Fibromyalgia

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Please keep in mind that before treating any condition, including Fibromyalgia, as TMS or PPD, it is vitally important to consult with your physician in order to rule out any serious medical conditions. To learn more about TMS and PPD, and to help you figure out if you have it, visit our An Introduction to TMS page and watch the video there. Some more guidance in figuring out if this approach is right for you can be found in the video at the top of our So You Think You Might Have TMS page.

To contribute your own story of healing from TMS, please click here to see how to post it on the forum.

Fibromyalgia and TMS Success Stories

  • Jim1999's story: Jim details his recovery from Fibromyalgia that began plaguing him in 1991, and his discovery of Dr. Sarno through the 20/20 feature on TMS and the methods he used to achieve a full recovery in 5-6 weeks.
  • Ellen recovered from 20 years of Fibromyalgia using the free resources on this site.
  • Dr. Howard Schubiner has compiled a list of eight Fibromyalgia Success Stories on his website. Dr. Schubiner has done extensive research on Fibromyalgia, and the list includes personal stories on how the mind body approach helped patients recover from Fibromyalgia.
    • Laurie says, "I am now feeling 95% better and the sciatica pain is gone! I have started to become more active and have had no "flare up" pain. I would have never dreamed that I could have this kind of success in a very non-traditional kind of treatment, but it works! My mornings are more energetic and I feel less stressed in my daily activities. I feel like I have improved substantially with huge pain reduction!"
    • Marla says, "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."
    • Mary says, "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."
    • Barbara says, "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."
  • Dr.John Sarno has published several books and there has been an overwhelming number of success stories posted on Amazon under their reviews . Although the TMS/PPD wiki is run by volunteers who have no financial interest in promoting Sarno's books (although we would recommend reading some of the excellent mindbody books out there - see the book review section for a selection). However, Amazon is such a great source of success stories it seems a shame not to share some of them here. Here are a small selection:
    • An Amazon.com Customer said, " After more than 10 years of excruciating pain from fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), I've been cured...something doctors claim is impossible. I tried everything before I found this book (The Mindbody Prescription). Conventional medicine in all forms, alternative medicine & even Chinese medicine. Nothing helped. I found Dr. Sarno's book by chance on a bookstore shelf on the way to see a movie one Saturday night. After reading two paragraphs I sat down and immediately began to cry because I knew I'd found the answers I'd been looking for all these years. Dr. Sarno lead me down the trail of facing my true feelings & not living in denial. It's been hard work these past two months and I have to constantly remind myself that any pain can be stopped if I face my unconscious rage. I'm nearly painfree already. My personality has completely changed and I can now interact normally with the people I love without living life through a fog of pain. I can also play the violin again which I had to quit due to the intense pain."
    • Cathy says, "As a sufferer of fibromyalgia for the past three years, I looked far and wide to find help. One can find testimonials for miraculous improvement from just about everything from colostrum, animal livers, getting rid of chemicals in fruits and nuts, too much phosphate, too little glycosamine...too many iffy possibilities. Finally, I found a book (Freedom from Fibromyalgia) which explains in plain terms how emotions cause the release of certain chemicals into the body and in turn, how these chemicals affect our health. This understanding of the mind/body connection has served to help me understand how my pain is triggered, and more importantly, how to control it. By taking control of one's thoughts, lifestyle, and state of mind, one also takes back control of one's life from a very real and very tenacious disease."
    • An Amazon.com Customer says that John Sarno: "really knows how to fix chronic pain. I went to see one of his collegues about terrible chronic muscle problems due to overuse and fibromyalgia that had spread to all parts of my body. I had been dealing with this for 3+ years; even the Mayo Clinic told me that there was nothing they could do. I finally gave up and tried this approach as a last resort (I am horribly skeptical of all forms of non-conventional treatment). It seemed like a miracle when my pain cleared up and I got my life back. Most of the pain went away in 3-4 months. I still deal with it from time to time but I have the tools to deal with it now. This approach isn't easy, but with persistence it absolutely works. I still apply Dr. John Sarno's methods today, and am now very much in control of my disorder, thanks to his help. I highly recommend reading it and Dr. John Sarno's book, "The Mindbody Prescription". It really does work, especially it all conventional treatment has failed you."
