Quotes from John E. Sarno

TMS is a strategy of the brain to keep unpleasant thoughts and emotions from rising from the unconscious into the conscious mind. The brain, through established physiologic pathways, creates pain as a distraction. By focusing our attention on physical symptoms, we keep these painful thoughts and emotions repressed. This is a very effective strategy, as there is an absolute epidemic of mindbody disorders in our society.

What this means for the etiology (cause) of TMS, as I have long maintained, is that fibromyalgia, also known as fibrositis and myofibrositis (and to some as myofasciitis and myofascial pain), is synonymous with TMS.

frees the body to heal itself. In taking away the fear, confusion and feelings of victimization so characteristic of TMS, we give the body a chance to do "its own thing.

Spondylolisthesis

These statistics suggest very strongly that the cause of most back pain is emotional, for the years between thirty and sixty are the ages that fall into what I would call the years of responsibility. This is the period in one's life when one is under the most strain to succeed, to provide and excel, and it is logical that this is when one would experience the highest incidence of TMS.

diligently on their homework and making good progress

The celebrated psychoanalyst and ethicist Willard Gaylin published a book in 1984 titled The Rage Within, which explored the subject of anger in modern man.

The pertinent bias here is that these common pain syndromes must be the result of structural abnormalities of the spine or chemically or mechanically induced deficiencies of muscle. Of equal importance is another bias held by conventional medicine that emotions do not induce physiologic change. Experience with TMS contradicts both biases. The disorder is a benign (though painful) physiologic aberration of soft tissue (not the spine), and it is caused

The pertinent bias here is that these common pain syndromes must be the result of structural abnormalities of the spine or chemically or mechanically induced deficiencies of muscle. Of equal importance is another bias held by conventional medicine that emotions do not induce physiologic change. Experience with TMS contradicts both biases. The disorder is a benign (though painful) physiologic aberration of soft tissue (not the spine), and it is caused by an emotional process.

This book is the successor to Mind Over Back Pain, which was published in 1984. It described a medical disorder known as the Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS), which I have had reason to believe is the major cause of the common syndromes of pain involving the neck, shoulders, back, buttocks, and limbs.

It seemed logical to conclude that their painful muscle condition might also be induced by tension. Hence, the Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS). (Myo means "muscle"; Tension Myositis Syndrome is defined here as a change of state in the muscle that is painful.)

Science requires that all new ideas be validated by experience and replication.

Once it is pointed out to them, these patients have little trouble recognizing that they are the kind of perfectionist, highly responsible people who generate a lot of subconscious anger and anxiety in response to the pressures of everyday life.

After many years of experience it is our impression that not more then 10 to 15 percent of the population would be willing to accept a psychosomatic diagnosis.

Others report that they sleep well but develop pain as soon as they wake up and get out of bed. In these patients, the pain usually increases in severity as the day goes on.

I described a program that is in wide use across the country to treat chronic pain. It bears repeating here that treating pain is not medically sound. Pain is a symptom, like fever. It has been elevated to the status of a separate disorder on the hypothesis that certain psychological factors cause the patient to exaggerate the pain. As stated before, this theory requires that one acknowledge the continuing presence of a structural reason for the pain—which is then exaggerated. In

Readers who are interested in an excellent review of where medicine is today vis-à-vis the mind-body connection should read The Healer Within by Steven Locke, MD, and Douglas Colligan (New York: Dutton, 1986).

Many TMS patients are the antithesis of hostile; they often have a strong need to be good, nice, pleasant, accommodating, and helpful. Though they may be ambitious and often very accomplished, they do not necessarily pursue their goals with the intensity that seems to be characteristic of the Type A person.

We take life seriously and responsibly. As our lives become more complex, we generate more and more tension. This is the basis for most back pain.

In this media-dominated age very few people have not heard of herniated discs and the idea arouses great anxiety, resulting in greater pain. If, in the course of medical investigation, imaging studies show a herniation, the apprehension is multiplied even further.

The 2010 Global Burden of Disease study of 291 conditions ranked low back pain as the highest cause of disability and sixth in terms of overall burden.

A very popular recent book on the subject is Love, Medicine, and Miracles by the Yale surgeon Bernie Siegel (New York: Harper & Row, 1986).

Extremely important work is being done in the brain biochemistry section of the National Institutes of Mental Health on the subject of brain-body interaction. One of the pioneers in this research is Candace Pert, once chief of that section, whose work is demonstrating communication between the brain and different parts and systems of the body. For those interested, an excellent review of this work appeared in the June 1989 issue of Smithsonian, written by Stephen S. Hall.

There's nothing like a little physical pain to keep your mind off your emotional problems." Charles M. Schulz, the creator of Peanuts