TMS Internet Resources - Descriptions and Reviews

Audio/Video TMS Primer - All Available Free on the Internet

Perhaps the easiest way to learn about TMS is by first watching the 20/20 program on Dr. Sarno, then viewing Dr. Schubiner's online video lectures, and then listening to The Seligman Medical Institute's online audio podcasts, which feature Dr. Schechter, a TMS/Back Pain M.D., along with a number of TMS clinical psychologists. Below these, there are a number of very helpful web sites, blog posts, TV news reports and essays listed that provide information about TMS and TMS treatment that also include many success stories.

20/20 Network TV Program on Dr. Sarno There is no better way to learn about TMS and to see Dr. Sarno's treatment program work miracles than to watch this 15 minute segment from 20/20. Dr. Sarno cured one of the 20/20 reporters years before this program aired. In it, they follow three or four back pain sufferers, including one who has such pain that she moves about on a scooter rather than walking. By the end of the program, after treatement by Dr. Sarno, she is shown running (the other pain sufferers that they followed all improved, as well). 20 files were also pulled at random from Dr. Sarno's records, were called by a reporter, and all reported that they were better or much better after going through his program.

Dr. Schubiner's Online Video Lectures on TMS These four free video lectures teach you the basics of how TMS works, describe numerous medical studies that provide evidence for why it does what it does, and tell how you can develop a self-cure for TMS through gaining knowledge. Each segment lasts 15 minutes.

Free Audio

The Seligman Medical Institute has a Podcasts and Video Clips page where you can download a series of 5 MP3 files, averaging about 17 minutes long. There are instructions for downloading them.


You can also listen to them online, and if you click on the following links, an MP3 player on your computer will probably open and start playing the audio. As an active podcast, they now appear to be defunct, as the last one was posted in January of 2007.

• "Introduction to Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS)" 7:50, 7.4 MB. By Arthur Smith and David Schechter.
• "Case Studies in Psychological Treatment of TMS" 21:30, 20.1 MB. By Arlen Ring and David Schechter.
• "What is Involved in Treating TMS: The Theory and Practice" 17:31, 16.5 MB. By Arlen Ring and David Schechter. Focuses on psychotherapy.
• "Psychotherapy for Chronic Pain: It Really Can Help" 18:01, 16.9 MB. By
  
• "Case Studies in Psychological Treatment of TMS and Its Equivalents" 19:44, 18.5 MB. By Donald Dubin and David Schechter

TMS Related Web Sites

Excellent article on TMS Author, editor and blogger Jonah Lehrer has written a very detailed and well written 5000 word article about TMS. It originally appeared in Best Life, a magazine written by the editors of Men's Health.

Ah, My Non-Aching Back: A Longtime Sufferer Finds That It's All In The Mind. A 6 page overview of TMS and the author's experience in New York Magazine. Written by Tony Schwartz and published on March 6, 1987. You can also read the article that he wrote before he found Dr. Sarno, full of approaches that he no longer believes in.

Tar Pit Yoga website Kim Ruby provides an incredibly thorough TMS resource, including a description of TMS, a directory of TMS physicians and information about her own struggle to discover TMS.

Rachel's RSI Homage to Dr. John Sarno Rachel's compelling personal account of her struggle with pain that was diagnosed as RSI, her discovery of Dr. John Sarno and his book The Mindbody Prescription and her subsequent recovery.

Nate's Story Nate's similarly compelling and detailed history of his struggle to find the correct diagnosis and treatment for his injury, how he came upon the TMS diagnosis and the progress he has made.

The Seattle Area RIST Site The Seattle Repetitive Injury Support Team is a group of individuals who are focussed on treating RSI with TMS techniques. Their web site appears to be down. Until it is brought back, you can access Google's cache (which may also disappear) or the most recent Internet Archive backup.

Dr Sarno's Website - Dr Sarno's own website with a description of his books, which can also be ordered from this site.

tms-recovery.com - Scott Murray's website describes mindbody disorders and how to get rid of them.

www.tmsrecovery.com is a website which has been put together by Georgie Oldfield MCSP to help raise the profile of TMS in the UK amongst the public and other health professionals. There's plenty of information about TMS which helps the reader decide whether they may have TMS and information about what is happening with raising the profile of TMS.

carpaltunnelblog - An open minded website for those who suffer from pain in the wrists, whatever it's cause may be. Information on TMS, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, tendinitis and RSI, as well as tips for natural self healing.

