Leslie, you said several insightful things, and you write well. I didn't understand the "paint" thing but I probably missed an inside reference somewhere.
You can't skim or read TMS books quickly. Indeed, the ones who are not progressing are the ones who read the books, then say, "ok which book is next?" It doesn't work that way. You have to live what's written in them. Sleep it, eat it, dream it, and become it. I essentially healed from HBP (more later in this post). You only need one "if you believe" or "if you want to heal." These are very important aspects in healing, and they open up a can of worms (do worms come in cans?... we used to see them on the ground when I was a kid).
I'm getting a nice steady stream of healing stories from my book from different countries (Canada, US, NZ, Australia, England, Ireland, Scotland, etc, couple others). But those people slept with the work, dog-eared pages, highlighted passages, checked off things I recommended, memorized passages, and asked follow-up questions. That's the full integration process. Over time the brain begins to acquiesce, and a new reality replaces a corrupt paradigm.
For those who are stuck, or haven't changed, it's invariable, they don't remember anything in my book. I ask them if they did this or that, and the answer is, "I don't remember that." They move on to the next book and read that one quickly, and then to the next, etc. I suppose they're looking for the magic sentence, or magic word. When people ask me how many people my book healed I always say, "none." My book cannot heal anyone. I merely provide the information to them, they have to heal themselves. So when people read it and don't get better, they simply move on and miss a great opportunity to free themselves from their self-constructed prisons. I give them many keys, they have to turn the lock and step out. But that is a frightening aspect to many. Prisoners who have been confined for many years fear being out in public again. It's the very reason they built their own prisons in the first place ~~~> for protection.
That brings us to the second great Leslie point. Not all people want to heal. There are a very minor few who openly don't want to heal. They are all around me here in Ohio too, I see it. When I approach them with Dr. Sarno's work they say, "I don't want to hear that crap, I'm getting paid to golf and fish, go away man, you're killen my buzz." They exist, and they're all too common. But I'm not referring to that group when I say not all want to heal. I'm talking about UN-consciously not wanting to heal. They don't even know they don't want to heal. Remember, that the TMS exists as a protective mechanism. It exists as a shield between the person and their fears. They themselves have created the wall of protection. So it's like, duh, of course they don't want to experience what's behind that wall. That's the brain doing them a big favor! Now comes decision time...
So they come to a fork in the road of their lives. There they stand, beer in one hand, Xanax in the other. One direction is freedom, the other direction is more suffering. We all know where the road of continuing suffering takes us. But the freedom road will put them back into life, into the criticisms, the spotlight, the energy demands, and into possible failure again. It actually sets them on the road to being human again, with all their flaws and open wounds--ego's biggest fear. But as Jung said, "there is no wholeness without imperfection." The freedom road is scary with unknowns of immense proportions. But it's also the road to deep happiness. So which direction do they choose? They often choose neither, which is procrastination highway; the fast road to nowhere, where they still feel safe. One way of procrastinating is to keep reading more and more material. I said that this is a form of TMSing, by putting off the work that needs to be done. The constant gathering of information (beyond what is needed) is a form of OCD. (OCD is ritualistic, compulsion is behavioral)
So it all comes down to courage. I agree with Dr. Sarno when he said he admired these people. I really admire everyone who writes to me, who admits who they are, and then tries to undo the knot of their lives. I'm moved by some very powerful stories of courage. But I can't judge others who are stuck because I haven't lived their lives or walked a mile in their sandals. Their pain could be great, and so I offer sympathy and a compassionate ear. When their times comes they will reach for the gold. It's best not to push them, but to offer a helping hand, or they will push back harder.
Now--some will say, "hey, I like Dr. Sarno, but I needed Claire Weekes or Joe Nose-more! So more books did me better!" But that's not at all against Dr. Sarno. He said "25% will need more." I also went to Dr. Emmett Miller's relaxation stuff to use. Once you understand and believe what's occurring you may need to focus on that, but Dr. Sarno is still correct, there's nothing wrong with you, and you are experiencing the effects of repressed emotions.
The more difficult part, is when people take Dr. Sarno's work, twist it around to their own version, and then confuse people. They simply claim it for their own. Here is where people are getting really confused. He warned me about this early on but I didn't pay it much credence, now I see how dangerous it is. Then they state, "Hey, Sarno said he was open to new ideas." Yes--but he never said, "change whatever you want to make it yours whether it's true or not." He meant, if they proved him wrong he was open to anything. But they seem to be taking that as "I changed it, so mine is better cause it newer than Sarno's!"
So far I've seen nothing but conjecture regarding "altering" his work. And this has proven to be the most dangerous threat for the entire TMS message. I'm now trying to explain TMS to newcomers and also explain why this TMS-expert says Dr. Sarno is wrong here and there. It's tragic, but only disappointing to Dr. Sarno. It was inevitable though. Georg Groddeck, MD, said that the first perverters of any doctrine will be within the first disciples.
When I was healing there was only one source/message. Today there are many fractured sources, this can be problematic down the healing road. Be careful of which wind you face your sail toward because that is the direction you will head. Will it be to shore, or out to sea further?
Will SteveO read more books on TMS? Hell yes, I'm really curious about the topic, and a closed mind never learns anything new. But if your mind is totally open your brains will fall out. So be cautious in learning. I like this Pathways book idea because it came from the good doctor's people. I can't wait to sit down and get into it to figure out the rest of Forest's sentences.
Happiness first...
Steve
As a result of my reading his book I've gone out for power walks for the last two days and feel really good. While Dr. Sarno does emphasize that we should get physically active again this book really hones in on the fact that Steve overcame TMS by just getting out there and moving (despite the pain). His bravery really helped me to say, "If he can do it, I can." 
