1. Alan has completed the new Pain Recovery Program. To read or share it, use this updated link: https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/painrecovery/
    Dismiss Notice
Dismiss Notice
Our TMS drop-in chat is tomorrow (Saturday) from 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Eastern (***NOTE*** now on US Daylight Time). It's a great way to get quick and interactive peer support, with Steve2 as your host. Look for the red Chat flag on top of the menu bar!

Dr Howard Schubiner - 25 Success stories

Discussion in 'General Discussion Subforum' started by mike2014, Nov 12, 2016.

  1. mike2014

    mike2014 Beloved Grand Eagle

    Hi All,

    Following on from my post last week, 35 Success stories from SIRPA:

    http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/sirpa-35-success-stories.14099/ (SIRPA - 35 Success Stories)

    Please find below 25 more success stories, but from Dr Howard Schubiner. Again, there is a lot of useful information to refer to, so it may be worthwhile bookmarking this thread.

    Warm regards,


    Anxiety and panic attacks in a 49 year old woman


    I have had recurring anxiety attacks between January and February every year for many years. I became very frustrated because I did not know what brought on these attacks and why it was happening during the same time frame. I did not want to use medications any more. I decided to attend Dr. Schubiner's 3-week TMS class at the suggestion of my primary care doctor. At the end of the 3-week class, I can now say I understand why I was having these anxiety attacks every year around the same time. Most importantly I now have a plan and understanding on how to deal with these attacks should they happen again. I feel confident that I am more in control of my emotions and my body. I truly did learn a lot about myself with the help of this course, and would highly recommend it to people who have anxiety issues.

    Susan O.

    A 68-year old lady with back pain

    In the spring of 2005, I came to a point where I knew I could no longer sit and wait for a “cure.” I needed to take action! Coincidentally, I had just received a brochure from Providence Hospital that gave a brief description of the TMS program: the Mind Body Medicine clinic. After I attended an introductory lecture and an interview, I knew you were offering me a solution to the chronic pain I had experienced for the past 32 years.

    After a serious fall in 1983, I had three painful back surgeries. During the course of the last 32 years, I have tried massage therapy, physical therapy, myofascial release, shots, medications, etc., etc., etc. However, after the first two classes in the Mind Body Medicine program, I began to feel a 100% better. By using the breathing exercises, meditation, and learning to refuse to accept pain in my busy life, I started to heal. Also, recognizing the hurts and fears of my childhood have contributed to my feelings of well-being. Thank you so very much!!

    Mary C.

    Back pain in a 36-year-old athletic male

    I’ve always been an amateur athlete and sports junkie, but severe low-back pain changed my life from active to sedentary. It started about six years ago. I got the first episode of back pain in January, but got over it relatively quickly and I promptly forgot about it. One year later, it happened again. I reasoned that the two January episodes were linked to a change in exercise patterns: Every November, soccer season ended so I’d start jogging three days a week in the winter. Even when I wasn’t in an episode of acute pain, I still had some pain that I’d simply ignore. But when I had the second episode, I stopped running and I used chiropractic care to feel better. I was told that my lower vertebra was out of line and that the space between the vertebras had collapsed. I religiously went for treatments and did every exercise I was recommended.

    A year later, again in January, I was on a hike in AZ, went lightning struck again. This was the worst episode ever. I couldn’t walk, couldn’t cough, and was in complete agony. I saw doctors, therapists, and had MRI’s. There was nothing definitively wrong but I was in a great deal of pain. I can’t remember all the different treatments I tried, but they included acupuncture, physical therapy, chiropractic adjustments, too many exercises to list, and I saw every doctor that anyone recommended. I even tried something called prolotherapy, which is an injection of sugar water into the lower back. Those shots made me feel better for a day or so, but the pain always returned. I wasn’t in crisis mode, but I had a lot of pain all the time. I was told that I had degenerated discs, a pelvic girdle that was “too loose”, and some other things that I don’t remember. My pain was solely in the lower back and did not radiate down my legs at any time. I was fortunate to have good doctors who were straight with me, and one of them looked at my MRI and told me that they’d never be able to pinpoint the exact spot that caused my pain.

    By late 2005, I was in a bad place. The pain was severe all the time and after trying everything, I had no other place to turn except having my vertebrae fused. I saw two doctors. One said to hang on and put it off as long as I could. Another simply explained the procedure and didn’t seem to have a strong opinion. Searches about fusion on the Internet revealed more horror stories than good. My thought was to wait a year and see how I was at that point. If the pain continued, and it had been constant for almost two years, I’d have them fused. In February of 2006, my sister sent me Dr John Sarno’s book, The Mind Body Prescription. I never would have read a book like that, but I was desperate.

    As an outwardly very calm person, who nevertheless is quite tense on the inside, I saw myself in the pages of that book. I began to believe that my back was no different from those who don’t have back pain. I read research studies that showed that there is no difference in the MRI’s of people with back pain and those without back pain. As I began to realize that I wouldn’t make myself worse by carrying on with activities, I started moving more and gradually went back to exercising. I could ignore any pain as long as I didn’t think I was permanently damaging my back. Plus I was sure I had TMS. In five days, the pain was nearly gone.

    Wow. Wow. That’s so unbelievably incredible, isn’t it? For the next six months I felt remarkably good. I even had another episode of pain a month later and licked in it in four days by recognizing what it was from (my mind) and telling myself that I was really OK.

    One problem however was that I was still afraid of hurting my back, so I didn’t do all of the activities that I would have liked. For example, I didn’t play soccer, didn’t jog. I was glad to feel better and didn’t want to “push” it. So I did things that I thought were safe, like bike riding.

    Then things got crazy at work. The pressure mounted. I could feel my back getting worse and then one day as I spoke on the phone, I had another episode. This one was bad and I could not talk my way out of it. I read Dr. Sarno's book again and again. I could almost recite the book by rote, but it wasn’t helping.

    An Internet search led me to Dr Schubiner. I took his class and I have to say it was as enlightening as the book first was. I learned so much more than just about TMS. I learned several methods to deal with what’s inside my head and relieve the tension that was directing itself to my back. Dr. Schubiner said so many things that made an awful lot of sense. He talked about “chipping away” at the tension and finding what works for each individual. I also appreciated the fact that he makes the class become a terrific chance to reset your priorities in life. So much of it made sense to me. In two weeks, I was feeling far better; almost pain-free.

    Two weeks ago, I played soccer for the first time in two years. The next day I went jogging. The pain just about disappeared. For me, the last piece of the puzzle is ridding myself of the fear that the pain will return. I’m not 100 percent there, but I’m working on it. And now I have the tools to fight TMS head on. It is a terrific feeling and I hope my story will help you as well.

    Kevin N.