From TV News reports:

Media from WBAL TV 11 (NBC) in Baltimore, MD:

"Back Pain A Mental Problem? One Doc Says So," 5/1/08. Video (also here). Writeup.
Extra footage of their interview with Dr. Sarno.
"Gerry: Doc's Back Pain Cure Healed Me," 7/10/08. (Gerry Sandusky is their sports director). Video. Writeup.
Extra footage of their interview with Gerry (8.40 minutes long).

Media from WCVB TV 5 (ABC) in Boston, MA:

"Cure For Back Pain In Your Brain," 5/16/08. Video & Writeup.
"Woman Finds Back Pain Relief in Book," 3/24/05. Video & Writeup.

Essays:

TMS and inferiority complexes, by Scott J. Murray.

On the importance of letting go, by Scott J. Murray.

TMS Experience, a poem by anonymous (available only here).

Dr. Howard Schubiner's blog posts

Dr. Howard Schubiner hosts a blog on his website. He is one of the foremost experts on TMS, and his blog posts are excellent. All of them are listed below, by subject heading. (With permission.)

1. Hello World
2. What is Mind Body Syndrome? Part I.
3. What is Mind Body Syndrome Part II
4. Psychological aspects of MBS
5. Modern Medicine’s Blind Spot
6. Mind Body Syndrome is contagious
7. Letter to Dr. Schubiner from Paul Mazzafero, Davie, Florida
8. Genetics and Mind Body Syndrome
9. Mindfulness Meditation
10. Letter from D.R.–”Saving the only life I could save”
11. Back pain 101–How modern medicine gets it wrong…
12. Back pain: the truth and the science to prove it
13. How deep have you gotten? Layers of health in coping with TMS/MBS
14. Dealing with doubt, thoughts and emotions
15. Mind Body Syndrome in Musicians
16. Why does MBS occur more commonly in women?
17. Why symptoms move and change? A look at symptom substitution
18. The role of triggers
19. Emotions: What you don’t notice, can hurt you
20. “A rose by any other name…”: The importance of the name of an illness
21. TMS Stories: Understanding the depth and breadth of The Mindbody Syndrome
22. Confronting Fear Head On: Brad’s Story
23. Understanding and Overcoming Fear
24. The “disease” of TMS/MBS: Lori’s story
25. Jacob’s story: The relationship between OCD and Mind Body syndrome
26. Update on social contagion and Mind Body syndrome
27. Joe’s story: A journey towards wisdom
28. Report on a Mind Body Syndrome retreat at Kripalu Institute
29. Cause and effect: The controversy about vaso-constriction and persistent soft tissue injury in Mind Body Syndrome

Success Stories

Some notable success stories:

• Some emails received by Rachel Podolsky, who runs a TMS website.
• The Amazon reviews for TMS books can be terrific sources of success stories:
  • Healing Back Pain Amazon reviews
    
  • The Mindbody Prescription Amazon reviews
    
  • The Divided Mind Amazon reviews
  • Mind Over Back Pain Amazon reviews
    
• Some testimonials written by patients of Dr. Marc Sopher, a family physician who overcame lower back pain and sciatica when a patient of his gave him a copy of one of Sarno's books.
• Kim Ruby's story of how she overcame TMS that manifested itself as depression.
• Over 100 success stories posted by TMS patients on the TMSHelp Success Stories forum.
• Dr. David Schechter describes his experience with knee pain and TMS from when he was a medical student and met with Dr. Sarno in the following video. You may want to skip the first 52 seconds. The full DVD is part of David Schechter's Mindbody Workbook and Patient Panel DVD.
• Kelvin Gunnells Kelvin Gunnells' experience of becoming pain-free. Kelvin has also put up a great page listing many helpful TMS articles and links, at TMS Related Articles and Links
  

Top Tips for banishing TMS from TMShelp.com

"The Ultimate TMS tips thread..." and "What works/worked BEST against your TMS?",

Miscellaneous

"a spine surgeon with herniated discs electing to not have surgery", "Doctor knew about Sarno but didn't say so"

DISCLAIMER: This web page and the rest of The TMS Wiki can be edited by anyone. The TMS Wiki is not affiliated with any medical professional or medical organization. No information on this site should be considered medical advice. For medical advice, see you doctor.