The Mind~Body Prescription By John Sarno, MD

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Everyone is under pressure or stress of some kind and we a have interna reactions to
these pressures and then the physica symptoms manifest in response to these feein!s.
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" ream of feein!s e#ists in the unconscious and $ecause we are not aware of them,
and therefore cannot contro them, the $rain automaticay induces physica symptoms
to prevent the unconscious feein! from $ecomin! overt.
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Physica symptoms are a %defense mechanism& of the $rain. The $rain is divertin!
attention to the $ody in order to avoid the awareness of or confrontation with certain
unconscious or repressed fri!htenin! or threatenin! feein!s ' specificay ra!e.
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The residue of an!er and ra!e from infancy and chidhood which has never dissipated
o E#ampes ' Se#ua, physica, or emotiona a$use( parenta pro$ems incudin!
alcoholism, depression, an#iety, dru! addiction, or psychosis( unreaistic
parenta e#pectations form the chid( socia pressures.
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Low Self-Esteem ' most peope har$or feein!s of inade)uacy and sef*dou$t.
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Perfectionism ' incudin! %neatniks&, hi!hy responsi$e, conscientious peope, and
%worry*warts&. "m$itious, hard*drivin!, and sef*critica peope who set hi!h
standards for themseves. "n inner sense of inadequacy fues perfectionism.
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Goodism ' the need to $e !ood. Peope who are driven to $e hepfu, often sacrificin!
their own needs for others. This creates interna, usuay unconscious an!er at the sef.
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+ostiity,"!!ression ' Type " personaities. "so an outward manifestation of
repressed ra!e and suppressed an!er.
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Guilt
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Dependency ' The desire to $e taken care of e#tends into aduthood $ut most peope
deny this need or repress it.
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-onsciousy think a$out repressed ra!e and the reasons for it whenever the
pain comes. This contradicts the $rain.s strate!y to try to distract attention to the
physica.
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Tak to your $rain. /se your conscious mind to address the unconscious part of
your $rain ' that you know the pain is harmess and is a distraction from repressed
ra!e and you no on!er intend to $e diverted. 0ou can aso focus on tryin! to
increase $ood fow to the invoved tissues. The $rain can communicate with the
rest of the $ody ' it.s the principe $ehind $iofeed$ack1
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Make a written ist. 2ist a of the pressures in your ife. By identifyin! and
deain! with the sources of pressure consciousy, you reduce their potentia
ne!ative effect in the unconscious.
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Take time daiy for a daiy refection or meditation period. 3t is essentia to
take time to think a$out what may $e enra!in! you or worryin! you and to focus
on how to !et $etter.