    Anxiety in a 51-year old man

    After years of intermittent anxiety, followed by depression, I knew I could no longer fool myself into thinking that my problem was caused just by a set of certain circumstances. I told myself that I only needed to get beyond the next problem and everything would be okay, only to be faced with a new set of problems that caused me to be anxious or depressed. After medication and therapy, I still did not have the tools to understand and deal with this reoccurring problem. I wasn’t sure that Dr. Schubiner could help when he invited me to his class. From what I understood, his approach dealt with physical symptoms, not mental or emotional ones.

    Dr. Schubiner’s inspirational lecture and guidance helped tremendously. I started to calm down and understand for first time what was behind my problem. The writing exercises brought out profound information about myself that I was unaware of, even when the subject matter was very familiar. Dr. Schubiner is a true healer. If you are at all skeptical or afraid, that’s okay. That will change once you begin the classes and follow through. Take the classes and you will richly reward yourself.

    Donald T. age 51

    Severe back pain in a 47 year old woman

    In February of 2007, after living with severe pain for over 4 yrs, I found Dr. Schubiner and his Mind Body Program.

    In the last four years I have had several diagnostic tests, including 2 MRI's, a CT scan, a discogram, and a nerve conduction test. I was told I have 3 bulging discs, spinal stenosis which was impinging on my sciatic nerve and degenerative disc disease, osteoarthritis, and radiculopathy. I tried physical therapy but it didn’t’ help.

    After all these tests and diagnoses, I was still in pain and nothing had changed. My family doctor referred me to a pain clinic because the medications she felt comfortable prescribing worked no better than candy. At the pain clinic, I was placed on oxycontin and was referred to a back surgeon for repair of my sciatic nerve.

    After the surgery, the sciatic pain was relieved but the lower back pain became more and more intense. I tried every other therapy that existed. I had at least a dozen injections in my spine. I even had a rhizotomy (a procedure that involves sticking a probe into the medical branch nerve and literally frying it at a high temperature to kill the nerve temporarily), but nothing seemed to work, I spent thousands and thousands of dollars and my pain was only worse.

    At this point, any attempt to control my pain with meds was getting harder and harder because of the bodies ability to build a tolerance to them. By the time I saw Dr. Schubiner and was diagnosed with TMS, I was on 120 mgs of morphine a day and still in severe pain. I put so much faith in him that I didn't know what I was going to do if he couldn’t help me.

    Dr. Schubiner gave me a list of books to read and before I finished the second book my back pain had changed. It wasn't quite as severe, and it felt somehow different.

    I decided to take Dr. Schubiner’s TMS workshop and it SAVED MY LIFE!! After one workshop my pain in my lower back and leg was completely GONE for the first time in over 4 years. Out of the blue, I developed neck pain so bad that I called Dr. Schubiner, and he assured me that the mind often looks for another place to produce pain when the treatment for TMS is starting to work. He told me to recognize what was going on and to continue to believe and work with the program. That's what I did.

    By the second week I was in NO PAIN in my lower back and legs, and the neck pain was diminishing. I was concerned that the morphine I was taking for pain was not giving me a true test of how much pain I was in. I felt the morphine could block less severe back pain and make me think I had none. I went to a specialist and went off my morphine and onto another med that isn't for pain but for the withdrawal of the morphine.

    By the third workshop I had been off the morphine for 4 days, and I was still pain free. I get aches and pains, we all do, but NOT like what I lived with in the last 4 years. Dr. Schubiner saved my life and I can’t tell you all how WONDERFUL IT IS!!

    Before I took this program, I read the reviews from other people who had taken the course and I was so skeptical. But I wanted to be cured so bad I would have tried anything at that point. I really need to tell you that this program is for real.

    I do have one suggestion. If you’re going to take the workshop, give it YOUR ALL. Don’t go into it half heartedly. If you do, you will get half hearted results. I'm pleased to be able to share this with all of you and give you hope.

    Connie F.

    Back pain in a 56-year old woman

    I am a 56-year-old female who for most of my life has had to live with continual pain. Even as a young child, my early memories were of pain, mainly in my legs. I was told these were growing pains. Later in life, I had carpal tunnel syndrome and pain in my hands. Then I got lower back pain in the L4-L5 area. I went to many doctors and chiropractors offices for years, but the pain always returned after a short while.

    Because I couldn’t take it any longer, I was finally scheduled for back surgery in December 2006. I was in tremendous pain and felt that my only option was to have surgery to get rid of the pain. A friend asked me if I would be willing to get just one more opinion and I agreed. I didn’t think it would help, but I said, “OK.”

    I called Dr. Schubiner to schedule a consultation. I was told to read the book, “The Mind Body Prescription” by Dr. John Sarno. As I read the book, the information in it reminded me of my life. It was as if someone was telling the story of many things that had happened to me over all these years. I met Dr. Schubiner and he went over my history, examined me and discussed my MRI test. I agreed to take his Mind Body Medicine workshop. Since taking the workshop, my pain is GONE!! On occasion, I will get a flare up of pain when I am under stress, but then I use the tools that Dr. Schubiner taught me and I get relief. I’m sleeping better, eating better and looking forward to more of a pain-free life in years to come.

    Thank you Dr. Schubiner for your willingness to share the program with all who want the information.

    Marcia R. aged 56,

    PS I did not need the surgery.

    Fatigue and Fibromyalgia in a 46-year-old woman

    Three years ago I changed to a more physical job and immediately began to have hip pain. Physical therapy did not help and the pain continued to worsen. Within six months my back and joints ached everyday, I could barely walk a flight of stairs, and I was exhausted by midday. Four specialists and three courses of physical therapy later, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I began to understand the emotional stresses that contributed to the hip problem. I had been in a difficult marriage for years, moved out of state, lost my mother suddenly, and then experienced a divorce. That lead to parenting two boys on my own, financial concerns, moving two more times, and resuming a full time professional career. I continued to search for recovery. The medical management of the symptoms helped, but did not alleviate the persistent pain and exhaustion.

    Dr. Schubiner's one night informative session on chronic pain caught my eye. At this session, he had some very convincing statistics about Tension Myositis Syndrome and theories about why pain may be so persistent. I signed up for his Mind Body Medicine program and at the initial individual consultative session, we investigated the widespread pattern of pain. He helped me understand how my thought patterns were helping to keep a chemical cycle of pain going. I began to experience a lessening of headaches and joint pain immediately. Following two more sessions focusing on meditative practices and journaling to express anger, I was feeling 'lighter' and less tired. I understand now how much I was contributing to the ongoing symptoms and what I can continue to do to feel physically 'normal' again. Dr. Schubiner's workshop was probably one of most important pieces of work that I did to regain my health and energy. Thank you Dr. Schubiner!!

    Mary W.

