Dermatological conditions, such as eczema, hives, acne, psoriasis, and other rashes

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Please keep in mind that before treating any condition, including Dermatological conditions, such as eczema, hives, acne, psoriasis, and other rashes, as TMS or PPD, it is vitally important to consult with your physician in order to rule out any serious medical conditions. To learn more about TMS and PPD, and to help you figure out if you have it, visit our An Introduction to TMS page and watch the video there. Some more guidance in figuring out if this approach is right for you can be found in the video at the top of our So You Think You Might Have TMS page.

To contribute your own story of healing from TMS, please click here to see how to post it on the forum.

Dermatological conditions, such as eczema, hives, acne, psoriasis, and other rashes and TMS Success Stories

  • Sharon says, " Years ago, I read Dr. Sarno's first book and my back problems resolved 'like magic'. But I still had eczema, fibromyalgia, and a nighttime anxiety disorder. Not a fun life, let me tell you. So I literally fell on Sarno's new book The Mindbody Prescription. At first, my conscious mind rebelled at the notion that this was, in essence, a problem of attitude. But I had my success with my back to encourage me so I set about doing the easy mental exercises and was really shocked to find all my symptoms started to vanish. I have had one short spell of fibromyalgia (which I talked my way out of, as outlined in the book), no constipation and far less night anxiety (I never was anxious during the day). The eczema took longer and I still have to remind a few spots of it that "I know what you're doing so don't bother!" but it is 90 per cent cleared. Truly, this book is a miracle. What a relief! I feel much more in control of my life."
  • Sincere Seeker says, " I have suffered with chronic hives and deep edema for over ten years and have tried every kind of doctor and specialist I could find. I've had many tests and alternative treatments and a dizzying array of prescriptions. Nothing worked for long. Dr. Sarno's method is absolutely amazing. Utilizing his method, which is really just learning about chronic pain, my hives disappeared before my eyes. I had a method of dealing with them, making them go away, before I even finished reading the book with no drugs, no equipment, nothing. It was and is absolutely amazing...totally incredible."
  • HilaryN's story:She says, "About 4 years ago I started getting eczema - even though I had never had it before in my life. At this time I didn't get any pain from my repetitive strain injury as I was successfully using voice recognition. So in retrospect I think the eczema was a “substitution” – or another manifestation of TMS. As I hadn't heard of TMS at the time I experimented with various foods and eventually found that it was caused by eating too much fruit, because when I cut down, the eczema went away. Then some months later, you guessed it, back it came again, even though I wasn't eating excessive fruit or nuts. This time I was infuriated to find it was dairy products that were the apparent cause. I'd been eating dairy products all my life (I love cheese, and whenever I go to visit a French friend of mine she always knows to stock up!) without adverse effect, and I'd always considered allergies to dairy products and wheat to be a fashion fad. Since I decided to tackle my RSI with the TMS approach I thought I would tackle the food/eczema thing too (although my main focus and priority was on the RSI), because I also didn't like the fact that I was having to cut out more and more foods. Who knows what would have been next, otherwise? (Actually, I've a pretty good idea: I think it would have been wheat, because I love bread!)"
  • Bobafett's story: "I read The Mindbody Prescription a couple of months ago and have just bought The Divided Mind, but not read it yet. I think I'm one of those people who believes the theory but hasn't accepted it, which is why I don't seem to be making much progress with my RSI. However I have made progress elsewhere - I suffer from mild asthma (since early 20s) and had allergic rashes (since age 12). I decided one day to stop taking my anti-histamines which I'd been taking for over 20 years. It's now been almost 10 months since I took them and the 'rashes' haven't been back since."
  • Johnaccardi mentions recovery from psoriasis in this thread.
  • Redskater and others mention recovery from rashes and other skin conditions in this thread.


Dermatological conditions, such as eczema, hives, acne, psoriasis, and other rashes referenced in TMS Books

  • On page 29 of The Mindbody Prescription, Dr. Sarno writes that a survey done in 1975 found that 88 percent of patients who have TMS also had histories of up to 5 common mindbody disorders. Among the mindbody disorders, he lists, "common allergic conditions, such as hay fever and asthma; a variety of skin disorders, such as eczema, acne, hives and psoriasis." He goes on to say that not everyone agrees with him that these conditions are mindbody conditions, but claims that he has found them to be so in his clinical practice.
  • On page 113 of The Mindbody Prescription, in a chapter called, "The Equivalents of TMS," Dr. Sarno writes that he suspects that many skin conditions, such as eczema, psoriasis, hives, and acne, are caused by emotion. He admits that many practicing dermatologists would reject this view, but claims that research supports it. He specifically cites work done in the University of Pennsylvannia's School of Medicine's Department of Dermatology, saying that they found evidence of "a potential link between brain factors and a cellular inflammatory response seen commonly in a variety of skin disorders." He then quotes a published report written by members of the department as saying, "Such a link could have clinical significance in the commonly observed exacerbation of many dermatoses, such as psoriasis and atopic disease, by emotional stress." Finally, he claims that his clinical experience shows that the emotional stress that causes dermatologic disorders may be internal stress from repression rather than external stress.
  • Dr. Jeanette Raymond (PhD), has written a article on Stress and Personality Risk Factors for Dermatitis. It gives you twelve vulnerabilitiy factors derived from recent research They include a strong desire to succeed, and having to put on an 'armor plated' defense to deal with family and other demands that intrude and disrupt your emotional well being.
  • You can read a scientific paper on mindbody effects in skin conditions (article). There is a condition that involves a relation between the mind and the skin known as psychodermatologic disorders. There are three categories for these disorders: psychophysiologic disorders, primary psychiatric disorders, and secondary psychiatric disorders. The primary cause of these skin disorders is stress, low self-esteem, depression, and social phobia. This article investigates these disorders and their treatments, including using anxiety-decreasing techniques.
  • See also this article from the Dermatology Times. Roy Stern Seidenberg, M.D., assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the New York University School of Medicine, New York says, "Because the mind can initiate physical symptoms of dermatologic disease, an expert says that providing lasting relief could require dermatologists to look beyond the symptoms at hand and addressing a patient's underlying psyche or biopsychosocial issues. "In the United States, the concept of psychosomatic medicine is misunderstood and under appreciated." Psychosomatic medicine isn't about acupuncture or homeopathy, he says. Rather, it's built on the concept that the mind and body are connected. "Some experts say the body essentially is the subconscious mind, and that the unconscious mind can initiate real physical changes, causing real physical disease."



See Also


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