My healing story:
When the pandemic struck in March 2020, I was at my wit’s end. I had suffered from chronic back pain for over 4 years and had tried every intervention in the book. Physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractics, massage therapy, yoga, crystals … I’d done it all. I’d had MRIs and x-rays. I’d been told by different providers that I had a muscle spasm, scoliosis, a bulging disc. I’d spent thousands of dollars and lost mobility because I feared hurting my body more. I felt fragile, helpless, and completely hopeless. Perhaps worst of all, I was starting to doubt myself. You can only hear “I don’t know why you’re not better” a certain number of times before you start to wonder if you really are crazy.
But in March 2020, I was recommended a book that would change my life- “Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection,” by John E. Sarno, MD. I ordered the book on a whim, thinking, “What have I got to lose?” I ended up reading it all in one sitting, moved to tears and laughter at how much I saw myself reflected on every page. Sarno introduced me to a world I had never before known existed- the world of mindbody medicine. I burned through all of Sarno’s books with a renewed energy from feeling understood for the first time in a long time. I started to understand I was not alone, and even better, that I could hope for a full recovery. I moved on to learning from current specialists in the mindbody field, most of whom are inspired by Sarno but have modern day technology on their side to explain the neuroscience of chronic pain. I downloaded a pain app and listened to pain podcasts and eventually took part in a pain recovery group. I began to work on parts of myself that I hadn’t wanted to look at before, parts that the pain had distracted and therefore protected me from. It was not an easy journey but in the grand scheme of things, it was fairly swift. About four months after I read that first book, I was largely pain-free. I returned to school in the fall of that same year to obtain my masters in social work, so that I could dedicate the rest of my life to helping others find the relief I have found.