Success Stories by Symptoms & DiagnosesThis is a featured page

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When people find out that they have TMS and are able to use Dr. Sarno's ideas to heal themselves, they are often ecstatic and want to share what they have learned with the world. One of the best ways of doing that is by writing down their success story and sharing it with the world. These success stories can help TMS sufferers understand that they have TMS also, thereby helping them to cure themselves.

Since TMS can manifest itself through a wide variety of symptoms, success stories cover a wide range of different symptoms and diagnosis. The following is a list of symptoms and diagnoses that patients have been able to resolve using the TMS approach: (better developed pages have a star Allstar Page Icon after them)

Achilles Tendonitis
Acid Reflux
Allergies
Anxiety Disorders
Arm Pain
Asthma
Back Pain Allstar Page Icon
Bursitis
Buttock Pain
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Cervical Herniated Disc
Chondromalacia
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Coccydynia
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
Depression
Dermatological conditions, such as eczema, hives, acne, psoriasis, and other rashes
Dry Eye
Dry Mouth, Sjogren's Syndrome
Dizziness
Elbow Pain
FibromyalgiaAllstar Page Icon
Food Allergies
Foot Pain
Frequent Sickness
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
Groin Pain
Hand Pain Allstar Page Icon
Headaches
Heel Pain
Hiatus Hernia
Hip Pain
Iliotibial (IT) Band Syndrome
Insomnia
Interstitial Cystitis (IC)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Knee Injuries
Leg Pain
Migraines Allstar Page Icon
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)
Myofascial Pain Syndrome
Neck PainAllstar Page Icon
Neuropathy
Panic Attacks
Paroxysmal Hypertension
Piriformis Syndrome
Plantar Fasciitis
Post-Polio Syndrome
Prostate Pain
Raynaud's Phenomenon
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD)
Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI) Allstar Page Icon
Rotator Cuff Injuries
Sacroiliac Pain
Sciatica Allstar Page Icon
Shin Splints
Shoulder Pain Allstar Page Icon
Skin problems such as rashes
Spasmodic Dysphonia
Spinal Stenosis
Spondylolisthesis
Stomach Pain
Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ)
Tendonitis
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS)
Tinnitus
Tooth Pain
Trigger Finger
Vertigo
Vision problems


If you think you might have TMS, please visit our "So You Think You Might Have TMS" page. You may also wish to:
  • Read answers from TMS experts in our "Q&A with an Expert" section.
  • Ask for advice about your own situation in our Discussion Forum. To do this, you will have to join the wiki, so we know who you are. Then, you can reach the discussion forum by clicking on the word "Discussions" near the upper left hand corner of every page of the wiki
  • Peruse our home page

Select Stories

The success stories on this page are simply illustrative examples. A definitive list of hundreds more success stories and information categorized by symptom and diagnosis can be found throughout this section

Back Pain Success Stories


Peg's Success Story

I suffered with 10 years of chronic pain, muscle spasm, tingling in my neck, upper back and arms. I tried many treatments, both traditional and alternative. Cervical traction, chiropractic, massage, myotherapy, trigger point release, physical therapy, cervical collar, medications, acupuncture, homeopathy. I even had surgery on one of my shoulders for a supposed shoulder impingement. Some of the treatments gave short term relief only. The surgery did nothing to help.
Then I found an answer, in the form of Dr. Sarno's Healing Back Pain book. Being a medical professional, I was skeptical as I began to read the claims of relief without surgery, PT, or specific treatments. I decided, I had nothing to lose by reading the book except a couple of hours of my time. I found myself on every page of his book. I felt he knew me despite never having met me. He was telling my story. I literally wept as I read the book and found a glimmer of hope. I began to improve slowly and continued to read and re-read, began a gradual return to activities, as well as starting to journal about emotional issues and feelings. As I applied his theory to my life, I continued to improve both physically and emotionally. Amazingly, I'm still doing great 8 years later. (Read the full account here)

Pandamonium's Success Story

In 1998 I pushed a sofa that was extremely heavy and I put my back out: I couldn’t stand up straight and was taken to hospital by ambulance and given pain killing injections. This was the beginning of 10 years of back-pain episodes which became more and more frequent; usually I had pain with walking or movement, never when sitting and never with sciatica. The pain was usually in the right sacro-illiac joint, it was sharp and sudden; like a knife had been inserted and twisted. Once it started any movement was agony, often I couldn’t take another step.
In desperation I googled “annular fissure” to see if surgery was an option, and after a while I saw a reference to John Sarno and his book Healing Back Pain. The reviews on Amazon made compelling reading; I read every single one and decided that after all the money I had spent on treatments it was worth £12 for a book even if it turned out to be rubbish.

