The Body’s Effects on the Mind

Where traditional TMS advice "goes wrong"

When I first discovered the MindBody Syndrome, Dr. Sarno, and its online community, there were a lot of ideas that didn’t make sense to me. Many of these ideas, simply took more time and understanding on my part to digest and see in my own life.

However, there is one principle of the “strict” TMS approach which Dr. Sarno endorses, that I firmly disagree with. My own healing experience and others’ outside of the TMS community contradicts this principle, and I was stuck wondering why. Was it simply because I didn’t believe in TMS or trust Dr. Sarno enough? That couldn’t be the case, TMS was the lifeline that pulled me out of a swamp of potential surgery, pain flare-ups, and a Life of Fear.

This principle I disagree with… is the idea that “physical changes will not help stop your pain” and that “everything but direct TMS work — is a placebo effect”. Therefore, they should be dropped from your routine and avoided.

The reasoning here is that any physical therapy exercise, diet or supplement, or overall lifestyle change — is simply an act of avoidance of your repressed thoughts and emotions (the underlying cause of chronic pain, anxiety, and other MindBody symptoms). As such, STOP all of them. Do not let your Subconscious Mind distract you from the mental healing work that you need to do.

While valid from a psychological perspective, I think this advice is essentially throwing out the baby with the bathwater. I would also directly credit it with why so many people struggle to accept TMS as the root cause for their pain and why TMS still struggles to gain support from the mainstream medical community.

Now, I don’t think this advice is given maliciously or meant to belittle positive physical changes we make for our bodies such as yoga, a healthy diet, or practicing good sleep hygiene. Dr. Sarno himself says, “there is nothing wrong with doing physical exercises… it’s a very good thing and I do them myself.”¹

The problem is — this advice is misinterpreted. People in chronic pain (myself included) tend to think EMOTIONALLY. Just not about the strong emotions we are repressing inside of ourselves 😂. Emotional thinking, tends to be black or white. Love or Hate. Either we focus on physical changes to our Body or we focus on our Mind, emotions, and thoughts. “Which one is it??” we can think in frustration when first learning about TMS.

For some of us, this undeliberate dichotomy is enough to drive us away from TMS altogether. “My physical therapy and massage routines work and provide me some relief”, you might think. “I’m not going to go back to a life of complete pain just because some strangers online and some old Doctor tell me to!”

I’m here to tell you, you don’t have to give up those routines. In fact, those same routines… are the key to unlocking even more healing and pain relief.

Let’s explain.

1. The Forbidden Placebo Effect

What is a placebo? In our non-scientific, MindBody context, a placebo is any tool or activity which provides some temporary relief from pain, while not giving us permanent, lasting results and vitality.

Placebos give us a false sense of hope, and they may even allow our bodies to use a normal range of motion while using the placebo. In a sense, they hi-jink the Mind-Body connection to give you a glimpse at normal life, through the cloud of chronic pain and repressed emotions.

Unfortunately, because we haven’t truly understood the core mechanism of action for our chronic symptoms or done the deep work necessary to heal our minds… when the placebo wears off, so do its effects.

So, it’s fair and understandable when Sarno preaches for us to avoid them.

However, it’s easy to simply call everything a placebo pill or effect when examining chronic pain and symptoms through the TMS point of view.

This is obviously a gross oversimplification of the matter. There are real nutrients, exercises, and lifestyle changes which will decrease inflammation in the body, improve overall health markers, and help one think with a clear and balanced mind.

Many people living in chronic pain have experimented with different health hacks like these and found some combination which improves their overall quality of life.

To tell them to stop their new, healthy habits and lifestyle — is honestly a bit insulting. It demeans the hard work that they’ve already done to try to take care of their bodies (and minds, although they may not realize this part yet).

And there is one KEY outcome of “placebo” methods that is overlooked… even if it’s a pure sugar pill that has absolutely no effect on the body whatsoever.

That outcome is… they force people to start focusing and paying attention to their Bodies.

