A SHORT, PAINFUL STORY
(With a Happy Ending!)
By Jim Horend
My back pain started in the late 1950s and persisted, episode after episode, for about 30 years. During that time I was diagnosed by my primary care doctor, a chiropractor, a physical therapist, a number of different orthopedists and a neurologist as having a pinched nerve, strained muscles, torn ligaments, a herniated disc, osteoarthritis, and degenerative disc disease (DDD). I was treated with analgesics, muscle relaxants, tranquilizers, steroids, TNS, physical therapy, traction, bed rest, had numerous hospitalizations and underwent back surgery (laminectomy) to relieve the pressure on the nerve and to remove the bulging disc. And all to no avail. The pain was relieved at times but always returned.
My life as a husband, father, teacher and then school principal during that 30 year period was very stressful. My wife required a great deal of medical help along with lots of prescription drugs. We could not get medical insurance for her so the births of our two children and years of medical care were “out of pocket”. (We have since divorced – another stressful event.) To supplement my teaching income I coached basketball and baseball and worked part time as a waiter. I did this for a number of years just to make ends meet. And throughout that period my back pain persisted.
All the teachers in the school where I was principal, other colleagues, family, friends and many of the parents of the students knew of my chronic condition and my struggle to keep going. One day a teacher brought me an article from New York magazine entitled, “My Aching Back” by Tony Schwartz. It was his story about suffering for years with back pain, his unique treatment by a Doctor John E. Sarno and his ending up pain free. Needless to say I was very, very interested.
I sought out Dr. Sarno at The Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at the NYU Medical Center. He examined me, reviewed my MRI and X-ray pictures to rule out any possible structural causes for my pain and I was subsequently accepted as his patient. My treatment consisted of being educated about Dr. Sarno's theory and my coming to understand that my pain was caused by inner conflicts and were probably influenced by the stresses in my life. These unresolved conflicts were causing a physical reaction labeled by Dr. Sarno as TMS or tension myositis syndrome. The theory, simply stated, is that the pain is precipitated by unresolved conflicts between the conscious and unconscious mind. Stressful problems were not exiting my unconscious and moving to my conscious - where they could be resolved because my conscious mind wouldn't permit it. And the result was very real pain! I took Dr. Sarno's two session course, read his books and came to accept the diagnosis: "Emotional" pressures caused my pain. In a very short period of time I was cured - pain free and I have been pain free for the last 20 years! As soon as I accepted the theory and believed that conflicts and stress were the underlying cause of my pain, it was gone! I didn't have to do anything else aside from talking to myself once in awhile to reinforce the understandings. Sounds too simple doesn't it but it has worked for thousands of Dr. Sarno's patients over the past 30 + years just as it did for me.
Needless to say I have steered numerous other people to Dr. Sarno and ALL have had the same results. And now I am able to use my coaching skills to help clients arrive at the critical points of understanding and acceptance, thus enabling them to move forward to a pain free life.
If you or someone you know suffers from chronic back pain, have them contact me for additional information and support in your or their quest for a pain free future.
In the meantime read any of Doctor Sarno's Books: Mind Over Back Pain, The Mindbody Prescription and/or his latest, THE DIVIDED MIND - The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders. You will always be thankful you did.
"An open mind will allow wellness to enter."
Jim Horend
2008