Thankfully this was the start of my recovery, I read HBP and I saw myself and my symptoms described on every page, I was astonished and by the end of the book I believed that I had TMS and for the first time in 10 years I actually had hope that one day I might be pain free, it seemed to good to be true. I’d say that within 12 months of Healing Back Pain I am 90% better. Since I’ve been suffering for 10 years I wasn’t expecting to be healed over night and so I am really pleased with my progress. Whilst I hope for a 100% recovery, I expect that this will become a life long journey and that’s a good thing; TMS symptoms remind me to do my emotional work which in turn promotes a healthy mind and body. (Read the full account here)

Flyefisher's Success Story

In June I decided to abandon all activity. I had reached the point where I was barely riding my bike, could barely stand my daily commute, had to sleep away from my wife on our futon, dreaded cutting the lawn, replaced my chair at work with a Saddle Seat (these are great by the way), bought a new mattress (coming soon).
Then I read the book [The Mind Body Prescription]. It described me to a T. Suddenly I can sit in my car and go to work. I cut the grass yesterday and had no pain. There is still a small ache but it feels like the muscle waste. I am a bike racer (will be again soon, was not for a while because of these stupid DEMONS) and know the muscle pain Sarno references. I AM FREE!!! I took a ride in my car last night to relax after baby went to bed. I was riding along and started to think about how I could ride my bike again and be FREE!!! I burst into tears. I can't tell you, it was HELL. Who can live like that? I actually had said to my best friend just two weeks ago, had I not had a child I would have probably jumped off a bridge. Seriously. I was at my wits end. I had a great, healthy life, full of fun and motion. Within one year I went from that to less than elderly.

TMS is a nightmare. But the beauty is you can conquer it without surgery, years of waiting and babying your body.

THANK YOU DR. SARNO!!!!!
(Read the full account here)

S Diddy's Success Story

In senior year in college in Boston, while lifting heavy furniture to move from one house to a new one, I felt a pop in my low back, followed by excruciating pain. MRI 1 month later showed herniation in L3 and L4. (i had 2 more MRIs in the following 5 years). The pain was awful and I was overcome with fear and worry. I stopped all physical activity and could not walk, stand for long and not even be intimate with my girlfriend (now wife).
I found sarno 2 weeks ago. I read hundreds of reviews on his book and that single exercise gave me more hope than I have had in 6 years. I have lived in this awful fear that I will never be able to run and play again. I read sarno and I have begun my own form of exercise to help me. I tell myself hundreds of times a day, "you don’t have back pain. It’s all in your head. Breathe deeply...life is ok. You will be healed. You will run and play again. You don’t have back pain." AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 6 YEARS I AM EXPERIENCING A SENSE OF NORMALITY. I can’t say I don’t have soreness, tenderness and back pain. But I have MUCH LESS of it this last week...and more importantly...I have HOPE and OPTIMISM. And guess what else? I stopped taking Tylenol and using bengay and salompas heat patches completely. It’s so weird because sometimes I feel my back start to hurt. Or not even hurt….just a tingling…as if something is wrong and it WANTS to hurt…or maybe as if it is GOING to hurt the next day or something. And I try very hard to relax and control my thoughts and it seems to subside and go away.
(Read the full account here)