When you take a supplement or try a new exercise, you do it with one outcome in mind — to feel better physically. To feel better in your own Body.

“But isn’t the goal of TMS healing to get out of our Bodies and into our Minds?”

Yes, it is. Bear with me, as we progress through the following logic.

Most people are not just mentally repressed. They are also physically repressed. They spend all day chained to a desk (or for those working blue collar jobs — stuck doing the same, mostly repetitive movement patterns without much passion or creativity).

As such, their Bodies are essentially “turned off” for most of the day, if not 24/7. They are not consciously thinking of how their hands, toes, or nose feels.

If they’re in chronic pain, they typically only associate the pain to the broad area affected.

“Ow, my back hurts!” you might think. You are not thinking “Ow, my back hurts… strange this time it’s on the left side, with a slight tingle in my buttocks. If I shift this way.. it goes away slightly.”

Fortunately, the act of starting a new diet, exercise, or supplement with the goal of feeling better physically — flips a switch in people. It turns your Body “On” 😉.

Now, you start paying attention. “Wow, my back feels different today. The pain is still there, but it feels like it’s burning instead of shooting. I wonder how else I can reduce my pain.”

You are optimistic now. You are willing to try more new approaches to feel better.

Every new lifestyle change or health hack you try, no matter if a true “placebo” or real effect, is going to bring more and more awareness to the Body.

This is a phenomenal first step for many — especially if you had little or no Body awareness before.

Now, let’s go back to the TMS world. What is the Body?

Is it just a vehicle for our Minds, moving us from the workplace to the kitchen table to the bathroom?

Of course not. The Body is part of our consciousness, just as the Mind is. We consist of one, unified MindBody.

Mind doesn’t dominate body, it becomes body — body and mind are one… the body is the actual outward manifestation, in physical space, of the mind. — Candace Pert, Ph.D.²

Bringing awareness to the Body… is bringing awareness to the Mind, by definition.

Furthermore, the Body and our physical sensations — is where our Subconscious Minds dwell and execute actions.

2. The Subconscious = Your Body

If you’ve read a book or two about TMS, you will quickly find yourself deep in a discussion about the Subconscious Mind or, as Freud (and Sarno) refer to it, the Unconscious Mind. Whether referred to as the subconscious or unconscious, they represent the same entity — our deeper, animal instincts and desires.

The Subconscious Mind makes the prickly hairs on your neck stand up when you sense danger (maybe it’s a big cat waiting to pounce… or maybe it’s a misguided surgeon, intent on hitting his yearly quota). The Subconscious Mind tells you to eat food after a hard day at work and to take a nap when you’re tired. It makes you remove your hand from a hot stove — before you even realize your mistake and feel the searing pain on your skin.

After learning about TMS, you will also realize the Subconscious Mind is where your repressed emotions and insecurities are stored about your childhood, relationship to yourself, and relationships with others.

This all makes logical sense, and the psychology behind it is illuminating. However, by learning about this from a purely psychological perspective, we are not seeing the whole picture.

It’s difficult for us to conceptualize the Subconscious Mind.

“What is this part of myself that I am not consciously aware of?” we might wonder. “I can’t just simply delve into my Subconscious and look at what I’m feeling there. I don’t even know what or where it is!” — is another objection we might have.

Luckily, Candace Pert, the scientist who discovered the opiate receptor, has defined the bridge between the conscious and subconscious mind and materialized the Subconscious for us. Pert’s own story is incredible, as she began her career by creating ground-breaking discoveries that every single billion-dollar pharmaceutical company uses in its drugs. And yet, by the end of her life, she was a full believer (with the science to back it up) of the holistic, “alternative” health movement.

Candace discovered that the heart of the Subconscious — lies within the cell. Every cell in our body contains neuropeptide (or neurotransmitter) receptors for serotonin, dopamine, adrenaline, etc.

When we feel a strong emotion like love or fear, neurotransmitters flood our system and individual cells, activating these receptors and triggering our body’s functions and movements… sometimes before our Conscious Mind even notices.

