42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very helpful!!!, April 26, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Rapid Recovery from Back and Neck Pain: A Nine-Step Recovery Plan (Paperback)
Before starting my review, let me say that I am a particle physicist and a quite skeptical guy. Nonetheless, I think it is important to be open to new ideas. In my opinion, the work of Dr. Sarno and his followers is great science. Like most important and revolutionary scientific ideas, it takes a while (one generation, Planck said) before they are generally accepted by the scientific community. But we can profit from their insight inmediatly!
This book, together with the ones by Sarno and some info on the web, has made my life worth living again. It is amazing how many different manifestation this TMS thing seems to have. My problem was not back pain, but a condition urologists classify as non-bacterial prostatitis, neurologists as pudendal nerve entrapment, musculo-skeletal therapists as coccydynia, physiotherapists as piriformis syndrome, ... (by the way, many of these doctors suggested surgery was the only solution, even if they did not really know what was going on!). At any rate, the physical symptons were real and the pain excruciating. And the worst was that I could hardly work or lead a normal life.
When I started reading Sarno's books, I found them very interesting and even believed that his ideas could help other people... but not me. It took me three months to accept that my (unconcious) mind could be doing these nasty things to me. But suddenly there was a click inside me and I felt strongly that the answer was inside my brain. And I also felt that my (concious) mind could control it. In three weeks I was 90% better. But I found it hard to progress to a 100% recovery.
It was here that Fred Amir's simple psychological techniques were extremely helpful. Before I had finished the book, I was 99% OK!
I should add that I love the way the book is written: it is very enjoyable and creates a lot of empathy, which is also helpful.
Now I can say I am "cured" of this protatitispudendalnerve... horrible thing. Furthermore, I have also recovered from my "lazy stomach" problem, which apparently had the same origin. And last but not least, I have a great feeling of power and control over my life and my health.
I am convinced that TMS (and equivalents) is, as Dr. Sarno claims, a very widespread problem, and that many people could benefit a lot from getting a correct diagnosis. Amir's book describes the practical side of Sarno's theory.
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26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It really works!, November 12, 2002
I was diagnosed with a herniated disc (L5 S1)and my Orthopedist said I would never be the same. At the time I was lifting weights and running 3 times a week. The Dr. told me that those activities will have to be significantly modified due the the herniation.He scheduled me for Cortisone shots in my back to eliminate the swelling thus reduce the pain. Just one caveat, I could very easily irritate it once again If I return to my vigorous lifestyle. The day before I was scheduled for my treatment I was told about Dr. Sarno's book, and after doing some research discovered Fred Amir's book as well, so I bought them both. I pushed off the treatment to give these books a shot. I first read Dr. Sarno's book which gave me an understanding of his theory, then proceeded to read Fred Amir's book which helped turn theory into reality. I had read another review which said that the person experienced relief as he was reading the book and I laughed, but I did too. The next morning I went back to my old routine of running outside and in the beginning there was pain (Nobody says the pain is not real) but I fought thru it and within a few days I was pain free. I do have occasional flare ups but if you go back to the principals of the book the pain disappears. Give the book a chance, and don't be so skeptical.Thank You Fred!
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26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
For Sarno disciples & other chronic pain sufferers - a must!, October 8, 1999
By A Customer
Fred Amir has drawn on Dr John E Sarno's principles of chronic pain management (see: "Healing Back Pain - The Mind-Body Connection") which, combined with the experience of his personal ordeal and research into natural healing techniques, forms a potent recovery formula. I had chronic back pain for 15 months and painful feet for 5 months. I was disabled. The back progressed well over six weeks under the Sarno principles but plateaued. Fred Amir's book gave me more tangible strategies to work with and I have achieved significant improvement in two weeks, for both back and feet. Like Sarno..it works,only better..get both!
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