Rating: 
Summary: Still working after a year...on allergies, too!
Review: I did a review of this book last spring in which I waxed rhapsodic because it had changed my life so I thought it would be nice to do an update. I'm still fabulously free of back pain most of the time. I've had a couple of minor "relapses", usually after some strenuous lifting (the sort of thing that would have originally caused pain), but I re-read the highlighted sections of the book, gave my subconscious a scolding (while appreciating its extreme cunning) and recovered almost immediately. It's also been effective on allergies. I had no allergies last year when I read the book, then they came back with a vengeance this year although nothing had changed--same house, same three cats, same routine. So I think my brain was trying to substitute the distraction of the allergies for the back pain. This time I wrote my brain a note in my journal and I'm having great results so far. No sniffling, no waking up in the middle of the night sneezing. I'm still struggling with super-coping, a critically ill mother, and performance anxiety on my job, but I'm trying to deal with those feelings instead of allowing my brain to distract me away from them with pain syndromes.
Rating: 
Summary: Psycho-babble Masquerading as New Approach to Pain Treatment
Review: Sarno's thesis, that repressed rage and anxiety cause back pain in almost EVERY case, is ridiculous, unsupported mushy thinking. Just the fact that he lumps all kinds of other pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia and TMJ and bursitis under his umbrella of Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) should be a tip off that his theories are vague and unsupported by scientific rigor. Yes, we all have some repressed rage and some anxiety in our psychological makeup, so it is easy to "see one's self" in his typical patient profile. And yes, there surely is a Mind-Body Connection, but Sarno's work doesn't offer any original thinking or even a cogent explanation of what we currently know about this topic. A well-meaning friend sent this book to me. I have had 4 surgeries for a very painful, ongoing degenerative condition. Frankly, I was insulted by this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Mind over Body really does work!
Review: I was not impressed nor delighted with my doctors recommendation to read Dr. Sarno's book. I scoffed at reading it,but I did and was shocked to read my profile personality as a prime canidate for TMS. So I believed and was cured! It's so easy to do also. I recommend this book for the only one reason,it cured pain and fear of recurring pain. It frees you back to an active and happy person again. <pun included>
Rating:
Summary: This Is A Mode Of Thinking That Can Be Life Altering
Review: Dr. Sarno does us all a great service. He has been practicing a kind of cognitive therapy that allows each of us to break the destructive habits that can and do cause illness. Since he explains the physical underpinnings in detail it becomes an act of will and education not to be dominated by physical symtoms that seem to be pervasive.I think that the spiritual revolution has been a break through but so has freedom from strictly the Freudian domination that seems to indicate either years on the couch or no cure. I do not think Freud meant that to happen. Dr. Sarno builds on Freud's insights and theories and gives us a way out of illnesses caused by our need to hide from ourselves the rage and/or anxiety that we experience as human beings. This book is the road to healing and I unequivocally recommend it as way to heal oneself and to be aware of the pitfalls that can cause most of our illnesses, as well as a way to effectively and successfully handle most pervasive pain and ailments, from back, to headaches, to allergies, etc. Read it and heal.
Rating:
Summary: Very Hard to believe this works
Review: I'm still shocked! I read the book in two days. During the entire read I dismissed most of what he said. It seemed too far from reality. I'm convinced that the stuff I read in this book is what fixed my back.
Rating:
Summary: This book will change your life and end your suffering!
Review: As a former chronic pain sufferer (fibromyalgia, treated everywhere from medical professors in Jerusalem, to the Mayo Clinic), I tried everything. Conventional medicine offered me nothing, and alternative medicine did not work. Finding Dr. Sarno's books was the turning point. Within hours my excruciating pain began to subside, and within months was under control. A year later we started the HealingPain.com website to guide others to real help -- and it doesn't get any better than Sarno's work!
Rating: 
Summary: New discovery, or an old one redone - to promote Dr. Sarno ?