Pert believed that these individual cells and receptors create a body-wide network capable of generating emotions and their related neurotransmitters — even without the brain’s direct input.

Have you ever had a strong gut feeling about a person or event? That’s the neuropeptide receptors in your stomach sending your brain an emotional message.

Candace’s work shows us that these neuropeptides and their receptors, dwelling in every cell from our foot to our heart, form a “second brain” — complete with its own primitive thoughts and emotions — that lives not in your head, but in your body.

Therefore, Your Body is Your Subconscious Mind.

Once we realize that our Body and emotions control our actions just as much as our Logical, Thinking Brains do, we start to see it everywhere.

When have you performed the best in work, school, or athletics? It was probably during a stage of life when you were surrounded by supportive friends, family, or teammates. When you were well-rested and had a well-rounded diet. When your Body felt relaxed and safe, regardless of the outcome.

Mental Wellness = Physical Performance and that is because those individual cells and their Subconscious messages — are not in conflict or wasting energy trying to hide from us. They are available with full capacity to take action on the task in front of us. If your Subconscious Mind is distracted with the task of repressing emotions or even processing difficult ones, then your Body is also distracted and cannot hit peak performance levels.

There is a way to harness the power of raw emotions, whether positive (joy) or negative (rage) and convert it into action in the physical realm. That is called transmutation of emotional energy and is a more advanced technique.

For now, let’s start by getting to know our Bodies and our Subconscious Minds.

3. Fixing the Relationship with Our Bodies

As mentioned earlier, most of us are completely unaware of our bodies.

We pay our bodies no mind and give them zero love or attention. We treat our bodies (i.e. our Subconscious Minds) like they are second-class citizens at best, and more often like they are an unwanted stowaway on the multi-destination, red-eye flight that our Logical, Thinking Brains have planned for our Life.

While the traditional TMS advice may be to dive straight into unpacking what’s hidden in our Subconscious by taking a scalpel with our Conscious Minds to the trauma and repressed emotions stored in our Bodies… my experience has shown it’s better to take a more balanced, gentle approach.

This Conscious uncovering of the Subconscious is definitely important for many of us to return to a normal life full of vigor and vitality. But, we can ease into it.

The best way to get warmed up for this inner work, while also functioning as a physical outlet for our stored emotions — is to do some classic body work.

I’m talking massage, yoga, or hot / cold therapy. Get a proper 8-9 hours of sleep. Build muscle, do cardio. Work towards a healthy heart rate and heart rate variability.

These things may be thought of as a “placebo effect” or “distraction” by strict TMS followers.

I say that’s bullsh*t.

First of all, these activities are good for you and will improve your biomarkers. There’s no such thing as wasted time on these activities, provided you approach them with a positive, learning mindset.

Second, remember Candace Pert’s discovery — the Body is the Subconscious Mind.

If we are living in a sick, injured, or inflamed state… how likely do you think your Body / Subconscious Mind is going to want to open up to you and show the repressed emotions its been hiding for months or years? It’s unlikely at best.

Why make a difficult task harder than it needs to be? Facing and processing the emotions, the rage, deep sadness, shame, whatever is inside of you — may be one of the most difficult challenges you overcome in Life. Start off easy, and set yourself up for success. This is a Winner’s Mindset, no matter what any “hardcore” motivational influencer tells you. Everyone learned to crawl, then walk, then run, then sprint.

An unhealthy, weak, or tight and rigid body is the equivalent of shoving a gag on your Subconscious Mind. It might be able to mumble out some muffled words — if you listen closely. But wouldn’t you like to hear it loud and clear?

We can remove this gag, and reconnect to our Subconscious Minds, after ignoring it for maybe our whole lives — by taking care of our Bodies.

When we start taking action to become healthier, our Subconscious notices. You don’t have to reach your final goals in terms of physical fitness to start feeling better! Just taking one small step everyday towards becoming a healthy version of you — is more than enough.

