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Walt, you always get it, you’re the greatest summarizer in history. My mom made me promise to tell you that she read your memoir book, and loved it. It brought back good memories to her. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet but I will soon, me hopes, once I get my new stuff published.

“Never try to heal” means to never do any “acts” that attempt to heal the body. With TMS, there’s nothing wrong with the body, so what is it that needs healed?

Trying to heal is “TMSing.” That means that you’ve once again fallen for your clever brain’s strategy of diverting your mind’s eye toward your body, and away from the true cause. So anything you “do” is playing into your brain’s ingenious plan of avoidance, such as visiting forums every day which is an avoidance mechanism, but also a way to connect through the sensation of loneliness; feeling isolated. Forest gets this notion because he always reminds me of the statement I once made, “Just go live!” I avoided things like structured healing programs for this reason (and to prevent more Betawave production), but I fully realize some folks need a direction (such as the good doctor’s 12 Daily Reminders), of which “structure” can yield. When you’re lost, a streetlight can shine on your path, even if you don’t quite know where you’re headed… yet. This is a big reason Dr. Sarno didn't explicitly state "what to do." "Doing" defeats the purpose. As more time goes by it becomes more apparent the genius he is.

The concept in healing is to take the need for the pain away, and to connect the symptoms to the emotions, not to heal an already healthy body. Trying to heal implies that there’s something wrong with the structure. This more deeply fortifies that a problem actually exists, and so the TMS continues. Once you read GPD it may become clearer. I took much longer than I should have to heal because I was "trying to heal," which included constantly monitoring my body. I attempted to show all the mistakes I made so that others wouldn't fall into my trap right on top of me. There's not enough room in this hole of ignorance for the both of us. I'm my own fool, you have to be yours.

It dawned on me one day when I reread parts of HBP, for the 500 to the Nth time, and the overhead lightbulb suddenly snapped on with the good doctor’s statement, “As long as he is preoccupied with what his body is doing, his symptoms will continue.” At that moment, I became awakened to the fact that I had read and memorized the good doctor’s work, but that I didn’t get it.

I see the same thing happening sometimes with GPD. People say, “I read it, but it didn’t take all my problems away.” But when I ask them basic questions it’s apparent that they read it but didn’t absorb it, and more importantly they aren’t living the words. Those that have, are doing great (there’s a reason for this, most of which is unconscious). The problem originates from Dr. Sarno’s examples of people healing from reading his books. Some folks feel that just reading will take their physical symptoms away, but it doesn’t work that way. It’s not just simple knowledge. Those who “just read” and have their symptoms release are also uprooting their personal paradigms at the same time. The very act of reading doesn’t do anything. You also have to change internally, as you read, with personal revelations and ah ha moments of glory.

“Healing” takes repetition of the information, not only because the deeper self is resistant to change (to avoid becoming one of Dr. Sarno’s “highly unstable animals”), but also because the first few times the material is read it doesn’t sink in all the way, even if you consciously feel that you understand it. That reminds me, Forest if you're back from Walden Pond, why don't you create some T-shirts to raise awareness, and money for unt Viki? I was going to make up some T-shirts for my website that said, "A Dr. Sarno Highly Unstable Animal." But I'm too busy right now to play around like I want.

Individuation is the goal: the uniting of the conscious and the unconscious. The divided mind means conscious vs. unconscious. Pull them together, as much as possible.

Read and read, and think, and think.
When you get hungry, eat, when you get thirsty drink.
Then go back, and read and read, it again,
Read it and read it, until it sinks in.

Be relentless in ceasing! Grasp hard at letting go! Work ye arse off at doing nothing! Understand about not knowing!

I hope that helps some hopeful, great name, imprison yourself with yourself.

SteveO