno,
This is the “readers digest ” version (the “rest of the story” is posted @ http://tmswiki.wetpaint.com/account/MatthewNJ). I am on every page of MBP. 28 years of back pain, and just about every TMS equivalent in the book ( and some that are not there!) I read MBP and get somewhat better. I came to see you 1 year later (2004) and I improve some more. In 2005 I have vertigo and you send me to Dr. Bob Evans for counseling. This accelerates the process. In 2007 I have an ulcer for which I am hospitalized for 17 days. In 2008 I have a 6 month bout with severe back pain. I call you and you confirm my MRI is the same as it was 4 years earlier and “Matthew, you have more work to do” (with Dr. Evans). At this point I say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, I am just not having back pain anymore. I start doing more mindfulness and meditation every day and things start to improve more rapidly. But it is a journey (“approximately one life time” according to Dr. Evans) and I am still on it. It is now March of 2012 and I am experiencing the worst stresses of my life. YET, I have NO severe symptoms.

Thank you Dr. Sarno for guiding me to the methods of gaining my life back!

Enjoy your retirement!

Matthew

Diane R’s Thank You


Dear Dr. Sarno,

About twelve years ago I suffered from lower back pain that radiated down my hips and legs. The only time I was pain-free was when I was in the shower with hot water cascading down my back. I feared this now-chronic pain would be with me the rest of my life.

After an X-ray and MRI, I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis. I refused a cortisone shot and rejected back surgery but agreed to physical therapy. Several treatments later with no improvement, the PT asked me about my life and learned that I had attended 21 funerals in the past two years, among them my closest friend of 32 years and both parents. He recommended reading your books and a visit with your “disciple,” local doctor Marc Sopher, M.D.

Dr. Sopher diagnosed TMS and recommended I get some grief counseling. His diagnosis, the counseling, and reading your books all resulted in my back pain gradually disappearing, and I have been pain-free since.

Thank you Dr. Sarno for all you have done for all of us who no longer suffer from chronic pain. I wish you many years of a happy retirement.

Diane R

Carolyn’s Thank You

Dear Dr. Sarno,

I will be forever grateful to you for your clear communication of the impact of psychosomatic pain and other physical and psychological challenges. Simply reading The Mindbody Prescription led to the end of my restless leg syndrome. When severe knee pain prompted my doctor to order an MRI which showed arthritis and meniscus damage, I read The Divided Mind, did the work, and the pain diminished immediately and disappeared in less than two weeks.

Let’s hope you and others will succeed in building more and more acceptance of the principles of psychological treatment for psychological causes of pain. Meanwhile, I will continue to be mystified by the reluctance of people to try such a painless, inexpensive cure.

Sincerely,

Carolyn

Laura’s Thank You

Laura's Thank You
Dear Dr. Sarno,

You certainly changed my life for the better in so many ways!

I was 33 years old and the mother of two daughters, ages 15 months and 6 months of age, when “out of the blue,”I began to suffer excruciating lower back pain/sciatica– worse pain than the two natural childbirths I had recently experienced.

I found your book “Mind Over back Pain” and immediately booked an appointment with you at NYU’s Rusk Institute.

Within a month my back pain was gone.

Over the years I’ve had other TMS symptoms– Shoulder/neck pain, and foot pain, for example, and sometimes it took me awhile to realize that this new pain was just another manifestation of my old symdrome.

I think of any new pain symptom as my personal canary in the coal mine– alerting me that I am getting too close to the edge of my emotional comfort zone.

Your work not only gave me a life free of chronic pain and possible addiction to pain medications, but it also opened my mind to many other facets of mind/body medicine and emotional wellness.

I have traveled the world and enjoyed an active life all because of you– here is a photo of my husband Russ and me at the Great Wall of China in 2011!

I am eternally grateful! You are an amazing human being.

Thank you!

Laura

Robin’s Thank You

Dr. Sarno,

There is nothing I could write or do to convey the appreciation I have for you and the work you have done to help me.

For 15 years I suffered with many of the traditional TMS symptoms, especially back pain and sciatica. Like many others, I was told it was due to structural abnormalities, bulging discs, etc… I saw chiropractors, physical therapists, naprapaths and even acupuncturists. None of them helped beyond a very short time period.

After having kids, the pain got so bad that I was ready to go to a pain management clinic, get surgery, take prescription medication or whatever it took to control the pain. But a friend recommended your book, Healing Back Pain. After reading it and The Divided Mind three times each, I was finally able to get rid of the back, neck, sciatic and shoulder pain that I had been dealing with for so long. I discarded my back supports, electro stimulation belt, heating pads, ice packs, and immediately stopped seeking medical treatment.

The symptom imperative kicked in and I hit a few speed bumps. However, today I am completely pain free and able to be emotionally and physically involved in the lives of my wife and one year old twin boys.

Thank you, sincerely,

Robin

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