The intention is everything here. Your Subconscious Mind is now receiving the love and attention it has been desperately calling out for.

We have restored the relationship with our Bodies. Now, you will find that your Body / Subconscious Mind is more than willing to talk to you about what it’s feeling.

It’s wanted to talk to you the whole time. It just didn’t think you had the time to have a relationship with it.

4. Safely Explore Our Minds (HEAL)

Now that our Bodies are open to and trust our Conscious Mind, we can start exploring our inner self. We have created a safe environment to dive deep into our Subconscious and discover, converse, and achieve inner peace with the thoughts and emotions buried within us.

This is the classic TMS work — journaling, meditation, mindfulness, and even psychotherapy if necessary.

Each of these avenues of emotional release and Subconscious exploration deserves an article of its own.

For now, I will leave you with some links to the best resources I have found for this work:

• JournalSpeak by Nichole Sachs — This is a beginner-friendly way to start practicing the type of journaling that helps heal chronic pain. JournalSpeak teaches you to create an unrestrained, direct channel to your Subconscious thoughts and emotions — allowing you to become aware, process, and release them.

• TMS Meditations by Dr. Howard Schubiner. These are password protected, but the password comes with any purchase of Schubiner’s books. The books are great, but the meditations are some of the best I have found for healing from TMS. Try a few of the shorter ones, then when you’re feeling brave do the Time Traveler meditation. It will change your world 🙂.

• The Structured Education Program — courtesy of the TMS Wiki forum and community members. There are 42 days of insightful journaling prompts here, along with educational activities, that will guide you into exploring your personality traits and past / present stressors which are feeding the flames of your chronic pain.

• Non Sleep Deep Rest protocol by Andrew Huberman. If you’re looking for a universal, non-TMS specific meditation to use on a daily basis, this is a gold mine. No spiritual, woo-woo nonsense — just calming energy and clear instructions. Did I mention it’s free and public on YouTube?

• Body Scan meditation on the Calm App — this is my personal bread and butter most days. I have been formally trained in Vipassana meditation, and this Body Scan meditation is almost the exact Vipassana technique that Buddhist monks use across the globe.

• Psychosomatic Wellness by Candace Pert — available on Sounds True or Audible. I recommend purchasing this on Sounds True, as their app comes with a sleep timer that automatically turns off the recording. I use this guided meditation as needed to help fall asleep — it’s particularly effective after an intense journaling session using one of Schubiner’s, Sachs’, or the TMS Wiki’s prompts. It’s also great to play in the background while stretching or doing yoga.

In my personal healing journey, I also have found it extremely useful to reconnect with my thoughts and emotions throughout the day. To achieve this goal and restore my Mind-Body connection when I feel overwhelmed or Life feels out of control, I developed a simple mnemonic device to remind myself to talk to and listen to my Subconscious Mind.

The acronym is H.E.A.L. and goes as following:

• H: Say Hello to our Thoughts and Emotions

• E: Embrace them for their most dark and twisted, or amazing and joyful nature

• A: Allow them to continue on, as is, but here in our Conscious World. There is no need to hide anymore.

• L: Live and Let Live. Choose to co-exist with your thoughts and feelings, while still consciously guiding your actions and living your life based on your logical decisions, moral code, and spiritual knowledge of yourself and the Universe.

H.E.A.L. can be used anywhere — whether you’re stuck at work, waiting in a crowded line, or lying in bed.

5. Self-Expression through Movement, Art, and More

Remember when I said you can convert your raw emotions into physical actions and real world results? While a larger topic of its own, this transmutation of your subconscious energy is yet another way to release repressed emotions that, left unattended, can manifest into MindBody symptoms.

Now, this is definitely a less directed way of releasing stored trauma and emotions. As such, it naturally lends itself to more of a final, self-sustaining state of Life — after you have done specific healing work for your Mind and Body.

However, let’s face it — journaling, meditating, or talking to a trusted friend or counselor about our deepest feelings every day and week until we heal can start to become monotonous. We may even start to dread it, if results are slow (everyone heals at their own pace).

