An end to chronic pain
When I was 19, the back pain that had afflicted me on and off since childhood reached a turning point. It was my freshman year of college, and during a particularly stressful week I found myself on the floor in pain, unable to sit, stand or lie down comfortably. After a few weeks of hobbling around and downing over-the-counter pain meds, I cut short my semester, retreated to my parents' home for winter break, and decided to dig into the medical world to see what was going on.
I submitted to a battery of tests associated with "low back issues." What followed were orthopedic surgery consults, x-rays, MRIs, narcotic medication, steroids and physical therapy. The diagnosis came back as a degenerative spinal condition called spondylolisthesis. I was told not to lift anything, bend without tremendous care and not ride in a car for more than 60 minutes, sleep on my back or stomach, or exercise. They warned me that I probably couldn't carry a child to term, as the weight of the baby would be too much for my damaged spine. They recommended I wait as long as possible to undergo spinal fusion surgery - a procedure which would likely limit my mobility for life.
I became obsessed with my situation and worried it would never change. Still, something deep inside me didn't believe this was my fate. Through research, I learned about a doctor in New York, Dr. John Sarno, who healed people without medication or surgery. I knew I had to meet him.
Through working with Dr. Sarno I began to understand that physical pain is an entry point that can bring us to an understanding of our own truths. I took the time to look at the truths of my childhood, daily life and personality traits. The process is not complicated. One needs only uncover his or her truths; nothing in life needs to be changed or fixed. Your primitive brain's protection of you from these truths can be the direct cause of chronic pain and conditions. I can decisively tell you that giving a voice to your repressed emotions and darkest thoughts could end your pain. I'm not only a survivor of chronic pain but also a psychotherapist, speaker and writer working nationwide, empowering common people to do the uncommon.
The language I coined during this time of self-discovery in my life is called JournalSpeak. It translates your surface truths into the core truths that must be acknowledged to promote healing. Your body will stop sending the message of pain to your muscle groups, nerves and organs once you become proficient in allowing core truths to rise without fear. This is the goal of a JournalSpeak practice. Remember - you need only speak JournalSpeak to yourself. No one else needs to hear, but you do. By acknowledging your core feelings, you will thrive because your body need not work so hard to divert you from experiencing them.
No matter one's diagnosis, this process can end the symptoms and pain. From fibromyalgia to migraines to chronic issues anywhere in the body, I've seen them all resolve completely. Personally, I am still broken via MRI. You would never know it, though, to see me live.
This works. My pain steadily decreased as I worked the JournalSpeak program. With dedicated effort, I began noticing entire days when I felt no pain. Days turned into weeks, and then months until finally I noticed that the pain had disappeared completely. I finished college, completed the graduate work for a master’s in clinical social work, and earned my LCSW. After hearing for years that my life was going to be seriously compromised by all the rules and restrictions, I now regularly drive around in my bouncy SUV with my five very active children, three of whom I naturally and painlessly carried until their birth. (The other two are my wife's from a previous marriage.)
Using the word "miracle" always sounded trite to me. It conjures up the idea that one can't have a personal hand in one’s own healing. What I've found is that we not only can have a hand in our own healing, but it is - at least in the case of pain - almost entirely in our hands. It's hard stuff, but certainly no harder than enduring the physical pain and emotional drain you've already been dealing with for way too long.
Nicole J. Sachs, LCSW, is a writer and psychotherapist who has dedicated her work and her practice to the treatment of chronic pain and conditions. She is the author of “The Meaning of Truth,” and the online course Freedom From Chronic Pain. Through her personal journey, as well as working with hundreds of clients, she's evolved theories to teach those suffering how to heal themselves, completely, with no medication or surgery. She lives and works in coastal Delaware with her wife and their five children. For more information, go to www.thecureforchronicpain.com.