Kelvin's Success Story

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.
I bought the book [The Divided Mind] 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. 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. (Read the full account here)

patRoberts's Success Story

I have suffered severe back pain for the past 5 years I was also diagnosed with MS, numerous TIA's, rheumatism, epilepsy etc etc I have been through all the normal treatments some that worked and more that didn't , I was confined to bed for a long period but did not like that so started step by step to do more even walking up my garden path was hard at times but I was not going to be an invalid. Then in November of last year my daughter was getting married and I needed help as I was not going to her wedding using sticks so My husband looked on the internet and found Georgias site I had never heard of TMS but it sounded interesting and I am a great believer in the power of the mind. So I gave her a ring and she had a cancellation that day since then I have not looked back I read Dr Sarnos book The mindbody prescription and watched the video georgia made. I still have bad days and am still struggling at times as I keep getting different strains I know they are TMS but sometimes they do get on top of me then I try to journal (not very good at this) but do have other stratergies. All the bad things aside thanks to understanding TMS I went to my daughters wedding a changed woman and was still dancing at midnight not bad for someone who only six weeks before would have been hard pressed to travel to Leatherhead (4hour journey) let alone been still on her feet at midnight. So yes this has been my saviour and I am now going swimming 2 to 3 times a week and have been on lots of long walks with my husband 10 miles the furthest so far but this summer I hope to get back to doing the walks of 12 to 15 miles that we used to enjoy.




RSI Success Stories


Andrew's Success Story

I had been suffering from RSI for 3 years, the last year and a half of which to a pretty debilitating level. Having exhausted every single medical outlet and after having talked to probably over 2 dozen various medical professionals it was pretty clear that there was no medical cure for my symptoms. One name and one book kept appearing on my searches “Dr Sarno’s Mindbody Prescription” which sought to address a catch-all condition described as TMS. Within even a day of reading the book was doing things that previously I hadn’t done for months/years, and noticing that there wasn’t as much pain associated with them. Three weeks on I could: Play the guitar with no pain. Write about 600 words with no pain. Type about 600 words with no more than mild tingling. Play badminton, go swimming, go running – all with no pain.
This for me was absolutely incredible – I had about 90% of my life back.
Three months on, the symptoms have continued to get better. I have stopped using any voice recognition software, I can play guitar and piano for as long as I want, I can write full essays, and can even do computer design - like this website. (Read the full account here)

Rachel's Success Story

I had RSI for about a year and a half. By random luck, a stranger (actually, two of them) referred me to The Mindbody Prescription by John Sarno. This was September 1999. I had chronic arm pain, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I treated my arms like they were made of fragile glass, I didn't type at all (I used voice recognition software to do most of my work). I saw myself in the book, but I was afraid -- afraid that if I believed in Sarno's theory I might get worse, might hurt my arms more, etc. Nonetheless, over the course of the next 4 months, I gradually became more and more convinced of his theory, enough to take a leap of faith around January 2000 by choosing to take a lot of classes rather than a few (i.e. coddling my hands). By May 2000 I was very confident and was not restricting my physical activity at all. I was typing, writing, opening doors, lifting weights, everything. I still had some pain. By September 2000, the pain was gone. I was working a full-time job as a programmer, in an extremely un-ergonomic workstation, and I was completely pain-free. (Read the full account here)

Hillary's Success Story

One day I made a small discovery. Previously the pain I got from typing tended to happen AFTERWARDS - maybe a few hours later. Pretty scary, and a very effective tactic in making me afraid to overdo the typing, because I had no way of knowing if I was doing too much. But I noticed a change: I was getting (slight) pain DURING the typing. I didn't push on with typing when this happened, because I don't like pain. But when I noticed the change, I thought: "Gotcha!" This was an improvement, because it gave me more control. Even though I stopped when the pain came on, I would tell myself it was TMS, and it would be gone by next day at the latest.
Since October 2005 I have completely stopped using voice recognition (except for the very odd occasion when I'm in a hurry and want to write a lot of text quickly) and just use keyboard and mouse at work and at home. I've become an Internet addict, so I use the computer a lot at home in addition to at work. NO PAIN! Thanks to Dr Sarno and the people who encouraged me to continue. (Read the full account here)