A great way to switch up the routine and have some fun with this work is to start building a World outside of us that is full of Sound and Color, and then to engage and build relationships in it.

This process of external creation and engagement does not have to be separate from our internal healing and growth. In fact, they are 100% tied together. Just like healing our Bodies, helps to heal our Minds — healing our Minds gives us energy to use our Bodies to build a Healthy World around us.

This energy is none other than the emotions and thoughts living in your Subconscious. By directing them into physical actions in the real world, we give them an outlet. No repression or internal conflict necessary. They know where to go — into building or engaging in whatever is in front of us!

Now, the key here is — the activity, subject matter, or group you are engaging with has to be something you truly enjoy in your Heart of Hearts. Trying to leverage your internal rage to manifest positive results in a job you hate — is a fool’s errand and likely to result in a volcanic eruption at your workplace. Not recommended 😂.

On the other hand, diving into learning a new instrument or song, building a home project, or planning a fun outdoors meetup… is more likely to ignite the flames of your desire to create a warm, crackling fireplace in your Mind. Your thoughts and emotions are the wood, the activity is the sparks and fire tending, and the warmth and friends who join you are the real world results.

The medium here is 100% your choice and can be as unconventional as you want. It can even be an athletic or business pursuit.

This is the final goal of MindBody work… not to constantly be “healing” or “focusing on our mental health”. Our goal is to move on from repression and start working towards self-actualization. In whatever goal or medium we choose for ourselves.

This is how you truly heal for good and avoid relapses. By building and immersing yourself in a Life where your actions are in 1:1 alignment with your true thoughts and desires.

Notice the difference between the mindset behind our physical actions here and the “placebo”-driven ones described in the beginning. We are not coming from a fear-driven, negative, solution-searching mindset…. we have now built an unbiased, positive, secure Mind and can make these lifestyle changes from a place of abundance.

We are not trying to “take” anything from anyone. We are “giving” ourselves to an activity, idea, or others.

No More Repression. This is Self-Expression! This is why God put us here on this planet. Let’s take advantage, enjoy our lives, and share it with others.

In Conclusion

I hope you see the benefits of adopting physical and lifestyle changes to improve your overall health and wellbeing. I believe these factors also directly benefit those of us suffering from chronic pain, anxiety, or any variety of MindBody symptoms. A healthy Body = a healthy Subconscious Mind, as Candace Pert showed us.

And a healthy Mind is willing to talk to and partner with us as we explore repressed thoughts and emotions which may serve as the root cause of our pain and suffering. As always, consult with a Doctor to rule out any serious physical injuries or disease.

Even a true placebo effect, such as that from a “pure sugar pill”, is beneficial in my opinion, as it gets one into a state of body awareness and encourages a tinkerer, growth mindset which is crucial to further healing.

Ultimately, the goal of our work here is to build and strengthen the Mind-Body Connection. This connection is the key to our happiness in this World and in Life. It is the bridge between our mental state (whether that is bliss or sadness or rage) and the reality we interact with every day.

Once we make peace with our Subconscious Mind and with the thoughts and emotions hidden within, we can channel our Mind’s limitless energy through our Body’s movements and actions to create a World that we love and want to share with others.

The work is still in front us — if suffering from TMS, we must embrace traditional healing modalities such as journaling, meditation, and mindfulness. How long we have to practice direct healing work like this, is a decision that only your Body and Mind can tell you.

However, when you feel safe and ready to do so… give yourself permission to enter the real world again. Full healing from chronic pain or anxiety is not necessary to do so. Start building the Life that the voice deep inside of you is telling you it wants. You can always course correct along the way.

When you start taking action to create this new reality… you might find that this was the missing piece to healing 100%. MindBody syndrome be d*mned! We have a wonderful, adventure-filled Life to Live.

1. Dr. John E. Sarno, Healing Back Pain, 126

2. Candace B. Pert, Ph.D., Molecules of Emotion, 198