The world-renowned Dr. Sarno has been a hopeful voice for decades, speaking of pain caused not by physical injury, degeneration or disease, but instead, sourced from psychoemotional issues deep within the mind. His teachings have provided relief for millions of people who could not find a cure for their pain through any traditional, complementary or alternative method of back pain treatment.
John Sarno has not received a tremendous amount of support for his theories in the past, despite incredible results generated in treatments he developed and implemented in his New York City practice. As more and more patients spoke of him as a virtual savior, medical professionals began to take notice of him and even the most conservative old-school doctors could not help but understand that this special man helped to advance medicine to the next level. Now, history is proving just how right Sarno was in his theories, since more and more physicians are currently rediscovering the field of mindbody medicine.
John Sarno has been transparent in his methods and results, allowing and even inviting independent evaluation of his theories, approaches, statistics and methods. Although trained in medicine as a physician, Dr. Sarno has truly advanced the science of psychophysiology more than any other in decades.
John E. Sarno MD
Dr. John Sarno is a hero to me and to millions of others worldwide. This man definitely helped to put me on the right path towards better understanding the nature of chronic pain and removed a tremendous amount of fear from my life.
Dr. John Sarno has worked in the rehabilitation medicine department at The Howard A. Rusk Institute in New York City for many years. He was also a Professor of Clinical Rehabilitation Medicine at the New York University School of Medicine. Sarno has since retired from active practice. Dr. Sarno worked one-on-one with many patients in his Manhattan office, but is best known for touching the lives of millions worldwide through his bestselling books.
Dr. Sarno has a great reputation as a healer. This reputation is not entirely accurate. I believe that the doctor himself would be the first to admit that he does not actually cure anyone with TMS. He merely diagnoses the condition and teaches the patient how to cure themselves. This type of treatment is called knowledge therapy. It consists of learning all about the pain condition and how to be rid of it without using drugs, surgery or any physical treatment.
Knowledge therapy is a perfect example of truly holistic medicine, allowing the mind and body to work together to resolve the symptoms created by their same interactions.
Dr. Sarno and The Medical System
Some medical professionals appreciate the work to which Dr. Sarno has devoted his life. They see his excellent results and realize that he must have some insight into the true cause of most common back pain. However, some feel that his work is exaggerated or even nonsensical.
Many back doctors just can not admit that the emotional mind has such powerful control over the physical body. They also can not understand that the mind can cause the body harm, as well as benefit. This is beyond their education, training and experience.
Doctors in related fields have often said that Dr. Sarno’s results must be a placebo or some form of mass hypnosis. Mass hypnosis? That’s quite a far fetched idea from a narrow minded doctor who does not even believe that the mind can influence the physical body in the first place.
The things that his critics can never take from Doctor John Sarno are his incredible results and his patients’ never-ending thanks. To many, John Sarno has been a voice of independence, wisdom and good sense in a medical system filled with bitter disappointments and failed treatments.
Dedicated to Dr. Sarno
Times are certainly changing and the respect shown to Sarno’s work increases within the medical professions year over year. The Cartesian philosophy of health is steadily losing ground and the mindbody model is gaining ever more popular support among doctors of all types.
It is now known and universally recognized that the mind plays a very active role in all matters of disease and health, from chronic pain to cancer. The evidence mounts steadily, reinforcing the credibility of providers like Dr. Sarno, Dr. Andrew Weil, Dr. Deepak Chopra and others in the mindbody field.
Doctor Sarno’s books are recommended reading for anyone who is interested in increasing their knowledge of back pain or the psychogenic processes. Doctor Sarno has accomplished much and the world will not soon forget his contributions. Luckily, there are some promising young physicians who have taken up Dr. Sarno’s work and will carry on his ideas for the generations to come.
A very personal thank you to Dr. Sarno from The Cure Back Pain Network. Dr. John E. Sarno passed from this world on June 22nd, 2017. He will be missed and revered.
