Hi Steve,
Actually at first I put it in pop culture and moved it here. I'm not sure if a 1946 documentary counts as pop culture. Something felt wrong about putting it in the same thread as Fraser clips. I'll move it wherever consensus suggests, where do you think it'll be most useful?
I heard about this film when it was mentioned as an inspiration for the movie The Master in an interview with the director, PT Anderson. Apparently, Let There Be Light wasn't released until 1981 because the military deemed it, well, not exactly good promotional material. They were hoping for a film that highlighted their efforts to look after returned soldiers. Instead, it highlighted the extent of the trauma.
Now where can I get ahold of a doc that'll treat me with the hypnosis drug? Can't Sarno just inject me with something like that and, while I'm out, whisper sweet nothings into my ear about how my neck pain is a trick?
I think modern medicine is great. The average lifespan has skyrocketed in the last 100 years, and not because of any ancient wisdom of the mindbody. But, yes, modern medicine has been slow to acknowledge the effects of psychology on physical health, because it's a bit harder to quantify. But that's changing too. Mindfulness meditation is mainstream now.