Steve Ozanich - Back Pain Permanent Healing: Understanding the Myths, Lies, and Confusion

A truths initial commotion is directlyproportional to how deeply the lie was believed. It wasnt the world beinground that agitated people, but that the world wasnt flat. When awell-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses overgenerations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker a ravinglunatic.

Donald James Wheal, (1931-2008)

American medicine has traditionallyfocused on diseases of the physical body and mind but has misunderstood thelarge role that emotions play in our chronic pain. The truth is in many cases,that emotions are the primary cause of our chronic physical pain. John E.Sarno, MD, discovered this in the mid-20th century, identified it as TMS, andproved it by successfully treating his patients at the Howard A. Rusk Instituteof Rehabilitative Medicine at the New York University Medical Center. Heeducated patients that their back pain in most cases was due to psychologicalcauses rather than physical/structural causes and he began having remarkablecures of chronic back pain!

According to Dr. Sarno, chronic pain canbe caused by the unconscious mind, generating the pain as a distraction sothat the patients would not have to think about the things that they did notwant to think about. Testimonials regarding the positive effect of applying histheory are well documented in his four books and can be widely found on theweb.

I credit Dr. Sarno for saving my lifefrom one that would have destined me to sit in front of a TV while ondisability and pain medications. But fortunately I didnt go that direction;instead I found his first little book Mind over Back Pain in the countylibrary after being told by my orthopedic surgeon that my severe back pain wascaused by my herniated discs and that there was nothing that could be done forme. After all, my MRI clearly showed that I had two herniated discs. I wasstill an engineering manager at the time and unhappy in my job. But once I washealed after seeing Dr. Sarno as a patient, I had the courage to leave mycareer and enter medical school at the age of 40. I am now a family physicianand also a TMS doctor having trained under Dr. Sarno as an M.D. For the past 15years, I have been seeing TMS patients from across the U.S. and overseas.

Many doctors, particularly specialists,look at the pain path at the tissue level and try to cure the body. The pharmaceuticalindustry looks at it from a molecular level and tries to develop drugs todiminish the pain. Physicians concentrate on MRI findings and often make faultyassumptions about the significance of them while ignoring the fact that manypeople with no pain have the exact same findings.

I have seen many patients use Dr. Sarnostechniques to heal, and by reading this book, Back Pain, Permanent Healing,many more sufferers will understand that their chronic pain may stem fromunacceptable emotional conflicts rather than physical causes. Steven RayOzanich also discovered this through his personal experience.

After Steve wrote his highly regardedfirst book, The Great Pain Deception, he clearly established himself asa leading TMS expert. He then began having conversations with many people withchronic pain and listened to all of the excuses that these TMS patients used toprevent themselves from getting better. After all, many TMS sufferers thinkthat they are outliers and cannot be cured.

Steve has taken the essence of these manyconversations and put them down on paper. This book is truly a conversationwith the patient who is not yet able to understand and accept their diagnosisof TMS. But its also a book for any one with back pain who cannot findanswers. It serves to clarify what Dr. Sarno teaches us and provides answers tonaysayers regarding the myths that surround back pain. If you are cynical ofboth Dr. Sarnos approach, and of the back pain industrys approach to curingyour pain, then this book is for you. It is also a good source if you just wantto better understand TMS.

I want to emphasize how important havingconfidence in Dr. Sarnos teachings is to the healing process. Please note thatI use the term confidence instead of faith since Dr. Sarno is not teachingreligion. You may start out skeptical, but as you become more knowledgeableand work with the TMS concept, you will gain confidence that you too can behealed. Keep in mind that your brain is always ready to continue creating painto help distract you from thinking about the things you dont want to thinkabout. It is normal in the beginning of the healing process to default back tothe medical pain model. It may take some time to understand and accumulate yourown reservoir of evidence to totally accept Dr. Sarnos teachings.

Your TMS doctor or psychotherapist alsoneeds to understand the difference between acute pain and chronic pain. It isimperative that they have an unwavering understanding and confidence in Dr.Sarnos model in order to increase your confidence that you can be cured. Ifyour TMS diagnostician lacks confidence then you need to move on. Of course,you must always begin by seeing your physician to rule out a malignant process,but once that is done you can begin the path of healing.

The good news is that you can be healedof your TMS by reading this book because Steve so clearly rebuts many of thenegative thoughts and arguments for why people cannot be cured. It is importantthat you use this confidence to your benefit so that you too can become pain-free.

Enjoy and good luck, and be ready to hearthat the world is round when everyone knows that it is flat.

Paul Gwozdz, MD, New Jersey, USA
May, 29, 2016

The first acknowledgment of thanks shouldalways be given to Dr. Sarno, not only for his keen observations in healing,but also for his unwavering courage in publishing his findings. He is indeed atrue pioneer in health and healing, the greatest pain doctor in the world. I, alongwith countless others, have been able to live a happier and more fulfilled lifebecause of his deep desire to help. Not only has he helped masses of peopleheal around the world, but he also created new careers, saved relationships, expandedthe sciences, enlightened the spirits, and forever corrected the false and archaicparadigm of pain. In the midst of his many great accomplishments he remainshumblea great professional, and greater man.