“I’ll never get well- Things will just get worse – The pain will never end - Why me?”- and on it goes. Anyone with chronic painful physical or emotional symptoms recognizes these thought loops playing in their mind day after day. It’s important to understand the relationship between our thoughts and our experiences of physical/emotional pain. Persistent thoughts of gloom [...]
"The notion that a human being should be constantly happy is a uniquely modern, uniquely American, uniquely destructive idea." Dr. Andrew Weil Flashback to the time my high school aged son asked me: “Mom, where’s your great big smile?” Daniel had noticed the absence of the ever- present smile that had earned me the nickname “smiley” for much of [...]
Medical Hexing: Sounds like Voodoo, doesn’t it? Essentially it may very well be, And why is it a real threat to your health? We are all familiar with the placebo effect, but we may not be aware of the nocebo effect – the placebo’s “evil twin.” The word placebo literally means “I Will Please.” This psychological phenomenon refers to the power [...]
I can still hear my mother's words echoing in my mind - "Always do your best." Words most likely spoken with the intent of calming my concerns about my ability to do well in school, sports, music, art etc. Maybe all Mom meant was that my best was good enough, no matter what - a less than perfect grade or [...]
Now that the holiday hoopla has settled down and the resolution frenzy has subsided, it’s time to pause and realize that while we were focusing on what we want to accomplish, change or create in 2018; we may have unknowingly ignored a critical component. Our plans to strengthen our health, boost our financial security, cultivate more satisfying personal and professional [...]
Flashback to Thanksgiving, 2011: One year after back surgery I was visiting Southern California and went to Santa Monica Pier. The sun, the sand, the water…..people with carefree smiles and laughter out and about enjoying themselves on a lovely fall afternoon…. and there I was… trapped…. in agony. I felt like my body was breaking. I was so afraid and [...]
I wrote this post on the first anniversary of my mother’s death and would like to share this version with you on the fourth anniversary. It is a story about surrender and how our deepest truth is revealed in the unspoken language of our bodies…. It is never too late to experience deep, restorative healing and the freedom it unlocks [...]
The disturbing events of the last several months have created a wave of gripping visual images that float in and out of my conscious awareness: Me, at the age of 11, marching for civil rights and singing “We Shall Overcome.” Me, as a college student, when the slogan “Make Love Not War” saturated our student culture. My great-grandmother embracing [...]
One of the most powerful keys to healing from chronic pain, anxiety, or loss is allowing, honoring and accepting our full range of emotions. We live in a society that relies on intellect at the expense of feelings. The dark or commonly called “negative” emotions of sadness, fear, grief, and despair are not honored or viewed as socially acceptable; and [...]
John E. Sarno, M.D. June 23, 1923 – June 22, 2017 In late 2011 I felt totally lost and discouraged. It was one year after back surgery, and my agonizing pain and sciatica were raging out of control. My neurosurgeon prescribed physical therapy for pain of “unknown origin.” After all, the surgery had corrected the structural issues that had [...]