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Summary: This book changed my life!
Review: It's true. Since I was a teen-ager I had severe back pain, neck tension, etc. Although I have always kept active, it had become increasingly more difficult. I saw a chiropractor as often as 3 times a week, and though it helped tremendously, I had to keep going back if I wanted to be pain free.There were days when I would feel fine, and then there would be days when I had pain in my neck, my shoulders, my low back, my hips, my knees, and my jaw. I had headaches. Even when I felt good, after a few days, I would begin to feel panic--wondering when the pain would start in again. It always did. UNTIL I read this book. It sounds ridiculous, but after seeing osteopaths, sports doctors, etc., a book held the key to my current state of wellness. Will it work for you? I don't know, but God, I reccomend this book to anyone. Try it.
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Summary: "A book cannot substitute for a doctor"
Review: In the words of Dr. Sarno, "A book cannot substitute for a doctor and it is not my intention to diagnose and treat through this book." I fear, however, that the arguments set forth are precisely the kind that would keep many people from seeking appropriate medical treatment for their back pain. I speak from experience because I recently came within hours of death-from back pain. Yes, back pain. I had a relatively rare condition that was misdiagnosed by many doctors for years. My symptoms seemed quite common. I spent lots of time in front of a computer and was usually stressed out. My posture suggested a classic case of "computer spine." I had tight muscles and didn't get enough sleep. I had a history of scoliosis. I had the personality characteristics common to TMS sufferers. And I had a tumor growing inside my spinal column. I read Dr. Sarno's book more than once. Looking back, it is clear to me that I experienced a placebo effect from reading it. My pain never went away entirely, but I could make it go away enough that I was convinced it was all in my head. I thought I must have been in the five percent that has trouble letting go of the pain. I even managed to convince my doctors because they were open-minded, progressive thinkers-the kind of doctors we all wish we could have when we're in pain. That is, until the tumor ruptured, bled into my cerebrospinal fluid and caused a near deadly increase in pressure on my brain. Fortunately, the tumor was benign and was successfully removed, but not without much unnecessary pain and suffering. My back pain is now gone and I don't expect it back. It had nothing whatsoever to do with my mind. Let the buyer of this book beware. Don't try to diagnose yourself. I think Dr. Sarno's approach probably works for a lot of people, but it wasn't right for me. If the Sarno method works for you, God bless you and Dr. Sarno. If it doesn't seem to be working, keep talking to your doctors and don't be too quick to assume that it's all in your head. In Dr. Sarno's own words, "Pain syndromes must always be properly studied to rule out serious disorders such as cancer, tumors, bone disease and many other conditions."
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Summary: It's all in your mind
Review: Save your time and money. Serious back-pain is usually not cause entirely by the mind. Take **lots** of rest (nothing more serious than walking) and you'll heal. I read the book and kept waiting for some gems of wisdom which never came.
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Summary: Pain Free for 6 Months
Review: Reading this book cured my back pain and changed my life! When my back was "out", the pain was so severe that the muscles in my buttock contracted so tightly that I walked with a limp. I read the book, accepted the scientific plausibility of the theory, and now I'm cured. I haven't had an episode in over six months. I'm no longer afraid to lift heavy objects. I engage in much more physical activity. I bought a dozen copies of the book and gave them to the my friends and relatives who suffer from back pain.
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Summary: A book for everyone with chronic pain
Review: The reviewer JD Steele missed the point of the book. The reason that there are not many words dedicated to the actual treatment of ones back pain is, detailed explanations are not required to see results. This book pleads with the reader to shed the idea that your back is broken, and that is why you hurt. He devotes most of the book to this subject because that is the cure. Understanding that the pain is generated from the brain from stress, fear, anger, etc, and not from some dibilitating injury or disease, is the treatment! This book has totaly changed the way I look at pain, and other conditions I have suffered with for 10 years. I can only hope that more doctors will read this book and use these truths to help the thousands and thousands of americans who suffer from pain.
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Summary: Healing pain without actually healing the anger behind it.
Review: Sarno talks about neck/shoulder/arm pain as well as back pain and makes a very convincing case that most of such pain is a harmless (though very painful) trick of the mind intended as a defense -- to put one's attention on bodily pain instead of often severe anger and anxiety. He has proved with thousands of patients that once the patient truly knows that this is what he has, and acts as if the pain and "injury" is harmless and mind-generated, the pain stops, usually within 2-6 weeks. The book is fascinating, more so if you have pain, but even if you don't. One very interesting element of the Sarno material is that he has achieved impressive clinical results without really changing the underlying anger or anxiety! The mind creates the condition as a defense, to divert attention from the anger and instead onto the body's physical pain or physical weakness. Once the patient ignores or laughs at the pain, resumes all normal activity, and trains himself/herself to know that any physical pain experienced should lead the mind to reflection on the emotional causes, the pain and condition disappear. There does not have to be resolution of the anger! Of course, one may argue that awareness of the anger may, in fact, change it. On a long term basis however, my guess is that people will develop new symptoms and perhaps progressively more serious symptoms until the underlying anger and fear are addressed.
