5 Lessons from Mind Over Back Pain, by John Sarno, MD

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Originally posted to Medium, in July 2018.

I recently finished reading Mind Over Back Pain: A Radically New Approach to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Back Pain by Dr. John Sarno. I recommend the book with a couple qualifications: First, the book was last published in 1986, so it is understandably outdated, which explains the inaccurate (or, at least, incomplete) science. Second, the author claims "tension" is the primary cause of all back pain, but does not adequately explain what is meant by tension (muscle tightness, stress or emotional tension?). There is almost never a single cause for any health complaint, but fortunately the techniques taught to address this tension are still valuable. At $7.99 and just 113 pages, the book is a worthwhile read for clinicians or anyone suffering from spinal pain.

Here are my 5 lessons from Mind Over Back Pain.

  1. Outcome relates more to clinician-patient relationship than the treatment provided.
  2. "Injuries or diseases of the spine are rarely responsible for common neck, shoulder, or back ache.
  3. "Pain invariably returns because the process is governed by the brain."
  4. Whether exercise is effective in easing pain depends on what patients believe.
  5. Patients who get better accept the diagnosis. Patients who reject the diagnosis improve little or not at all.

Watch the Facebook Live video below for more explanations and my thoughts on why this is a valuable book. Be sure to visit my Facebook page and leave your thoughts and comments on the video.