    Fibromyalgia in a 45-year-old woman.

    The diagnosis was Fibromyalgia. It took about 10 years before I was given that diagnosis, but when I did I was finally glad that someone put a label to a very painful, and at times, strange condition I had. I had a great variety of symptoms such as pain all over my body, fatigue, sensitivity to smells and lights, headaches, and many more. Some days I would feel better than others. I was told there was no cure and that I would have to learn to cope with pain and to maintain myself as much as possible, which would determine my daily quality of living. I could take over the counter drugs or a prescription of Motrin 800 mg. to help with pain. I was prescribed antidepressants to help with my sleepless nights. I received physical therapy and even participated in a sleep clinic (which didn't help).

    My life has consisted of many personal traumas. Emotional and painful traumas. Life changing events that consumed me most the time. I had several losses and events that would become very important characteristics of my identity. I would have to endure one loss and soon another would be around the corner to greet me. I always felt that I had a great network of friends and such a deep faith in God that I would be OK. However I now see that I chose to hang on to my pain as some type of security. It was a part of me, and now I know I used it to validate my feelings, as something to say, "Hey, look at me, I feel the pain too". It was a learned trait to suffer and cling to the turmoil and emptiness of loss.

    I continued to search for an answer. No one knew the root cause of fibromyalgia and only offered aid to temporarily try to relieve symptoms. I went to seminars, tried special diets, took the mild pain meds, and tried mild tolerable exercise. Then one day I saw on a segment of the noon local news a new treatment offered by The Mind Body Medicine program of Dr. Schubiner. The segment said that people with pain and particularly fibromyalgia were finding relief through journaling. Writing their thoughts and getting out their feelings on paper provided a channel of relief and discovery. I was very interested and searched the website extensively to find some information that finally led me to contact him about the program.

    I was interviewed and accepted into the workshop that Dr. Schubiner was offering. I somewhat knew what to expect with journaling, but I was nervous. I knew that if I went through with this, it meant a commitment to "lay down my pain;" my emotional pain. I had suffered enough and carried a consuming load for too long. I wanted to rid myself of my agonizing physical pain and learned I had to release my hurts and sadness as well. I committed to muster up some bravery and work the program. I am so thankful I did.

    I believe I have trapped all my emotional pain and chose to lock it away and it had nowhere else to go but to manifest itself in my body. No wonder fibromyalgia is such a mystery. No one I had ever dealt with in the medical community had ever mentioned the power of the mind body connection and the affects it could have.

    Through the writings, the self-discovery, the meditation CD, my willingness to be well, and God's instrument through Dr. Schubiner and his kind spirit, I am in a much different place now. The cell doors of my imprisonment of pain have opened and I am practically pain free. I have learned to not shove down my pain and to know my feelings are important and very real. I continue to practice what I have learned through the workshop which was one of life's greatest "gifts" to me: the gift to heal and the permission to let go. What joy to not be in constant pain! When moments arise when I feel some type of pain setting in, I stop and ask myself, "what is bothering me right now?" I try to be ever so aware of my surroundings and situations and then say to my pain, "Oh no, you will not be a part of me, I know what this is about!!!" I then am able to stop it in its tracks and continue on my journey of healing.

    Marla R

    37-year-old woman with sciatica, irritable bowel syndrome, GERD, migraines, insomnia and neck/shoulder pain.

    I first went to hear Dr. Schubiner give a talk on TMS in preparation for an upcoming graduate class I was going to be taking related to mind body medicine-never considering it would directly impact me. One of his slides listed about a dozen common disorders linked to TMS and to my surprise I have or had experienced about half of them over the past twenty years. These symptoms came and went and appeared to be totally unrelated including: sciatica, irritable bowel syndrome, GERD, migraines, insomnia and neck/shoulder pain. I made an appointment that night for a consultation with Dr. Schubiner that ended up connecting the dots to a long history of pain and suffering. We discussed major emotional events from my past and then were able to link them one by one to physical symptoms that had seemingly appeared “out of the blue”.

    The three workshops that followed were extremely helpful to my understanding of TMS and how to eradicate its hold on my life. I found the writing exercises, meditations and affirmations to be very valuable tools and have seen a significant decrease in my symptoms as a result of them. I recently attended a five-day silent meditation retreat, at which I experienced a reoccurrence of many of my symptoms. At first I responded with anger and fear, but when I went back to the core tools from the workshops, the pain was gone almost instantly. I cannot say enough good things about Dr. Schubiner and this program!

    Gail C.

    A 68-year old lady with back pain

    In the spring of 2005, I came to a point where I knew I could no longer sit and wait for a “cure.” I needed to take action! Coincidentally, I had just received a brochure from Providence Hospital that gave a brief description of the TMS program: the Mind Body Medicine clinic. After I attended an introductory lecture and an interview, I knew you were offering me a solution to the chronic pain I had experienced for the past 32 years.

    After a serious fall in 1983, I had three painful back surgeries. During the course of the last 32 years, I have tried massage therapy, physical therapy, myofascial release, shots, medications, etc., etc., etc. However, after the first two classes in the Mind Body Medicine program, I began to feel a 100% better. By using the breathing exercises, meditation, and learning to refuse to accept pain in my busy life, I started to heal. Also, recognizing the hurts and fears of my childhood have contributed to my feelings of well-being. Thank you so very much!!

    Mary C.

    Migraine headaches in a 61-year old man

    I began in the early 1990’s getting various pains when I was in my mid to late 40’s. They were foot pain (diagnosed as arthritis), shoulder and elbow pain, hip pain (diagnosed as trochanteric bursitis), much back pain, and especially severe sciatica. I tried everything for over 3 years: physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic manipulation, a podiatrist, and various M.D. consultations. I even had, in retrospect a needless operation on my foot to treat the “arthritis.” After about 3 ½ years and failing to find any relief I went to the Mayo Clinic. Their verdict: I had fibromyalgia, for which there was no cure, only possible management techniques.

    Frankly, I was by that time almost to the point of despair. But fortunately, I then heard of Dr. John Sarno’s book, Healing Back Pain. Thinking I had nothing to lose I rushed out immediately, bought a copy, and began reading it in my car in the parking lot of Barnes and Noble bookstore.

    It was astonishing. I had never heard of TMS or this approach, but I saw myself on almost each page I read. Within a day or two I had read the book, and felt at least 30% better, just by reading! I knew I was on to something.

    Over the next year and a half I slowly but steadily saw a reduction in all my pains. The problem was, I was still afraid to do too much. But, per Dr. Sarno (I also went to NYC to consult with him and attend his lectures) I had to become more physically active to conquer the fear. This I did as I began jogging at age 49, and now at age 60 have jogged ever since, an average of 4-5 times a week, 3 miles per workout. It was amazing. The more active physically I became, the more my various pains receded. They are now all conquered, and have been for years.