Review: I am a " textbook " lifetime psychosomatic back pain sufferer. I give the book 2 out of 5 stars simply because the author's concept of TMS and description of how it works is a unique one, and reading this book provided me that " theory " ( which seems to be working for people, so I take my hat off to Dr. Sarno ). I neglected to give it the other 3 stars for many other reasons. I found the book was unable to further expand on it's basic premise, leaving many questions unanswered, but rather go to great lenghts to do many other things ( such as give medical knowledge and history regarding these mind - body issues ) that are largely irrelevant to the pain sufferer, but instead fill pages in a book. I would have preferred to know more about the specifics of what brings pain or TMS on, why some have it and others don't even though they seem like they fit the same personality descriptions, why we in particular have such a difficult time following the internal path of our emotions, and relevant things of this nature that would help us learn more about ourselves and how this theory works rather than the constant sales pitch and redundance that it goes through to convince us that it's this particular theory that's going to save us. I'm not so sure about that. To put this in perspective, a person can basically believe in anything of their particular choosing, as long as it's somehow believable and logical to them, and it will work. All one has to do is look at the history of medicine with all it's " snake oil " stupidity, or the work of faith healers who get people to believe, or any other reason for a change in one's consciousness that produces a healing. Sarno himself gives us our first clue and points out that the reason that so many of us have back pain now is that it's " in vogue " and so accepted as a part of our culture ( with all of our Chiropractors and massage tools and car seats etc ), rather than our " unacceptable " emotions. This is true, and we are all aware of that. Yet, to the person that wants to truly recover and get more serious about it -- he feels the internal anger and rage lying underneath consciousness, and it could be a very " acceptable " thing for him to now believe Sarno's theory as, for sure, this is now " in vogue " as an alternative to the sincere seeker of relief to his pains. After all, it must ring true to this person on some level that he has a deep set anger that would love to express and be accepted, especially when confronted with this new evidence of the " TMS " theory and it's current popularity. But even still, all this psychological stuff has been most respected and preferred in our society now to anyone truly in the know, and it really doesn't take much these days to realise that our medical doctors live in the dark ages when it comes to this kind of stuff. Sarno's theory has great timing. But could it not also be that other people who have the same kind of condition may be more able to appreciate something else or some other theory if it happens to be down their particualar alley ? EX. A man who has back pains because he works 7 days a week ( or so he thinks ). " All I need is a day or two off " he says to himself. A day off might simply be his particular cure. Or a woman who has to give up her child and will not get to see him until he's a man. She becomes relieved of her painful condition upon finally meeting him. A student getting stressed out over final exams meets the girl of his dreams. He's instantly " cured ", and then he totally forgets about the seriousness of the exam etc. and the back pain that goes with it ! The power of belief is everything whether it is logical or not. Look at our world religions, and better yet all of these cults who have people die for their causes for absolutely no logical reason, but that it seemed logical to them. The life force is in the faith, the shortage of it is in the fear. Are John Sarno's books our saviour, or are we letting him save us because we have chosen them logical to believe at this point in time ? You don't need an $800 vacuum cleaner until you hear the salesman for 2 hours telling you how good it is ! Has John Sarno just found himself a particular marketing niche for a very old principle in religion and medicine, and the study of the mind ? You decide. Feel free to email me your comments, and I'll write back. I hope this doesn't discourage anyone from reading this book, as it very well might help you regardless ! So far, my pains are still there, and intermittent ( as usual ) but I'm looking forward to reading his latest book -- " Mindbody Perscription " next.
Rating:
Summary: good for some, but not all.
