The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders

This was my third book on psychosomatics after I followed the suggestions of other reviewers to first read Dr John Sarno's Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection (published 1991), which is an excellent introduction to the painful condition known as TMS (tension myositis syndrome). Reading that book dramatically reduced, but did not totally eliminate, my chronic back pain which was, according to an MRI scan, due to a herniated disc.I then followed it up with The Mindbody Workbook (published 1999), by Dr David Schechter, which is a practical manual – a type of psychotherapy in book form, with probing questions to be answered in writing. In the course of working through that book my symptoms gradually disappeared. However after a few months there was a slight re-occurrence of pain, so I bought The Divided Mind.This book is so important, firstly because it shows that Dr Sarno is no longer a lone voice in the wilderness. He wrote the first four chapters, with the remainder by medical colleagues who have also embraced the concept of TMS and other psychosomatic disorders. Their views supplement that of Dr Sarno, clarifying some areas and detailing others not yet covered. Secondly it reflects Dr Sarno's latest thinking. It is also wider in scope, covering various mindbody ailments whereas Healing Back Pain, his major work, was more focused on back pain due to TMS.As with Dr Sarno's other books, this is 'information therapy' – the mere fact of reading it seems to reduce or eliminate the psychosomatically-induced chronic pain of many people. If after a first reading you do not experience a reduction of pain, re-read it, because the information (and there is lots of it) should be allowed to sink in deeply over time until it reaches the subconscious levels of the mind. A quick, superficial reading may not quite do the trick. I am now in my second reading and the pain is totally gone, though I make a point of still reading a few pages daily to ward off any future re-emergence of pain. Yes, it sounds crazy, but it works for me.Dr Sarno deserves a Nobel prize for his pioneering work in the field of mindbody pain. This is such a huge medical breakthrough – I respect conventional Western doctors and their medical training, but they have a big blind spot when it comes to the grey area between body and mind. As a result, many health issues are incorrectly diagnosed, resulting in too many unnecessary, invasive and expensive conventional treatments including surgery, not to mention the myriad of alternative and often bogus treatments available, whereas merely reading a book could have solved the issue. This is why becoming aware of mindbody disorders is essential for everybody.Note that this is not “alternative medicine”; Dr Sarno and his medical co-authors regard mindbody medicine as a valid study field which, for various reasons, has been ignored by most doctors. However, you have to have an open mind and be willing to consider the possibility that the pain, though real and not just a figment of the imagination, is stress-related rather than structural and thus has a psychological base.

One of the patients at the rehab I work at recommended this book and what a great recommendation it was! It puts a new perspective on pain, and pain management for me. It’s not a really easy read for someone without a background in mental health because there’s a lot of terms I’m not familiar with. The terms ARE explained in the book but I forget them so I have to go back and find them; I’m finding it worth the time to do so. It’s giving me a lot to think about and I’m really taking my time reading it. I HIGHLY recommend this book!

I would not have believed that you could be cured of debilitating pain just by getting a knowledge prescription. Like most of the stories with in the pages of his books I was at the end of my rope battling back, shoulder, tendinitis and other aches. After being diagnosed by a back surgeon and a chiropractor with a herniated disc two bulging discs and a compartment fracture in my lower back I thought I was broken. I was always very active and I was told to stop and let myself heal. I did chiropractic, hot cold therapy, ultrasound, electric stem, acupuncture, active release, Cupping, physical therapy, oxygen therapy, steroid pack, anti-inflammatories narcotic pain killers and was scheduled for an epidural and surgery was talked about as the final solution. I was on the phone with a friend and was telling him how broken I was when he told me that the pain was all in my head and to look up Dr. Sarno. I said he was nuts and I have the MRI's that show I am broken. He told me to watch the Dr. Sarno 20-20 interview with John Stossal and the Howard Stern interview. After seeing the videos I Immediately purchased the book Healing Back pain. The book was a heck of a lot cheaper than my co-pay so I purchased it for $10.00 on Amazon. It was truly amazing, when I read, I could feel myself actually healing. Since my Healing I have recommended Dr. Sarino's work to many people and will continue to be one of his messengers. Thank you Dr. Sarno!!

I bought this as a followup to Dr Sarno's 1999 The Mind Body Prescription. I liked this - It's more expanded and delves into the more scholarly explanations but I felt the other book hit the mark for the ordinary pain sufferer more succinctly. Though I appreciate this expanded more studious book on the subject, I prefer The Mind Body Prescription by far -it's the 5 star book that worked for me -twice.I personally resolved acute and lingering knee pain in 1999 (skiing accident) and again in 2010 (had two twisting falls) amazingly and simply by reading the Mind Body Prescription through. Once. Both times I was injured and in pain, could barely brace myself to get in or out of a car or chair and was going on for months in each case.The first time I heard Howard Stern in the radio back in the day praise his Dr. Sarno and his book Healing Back Pain as genius and I took a chance and bought Sarno just published Mind Body Prescription. I was dealing with knee pain from skiing accident in 1997 for going on 2 years, Unbelievably It worked! ?!The second time in 2011 I was just about incapacitated from knee pain for several months Sept 2010 to June 2011. I happened to remember the book that helped me before. Went and found it- I remember going to sit on a my outdoor lounge chair (with great difficulty because it's lower and strained my knee to get down there. I sat there for an hour or two reading the book I had read before -its not to long or erudite easy to read actually. By the time I finished the book I got up from the low lounge chair with no difficulty or pain at all. Sounds like bull but I swear it's true. Have recommended it to friends. Just wanted to share this as a thank you to all the reviews on Amazon that have helped me.