My experience with Dr. Sarno’s book, Healing Back Pain

This past spring, for exactly 3.5 months, the entire left side of my body was inflamed and uncomfortable. It started with a gnarly knot in my shoulder, then crept up into my neck, spread through my mid and low back, my hip, down my arm, and eventually into my left leg.

It affected everything – my workouts, my yoga practice, my sleep, my work, my everyday life. I was convinced I had injured something or was repetitively aggravating it. I turned to my trusted doctors and healers, but no massage, adjustment, or acupuncture treatment brought relief. And that’s unusual for me – my go-to healers are incredible!

I was babying it daily with creams, essential oils, heating pads, cushions, careful stretches… and nothing was working.

On my birthday, I brought it up in conversation with my spiritual teacher. I was worn down and troubled by how much this pain was dictating my life. She gently asked, “Have you ever read Dr. Sarno’s book?” LIGHTBULB. Of course. Dr. Sarno!

A Flashback to My Nutrition School Days

Back in my mid-twenties, when I was studying at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Dr. John Sarno came to speak to us. He shared something that left a lasting mark: many times, chronic pain or distress in the body is rooted in repressed emotions – things we haven’t allowed ourselves to fully feel or process.

His method, known as TMS (Tension Myoneural Syndrome), explores how chronic physical pain – especially back, neck, and shoulder pain – can often stem from emotional stress, internalized anger, perfectionism, or unresolved psychological tension. According to Sarno, the brain uses pain as a distraction to prevent uncomfortable emotions from rising to the surface.

At the time, I was still struggling with IBS. Dr. Sarno’s work helped me realize that my mind, my inner world, and my limiting beliefs were deeply affecting my body. That realization (combined with gut-healing nutrition, rest, and nervous system support) helped me start to move through it with a different approach.

Returning to the Book, This Time in My 40’s With Pain in My Body

As soon as I got home from that birthday conversation, I found my dusty copy of Healing Back Pain and began devouring it. That night, I started journaling. Not structured journaling, just free-writing. I allowed myself to go beneath the surface of the physical discomfort.

And that’s when the magic began.

As I kept writing, I unearthed feelings of anger, resentment, inadequacy, pressure… things I hadn’t fully acknowledged. I journaled for four days in a row while continuing to read the book, and I could feel something beginning to shift.

I also printed and laminated (I know I’m a nerd) Dr. Sarno’s 12 Daily Reminders – short, powerful truths that help retrain your mind and break the cycle of fear and pain. I read them multiple times a day, especially when the pain called for my attention (which I started giving into less and less).

By Day 4, the pain was completely gone. Not just lessened. Gone.

And here I am now writing this, two months later, with zero pain in my left side. Not even a hint of it.

What I’ve Learned

I talked through all of this with my healers (who, of course, fully believe in the mind-body connection and Dr. Sarno’s work), and I now keep the 12 reminders where I can see them (on my phone and in my bathroom).

I share this because our lives are full. We carry responsibilities, relationships, emotions, stress, and pressure. Not to mention stuff from childhood! It’s a lot for our beautiful bodies. And unless we give ourselves a space to feel what’s under the surface, our bodies often do it for us.

That doesn’t mean we ignore the physical or avoid seeking support, but it does mean we must also look inward.

Final Thoughts

I truly believe Healing Back Pain is a must-have book for every home.
Read it. Take it in. Practice what resonates. And then return to it when pain in your physical body starts calling for your attention again.

Your quality of life may just thank you. Mine certainly has!