Any success with The Way Out by Alan Gordon or books by John Sarno MD?

Posted by ripley @ripley, Mar 19, 2024

Has anyone tried the mind-body techniques outlined by John Sarno MD in his book The Mindbody Prescription or The Way Out by Alan Gordon and found relief from their chronic pain? Some Amazon reviewers gave glowing descriptions in their reviews, and other were dismissive. I have fibromyalgia and doctors aren't able to provide much in the way of pain relief.

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Profile picture for paisley9 @paisley9

The Way Out. The book does help with neuroplasric pain for sure.

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Can you offer more detail on exactly what helped you? Thanks.

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The book explains how to identify neuroplastic pain from pain that may require pharmaceutical, surgical or physical therapy type treatment. The techniques helped with pain that I was able to identify as neuroplastic. One needs to try the technique. May not be your case but some people have had good results. Including me.

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Profile picture for ripley @ripley

My symptoms are getting progressively worse. The only medication I take is a muscle relaxant (Flexeril 5mg) before bed during bad flares. I have read lots of info online by the Mayo Clinic about Fibro.

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@ripley have you used Lin Health app? It is wonderful.

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Profile picture for paisley9 @paisley9

The book explains how to identify neuroplastic pain from pain that may require pharmaceutical, surgical or physical therapy type treatment. The techniques helped with pain that I was able to identify as neuroplastic. One needs to try the technique. May not be your case but some people have had good results. Including me.

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@paisley9 I have used some of the practices from The Way Out and feels it helps. My flares are not as severe or long and I am starting to feel like I’m in my control and have a better mindset about my pain which had been awful.

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Profile picture for mberko @mberko

@paisley9 I have used some of the practices from The Way Out and feels it helps. My flares are not as severe or long and I am starting to feel like I’m in my control and have a better mindset about my pain which had been awful.

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@mberko I devoured the book as it was the first time I didn’t feel alone and that someone understood!

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I’m glad the book helped.

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Hi, Dr. Sarno was my doc years ago….i had bad back spasms, exacerbated by caregiving and loss of my beloved husband….Dr,Sarno got me in a much better place, less bad pain, less often…i also read his books all along…great to know that the horrible pain was not from a life-threatening problem ! Though, I had always felt better with hot showers, he felt my focus was ‘’too physical’’- and I moved on, as I didn’t feel as strong a divide between mental and physical as he did…nonetheless, he did give the world a gift- attention paid to the mental/emotional aspects of pain.

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Profile picture for mberko @mberko

@ripley have you used Lin Health app? It is wonderful.

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@mberko No I haven't. But since last summer, my symptoms have subsided and my sleep has improved. I started taking low-dose naltrexone and that may be the reason. Or it could be that I'm in a sort-of remission. I feel blessed and thankful everyday that I'm feeling well. I still have frequent headaches, which I think are related to my fibromyalgia, but they are manageable with Tylenol.

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Yes
There are numerous groups and other books to read people you can watch on YouTube Dan Buglio (Pain Free You), Dan Ratner (Crushing Doubt), The Steady Coach for vestibular issues . There's also the Association for the Treatment of Neuroplastic symptoms. (Symptomatic.me). I have a lot of chronic pain that's developed in the last two years for unknown reasons, started out with tendinitis of my ankle . It's because I stopped moving however they've never been findings on why my pain should be so bad so I've been using mostly only these neuroplastic pain resources because they're one of the few places that take pain for medically unexplained reasons seriously and you can find a lot of support there.

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