TMS is a term coined by Dr. John E. Sarno to describe a condition which causes chronic back, neck and other pain, as well as numerous other chronic, hard-to-treat medical conditions. It is important to note that TMS is a diagnosis. Dr. Sarno’s theory is that these conditions have been misdiagnosed which then renders the treatments useless.

This is similar to treating a viral infection with antibiotics; the patient will not respond because s/he does not suffer from a bacterial infection.

Once the TMS diagnosis is made, approximately 80% of people recover simply from reading one of Dr. Sarno’s books. (The other 20% require short-term psychotherapy to assist them.) The difference between Dr. Sarno’s approach and other mindbody treatments is that his results in complete and permanent alleviation of symptoms. Because the treatment is self-guided, there is no reliance on a health care practitioner: no injections; driving to appointments; uncomfortable, invasive procedures; and almost no cost (beyond the price
of the book).

Here is a link to a TV segment on ABC's 20/20 about Dr. Sarno's work.

The primary hurdle to accepting the diagnosis is that you must be willing to trade a physical diagnosis for a psychological one. Dr. Sarno’s theory - very simply stated - is that suppressed emotions cause slight deprivation of oxygen to a part of the body. This results in real (but harmless) pain. From there things spiral into worry and speculation about the meaning of the pain.

Treatment consists of identifying and acknowledging the suppressed emotion (anger, sadness, fear, etc.). That’s it. It is not necessary to delve into the scenario which triggered those feelings in order to release the physical symptoms. Those symptoms were only there to protect your conscious mind from the feelings. So once the feelings are revealed, the symptoms simply fall away.

What sounds at first “too good to be true” is instead just an accurate diagnosis.

For more information, go to www.MindBodyMedicine.com

An excellent description of Dr. Sarno’s work can also be found at www.tarpityoga.com

 

Dr. Sarno’s books are:

The Divided Mind

The Mindbody Prescription

Mind Over Back Pain

Healing Back Pain

Be aware that that Dr. Sarno’s name is showing up on the internet in connection with curative programs and devices. To my knowledge, only Dr. David Schechter has been authorized by Dr. Sarno to use his name to sell TMS materials.