    But that left only one problem that I hadn’t addressed: migraine headaches, which I have had all my life, which my late mother had as well.

    The last few years they seemed to be getting more frequent, and I therefore thought of Dr. Sarno, and remembered that there were many equivalents of TMS—including migraine. I almost kicked myself for not realizing this and addressing migraine also in the mid 1990’s, when I conquered my other pains.

    I then contacted, in late 2006, Dr. Sarno’s office in NYC, and was referred to Dr. Howard Schubiner in Southfield, Michigan, which is near my home in Bloomfield Hills. (There was no need now to travel to NYC as I did in the 1990’s.)

    After consulting Dr. Schubiner and attending his 3 week course in January (2007), I not only am keeping migraine largely at bay, but Dr. Schubiner’s course has also given me psychological tools and insights to be more relaxed and stress-free in general. And this change has occurred remarkably quickly during only this 3-4 week interval. Dr. Schubiner’s course was like a “booster-shot” for me of Dr. Sarno’s book and lectures.

    What wonderful results I’ve had. If only mainstream medicine and the general public were not so resistant to the concept of TMS, and the connection between mind and body.

    Thank you Dr. Schubiner, Alex L. Age 61

    Neck pain and abdominal symptoms in a 42-year-old man.

    Since I was in my teens I had developed all kinds of physical symptoms which included IBS, acid reflux, back and neck pain, and overall fatigue. My symptoms would come and go throughout an entire year. I had a family member listen to Dr. Schubiner speak about Tenision Myositis Syndrome and its affect on the body. I decided to see Dr. Schubiner and was diagnosed with Tension Myositis Syndrome. After attending his classes I was able to finally help myself and heal. I strongly recommend anyone who suffers with chronic conditions to look into Tension Myositis Syndrome as the cause. I not only learned a lot about myself but I have been able to recognize when I get physical symptoms, and now I have the ability to take control over my own health.

    Brian L.

    Fibromyalgia in a 42 year old woman

    I am so glad I found you and your course! It has certainly helped me make tremendous progress in a short time, when I thought I would never see any improvement and I was getting beyond despair. After the first three weeks I was operating at 75-80% of my ability, with pain no more than a 2-3 and often 0-1 on a 1-10 scale (with 1 being the best), and before I started the course I would say I was at 50% of my ability with pain as high as 6-7. I also started to regain the ability to do things that I could not do before, like sit for more than 15-20 minutes at a time with no pain upon getting up, where by week two I could sit for an hour at a stretch multiple times a day with no pain getting up.

    After months of ongoing pain with no end in sight (as the traditional doctors and even alternative practitioners could find nothing structurally wrong with me, and didn't know what to do with me anymore), I finally found dramatic relief, as well as hope and confidence that I will eventually have this go away completely. It was especially interesting to me that your course helped so much given that I had already read/used several other TMS resources from other doctors and other lay people who had recovered and shared their stories, but I just wasn't getting any better. They just didn't really have a comprehensive, structured program that really told you specifically what to do to get better on so many fronts like yours did. I truly believe it is the best TMS resource out there today. I can't thank you enough for your caring and innovation.

    Monica K. Aged 42

    TMS almost ruined my life!

    Foot pain, back pain and stomach aches in a 19 year old college soccer player

    TMS intruded my life in August of 2004. Only two weeks before I started my freshman year of college, I began to notice sharp pains in the metatarsals of my left foot whenever I ran. At the time, I assumed the pain came from the intense workout schedule that I was following as I prepared to try-out for my school’s soccer team in the fall. Looking back now, however, TMS was clearly the culprit. I was anxious about playing college soccer and overwhelmed by the intensity of our summer workout program. I worried about how I would measure up on this new team, and the thought of being away from home terrified me. My fears and anxieties were at an all-time high, and the pain in my foot manifested them. Eventually those mental strains would extend to other parts of my body. In fact, during the intervening thirty months I would suffer forefoot pain, lower back pain, stomach and intestinal problems, and lateral knee pain before finally beating TMS.

    My foot pain, and then a year later my back pain, began as I was training during the summer for soccer—undoubtedly the most physically and mentally exhausting training of my life. Although I was killing myself six days-a-week trying to follow the team workout program flawlessly, I still feared that I would be unready for the season, and I obsessed about performing perfectly on the upcoming team fitness test. The stress of those two summers wore on me, and I was often in tears—frustrated and frightened that I simply would not “cut it” when the season began. All the stress and anxiety became more than I could handle and soon enough, I had developed TMS.

    I played both seasons despite my “injuries,” all the while seeking answers to my ever-worsening pain. Throughout the soccer season and the off-season, I consulted countless doctors and underwent nearly every available therapeutic treatment besides surgery. Yet nothing helped. I finally gave up on solving my foot pain, since three doctors and a physical therapist had failed to give me a diagnosis, and decided to simply play through it. My back pain, on the other hand, was far more debilitating, and it was keeping me from doing anything active, particularly preparing for the upcoming junior soccer season. I was desperate to find answers and finally return to the life of a normal 19-year-old. By August 2006, after living with chronic back pain for a year, I had seen an orthopedic doctor, a pain management specialist, a sports medicine doctor, an osteopathic mechanical manipulation doctor, a neurosurgeon, three physical therapists, a muscle activation therapist, a chiropractor, and even a Pilates instructor, but my condition had not improved. Moreover, it had actually worsened. Unable to run, sit, or walk without low back pain, my occasional swims when I pulled through the water while my feet dragged pathetically behind me were a far cry from the intense six-day-a-week workouts of the previous two summers. I could not even open the refrigerator door without feeling the ache sharpening in my lower back.

    Additionally, I had begun experiencing excruciating stomach cramps after each meal. Pretty soon, nearly everything I ate left me doubled over in pain. That summer my father had undergone a bone marrow transplant to treat a serious blood disease, and not coincidentally, my stomach problems began the day he entered ICU. TMS had turned my life’s stresses into even more physical pain. Still only a teenager, I felt as if my body was falling apart: I was miserable and frustrated, and it seemed that once again I would be forced to live with pain that no one could fix. Then, miraculously, I found Dr. Schubiner.