    • Smilingturtle says, "I have not even finished reading "The Mindbody Prescription" yet, and already, I am feeling a lot less pain. I am a 27-year-old woman. I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, abdominal wall pain, and irritable bowel syndrome. I have been through physical therapy, special diets, and a chronic pain clinic, not to mention a boatload of painkillers. I never thought I would get better. The pain has been a part of my life since age 19, and since then, I've had to accept more and more limitations. Now, I am finally shedding those limitations. My mother saw Dr. Sarno a few weeks ago, and when she came home, she told me about his work. I was very interested, so I began reading this book. There was no big miracle, and I am not trying to lead anyone to believe that reading this will instantly "cure" them. However, as I read, I noticed that the pain was dissipating slightly. I began to think more about what could be causing rage in my unconscious mind, as Sarno suggested; and I wrote about some of it, which really helped. I have continued this process of reading, thinking, and writing; and my pain has lessened significantly. The emotional pain has been difficult to bear. It is easy to tell why the unconscious mind would want to keep these things hidden under a veneer of more "socially acceptable" physical pain. Ultimately, though, facing these emotions will become easier, and I will be free to have a life again. I can go back to work, and maybe eventually work full time. And I have hope again. I want to eventually get back into kickboxing, and do all sorts of things that I thought I would either never get a chance to do, or never do again."
    • Tuddin says, "My wife was battling a bad case of Fibromyalgia and she was only 35 years old. We were both very concerned for her future being. She did not want every joint in her body aching the rest of her life (a common symptom of Fibromyagia). She saw numerous "doctors" that gave us the complete runaround and standard line--"Take 2 to 3 Advil a day and that should help. Limit your activities and get lots of rest." One day, my wife finally said 'enough.' We both enjoyed exercising and her condition severely limited most activities. She decided to read John Sarno's book. She read it over, and over, and over, and over again (which I highly recommend in order to fully understand). Literally ingraining it into her head. Then, also decided to take Sarno's advice and do the opposite of what the other "doctors" prescribed. We both began exercising. Sometimes, literally, this was painful. However, and this is the magic part, the pain eventually went away. I'll say it again. the pain eventually went away. Just as Sarno said it would. The mind has an unbelievable knack for dictating how we feel physically. Dr. John Sarno has figured out how this occurs and causes the back pain, neck pain, joint pain, headache pain we all are subject to day after day. Every day, life will deal us situations and instances that are the recipe for TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome). It's how we decide to handle it that is the difference. If you are serious about curing your ailment, Dr. John Sarno and his books can help."
    • An Amazon customer says, "I suffered horribly for over 2 years with a VERY aggressive case of FMS/MPS/CFS. I was on disability for awhile, had to use a wheelchair when we went out and had a disability parking plackard. Most days my husband would have to bathe me and get me dressed, life for me and my family was hell; living was a great effort and my only escape were the sleeping pills I took at night so I could get at least 2 hours of continual sleep. One of the major causes of FMS is prolonged severe stress and I had that. I had heard of Dr Sarno and saw an article on MSNBC. I thought there are too many famous people cured for this not to be real. I bought the book and it was amazing. After 6 weeks I feel wonderful. No more guaifenesin and now no more marshmallow root. Life is once again great and I look forward to going to the gym. THANK YOU DR SARNO!! Remember "Stress kills!"
    • An Amazon customer says, "This doctor [Sarno] really knows how to fix chronic pain. I went to see one of his collegues about terrible chronic muscle problems due to overuse and fibromyalgia that had spread to all parts of my body. I had been dealing with this for 3+ years; even the Mayo Clinic told me that there was nothing they could do. I finally gave up and tried this approach as a last resort (I am horribly skeptical of all forms of non-conventional treatment.) It seemed like a miracle when my pain cleared up and I got my life back. Most of the pain went away in 3-4 months. I still deal with it from time to time but I have the tools to deal with it now. This approach isn't easy, but with persistence it absolutely works. I still apply Dr. John Sarno's methods today, and am now very much in control of my disorder, thanks to his help."
    • Sharon Jones says, "Years ago, I read Dr. Sarno's first book and my back problems resolved "like magic". But I still had eczema, fibromyalgia, a nighttime anxiety disorder and chronic constipation. Not a fun life, let me tell you. So I literally fell on Sarno's new book The Mindbody Prescription. At first, my conscious mind rebelled at the notion that this was, in essence, a problem of attitude. But I had my success with my back to encourage me so I set about doing the easy mental excercises and was really shocked to find all my symptoms started to vanish. I have had one short spell of fibromyalgia (which I talked my way out of, as outlined in the book), no constipation and far less night anxiety (I never was anxious during the day). The eczema took longer and I still have to remind a few spots of it that "I know what you're doing so don't bother!" but it is 90 per cent cleared."


