Michael Coutts
Peer Supporter
Howard Schubiner recommends kicking marijuana use- and I agree.
Initially when I started on the journey of incredible success with Sarno's methods, overcoming mountains of chronic pain- I didn't believe that marijuana was a problem.
I had smoked marijuana for many years- very casually as a teenager and into my twenties.
Sometime in my 30s I started having chronic migraines that were getting worse and worse.
I'm not sure when they really started getting bad, but I think that it happened with a particularly troublesome interaction with a family member that I had oceans of rage due to childhood abuse.
At their peak, I was having mild migraines several times each week, and big whoppers every month or few, with me being sick all night long, extreme sensitivity to noise and light, and weakness and digestive problems for days afterwards.
Anything and everything was triggering these migraines- staying up late, getting up early, working too hard, going to town (my family lives on a small farm), heavy lifting, drinking coffee, more than one glass of wine or beer- you name it!
I read 4 different books on migraines, and slapped the label of 'migrainer' onto myself!
One of these books, written by some top naturopathic doctor of some organization in the US recommended smoking marijuana basically every hour on the hour! He even recommended waking up in the night to smoke pot- absolute craziness as I reflect on it now.
Nevertheless, because I was already so into smoking pot, I just went ahead and embraced this regiment.
The unfortunate result of this was that I was smoking up to 8 fat joints every day (yeesh!).
If my family and I left the farm to the day, I would be getting squirrely because- uh oh, I needed my joint lest I get a migraine.
And in all honesty, if I missed smoking that pot, I WOULD get a migraine.
Now when we all understand the power of conditioning, it is crystal clear that I had conditioned myself that if I didn't get that marijuana into my lungs, then I would suffer a throbbing head- and so it would come true....
Fast forward to finally discovering John Sarno's incredible life changing books (Thank you God for directing me to John Sarno).
After reading his books over and over many times, including Howard Schubiner's books and Mark Sopher's books, I had completely overcome all sorts of crippling pain.
That pain had been so bad that I was thinking that my farming life was over.
That is big time old news- now six years later, full of energy and able to work as hard as I desire, eat what I want, and live life to its fullest.
Still, though, for years afterwards, I was still smoking plenty of marijuana.
Now, though, it wasn't because I needed to, but I wanted to (so I told myself.)
Canada had legalized growing it and using it, and this country pretty much touts it as the best thing going (much to the detriment of so many addicted people).
A year or so after healing myself with Sarno's works our family farm was trashed by a flood that sent 5 acres of our land into the ocean along with trees, buildings, animals, gardens and much more.
Needless to say it was easy to continue smoking plenty of pot!
A life turned upside down is just one more great excuse for drug use!
Eventually we rebuilt our farm, and life got back to a new 'normal'.
Ordinary 'stresses' (buried rage) would come along, and sometimes I would find myself getting lazy with doing the brain talking work.
Some mornings I would wake up with a mountain of work/ visitors/ obligations (you name it) waiting for me.
Some of these mornings I would feel the 'ghost' of a migraine creeping around.
Well, a little joint would just take care of that, no problem.
And can you see what was happening?
Despite all of my success with mindbody, I was still conditioning myself that marijuana was something of an aid to overcome a little bit of minor irritation.
In the last couple of years I accepted Jesus Christ as my saviour and things have been even more incredible in my life.
A lot of time spent rebuilding our farm with a Christian friend had really opened my eyes.
A lot of questions I had always had were answered so clearly.
I basically came to the realization that I had always been a follower of Christ, I just wasn't really acknowledging it or accepting it.
I don't know what God thinks about marijuana smoking, but I certainly came to realize that I probably wasn't being my best self rolling up joints and getting stoned every day.
I realized at a point that I didn't need to smoke marijuana all day, and I settled on saving a toke for later in the evening.
Well, there went those 'ghosts' of migraines.
When I wasn't going to fulfill my inner child's me me me desires then there was no more reason to get this symptom (ghost of a migraine) that would be rewarded with a treat!
Then, last winter, during a rare sickness, I smoked a joint and was coughing and just plain being gross, I decided 'what the heck am I doing?'
That was it, I was and am finished with no lost love for marijuana.
Its a big relief, that is for sure.
It was just one more crutch for my tricky old brain to use against me.
And there was another surprise that happened:
For a number of years (even after discovering Sarno), I had had a small white bump on the inside of my throat!
It had come out of nowhere, and remained mostly the same for years.
I had convinced myself, even with support from my wife, that it was a symptom that my brain had created as a distraction from my buried rage (because ALL symptoms are suspect as being a distraction from buried rage.)
It didn't change when I smoked 7 less joints than normal (!).
But lo and behold, it disappeared when I finally kicked smoking pot.
Big surprise right (HA!).
Big relief is for sure.
Its like that joke about the gravestone that says 'It wasn't psychosomatic after all!'
Anyways, Howard Schubiner is right.
You do need to quit using marijuana.
You can certainly overcome a lot of symptoms- most of them in fact, while still keeping up with some bad habits like smoking and drinking- but in the end, we need to treat our bodies as more of a temple.
