Some helpful tips!

Buying into Sarno's approach requires 'reprogramming' of how one thinks about illness, health, and the relationship between the mind and the body. There is no other way to put it. We have been and continue to be 'programmed' by the medical establishment and by everything around us. Just watch the commericals about 'Requip' for restless leg syndrome and the latest drug for fybromyalgia (both of which are probably 'equivalents' to use Sarno's term). We are bombarded constantly with images that promote a 'mechanical' view of our bodies with parts that need to be fixed. This mechanical view leads us to define depression as a chemical imbalance without asking what causes the chemical imbalance in the first place?

So here are some things that have helped me to really integrate and reinforce Sarno's approach into the way I think.

1. I did purchase his video which is a recording of his 2-hour lecture that he calls the 'treatment'. While it is not much more than him standing at a screen lecturing to a group of people with back pain...it is very effective in communicating and educating. If you are a visual learner, watching this video is a must.

2. I watched this video the first time in 30 minute 'chunks' while I was on the treadmill (killing 2 birds with one stone!). I also watch it again every few weeks or whenever I feel like I'm losing the 'heart' of what he is saying.

3. I downloaded three of his books onto my Sony e-Reader and I read some portion of one of these books every day. Yes...every day. Let's face it, the commercials on TV, the ads in newspapers, the way people talk to you about their illnesses...all of these tend to reinforce the 'mechanistic' way of thinking. Re-reading his book helps to keep perspective.

4. Writing this blog is another way to help me. It is an opportunity (and a challenge) for me translate what he is saying into my own words.

5. And finally, I journal everyday about emotional triggers. There is something about putting pen to paper that also has value.

Trying to verbally explain this to other people is also a good way to reinforce this learning. However, I haven't yet figured out how to explain it without people looking at me like I have lost my mind ... which is ironic since in reality, I have found my mind!