Review: Dr. Sarno offers some good technique and theory about reducing tension related to stress, an invaluable tool for anyone suffering from chronic pain. I read this book about a year ago and adopted his ideas. His shortcoming and liability, however, are his aversion to address underlying physical disorders which are more likely the cause of long lasting chronic pain. Of course, he adds the disclaimer that anyone suffering from any one of the numerous disorders he says may be the result of TMS should be consulting their physician. I would additionally warn that anyone suffering from a cluster of disorders that Sarno calls equivalents of TMS should actively be looking for the physical cause while using Sarno's stress reduction techniques. Mistakenly, Sarno goes so far as to call overwhelming disorders such as Fibromyalgia or Myofascial Pain Syndrome, "TMS," Ouch! Certainly, people can benefit from Sarno's book, as well as other stress reduction techniques, especially for isolated pain. But, there is a real danger in suggesting that someone suffering from an array of disorders and years of spreading pain ignore physical basis other than Sarno's explanation of oxygen depravation. Also, there is inconsistency in the idea that a mind could create a greater physical pain that would threaten one's ability to work just so that one would not have to face the reality that one did not like the way their boss was treating them. Nothing like the pain of disability to avoid a confrontation with management! Anyone suffering from an array of disorders Sarno coyly suggests may be TMS would do good to take a good look at their medical history and all ailments dealt with. Many who suffer from the array of symptoms that Sarno suggests as having only a psychological basis actively need to research the latest data on Fibromyalgia and Myofascial pain. A good starting point would be looking at work done by Dr. Paul ST. Amand and other experts working with the array of disorders Sarno calls TMS. ........ can offer some valuable help and medical treatment in avoiding the long term disabling effects of those disorders. The cases of individuals experiencing spreading pain and numerous disorders, Dr. Sarno needs to reconsider since his advise is one of medical exclusion. A difficult task for him this must be, since most doctors have iron egos. For, those who have suffered so long, I hope this review helps.
Rating:
Summary: This book changed my life!
Review: It's true. Since I was a teen-ager I had severe back pain, neck tension, etc. Although I have always kept active, it had become increasingly more difficult. I saw a chiropractor as often as 3 times a week, and though it helped tremendously, I had to keep going back if I wanted to be pain free. There were days when I would feel fine, and then there would be days when I had pain in my neck, my shoulders, my low back, my hips, my knees, and my jaw. I had headaches. Even when I felt good, after a few days, I would begin to feel panic--wondering when the pain would start in again. It always did. UNTIL I read this book. It sounds ridiculous, but after seeing osteopaths, sports doctors, etc., a book held the key to my current state of wellness. Will it work for you? I don't know, but God, I reccomend this book to anyone. Try it.
Rating:
Summary: "A book cannot substitute for a doctor"
Review: In the words of Dr. Sarno, "A book cannot substitute for a doctor and it is not my intention to diagnose and treat through this book." I fear, however, that the arguments set forth are precisely the kind that would keep many people from seeking appropriate medical treatment for their back pain. I speak from experience because I recently came within hours of death-from back pain. Yes, back pain. I had a relatively rare condition that was misdiagnosed by many doctors for years. My symptoms seemed quite common. I spent lots of time in front of a computer and was usually stressed out. My posture suggested a classic case of "computer spine." I had tight muscles and didn't get enough sleep. I had a history of scoliosis. I had the personality characteristics common to TMS sufferers. And I had a tumor growing inside my spinal column. I read Dr. Sarno's book more than once. Looking back, it is clear to me that I experienced a placebo effect from reading it. My pain never went away entirely, but I could make it go away enough that I was convinced it was all in my head. I thought I must have been in the five percent that has trouble letting go of the pain. I even managed to convince my doctors because they were open-minded, progressive thinkers-the kind of doctors we all wish we could have when we're in pain. That is, until the tumor ruptured, bled into my cerebrospinal fluid and caused a near deadly increase in pressure on my brain. Fortunately, the tumor was benign and was successfully removed, but not without much unnecessary pain and suffering. My back pain is now gone and I don't expect it back. It had nothing whatsoever to do with my mind. Let the buyer of this book beware. Don't try to diagnose yourself. I think Dr. Sarno's approach probably works for a lot of people, but it wasn't right for me. If the Sarno method works for you, God bless you and Dr. Sarno. If it doesn't seem to be working, keep talking to your doctors and don't be too quick to assume that it's all in your head. In Dr. Sarno's own words, "Pain syndromes must always be properly studied to rule out serious disorders such as cancer, tumors, bone disease and many other conditions."
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