Believe it or not, sobriety is a great state to be in.
Initially when I started on the journey of incredible success with Sarno's methods, overcoming mountains of chronic pain- I didn't believe that marijuana was a problem.
I had smoked marijuana for many years- very casually as a teenager and into my twenties.
Sometime in my 30s I started having chronic migraines that were getting worse and worse.
I'm not sure when they really started getting bad, but I think that it happened with a particularly troublesome interaction with a family member that I had oceans of rage due to childhood abuse.
At their peak, I was having mild migraines several times each week, and big whoppers every month or few, with me being sick all night long, extreme sensitivity to noise and light, and weakness and digestive problems for days afterwards.
Anything and everything was triggering these migraines- staying up late, getting up early, working too hard, going to town (my family lives on a small farm), heavy lifting, drinking coffee, more than one glass of wine or beer- you name it!
I read 4 different books on migraines, and slapped the label of 'migrainer' onto myself!
One of these books, written by some top naturopathic doctor of some organization in the US recommended smoking marijuana basically every hour on the hour! He even recommended waking up in the night to smoke pot- absolute craziness as I reflect on it now.
Nevertheless, because I was already so into smoking pot, I just went ahead and embraced this regiment.
The unfortunate result of this was that I was smoking up to 8 fat joints every day (yeesh!).
If my family and I left the farm to the day, I would be getting squirrely because- uh oh, I needed my joint lest I get a migraine.
And in all honesty, if I missed smoking that pot, I WOULD get a migraine.
Now when we all understand the power of conditioning, it is crystal clear that I had conditioned myself that if I didn't get that marijuana into my lungs, then I would suffer a throbbing head- and so it would come true....
Fast forward to finally discovering John Sarno's incredible life changing books (Thank you God for directing me to John Sarno).
After reading his books over and over many times, including Howard Schubiner's books and Mark Sopher's books, I had completely overcome all sorts of crippling pain.
That pain had been so bad that I was thinking that my farming life was over.
That is big time old news- now six years later, full of energy and able to work as hard as I desire, eat what I want, and live life to its fullest.
Still, though, for years afterwards, I was still smoking plenty of marijuana.
Now, though, it wasn't because I needed to, but I wanted to (so I told myself.)
Canada had legalized growing it and using it, and this country pretty much touts it as the best thing going (much to the detriment of so many addicted people).
A year or so after healing myself with Sarno's works our family farm was trashed by a flood that sent 5 acres of our land into the ocean along with trees, buildings, animals, gardens and much more.
Needless to say it was easy to continue smoking plenty of pot!
A life turned upside down is just one more great excuse for drug use!
Eventually we rebuilt our farm, and life got back to a new 'normal'.
Ordinary 'stresses' (buried rage) would come along, and sometimes I would find myself getting lazy with doing the brain talking work.
Some mornings I would wake up with a mountain of work/ visitors/ obligations (you name it) waiting for me.
Some of these mornings I would feel the 'ghost' of a migraine creeping around.
Well, a little joint would just take care of that, no problem.
And can you see what was happening?
Despite all of my success with mindbody, I was still conditioning myself that marijuana was something of an aid to overcome a little bit of minor irritation.
In the last couple of years I accepted Jesus Christ as my saviour and things have been even more incredible in my life.
A lot of time spent rebuilding our farm with a Christian friend had really opened my eyes.
A lot of questions I had always had were answered so clearly.
I basically came to the realization that I had always been a follower of Christ, I just wasn't really acknowledging it or accepting it.
I don't know what God thinks about marijuana smoking, but I certainly came to realize that I probably wasn't being my best self rolling up joints and getting stoned every day.
I realized at a point that I didn't need to smoke marijuana all day, and I settled on saving a toke for later in the evening.
Well, there went those 'ghosts' of migraines.
When I wasn't going to fulfill my inner child's me me me desires then there was no more reason to get this symptom (ghost of a migraine) that would be rewarded with a treat!
Then, last winter, during a rare sickness, I smoked a joint and was coughing and just plain being gross, I decided 'what the heck am I doing?'
That was it, I was and am finished with no lost love for marijuana.
Its a big relief, that is for sure.
It was just one more crutch for my tricky old brain to use against me.
And there was another surprise that happened:
For a number of years (even after discovering Sarno), I had had a small white bump on the inside of my throat!
It had come out of nowhere, and remained mostly the same for years.
I had convinced myself, even with support from my wife, that it was a symptom that my brain had created as a distraction from my buried rage (because ALL symptoms are suspect as being a distraction from buried rage.)
It didn't change when I smoked 7 less joints than normal (!).
But lo and behold, it disappeared when I finally kicked smoking pot.
Big surprise right (HA!).
Big relief is for sure.
Its like that joke about the gravestone that says 'It wasn't psychosomatic after all!'
Anyways, Howard Schubiner is right.
You do need to quit using marijuana.
You can certainly overcome a lot of symptoms- most of them in fact, while still keeping up with some bad habits like smoking and drinking- but in the end, we need to treat our bodies as more of a temple.
Believe it or not, sobriety is a great state to be in.