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Summary: In pain? Read this book!
Review: I was debilitated by severe back pain early in 1999, a repetition of a problem I had in 1987. Over the years, I accommodated to the pain, limiting many of my activities. I would often have to take some time off to "lay down" to relieve occasional attacks. Then this year I was laid low by extreme pain in my legs radiating from the lower back. An MRI and the diagnosis of 2 leading neurosurgeons confirmed the existence of 2 herniated disks, several bulging disks and spinal stenosis. Both recommended surgery, but I was hesitant. Even though I could not drive, sit up, or function in any normal way, I resisted the surgery. I was taking painkillers, anitinflammatories and doing physical therapy, but getting no better. None of the healthcare professionsl I queried would admit to knowing Sarno or anything about his ideas--what a shame. After seeing Sarno on 20/20 I bought the book and recognized myself in his description of the typical back pain sufferer. I started to apply the ideas in his book that day, and started getting better immediately. After 4 weeks I was basically pain-free and after 8 weeks I felt I had recovered to my earlier level of health. Now, 9 months later, I'm more active and in better shape than in the last 10 years, and feel 20 years younger. If you can get your mind to go along for a few weeks, this book will change your life for the better. Not least of all, you will feel that you really can influence your back pain syndrome, instead of being a passive victin. Try it!
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Summary: Exceedingly insightful - at last, the truth!
Review: He is, as it were, a voice crying in the wilderness, but Dr. Sarno has written an extraordinarily truthful account of psychosomatic back pain - which is almost invariably poorly understood in pop. culture. Upon months of reflection, I am convinced that he has made a major contribution by helping to clarify the modus operandi of the human psyche. After two years of horrendous neck discomfort, I am, finally, approaching a metaphorical clearing in the woods, and the pain is lifting. The most frequently heard criticism of Sarno, it seems, is that he relies on certain elements of Freudian psychology - namely, the unconscious and conversion symptoms. Regrettably, the mere mention of Freud - who, though surely not correct about everything, was nonetheless on the right track, so to speak, about many things - is enough to frighten and/or to turn away some people. This phenomenon is certainly regrettable, because deprecating Sarno's truthful - I emphasize, truthful - exposition because of his reliance on the psycho-analytical tradition not only prohibits these too hasteful critics from obtaining a better understanding of the psyche but also prolongs their pain. It is doubtless important to note that Sarno's method is not an over-the-counter remedy and, moreover, that it requires considerable thought on the patient's part. But, the rewards are astounding. While instant, drugstore remedies are rarely more than temporarily effective - and, crucially, often serve to muffle symptoms which, rather than be muffled, should be listened to, as they are the mind's way of communicating important messages - Sarno's treatment lasts a lifetime and is an excellent introduction to psychosomatic medicine and psychodynamics. I conclude by reiterating my high praise for Dr. Sarno and by restating that his tack does work, if the reader is authentically open to and receptive of what he is trying to say.
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Summary: For Skeptics Only
Review: Despite the inference contained within the title, this book has painfully few words directly applicable to how the reader may address his/her own back pain. It is definitely not for the reader who is seeking a "how to" book. Rather this book is directed toward the reader or practicianer who does not believe that the mind has an influence on the physical experience of pain, and/or the reader who wishes to review the author's model candidates of those whose pain may originate in the mind. If you are a non-believer, this book just may be for you. If you are already a believer, prepare to be bombarded with a sufferably heavy dose of redundant justifications and patient stories aimed soley to convince the reader that the mind does influence the body.
Rating: 
Summary: It Works
Review: It's apparent that the Amazon.com reviewer didn't read the book thoroughly, which is unfortunate. My lifestyle and career were seriously threatened by incapacitating back pain. I read Sarno's book, and found it compelling enough to go on and take his course. Three years on, I'm back pain free. I know a handful of people who've been helped by the book alone, but it's certainly true that the course is very effective, which validates his theories, which invalidates the vast majority of other back pain books. For what it's worth, I'm an allopathic physician (MD) with significant orthopedic surgery experience.
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