    At first I thought the whole TMS thing was crazy, a little too hocus-pocus for me. Yet as I read the material on the syndrome I began to realize that it was not that ridiculous after all. My unexplained foot, back, and stomach pains were not uncommon for TMS sufferers. Also like other TMS patients, I had undergone many diagnostic tests and received several seemingly convincing diagnoses (Morton’s neuroma, osteoarthritis, a bulging disc, and facet joint inflammation just to name a few), but no treatment had ever provided significant, lasting relief. Moreover, like many TMS sufferers I possess a strongly Type A personality, and between my anxieties about soccer, my fears about my father’s illness, and my struggle for perfection in all aspects of life, I had certainly placed myself under a great deal of stress

    Knowing that I had nothing to lose, I made an appointment to see Dr. Schubiner, who proceeded to diagnose me with tension myositis syndrome. The following day I swam harder than I had swum in several months without any pain. Just knowing that my pain was not an actual physical problem changed everything. A few days later I went for a twenty-five minute run—my first run in eight months—without any pain once again. My foot pain and stomach pain also disappeared. I was amazed: the pain that had controlled my life for almost two years was completely gone. A week later I left for my third soccer preseason completely pain-free, but unfortunately my trials with TMS were not quite finished.

    On the first day of the season I began the workout my coach had given me to get back into shape after so many months of not running. Less than a quarter-mile into my run, excruciating pain along the side of my knee stopped me in my tracks. Both the team trainer and my coach tried to convince me that it was iliotibial band syndrome, but I suspected that TMS had returned to haunt me once more. I had been nervous about the daunting task of getting back into game fitness and fearful of what the season had in store for me. Once again, TMS had given me physical pain to prevent me from doing the fitness work that always placed such a physical and mental strain on me.

    Although I had defeated TMS once, it had returned with vigor and this time it would take much more to beat it—but I did. I had to fight the doubts of coaches, doctors, and even myself that it was TMS. I was very frustrated and Dr. Schubiner suggested that I need to fully believe that it is TMS, that I need to be positive and that I should start counseling. I found the counseling to be extremely helpful and in hindsight, the counseling (along with Dr. Schubiner’s advice, and my subsequent determination to stay positive) was the major turning point for me. The counseling helped me to verbalize a lot of the issues dwelling under the surface, which helped me to understand myself much better and improved my understanding of what was causing TMS and what I needed to change in my mindset to beat TMS. After a month of barely being able to bend my knee, I decided it truly was TMS and set my mind to beating the pain. Now three months later, I have experienced no knee pain for over a month. Occasionally, I feel the outside of my knee start to twinge, but by simply reminding myself that I do not need that pain to protect me from my fears, it quickly fades away.

    Dr. Schubiner has given me my life back. At 19 years old, I did not know if I would run or even sit without pain again; now I feel unstoppable. I am back to playing soccer and working out several times a week. I will be forever grateful to Dr. Schubiner for helping me beat TMS and reclaim the active lifestyle I cherish.

    Jennifer J.

    All I did was walk on my tip toes!

    In May, 2005, my sister and and I were goofing off and standing on our tip toes for about 15 minutes straight. I got a sharp pain in one of my Achilles tendons, and stopped immediately. The pain went away, but about 2 days later I got the same sharp pain in both of my ankles while walking to class. At softball practice that night, my coach made me go see the school trainer. She pressed on my upper calves and on the sides of my lower Achilles tendon. She said I didn’t have Achilles tendonitis because it only hurt when she pressed on my lower Achilles tendon.

    When the pain persisted, I went to our family doctor, and he told me that the cause of my problem was the tip-toe walking. He put me on 400mg of Motrin, twice a day and diagnosed me with Achilles tendonitis. He said that the Motrin should help and that I should be pain-free in 4-6 weeks. However, I got worse and had to sit out the rest of softball season. Six weeks later, I went to a different family doctor and he put me on Ketoprofen gel that I applied twice a day directly to my lower Achilles tendons. When I didn’t get better after 4 weeks, he prescribed physical therapy 2 times per week.

    Now that I think back, I had a lot of confusing symptoms during the month of June. In the middle of the month, I participated in gymnastics to prepare myself for cheerleading tryouts. I clearly remember that during the gymnastics class, I had zero pain. I thought it would be obvious that I would have the most pain while I was flipping around on the gymnastics floor, but oddly, I was wrong. After gymnastics was over, my usual pain returned and didn’t get better. In July, I saw a sports medicine doctor. He took me off of the Ketroprofen gel and put me on 500 mg of Naproxen twice a day. He told me that I would be healed by the time school started as long as I took my medicine, rested my ankles as much as possible, and wore higher heels to keep my Achilles tendon from stretching.

    I attended cheerleading camp in the beginning of August. On the first day of camp, I did a lot of walking and standing but strangely my ankles didn’t hurt that night. However, the next morning as soon as I woke up and even before I got out of bed, both of my ankles had excruciating pain. They had never hurt that bad before. I could barely stand up and when I walked down the hall to the bathroom I started to cry. This was the first time that I had ever cried because of the pain that I was having. Overall, by the end of cheerleading camp, my ankles were far worse than before. My doctor was not happy with me and told me that this would cause a great setback in my recovery time. As you might’ve guessed, I did not recover by the time school started, and was still sitting out of cheerleading. At the beginning of school, I also switched physical therapists. After 3 months, my new physical therapist was able to reduce my pain from an 8 to a 6.

    In October, my sports medicine doctor saw that I was not improving significantly, so he put me in walking casts. I was not happy about this at all and in fact, when I went to Wright & Fillipis to get them on, I had tears in my eyes. I was the new girl at school and had to wear 2 plastic boots on my ankles throughout the day. I was mortified. The only plus side to the boots was that my team sympathized with me a little more and realized that I wasn’t going to be able to participate any time soon. I had to wear the boots for 4-6 weeks. Also in October, my wrists began to hurt.

    I got my boots off about half-way through November and my ankles felt a little better. I had to stretch them every morning and night, and do multiple exercises a couple of times per week. My ankles had a little less pain (about a 6 on a scale from 1-10) but I still could not do my everyday activities that I would’ve liked to. Meanwhile, my wrists continued to get worse and worse. It was like little pins and needles constantly poking at the tops of my hands, the underside of my wrist, and my forearms. I was having a very difficult time writing and could no longer type. I went to my sports medicine doctor and he told me to wear some wrist guards at night.

    My ankles were still at the pain level 6 by December. They weren’t getting any worse but weren’t getting any better either. My wrists were even worse this month than in November. I could barely write and had an extremely difficult time taking mid-terms. It was hard to even fill in the bubbles on my scan-tron answer sheet. I had to purchase an electric toothbrush because I could no longer brush my teeth without experiencing pain. Also, when I came out of the shower, I had to have my mom brush my hair because the pain was unbearable. During Christmas break, I wore my wrist guards 24/7 and did absolutely no writing or typing. Oddly, my wrists hurt more than ever before during this break. During December, I also noticed that whenever I wore my heavy coat, my elbows would hurt when I bent them. It was almost as if the pressure from the jacket was giving my elbows pain.

