Recent content by Northwood

Hey, All, I've been away from the forum for a while and just posted a success story in that section. Nice to have been able to successfully apply the wisdom of mindbody theory to recovering from years of back pain. My thanks again to everyone who helped me. Meanwhile, I'm struggling with my...

Hi, All, Nice to be back! I was regularly involved with the forum a couple of years ago, and wanted to follow up with my success story. When I was dealing with symptoms I remember how overwhelmed I felt as I waded through SO much information, hoping to find advice that would to speak pointedly...

When I first started learning about TMS, I struggled to connect Sarno's theories to my own experience. After going through his ideas and then those of Schubiner, Hanscom, Dan Buglio, and onto Alan, what all came together for me--and really helped--was truly accepting that my pain was brain...

You ask a thoughtful question. I've owned thousands of books over the years and probably have gotten rid of more books than I've read. When I get interested in a topic I collect books around it, and a lot of times my interest moves on before I can read all the books I acquired. I've come to...

I picked up on the anxiety struggle in your post. Some standard meditation advice has helped me deal with unwanted thoughts that result in anxiety: let the thought have its way and come in; treat the thought like a passing cloud, thank it for coming by and allow it to float on its way. Let it be...

Hi, Mario, Glad you reached out. I go along with what the others here have shared. My experience has been that when I was able to get away from my continuous fear and obsession over the pain, I started to get better. Also, ditching the search for Physical Sources of Pain proved a turning point...

If my partner were taking a combination of medications that I thought might be dangerous, I'd seek out the advice of an appropriate medical doctor and perhaps seek a second opinion as well. I'd want to do this together with my partner, but if she (in my scenario) were not willing to do so, I'd...

When I was dealing with depression, I found David Burns' book, Feeling Good, helpful. It's an older book, based on a practical approach to catching your mind/thinking at work and learning to redirect false thinking patterns that are hard to recognize. He identifies 10 "cognitive distortions"...

Hi, Plum, I was away for awhile. Nice to be back and see familiar names. I'm just writing to let you know I'm thinking of you and wishing you well through tough times. I appreciate your many wise & kind posts. Thank you!

Hey, tmstraveler, At the moment I don't think I can improve on any of the insights that Andy offers up. I'm just writing to let you know that I am thinking of you and continuing to wish you well. Hang in there. Keep an eye on your thoughts and recognize that they aren't you. As Alan Gordon says...

Yes, I find that the "cosmic" perspective helps me to live more fully in the moment I'm in. Reading and reflecting on our transience helps me to appreciate the "gift" that life is. I put "gift" in quotations because life as a gift is such a cliche. Finding my way to a felt sense of life's...

In Healing Back Pain, Sarno writes "...herniated disc material is rarely responsible for pain or any other neurological symptom"(p. 101) And: "My conclusion that most disc herniations are harmless is based on seventeen years of treating such patients with a high degree of success, leading to...

Several years ago, a neurologist put my on gabapentin to address persistent nerve pain in my foot. I was supposed to take a lot of it. The prescription came as a couple of large bottles, and I was told that it would take time--a few weeks?--before it impacted the pain. There was no end date...