Forest's Success Story

As time progressed, the amount that I could type or mouse before my symptoms started to flare up got smaller and smaller until, five years in, I couldn't type more than a couple sentences without some sort of flare up. Worse, the "RSI," as I now called it, began spreading into my neck and back. I became very limited in the amount of time that I could spend sitting in a nonsupportive chair, looking down at papers on a desk, or even writing. I had come across Sarno's ideas years ago, mostly from Paul Marxhausen's postings on the Sorehand mailing list. However, they felt to far-fetched to me at the time, so they didn't help me. What finally convinced me was stumbling across and reading a bunch of TMS success stories last December that were written by people whose experiences were extremely similar to my own. That convinced me to push my boundaries a little. That went terrifically, which helped me believe the ideas more. Eventually, the whole process snowballed, and now I don't limit my day to day activities at all and am looking forward to starting to run again in the spring. I still have symptoms every day, but they don't bother me, even though I am doing far more than before. I just ignore the symptoms, and feel like I have my life back. (Read the full account here)

Armchair Linguist's Success Story

I developed RSI in April 2003 under the stress of finishing my undergraduate work and preparing to go to grad school. I experienced aching and burning in my wrists and forearms. By June 2004, despite some PT, I was nearly disabled – simple activities like lifting shampoo bottles and opening doors were hard for me. I also had upper-back and neck pain. In April 2006 I started my current job with accommodations for my hand issues: a special keyboard and mouse and Dragon speech recognition software. Even so, on the 4th day of the job, I ran out of endurance – my hands and vocal cords had both had enough. It was at that point that I decided to try the Sarno theory seriously, because I had run out of other options. [And] basically I am no longer captive to the pain. I can walk, run, sit, type, ride my bike, play my clarinet, and cook with no fear. It's great.

It's not as easy as I guess I hoped it might be, though. Even though the pain got a lot less very quickly, bits of it are sticking around to remind me to do my work. Facing up to my low self-esteem, its origins, and the behaviours I've created to cope with it is hard. But it's way better than being a captive to the gremlin. (Read the full account here)




Fibromyalgia Success Stories


Jim's Success Story

In the late 90s, my conditioned worsened. My lifestyle had already been very restricted, but I had to cut back even more. I hardly did anything outside of work, except lying down and stretching. I was in danger of losing the ability to work full-time and perhaps losing the ability to walk. Then I heard that 20/20 was doing a story on a doctor who had a cure for back pain. I thought to myself, "There is no cure for back pain!" When I saw the program, I was shocked. Dr. Sarno's ideas were so unusual and seemed far-fetched. Yet, the patients seemed to do so well, which was in such contrast to what happens with traditional treatments. By the end of the story, I even felt a little bit better physically! I was convinced that I had to try Sarno's treatment.
I bought a copy of "Healing Back Pain" and "Mindbody Prescription". I read both books repeatedly. As the books say, reading a Sarno book once is not enough. His ideas are so different from traditional medicine that it really takes a while for things to sink in. I "talked to my brain", telling it to stop the pain. This had some benefit, but I am convinced that this would not have been enough for me. If my brain stopped one symptom, it would need to find some other symptom.
My symptoms gradually got better. There were also times when the pain would get worse before getting better again. After 5-6 weeks, I was fully recovered. I rarely am in pain anymore. If my fibromyalgia starts to come back, I can usually get it under control pretty quickly. I have no restrictions on my activity. In fact, I now do things that I was afraid of long before I had fibromyalgia!
(Read the full account here)

Nancy's Success Story (an interview)

She experienced symptoms of fibromyalgia, including back pain, fatigue and irritable bowel syndrome during medical school in the late 1970s. It was, as she says, “quite problematic,” especially during medical residency and in the early years of building her family practice.
She tried a lot of different things for the fibromyalgia, but it wasn’t until she read Dr. John Sarno’s book “The Mindbody Prescription” in the late ’90s that she had success. Sarno proposed that back pain was linked to unexpressed emotion, particularly anger. She began playing with this idea and journaling. “When I sat down and held my feet to the fire about this anger issue, I felt plenty,” she says.
Almost immediately the spinal pain she felt as part of fibromyalgia started getting better. “In a little over a month, I didn’t really have much pain any more, and I thought ‘placebo effect, I’ll wait to see what happens’,” she says. “But it didn’t come back.” And gradually her irritable bowel and insomnia— both of which she had since infancy— diminished. “Lo and behold, those went away too,” she says. “Very gradually and without very much effort, just paying a little more attention to emotions.” And she was cured. The experience convinced her of the power of the mind-body connection. (Read the full account here)