    During December, I saw a genetics doctor and was tested for Marfans Syndrome. Although the genetics test came back negative, my genetics doctor still believed I had the syndrome because of the physical examination. I also had X-Rays taken of my lower back and wrists to see if I had any form of arthritis. My sacroiliac joints appeared normal. In both of my wrists, the radius was slightly bowed and my rheumatologist suspected that that could be causing the pain. Doctors also suspected carpal tunnel syndrome.I was referred to another rheumatologist and he recommended methotrexate. My parents elected for me not to take it however because it was similar to a chemotherapy drug.

    In February, I heard about Dr. Sarno and my dad contacted him. He said that he only saw patients in the New York area and I was very disappointed. However, I read his book and my dad was doing some research online and he found Dr. Schubiner.

    Also in February, I went to see another genetics doctor. My friend’s mom, a nurse, said that he was experienced in my type of situation and even healed another patient like me. So, I was excited for this appointment and was hoping to get some answers. However, the day of the appointment was the worst day of my life. I went into the room, and to make a long story short, he told me that I had Marfans Syndrome, I couldn’t be healed, and I would have to live with the pain for the rest of my life. If I had to live with that pain forever, that meant that I wouldn’t be able to walk long distances, type, write, cheer, or play softball ever again. I broke out into tears as soon as I got into the car.

    We signed up for Dr. Schubiner’s seminar in hopes that this would finally heal my pain. However, the seminar didn’t start until later in the month and I was going to Florida for Easter. My ankles and wrists were hurting so bad that my dad called Dr. Schubiner and asked him if there was anything that we could do before the seminar that would minimize the pain. We got the CD that Dr. Schubiner uses for his seminar, but for this special case, he let me have it early. Just by relaxing, and listening to the CD my ankles and wrists began to fell a little better.

    In May, by going to Dr. Schubiner’s seminar, my ankles and wrists completely stopped hurting. I did all of the writing exercises that he gave his patients to do and just kept reminding myself that the pain was “just my TMS acting up again”. Sometimes, when my ankles or wrists were hurting, I would look in the mirror and yell at myself to make the pain go away. I found that it was very difficult to look in the mirror and see myself yell at myself. However, that always seemed to be the most effective thing to do. During this month, I could walk longer distances, use my regular toothbrush again, eat with forks, spoons, etc. without pain, and I even played softball for the first time in over a year. By the summer, I was completely recovered and pain free. I was able to do everything that I wanted to with my friends and most importantly, I could cheerlead and play baseball again. After seeing all of those doctors, and being on all of those medications, I finally found something that worked. I thank God every day and I basically owe Dr. Schubiner my life for everything that he has done for me. Without him, I would still be having my pain and wouldn’t have a clue on how to fix it.

    Shelly E.

    Sacro-iliac pain in a teenager

    I want to thank you for allowing me to attend the Tension Myositis workshop last year. As you already know, I have played competitive soccer for about 10 years now. I started playing when I was 7. I suffered a back/hip injury about five years ago that never seemed to heal. I didn't take any time off and the pain would flare up now and then. Sometimes the pain was so bad that I had to be taken out of the games because I could barely run or strike a ball. I never would know when the pain would hit because some days I would be fine but others I would suffer. I would take pain relievers before and after games just as a precaution. My father is a physician so through the years I have been to several orthopedic doctors, sports medicine doctors, different physical therapists, chiropractors and other specialists. All the medical tests came back normal. I even tried yoga and pilates and had orthotics made for my shoes because they thought maybe I needed to be more flexible and that the actions involved with playing soccer called for better flexibility. I worked with a personal trainer for a couple of years to build a stronger core. But the same back and hip pain kept coming back. I was so frustrated that no one could understand the pain I felt or could help me resolve it.

    You were the only physician that I saw who asked me how I slept at night. I have always had trouble falling asleep ever since I can remember. I also had trouble staying asleep and would wake up almost every night in pain and discomfort. I never put the two together: my pain and the problems with sleeping.

    The workshop made me realize a lot about myself. I realized that the pain I felt was tied up with the anxiety I felt every night before I went to bed, especially if I had a big soccer game or tournament coming up or had other "stressors" like boy problems, exams, college visits, etc. Your meditation tape really helped me to relax before going to bed. I also learned to confront the pain and "talk" to it. I took control by telling the pain to go away and concentrated on my breathing to help become more relaxed so I wasn't all knotted up and tense at bedtime. I realized that my anxiety was showing up in the night while I was asleep and causing my muscles to tense up and that the pain I felt was exactly like the pain I felt from the old soccer injury I suffered years ago. My brain NEVER forgot what that felt like.

    I am happy to say that a year after the workshop I sleep better than ever, feel healthier and more relaxed and I have less anxiety over the "stressors" of my life. I am relatively pain free now and I love it! I am back to playing soccer like my old self again which is cool. I have been recruited to play Division 1 college soccer next fall and now I am not afraid and I do not have doubts that I can do it because I have learned to conquer the pain that had affected my soccer for so long. Thanks again.

    Joanie G. Age 17

    Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and foot pain in a 58 year old woman

    Books have always been great sources of information for me. I picked up Dr. John Sarno's book "The Divided Mind" and saw myself and my personality characteristics written there. I had been suffering with fibromyalgia, plantar fasciitis and fatigue, amongst other conditions. As I read the book, my fibromyalgia began to get better. I got on the internet and found Dr. Schubiner's name and phone number, contacted him and checked out the website. We met, I took his class and my life is different now.

    The foot pain had bothered me for years. It began suddenly on a hiking trip (not able to hike very much on that trip!) I realize now that I was very angry at my partner, who was emotionally and financially not standing on his own two feet. After receiving the diagnosis of plantar fasciitis, I did physical therapy and got othotics, but the pain continued. While taking Dr. Schubiner's class, I happened to be at the gym and was just idly wondering why my foot pain wasn't going away, when so much other pain was getting better. A little inner voice prompt arrived: "I'm tired of standing on my own two feet, I've done it since I was little. I want someone to take care of me". The foot pain immediately disappeared, but started to creep back. Now, however, it is mostly gone; the other day I was amazed to realize that I had been walking all day, and didn't think of my feet at all.

    The fatigue was the worst symptom for me. I realized that I was holding on to a great deal of unforgiveness and resentment toward myself and others. The journaling exercises in the class were very useful; pain began to move around in different areas of my body. I had jaw pain as I was writing because I realized that there were things that I had never said out loud to that particular person, and I was clenching my jaw. I was able to forgive and let go. At this time, I was also diagnosed with a sleep disorder. When I was placed on medication, my sleep improved and my fatigue diminished. Dr. Schubiner said that the medication was all right as long as I needed it (although he added that this particular sleep disorder was also part of TMS). I continue to work with the writing exercises and the mindfulness meditation and look forward to more energy. I am also working on not always defaulting to the "nice" person persona. Thank you Dr. Schubiner. You are an excellent physician and course leader.

