How to Heal Back Pain by Healing Emotions

Low back pain is an epidemic in the U.S. and more than 80% of people worldwide will suffer from low back pain at some point in their lives. Widespread suffering from back pain is a new phenomenon; never before in history has there been mention of millions of people suffering from the same pain syndrome. Western medicine would have us all believing that our discs are the problem, but there is no proof.

Our bodies are designed to heal without lingering pain, and our backs are no exception. Numerous studies of asymptomatic patients have shown that spinal abnormalities, such as herniated discs and stenosis of the spinal canal are not in themselves indicative of pain. Many patients, being told that their herniated discs are the source of their pain, opt for surgery as a last resort. Failed back surgeries are commonplace; disc surgery does not necessarily eliminate the pain and many patients are finding that they are still in pain, sometimes much worse pain, after surgery.

The problem goes all the way back to the diagnosis - most doctors believe that low back pain is caused by herniated discs, pinched nerves, or other physical problems, however, nothing could be farther from the truth. One doctor proved that 88% of back pain patients can quickly and easily heal themselves using their minds alone. Dr. John Sarno, a back specialist, discovered that most chronic back pain is caused not by physical injuries or malformations, but instead, by repressed emotions.

Healing from back pain, then, depends on understanding how our mind affects our level of pain and learning to change learned and conditional behaviors that cause a negative emotional state. The emotions that contribute to chronic pain tend to be hidden in the unconscious and are not easily accessible to us. The patient represses socially unacceptable emotions, such as anxiety, anger, and resentment in an attempt to protect them from dealing with the emotional pain that they would otherwise cause. The unconscious, in an attempt to distract the patient from the painful emotions, creates instead a physically painful condition. These conditions often do have what appears to be a physical cause associated with them, but this is just a convenient ‘place’ for the mind to store the pain.

Recovering from chronic pain with caused by emotions requires the patient to accept that their pain is most likely caused by repressed emotions and to work to change the conditioned habit of avoiding reinjuring themselves. Additionally, patients must work to reduce stress and understand the source of the repressed emotions so that they can cure themselves of the physical pain. There is good news, though; the prognosis for healing is very good for patients with chronic low back pain - almost 90% of patients recover completely and no longer suffer from pain.