Laurie's Success Story (a letter to Dr Schubiner)

Dear Dr Schubiner, Thanks you so much for your encouragement to challenge myself to take control of my pain. I have been in pain for as long as I can remember. My pain has been from the top of my head to the bottom of my toes and I often felt like I had run 20 miles without any training. It made even getting out of bed difficult many mornings. I am so thankful that I was able to take your course in the comfort of my own surroundings and to spend some time mending "me" instead of everyone else for a change.
I am now feeling 95% better and the sciatica pain is gone! I have started to become more active and have had no "flare up" pain. I would have never dreamed that I could have this kind of success in a very non-traditional kind of treatment, but it works! My mornings are more energetic and I feel less stressed in my daily activities. I feel like I have improved substantially with huge pain reduction! Thank you so much for believing I could get better and for the compassion that you expressed to me!
(Read the full account here)

Marla's Success Story (a letter to Dr Schubiner)

The diagnosis was Fibromyalgia. It took about 10 years before I was given that diagnosis, but when I did I was finally glad that someone put a label to a very painful, and at times, strange condition I had. I had a great variety of symptoms such as pain all over my body, fatigue, sensitivity to smells and lights, headaches, and many more. Some days I would feel better than others. I was told there was no cure and that I would have to learn to cope with pain and to maintain myself as much as possible, which would determine my daily quality of living.
Through the writings, the self-discovery, the meditation CD, my willingness to be well, and God’s instrument through Dr. Schubiner and his kind spirit, I am in a much different place now. The cell doors of my imprisonment of pain have opened and I am practically pain free. I have learned to not shove down my pain and to know my feelings are important and very real. I continue to practice what I have learned through the workshop which was one of life’s greatest "gifts" to me: the gift to heal and the permission to let go. What joy to not be in constant pain!
(Read the full account here)

Mary's Success Story (a letter to Dr Schubiner)

Three years ago I changed to a more physical job and immediately began to have hip pain. Physical therapy did not help and the pain continued to worsen. Within six months my back and joints ached everyday, I could barely walk a flight of stairs, and I was exhausted by midday. Four specialists and three courses of physical therapy later, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I began to understand the emotional stresses that contributed to the hip problem.
Following two more sessions focusing on meditative practices and journaling to express anger, I was feeling 'lighter' and less tired. I understand now how much I was contributing to the ongoing symptoms and what I can continue to do to feel physically 'normal' again. Dr. Schubiner's workshop was probably one of most important pieces of work that I did to regain my health and energy. Thank you Dr. Schubiner!!
(Read the full account here)



Sciatica Success Stories


Mzlorinj’s Success story:

Dr. John Sarno was being mentioned to me here and there by friends. Sis-in-law brought me his first book when I asked her to come and do my dishes (I could not stand for more than about 30 seconds) and I read it right away! Hmm, interesting. Also read Dr. Weil's Spontaneous Healing book's section about a man who had shattered discs in his back, saw Dr. Sarno, and he has no pain anymore!!
Decided to go see Dr. Sarno. Got appt early January. Had a ride in to NYC to see him. Had to lie on the floor in the waiting room and office! But Dr. Sarno was great. I loved his conviction and enthusiasm for what he believes. Talked to me about everyday stresses, etc. and then did exam.
Next day I sat! I went to the store again and sat in the front seat of the car with no pain! I was so happy! So since then I have slowly had pain go away. I still get a little annoyance in the tailbone area when sitting awhile, but I am sure it will go away as I'm not finished with my 4-6 week intensive writing program.
I cannot say enough about Dr. Sarno. I must admit, emotions playing a role in physical health was no news to me as I had heard and read about this for years.
I realize some people won't buy into this as they feel it cannot possibly be that your anger, guilt, fear, etc. can cause the brain to cause pain. But I am a believer. I am proof this program works and am so happy I have been able to drive, go to work, and enjoy life again.
(Read the full account here)

