Resources
If you’re interested in knowing more about the mindbody approach I go into on my YouTube videos here are some books, videos, podcasts, and other resources that were of great help to me.
The materials you'll find here are centred on John Sarno's The Mindbody Syndrome (TMS) and later developments on that concept. In my YouTube videos, I suggest that protracted or "learned" withdrawal can be a form of TMS—and this idea is gaining recognition in the TMS community. That said, I'm not aware of any TMS resources (beyond my own limited work) that directly address learned withdrawal as TMS or a mindbody phenomenon. At least not yet.
But all is not lost. Far from it. Because the psychological basis of TMS is the same for all mindbody phenomena. What this means is that whether one is experiencing learned pain, learned withdrawal, or some other learned syndrome, the psychological pathway to resolving TMS is essentially the same. So any TMS materials are of potential use to us. In addition some TMS resources (or sections of them) broadly address sensations or experiences; this may also make them more accessible to us. Finally it's common for people to “recognize” themselves in these materials, making engaging with them easier.
With that said, let’s take a look at a few resources and I'll also offer a little commentary to suggest their relevance and application to unlearning withdrawal. Maybe some of these will be helpful to you. (Note: Some of the following books may be available as audio readings on YouTube or downloaded for free at the website, Library Genesis. You may visit the latter's Wikipedia page for the latest link.)
Mad In America Panel
The Books and Works of John Sarno
John Sarno originated the TMS concept and the following works remain the foundation of its core psychological aspects. Saro’s ideas now have a scientific basis that you can find about in Howard Schubiner’s work and recent clinical trials (both found below if you keep scrolling this page).
Healing Back Pain. His most original and seminal book. If you just switch “back pain” to “withdrawal sensations” you might find your situation with withdrawal, experiences in life, and your personality described with a great deal of accuracy.
The Mindbody Prescription. Here, Sarno opens up the TMS concept beyond chronic pain. This is important because most people who have a particular mindbody experience (whether it's learned pain or withdrawal) have likely experienced other forms of mindbody phenomena.
The Divided Mind. An anthology. Sarno and other TMS professionals pull back the curtain on the role of unconscious emotions in human health.
Several videos:
The Books and Works of Howard Schubiner
Howard Schubiner is an internist and mindbody physician. His original mindbody training comes from John Sarno but he has made some adaptions to TMS theory. In particular, Shubiner emphasizes the learned nature of mindbody experiences via learned neural pathways/circuits. And, for him, this includes protracted withdrawal experiences.
Unlearn Your Pain. This book examines how (unconscious) emotions create undesirable physical and psychological experiences via learned neural pathways (TMS). This is a seminal work that provides a more scientific background for TMS.
Psychophysiologic Disorders: Trauma-informed, Interprofessional Diagnosis and Treatment. Schubiner co-wrote this anthology essentially about TMS but under the alternative label, “psychophysiologic disorder” (or "mindbody disorder"). The emphasis here is on empirical, scientific support for TMS and paths to its resolution.
I'll also note that there are many valuable talks and interviews with Schubiner on YouTube and elsewhere. Here are a few examples that I referenced in my video:
The above video is what got me started on all this.
The Books and Works of Steve Ozanich
Steve Ozanich experienced many years of strange and horrible mindbody sensations that he resolved with Sarno’s TMS approach. He is currently a mindbody consultant and his work includes helping people to resolve withdrawal sensations. His emphasis is on helping one to understand the psychological basis of TMS, the most important part.
The Great Pain Deception. Despite its title, this book explores TMS far beyond pain to include mindbody sensations of all kinds. This work has been a powerful resource to many. Admittedly I had some skepticism reading this as some of its sources and buzz terms are a little much for me but the central tenets of the book resonate very deeply.
You can find several interviews with Ozanich on YouTube. Here is an interesting example:
Also, some people have submitted TMS success stories to Ozanich here: Healing Wall of Victory.
Podcasts
Mindbody Mastery Podcast. A calming host discusses many relatable mindbody topics. My personal favourite.
Like Mind, Like Body. Features a range of interviews, including about medically unexplainable phenomena beyond chronic pain.
Tell Me About Your Pain. Alan Gordon’s podcast. Also wrote a book called The Way Out.
YouTube Channels
Healing Chronic Somatic Symptoms
Apps
Curable. This is an app that uses a mindbody approach to help people resolve pain and other persistent sensations and syndromes.
Associations
Psychophysiologic Disorders Association.
tmswiki.org
TMSWiki hosts a wealth of information and contains a forum. It was started by an individual who resolved persistent painful sensations with a TMS approach. (Some psychiatric propaganda is present on the site.)
Practitioners, Consultants, Therapists
Clinical Trials
Pain Reprocessing Therapy. A Sarno-inspired landmark clinical trial saw about 70% of participants resolve or almost completely resovle chronic pain. Here is the “treatment outline.”
Psychophysiologic Symptom Relief Therapy. A Sarno-based pilot clinical trial saw 75% of participants resolve chronic pain."Treatment outline.”
Long COVID Clinical Trial. This clinical trial used psychophysiologic symptom relief therapy and participants saw significant reductions in the “symptoms” and there are also YouTube videos dedicated to resolving long Covid using mindbody approaches as many have done this by now.
Other Resources/Notes
There are many resources that don't directly address TMS yet still contribute important understandings into the mindbody connection. One thing that might come up in some mindbody materials is the value of presence and the integration of emotional experiences. In this regard, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle comes to mind but there's of course far more as well.
Also please take into consideration that some of the materials I’ve mentioned here may contain aspects of psychiatric propaganda which is unfortunate but I’ve learned to just remove the bad spots because the fruit is still good at its core.
Final Thoughts
This page mostly contains resources that helped me in particular. Please note that you don't have to read or take in the same TMS materials that I or somebody else did. As I mentioned in the video, the TMS approach is not so much about doing but understanding. Everyone comes to this understanding in their own way. I hope you find the way that works best for you.