Mind, Thought, Belief, Pain

A continuation of my pain relief therapy... I know it's a big leap to jump from, "see that bulge on the mri? that's what's causing your pain" to "the pain you feel is being caused by your mind" (it is a physical expression of a psychological mechanism, that roots itself in distracting you from things that cause great anger, fear, anxiety.)

 Here's why I believe it. You know that stress affects the body. You get freaked out, what happens? The body responds, higher blood pressure, muscle tension. So when would I get freaked out? If I saw a horror movie, that would be very unsettling to me and definitely freak me out. So, these mental responses, definitely have a physical manifestation. So, if this is the case with a horror movie, imagine how much more the body is clever in affecting your body with other things, such as need to be good, need for perfection and accomplishment, the need to push hard and accomplish, and imagine if some of these things are failing. That despite your hard work, things aren't happening as you would want, that the very things you thought would get you where you want to go seem to be dragging you back, imagine this. Do you realize how much stress and pain that would cause? and how much you would not like to realize this? So, imagine the "cleverness" of the mind, in that it doesn't want to stress you about that so instead creates a very real pain that takes your mind OFF the things that are freaking you out (whether you admit it or not) in your life. If watching a scary movie can freak me out/create physical changes in my body, I can't imagine how much more that these really (what I consider) "important" issues not "happening" is going to mess with me.

 The good news? Understand this is psychological in nature and that there is no physical abnormality that is causing it. Write it out, recognize it, release it in writing so that the body will not use pain to divert your attention away from it. If you realize what's causing the pain, the body no longer has reason to try to hide you from it (at least, that's my understanding from reading Dr. Sarno's books.)
 Dr. Sarno's Books:
  Mind Over Back Pain
Healing Back Pain
The Mindbody Prescription
The Divided Mind (i have not read/bought this one...yet)

 Open your mind,
 be open to new thinking,
what do you have to lose?

if the answer was in what you "knew"
wouldn't you have solved the pain by now?

 would you rather
keep the pain
     and be "right" in your thinking,
or would your rather
lose the pain,
       and accept that what you thought was "wrong"

 you will not spend your way out of the pain,
but you can educate yourself out of the pain.

remember, there comes a point
after researching and reading,
you have to work to the solution.
read enough to get started,
then get started.
don't just ingest more and more information.
...
 Thanks Dr. Sarno!