Fibri's Success Story

I now realise my suffering from back pain and other TMS equivalents goes back to my childhood. By my early 20s I had an ulcer. I was OK during my late 20s, during which time I was married and had kids. In my mid 30s, following a traumatic death in my family, I developed chronic hand-arm-shoulder pain which doctors called RSI or carpal tunnel, although the symptoms didn't quite match and no treatments had any effect. This lasted about 15 years, and I also gradually developed a lot of back and shoulder pain. Over the years I have had IBS, gastritis and other digestive problems, become allergic (to cats, pollen and chemicals) and have generalised bone and muscle pains that doctors cannot fathom. A year ago (August 2008) I woke up one morning with severe lower back pain. This continued to get worse over the next months: I had to take time off work repeatedly, and was in constant pain.
What I find so remarkable about TMS diagnosis and treatment is that although I did not have an overnight cure - almost every day I still experience some pain - I have now understood my pain and so I can manage it. Every time I feel pain, I talk to my brain, telling it I know what it's trying to do, but I won't accept it. I can actually make pain disappear just by talking to my brain. It keeps trying it on, and I keep talking it away.
The psychological journey will continue to be tough, and I know my work is not done, but I am fully optimistic that although I may always have a tendency towards TMS, at least now I can manage it.And most of all, I can get back to gardening, which I love, and all the other activities which I couldn't do for so long. And my husband and I had a wonderful holiday, as well! My gratitude to Dr Sarno knows no bounds, and my gratitude to everyone here is immense also.
(Read the full account here)

Karen's Success Story

I suffered horrendous sciatica pain and numbness.I did have a structural problem in my back which was fixed with surgery. It helped immensely on the sciatica pain and the numbness but the lower back pain i was left with was unbearable.
I started reading Dr. Sarnos books as a requirement to see Dr. Shubiner and before i could finish his first book i could feel a little bit of difference in the pain i was feeling.I took Dr. Shubiners workshops, did everything that was required of me, and most of all, forced myself to BELIEVE what he was telling me was true, that all my pain was emotionally based.Within two weeks of taking Dr. Shubiners workshops the pain had completely left my lower back and i had pain so badly in my shoulder and neck i could barely move.I called Dr. Shubiner up and told him what happened and he was excited, lol.He said, GOOD, you got the pain on the run.I rolled my eyes and thought, HOW STRANGE.Can this be true???I stuck with Dr. Shubiner, finishing his workshops and by the time i was finished i had NO pain at all.
(Read the full account here)

Adam's Success Story

My sciatica story is a long and winding tale of fear, frustration and suffering. I began this journey at the age of 16, when I suddenly developed acute lower back, buttocks and leg pain. I endured this torture for weeks before I finally broke down and spoke to my mother about it. She brought me to visit her chiropractor, who began to lay the foundation for what would turn out to be 18 years of progressive agony…
Along the way, I had read many things about mind/body medicine and how the subconscious could produce what was called psychosomatic sciatica. I never gave this any thought, since I had actual damage to my spine which was diagnosed by many, many different doctors. Surely this idea did not apply to me at all…
Then, I discovered the works of Dr. John Sarno and learned the real facts about sciatica. I was born again in this knowledge and knew I had found something which might actually fix my back. I immersed myself in his treatment program called knowledge therapy, which actually consisted of learning the true nature of back pain. The treatment taught me what did cause back pain and more importantly, what DID NOT. I made an appointment to see Dr, Sarno, but by the time I actually met with him, I was virtually cured of pain. After 18 years of pure torment, I was free…
(Read the full account here)


Mouth pain success stories


Steve's Success Story

I suffered a lingual nerve injury after my wisdom teeth were extracted in April 2004. The first couple of years after the surgery (up until 2006), I fought through the pain. I kept on believing that the pain would go away on its own. It hurt almost every time I talked, but I didn't let it bother me because I thought the pain would go away in time. My oral surgeon told me that it could take up to 2 years for the nerve to heal itself. Suffice it to say, that after two years rolled by, my hope started to wither away and I couldn't hold it together as well.
Let's just say, my search for help was completely exhaustive. The troubling conclusion of my search was that I didn't feel physically better. My tongue still felt awful.
I read Sarno's "Mindbody Syndrome" a couple of months ago and the book and this forum have really helped me to recover. Looking back now however, I believe that sometime between April 2004 and today, my lingual nerve had somehow found a way to heal. The problem however, was that my mind had never done its part to get over the pain. My mind was still generating physical symptoms long after my nerve injury has run its course. I think I had gotten so conditioned to the pain every time I talked, that the act of talking would trigger real physical pain, regardless of whether there was a physical cause of it or not. I was also conditioned to feel pain whenever I was nervous or stressed. And after telling myself over and over that I'm physically 100%, I've begun to slowly recondition myself to feel less pain. And although I'm not quite all the way there yet, I think I'm really close.
(Read the full account here)