    Linda H

    Back pain, TMJ and fibromyalgia in a 75-year-old woman

    I have had chronic health problems for over 30 years. I have had a history of Crohn's disease, back pain, TMJ and fibromyalgia. I have seen many doctors and tried numerous disciplines. I tried every treatment, every doctor recommended - physical therapy, traction, spinal adjustments, muscle relaxants, pain medications, steroids, TENS treatments, myotherapy, acupressure, acupuncture, hypnosis, novocaine injections, and prolotherapy.

    My pain was especially bad at night causing poor sleep. Even sitting around in the evening watching TV or reading was painful. I feared any illness requiring bed-rest, because I couldn't lie on my back for any length of time.

    I then read Dr. John Sarno's book, "Healing Back Pain, The Mind-Body Connection". It became clear to me that my physical pain was a result of emotional issues. It was a relief to me to learn that I could have pain and not have anything physically wrong with me. I read his book repeatedly and practiced his "daily reminders" for several months, but the pain persisted.

    I was very excited when I heard about your Mindbody workshops, because I knew I was on the right track and need more guidance. Your TMS workshop provided the additional help I needed to get well. It enabled me to face my emotions, and that has made all the difference.

    I am in much less pain and feeling better than I have in years. I feel much better, perhaps 75%. Some evenings, I am even pain free. It took me a long time to develop the pains I had and I feel it will take time to completely erase them.

    I am able to begin a walking program. Not strenuous yet, but I was unable to do much more than wander once around a mall, and even then with pain. Now I feel I can walk more vigorously, several times around a mall and I'm confident I can build on this fairly quickly.

    In the evening, I am in much less pain as I unwind from my day, reading or watching TV. My sleep has improved, not as broken up because the pain made me change positions all night long. I now sleep straight through for about 7 hours and doze off and on for the last hour. I used to toss and turn every half hour or so. I would say my sleep is 90% improved.

    Overall I feel more energetic. I feel I can play with my grandchildren, work around the house, enjoy my life and retirement more fully; the way I thought I would enjoy my golden years. I still have trouble laying on my back, so I plan to continue with your CD reflections and writing exercises to keep the pain under control. It took many years to develop my health problems, so I know it will take time to alleviate them totally. I know this is a work in progress.

    I wish to thank you for your help in my recovery. Your workshops have given me new hope for the future, and a pathway to move forward pain free for the rest of my life. Thank you again for all your help. I feel like a new woman. Thank you so very much!

    Connie M.

    Fear of public speaking in a 51-year-old woman.

    For many years I have struggled with a panic reaction to speaking or reading in public. While many people have public speaking jitters, my reaction has been more severe; resembling a full blown panic-attack. I began to experience panic disorder symptoms (which started as claustrophobia) about 20 years ago. At a later point in time, the panic reaction generalized to situations that involved public presentations.

    After several years of various forms of treatment, I was able to overcome the claustrophobia and general anxiety, but I still experienced panic when faced with public speaking or reading. This had significant impact on my career as a teacher and parent educator. I tried many different methods to alleviate the symptoms: meditation, visualization, self-talk, psychotherapy, none of which had any affect on what had become a very disturbing part of my life. When I took Dr. Schubiner's class, I had come to accept that the only way I could speak before a group was with the help of anti-anxiety medication.

    During the first class session he briefly spoke about some basic brain structures and their functions. Hearing that a structure exists in the brain that allows a human to “over-ride” conditioned physiological responses was a joyous breakthrough for me. I have been using the simple exercises and self-talk that he recommends and find that while I still have some degree of pre-speech anxiety, more often than not, it dissipates as I begin my presentations. This has been tremendously empowering. I recently organized a large conference where I spoke to hundreds of people. Not only has it created a sense of freedom in an area that previously felt like a prison, but it has me thinking, “What other areas of my life may be more under my conscious control than I ever imagined?” Dr. Schubiner's work and this class in particular are both highly beneficial and exciting. I am grateful that I didn't just give up and rely on Xanax.

    Janet C.

    Fibromyalgia and migraine headaches in a 52-year-old woman.

    In order to heal yourself from fibromyalgia and other TMS symptoms, you have to look at the truth in your life, no matter what it is. If you live an illusion, you will never reach the end you seek. Once you make the decision that you will live in truth, there's no going back.

    I wanted to hear the truth and to speak the truth. It is very difficult at times, but I have had to choose either the path that everyone else takes or the road that was right for me. I have decided to live in truth and in integrity; and even if I have to walk along this path alone, I must do it. I wanted a measure of peace in my life. I wanted to find peacefulness and gratitude. The only way that I could find peace was to find the truth.

    In this program, I have learned the truth about my life and myself. I have learned things that I needed to learn and I have made difficult, yet important, decisions about my life and my relationships. To have health in our bodies, our minds need to be at peace. As I have found peace, I find I like myself more and I find that my body is healthy again. Thanks to this program, my bodily pain, my headaches, and my fatigue are so much better.

    Barbara B.

    Chronic hip pain in a 59-year old woman

    I am a 59-year-old woman who is generally in very good health. However about 2 years ago, I developed pain in my left upper hip that continually woke me up from sleep during the night. The pain was excruciating and scared me a great deal. I saw my regular internist who took several X-rays and did not find the source of the problem. Then I took Dr. Schubiner’s Mind Body Medicine class and after starting the meditation and writing techniques, the pain disappeared and has not recurred. I highly recommend taking this class for people who suffer from painful conditions for which no medical therapy has been found

    Jenny L.

    Pain in the buttocks and leg in a 42-year-old athletic woman

    Dear Dr Schubiner,

    Well I’ve been running with no pain, 2 times a week, since the second week of your TMS workshop! I’m ecstatic! As you know it had been 4 years since I had stopped doing any type of aerobic activity due to an incessant pain in my left buttock and leg. I have now been 90% pain free for the last 6 weeks. I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am. I truly feel as though I have my life back. At one point 3 years ago, I was entertaining the thought of just getting rid of my leg altogether; I figured a prosthetic leg with no pain was much more appealing than living the rest of my life in pain. Thank goodness I found you.

    My journey to recovery began after reading ‘Full Catastrophe Living” by John Kabat-Zinn and signing up for your mindfulness based stress reduction program which then lead me to your TMS program. I was at a point in my life where I had given up ever finding a cure for my physical pain and decided that if I couldn’t beat it physically I’d have to find a way to deal with it mentally.

