THE HIDDEN PSYCHOLOGY OF PAIN by James Alexander, PhD

Psychologist James Alexander's video explains his book, The Hidden
Psychology of Pain, which follows the TMS principles of Dr. John Sarno
that chronic pain may not be caused any anything structural but by
psychological repressions of traumas from our early years or up to the present.

It is familiar ground to those who already understand TMS but does an
excellent job of reinforcing belief in TMS pain, that our unconscious mind
sends physical pain to us to detract us from psychological and emotional causes
of our pain.

Here is the video:



Alexander says his book not only describes the causes of TMS pain but
offers self-help techniques for healing that pain. One way is for the person
in pain to categorize their traumas, both past and present. This is another
way of encouraging us to spend time journaling about our traumas.

The video reminded me of two examples I know of in which repressed
trauma caused mental illness. One was a friend's wife who began to see
two heads on people and became suicidal so her husband had her get
psychological treatment in a hospital for more than a year. She underwent
psychoanalysis that led her to reveal hidden emotions that her mother
did not love her and had said she wished my friend's wife had been a cat
so she could drown her. Bringing this hidden trauma which led to
low self-esteem and anger toward her mother and herself led to her
return to good mental health. She forgave her mother and even took
a plane to be with her in another state to help her mother die in peace.
It all brought peace to my friend's wife and a new life.

The other example is from the 1948 movie "The Snake Pit," in which
Olivia de Havilland played a woman with schizophrenia who, under
hospital care and psychoanalysis, learned she had been abused as a child
and it left emotional scars of physical and emotion abuse and
abandonment. I write more about it in the Off-Topic Discussion
subforum. The film is an excellent one for anyone having or caring
for those with any emotional problem, not just schizophrenia. It's
a very strong movie on a strong subject, but well worth watching.