John's Success Story
I've suffered to the point of wanting to end my life. I know how much a good success story can help. I want to focus more on how I got better than when I was in despair because I think we all know what that feels like.
Soon after begining college, I developed a frightening symptom in my mouth. It was the feeling of a dry mouth, twisted tongue, and tingly tongue. The symptom made speaking very difficult which paralyzed me since I already had social phobias. I went to my doctor and he listened to my complaints, telling me I had sicca syndrome...AKA Sjogren's sydrome. I looked the disease up online and saw that it was permanent. The thought of this permanent state of imprisonment and fear put me into a state of depression and despair.
In january I purchased Dr. Schubiner's online program. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it. There is one aspect of the program called, "Reprograming your mind." I ony did the first week of the program because I could just feel that this reprogramming principle is the driving force behind recovery. I read, "Mind Power into the 21st Century," by John Kehoe, and I'm on his website every day which is amazing. I am now 100% free of my physical symptoms. I don't feel them and I don't think about them. When I had the symptoms I was always scared that I would never be able to forget about them because they were soooo consuming, but when something fades away, your mind simply shifts it's thoughts to something else...It works.Not only have I cured my symptoms but I have felt more confident and happier than ever before. I know I can use these techniques to literally accomplish anything and it feels great.
(Read the full account here)

Shoulder pain success stories


Randy's Success Story

Two years ago I was in constant shoulder pain, and afraid even to open the refrigerator door for fear of "injuring" my shoulders. I attached a hook to my belt. I would hook the handle and lean back to open the refrigerator door, or any other heavy door. I was afraid to pull my socks up and bought a special device to help. These shoulder symptoms had gone on for almost 15 years. I endured two surgeries which made me worse, not better, saw dozens of doctors in several states. I tried physical therapy, anti inflammatories, cortisone, acupuncture, chiropractic. I could go on and on.
Today I am 98 percent recovered. I swim, ride my bike, lift weights, shoot baskets--anything I want--and I just bought a motorcycle. I do have an occasional twinge in my shoulders and an occasional fearful thought, so I cannot count myself 100 percent recovered, even though I know intellectually that there is nothing wrong with my shoulders.My miraculous recovery is entirely due to Dr. Sarno. It began when I found his book, The Mindbody Prescription. I also bought his video, and the new book The Divided Mind. My success with getting rid of a disabling shoulder condition has convinced me that Sarno's analysis is correct, regardless of what the medical community says. I regard him as a pioneer and a visionary.(Read the full account here)



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flutterby2 Symptoms/pain - distraction or signal? 19 Feb 16 2012, 12:14 AM EST by skhs
Thread started: Nov 17 2009, 9:09 AM EST  Watch
Dr Sarno suggests that our brains create pain/symptoms as a distraction from emotions that we don't want to face.

But many people seem to find it more likely that the purpose of our pain/symptoms is to alert us to psychological issues we are unaware of, what someone compared to 'Lassie barking to let us know that the barn is on fire'.

I find the 'Lassie' theory more likely but I'd be interested to know which of these theories people find more credible?
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ForestForTreesTMS Best success stories out there 8 May 23 2010, 4:13 PM EDT by ForestForTreesTMS
Thread started: Feb 20 2010, 1:57 AM EST  Watch
Hi all,

We're thinking of making a special page for TMS success stories and are also thinking of translating some success stories into Spanish for our Spanish page:
http://tmswiki.wetpaint.com/page/SMT+S%C3%ADndrome+de+Miositis+Tensional+%28TMS+Tension+Myositis+Syndrome%29

I thought it might be good to start a thread of what people think are the best success stories ever.

So what do you think? Please include links if possible and don't hesitate to mention your favorite stories even if someone else has already mentioned them. This will help us to get a sense of which stories have really touched people...
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