Fibromyalgia referenced in TMS Books

I have maintained for years that fibromyalgia was a severe form of TMS...People with fibromyalgia commonly have psychological symptoms as well. They are often anxious and depressed, have sleep problems and suffer from lack of energy...I have seen and successfully treated many patients who had been given that diagnosis before they came to me.

Fibromyalgia was adopted by the rheumatology community in the early 1980s and applied to patients suffering pain in many locations in the trunk, arms, and legs. In fact, it is a severe form of TMS.

Fibromyalgia is TMS. I have seen and treated hundreds of people with these symptoms over the yeras. As stated elsewhere they suffer more severely than the average patient with TMS and often require psychotherapy.

Nobody has ever directly died of fibromyalgia. But neither has anybody really lived with it. It takes over every life it enters. It may grudgingly retreat, but not far.

When fibro fog comes on, the senses seem powered by a nearly dead battery. Our tongues feel thick and stiff, unruly; our eyes seem veiled in gauze. Coordination lapses. We drop things. We stumble, sometimes seeming to look like drunks. Our brains don't even feel as if they're connected to themselves...many of us welcome this fibro fog because it seems the only respite available from our near-constant pain.

There can be no doubt that the disorder known as fibromyalgia is really a severe form of TMS. As such, it will respond to this approach, but progress can be slow. The reason for this is that these sufferers have been deeply ingrained with their diagnosis through their experience with raditional as well as alternative medical providers.

  • In his book To Be or Not To Be...Pain-Free Dr. Marc Sopher emphasizes, on p. 119-120, that the Fibromyalgia diagnosis is truly an extreme form of TMS. Dr. Sopher further explains that because both the mainstream medical community and alternative medical practices treat Fibromyalgia as a physical disorder, its sufferers are doubly convinced of this fact. Furthermore, both mainstream and alternative treatments focus on methods for alieviating physical pain, including a vast variety of remedies and participation in support groups. This serves to ingrain in Fibromyalgia sufferers the idea that their pain stems from a physical cause, but rarely offers them any long-term relief from it .

Other Resources

  • Dr. Howard Schubiner conducted a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) on the affects his TMS/PPD treatment had on Fibroymalgia. The study found that 46% of the intervention group had at least a 30% reduction of pain, while no one in the control group had a reduction of pain. This study showed that Dr. Schubiner's treatment regimen (journaling and mindfulness practice) improved pain, tenderness, and self-reported physical function for at least 6 months in women with fibromyalgia. Therefore treating Fibromyalgia with a TMS/PPD approach has been proven to be successful. Click here for an Abstract of this study.

About Dr. Nancy Selfridge's Freedom From Fibromyalgia

  • These are some excerpts from the foreword, written by Dr. Sarno:
    • "Dr. Selfridge and Mr. Peterson have suffered from this disorder [TMS] and have recovered from it because they came to know the true nature of the problem. Now they want to share their knowledge of this devastating condition and what they did to get over it."
    • "This is a very important book, for there are very few people, in or out of the medical community, who truly understand what fibromyalgia is all about..."
    • "Not everyone can profit from their message, but there are millions who will."
  • This wiki has a page about this book under the books and dvd page.
  • Reviews of the book from Amazon Readers:
    • Harriet Kronman says, "As a long time sufferer of fibromyalgia - I followed the program outlined and within 3 weeks, I amazed myself - waking up pain free and with energy I forgot existed. I am ordering this book for two of my friends who also have had fibromyalgia - and instead of crying on our shoulders and sharing sad tales of new pains - I hope to soon be able to rejoice with them about our new freedom from pain. Thank you, Dr. Selfridge and Mr. Peterson."
    • An Amazon customer says, "This doctor really knows how to fix chronic pain. She has fibromyalgia herself, and cured it. I went to see her about terrible chronic muscle problems due to overuse and fibromyalgia that had spread to all parts of my body. I had been dealing with this for 3+ years and the Mayo Clinic told me that there was nothing they could do.I finally gave up and tried this approach as a last resort (I am horribly skeptical of all forms of non-conventional treatment.) It seemed like a miracle when my pain cleared up and I got my life back. Most of the pain went away in 3-4 months. I still deal with it from time to time but I have the tools to deal with it now. This approach isn't easy, but with persistence it absolutely works."
    • Cathy Sandoval says, "As a sufferer of fibromyalgia for the past three years, I looked far and wide to find help. One can find testimonials for miraculous improvement from just about everything from colostrum, animal livers, getting rid of chemicals in fruits and nuts, too much phosphate, too little glycosamine...too many iffy possibilities!!! Finally, I found a book which explains in plain terms how emotions cause the release of certain chemicals into the body and in turn, how these chemicals affect our health. This understanding of the mind/body connection from very measurable indicators has served to help me understand how my pain is triggered, and more importantly, how to control it. It is not fluff, it is NOT blame the victim. On the contrary, by taking control of one's thoughts, lifestyle, and state of mind, one also takes back control of one's life from a very real and very tenacious disease. Thank you, Dr. Selfridge and Mr. Peterson, it has helped a lot. I have shared this book with my Dr. in the hopes that he, too, will find it useful in treating his other suffering patients."
    • AKD says, "I spent 18 months seeing 25 doctors, took pain killers, muscle relaxants, sleep meds, anti-depressant, Xanax and kept getting worse. Was unable to sleep, to sit or walk without extremem pain. Quit my job, lost my fiance, ended up hospitalized for severe depression. Then I got this book, followed it religiously. Now I'm off all medication, quit seeing all doctors, am pain free, sleeping again and have my life back!!!"

See Also


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