Somebody asked me recently: how did you feel when you first learned about mind-body approach to CRPS? It has been over 5 years, but I still vividly remember that day when I finished reading Dr. Sarno’s book Mindbody Prescription. At first, it was absolute, total disbelief.
No, my mind was telling me, it cannot be that simple!!! Why all other doctors have not arrived on the same idea? Why was I told to subject myself to all kinds of invasive treatments when result can be achieved by simply adjusting the way you think about your pain? But the book was so logical, persuasive and straightforward! It also had thousands of extremely positive reviews written by grateful readers, and it was obvious that those reviews were sincere, truthful and by no means fake.
My head was spinning. On one hand, the book promised a miracle. On the other hand, I knew darn well that miracles did not exist. On one hand, the book put the control over recovery from chronic pain squarely in the hands of a patient, which was so much better than dealing with the maze of the healthcare system. On the other hand, it left me with a full responsibility for my recovery. It made me feel equally liberated by putting power in my hands (no pun intended), and burdened with the work of healing, which, looking back, was much harder than I initially thought it would be. I soon learned that my brain was much more stubborn than I could expect, but still trainable!
Looking back, I can tell that my newly acquired knowledge changed my life forever. It made me a stronger, more confident and more compassionate person. Not only I understand myself much better now, I am better equipped to handle my relationships with other people, I am more open to new experiences and new ideas. But most importantly, I am healthy and I know how to manage daily stresses of my life so inevitable occasional pains caused by stress heal quickly.
May 2021
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