    I am a married 42-year-old mother of two children. I let go of my teaching career to have children 12 years ago and now work part time doing administrative work in my husband’s orthodontic practice. I had always been very active, in fact running was my passion as well as skiing, hiking and mountain-biking. They are what kept me sane during some (as I now look back) difficult times. At the time though I was just doing what needed to be done and probably quite happily if you had asked me or anybody I knew. In the last 12 years both my mother and father suffered heart attacks, my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he left my mother after 37 years of marriage, and my first born was up every night for 4 and a half years and my husband was very busy growing his practice and wasn’t around much.

    During a 10km fun run in March of 2002, I experienced a pain in my left hamstring. Like most avid runners I just kept running. As long as I could remember I’d always had a pain somewhere; my wrist, my shoulder, my upper back, my lower back, my hip, migraine headaches, so I just kept on going except that this pain never did go away. It just got worse and worse. I started weekly massage that summer which helped only a little bit. I was then treated by a chiropractor for 6 months with manual adjustments, which of course only helped a little bit. I then moved on to physical therapy and was subsequently diagnosed with a leg length discrepancy and began to wear a heel lift in my left shoe. After not much improvement the physical therapist then diagnosed me with an instability of the SI joint and I began to wear an SI belt. At this point I had to stop doing anything physical due my pain. After a year of little improvement, I began to see a neurologist (DO) and was treated with manual adjustments, acupuncture as well as acupuncture with electrical stimulation. After one year I was dismissed from his practice as he felt we weren’t making much improvement.

    My husband, bless his soul, was exasperated and finally sent me off to The Mayo Clinic. I was diagnosed with piriformis syndrome and was treated with an anesthetic/steroid injections into the piriformis muscle which they felt was responsible for my pain. Of course this also helped a little bit, however I was still in pain and was spending more and more time on the couch, the floor or in bed. I started physiotherapy again, focusing on the piriformis and all the other areas that were now hurting as well. Another year came and went.

    I had pretty well given up on leading a life that included making any plans or having any dreams when finally my sister introduced me to mindfulness which led me to you which then lead me to “The Mind Body Prescription”. I am so happy to say that I now have the ability to recognize that my pain is caused by an accumulation of anger and rage in my unconscious and that it uses my body as it’s outlet and that I no longer allow it to do so. This has taken work on my part however I am thankful that I am able to now let go and be pain free.

    Thanks again for all your help.

    Chris S.

    Leg pain and migraines in a young woman

    I am a 23 year old woman who has had migraine headaches about 3 times a week for about 6 years. For the past year, I started having pains in my lower legs. The pain got so bad that I could not sleep at night. Some nights I didn't want to go to sleep because my legs hurt so bad. I saw all sorts of doctors from neurologists to sleep doctors. And I was put on many medications to stop the pain and to help me sleep better. No one could figure out the cause, but my leg pain just kept getting worse. I was referred to Dr. Schubiner and enrolled in the Mind Body Medicine Program. After the 3 week program, my migraines stopped and so did my leg pain!! I was not sure if the program was going to work for me, but I did my writing exercises and my meditations and all of a sudden, I realized the headaches had stopped. And even better, each day my legs hurt less and less until that pain was gone. I am so happy now! Thank you so much.

    Lindsey P. aged 23

    Abdominal pain for 9 years

    I began to have stomach pains about 9 years ago. They began in the fall and got worse every fall for several years. I tried to ignore it, but when it was particularly bad one fall, I had my gall bladder removed, but the pain continued. The pain intensified each year to the point where I saw several gastroenterology doctors and even went to the U of Michigan for another consultation. No one could identify the problem, and they called it “functional dyspepsia.” I started counseling but that didn’t help.

    Eventually, the pain began to occur through the whole year and I began to have panic attacks, particularly in the afternoon around 3 pm. I had to stop working and was in a great deal of pain.

    I heard about Dr. Schubiner’s program from my primary care doctor. I read Dr. Sarno’s book and went to see Dr. Schubiner in his office. He explained the connection between and mind and the body and I enrolled in his program.

    As part of the program, I learned that my pain was primarily due to the guilt and shame that I carried with me due to the fact that when my second husband had died, I had to make end of life decisions that I thought conflicted with my faith. Through the exercises and meditations, I realized that I had been beating myself up for so many years and never realizing how much of a toll this was taking on me. I had buried those feelings and never dealt with them. I even went back to look at my husband’s death certificate and saw that he died at about 3 pm and that was the same time that I was having these panic attacks. It all began to make sense to me. I learned a tremendous amount about myself and about what things in my childhood made me the person I am today. I am so grateful for this opportunity to understand myself better.

    My stomach pains went away and now only occur on occasion to a much milder degree and I no longer have panic attacks. I am back at work and feel so much more in control of my life and my body.

    Thank you Dr. Schubiner for all your help!!

    Sharon W. age 53

    Widespread pain in a 58 year old woman

    Before I was referred to Dr. Schubiner by my regular doctor, I was nearly incapacitated. I was “diagnosed” with interstitial cystitis, fibromyalgia, vulvar vestibulitis, irritable bowel syndrome, trochanteric bursitis, back problems, all of which caused PAIN—PAIN—PAIN. I was feeling that my life as an active, productive human being was over. The PAIN as well as the medications (Darvocet, Vicoden, etc.) made me so tired, I could hardly function. Truly I had “chronic fatigue” and I was somewhat depressed and homebound. I was afraid to go off the interstitial cystitis diet, afraid of re-injuring my back, afraid to be “too active,” afraid! I even had to have care from my long term home health care insurance for over two months.

    After I met Dr. Schubiner and read Dr. Sarno’s book (The Mind Body Prescription), I began to have hope. After the physical exam when the diagnosis of Tension Myositis Syndrome was confirmed, I was determined to help myself through the class. The seminars were very informative and interesting. I worked hard at doing the homework (the reading, the writing exercises and listening to the meditation CD). After the second week, I began to see improvement. I learned that there was no danger in trying new food, walking, shopping by myself, etc. I continued to attend my Recovery, Inc. weekly meetings and they also teach that there is no danger. Slowly, slowly, I began to regain mobility and “joi de vivre.” After a while, I even danced at a wedding, and have done so twice more. Hoorray!! Appreciating every improvement is part of the cure. I thank you for giving me a good part of my life back.

    Andrea R.
     
    Rainstorm B likes this.
  2. mike2014

    mike2014 Beloved Grand Eagle

    Bumping this up, for anyone who needs a little reassurance and inspiration.

    With warmth and kindness
     
  3. mike2014

    mike2014 Beloved Grand Eagle

    Bumping this up for anyone who may have missed it.
     
  4. Lizzy

    Lizzy Well known member

    Bumping this up! Very hopeful!
     
    Rainstorm B likes this.
  5. Rainstorm B

    Rainstorm B Peer Supporter

    Thanks Lizzy - just what I needed this morning
     
    Lizzy likes this.

Share This Page