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As you know, this is my book review page. I hadn't really updated it in a while because I hadn't finished any books for a while. But lately I've been reading up a storm! Let me just say that the following books will be reviewed shortly: Mary Kay On People Management (by Mary Kay Ash), Rule By Secrecy (by Jim Marrs), and Inside Job (by Jim Marrs). I'm in the process of finishing the book Inside Job, but the other two I've already read. What I can tell you right now, though, is that all three of these books are great. So, if you're needing a book to read and can't wait for my reviews to be posted, then pick up one of these. I can tell you that you won't be disappointed.
Diagnoses that indicate a problem is related to, or originated from, the mind tend to receive a negative connotation in what is known as the Western world and cultures. The oddity with this is that these types of "problems" occur in the overwhelming majority of people in this society. So, how can it be that we shun this sort of diagnosis and treat those diagnosed with it as outcasts and invalids? It seems to me that this book suggests that quite a few major health problems today originate from, and can be controlled by, the mind. Certainly not ALL ailments are influenced by the mind in this manner, but I was truly surprised to learn what common sorts of ailments were included. Basically, the reason that any problems originating in the mind receive a negative connotation is that the medical community simply doesn't back the idea that these problems are caused by the mind (thus, the public doesn't know it, thus we think it's only a minority that have these types of problems). So how can we control them, why have these ailments reached epic proportions, and why is this information not plastered all over? These questions are answered in the book, and I will attempt to address them in the paragraphs below.
Knowledge. Sarno believes that by simply identifying the problem as a mentally controlled problem and learning about how and why the problem exists, the majority of us can rid ourselves of the problems. Sounds too simple, right? As simple as it sounds, it works. Sarno gladly details some statistics that back his claims. In fact, simply reading the book can be enough for some people to "cure themselves". I was a little skeptical at first, too. But to tell the truth, I had some mysterious pains that seemed to come from nowhere. After reading this book, I put myself into the mindframe that the problems were all in my head. Believe it or not, all I have to do is think about it and realize that I've done nothing to cause the pains. Then many of the mysterious aches and pains go away. It takes me a little bit to get rid of the pain, but it certainly does go away.
Certainly not all of my pain or problems are controlled yet, and I’ll gladly admit that perhaps I haven’t truly accepted the idea that my unconscious is causing the problems. Maybe I’ll need to explore my thoughts a little more. There may be people who simply aren’t open to the possibility that the mind controls these problems. Those people normally don’t rid themselves of the problems because of their closed-mindness. Also, there are people who will require more than simply learning about the problem. The treatment for them is mostly a knowledge-based treatment, in that they need to explore the real cause of their unconscious rage (this rage is the cause of these problems).
As will be stated below, members of the medical community just can't bring themselves to believe that the mind can (and does) control the body. Also, because any conditions originating in the brain have a negative connotation, people may not be willing to accept the diagnosis. Perhaps they will fear that their employer or spouse will see that the problem is in the person's mind and think less of them. Certainly, I can see how this could be the case, but if this information was more widely publicized, this wouldn't be a concern at all. Also, it should make sense that since members of the medical community can’t accept the mind as the cause, regular members of society (read: people not in the medical community) may have difficulty accepting it…or they may flat out reject it and shut out the idea completely. These people, since they do not understand or refuse to understand, keep themselves from treatment.
Unconscious rage is the cause for these problems (this happens within all of us, even over things that we may not consciously be angry about). Because all of us generate unconscious rage, we accumulate quite the stockpile. The stockpile is what causes the problems. How? Because the brain thinks to itself that it would rather have physical pain (to divert attention from the potentially strong emotions) than to handle the emotions. However, at this point I must warn – do not mistake “handling the emotions” for what we know as “coping.” “Coping” is something that we do that causes emotions to be repressed. It is when those emotions are repressed that the unconscious rage sets in. I know this sounds enigmatic and incomplete, but I’m trying to keep this relatively short…and promote reading the book. If you do read the book, I think you’ll understand what I’m saying here.
Who knows? First, since Freud died, this sort of notion (that the mind is so influential upon the body) has been shunned; its followers and believers are regarded as absurd outcasts of the medical world. Why? I'm truly unsure. Personally, it makes complete sense to me that the mind influences the body in this manner. It would be preposterous for me to imagine otherwise. The mind may not physically be scientifically measurable, but that hardly proves that the mind is not linked intimately to the body. The debate of "what is the mind?" has many facets and will not be addressed here. That is a separate topic for another time, perhaps. The point that I was attempting to make is that this type of medicine that links the mind and the body has become a minority belief. It is not widely accepted now because modern science is focused on the idea that it must show a physical link (there must always be scientific proof) in order for something to be true. I'll gladly share my own feelings on this school of thought...but again, not here.
Secondly, related to the first point (but not expressly stated by Sarno) is that doctors would come off as fools if this connection was accepted. As you'll read below, the treatment of these ailments would change quite drastically, mainly because many doctors are currently administering symptomatic treatment (just what it sounds like - treating the symptoms...which is something they are taught NOT to do). In my opinion, such a drastic change in treatment scares many people in the medical community. Rightly so, I suppose, because some "treatments" currently prescribed are drugs that can potentially cause just as much harm as good. By all means, this is not a complete list of the catches, but you get a general idea of the mess we get into here. I find it so hard to believe that doctors can't accept the fact that the mind controls the body. Yet here we are. Every year, there are more and more people claiming that their backs are hurt or that they have a certain condition. It's no fault of the people that have the "conditions", but the fault of the doctors that don't see the true problem.
I really enjoyed this book. I will admit that it isn't the kind of book that keeps you completely glued to the page (it has moments of heavy medical jargon and mumbo-jumbo, which makes for a slightly dry read at times). I think that if you stick with it and understand the main premise, anyone would find it intriguing. I've read the book that preceded this book and it was much more of a dry read and a little less organized. It is much more plainly laid out in this book. I was going to review the previous book, but the content was similar. This book actually is much more complete and far surpasses the previous one. I was originally thinking of recommending the previous one as a precursor to this one, but now that I’ve finished them both, I feel that only this one would be necessary. I really do think that this is a good book for anyone to read. It's actually made a difference for me and if it can help anyone, then it's definitely worth the read. This review is pretty limited, and I honestly didn't touch on a lot of what the book covers. I greatly encourage anyone to read this book. Anyone who does read it and has anything additional to add is welcome to it. Please e-mail me your thoughts on it...I look forward to it!
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