Learn more about Mind Body Syndrome, both from professionals and those who have lived through it:

• Howard Schubiner, MD
  Information and resources related to neuroplastic symptoms, chronic pain, and mind-body healing.

• Nicole Sachs, LCSW
  Educational content and resources centered on chronic pain, emotional processing, and mind-body recovery.

• David Schechter, MD
  Educational materials and information about TMS, psychophysiologic disorders, and mind-body medicine.

• TMS Wiki
  Educational articles, recovery stories, peer support forums, and structured self-help resources focused on TMS/MBS and psychophysiologic disorders.

What follows is a list of books which explain how Mind Body Syndrome works, as well as offer strategies to help overcome chronic symptoms:

Gordon, A., & Ziv, A. (2021). The way out: A revolutionary, scientifically proven approach to healing chronic pain. Avery.

Sachs, N. (2022). Mind your body: A revolutionary program to release chronic pain and anxiety. Avery.

Sarno, J. E. (1991). Healing back pain: The mind-body connection. Warner Books.

Sarno, J. E. (1998). The mindbody prescription: Healing the body, healing the pain. Warner Books.

Sarno, J. E. (2007). The divided mind: The epidemic of mindbody disorders. Harper Perennial.

Schechter, D. (2018). Think away your pain. MindBody Publishing.

Schubiner, H. (2010). Unlearn your pain. Mind Body Publishing.

Sopher, M. (2019). To be or not to be… pain free: The breakthrough mind-body program for conquering chronic pain. Mind Body Publishing.

Anger journaling can be a powerful tool in helping you become more aware of anger as well as other “negative” emotions you habitually minimize, repress, or dissociate from - i.e. the emotions that often underlie MBS symptoms.

Begin by asking yourself “what might be making me angry right now” and writing down whatever comes into your head in a freeform manner. Do not worry about being precise in identifying your emotions before you start, finding the right words, or about writing something that might offend someone else. You want to make this unfiltered, raw, and from the gut.

Set a fixed time to write for - preferably one you can find time for every day - and commit to the practice of writing whatever comes to mind.

Be aware of any emotions that come up when you concentrate on what makes you angry. Sometimes feelings of grief, sadness, and overwhelm might come to the surface along with the anger. Allow them to arise without judgement and give yourself permission to feel them.

Above all else, when you are journaling set aside any notions of what you “should” feel and what you “ought” to think. “Should” and “ought” are two of the favorite words of the unconscious part of you that originally decided MBS symptoms would be an effective means of disavowing threatening emotions.

Your anger and other painful emotions do not define you. However they are an important part of your experience, a part that has something to teach you about how to live a more integrated and authentic life.

Noticing the relationship between thoughts, emotions, and physical symptoms can help facilitate healing from Mind Body Syndrome.

Mindfulness can help you cultivate an awareness of the interconnection between mental and physical states.

A comprehensive free resource for learning how to practice mindfulness can be found here.‍ ‍

Additionally, a simple place to start practicing mindfulness for people with MBS is to tune your awareness to what thoughts and emotions you tend to have before your symptoms flare up.

Your body learns through experience. Chronic pain has taught your body to stay in a state of tension and unconscious bracing. 

Breathwork can help reduce tension in your body by creating new bodily experiences associated with relaxation and calm. 

These exercises are not intended to suppress emotions or simply “relax your pain away.” Rather, cultivating a sense of calm within your body often provides the feeling of safety necessary to allow you to focus on your emotions. 

The first, and most simple exercise, consists of simply breathing in through your nose for a slow count of five, holding for a count of two, and slowly exhaling through your nose for a count of six. Repeat this for at least two minutes, but feel free to go as long as you want.

This simple technique signals your parasympathetic nervous system to reduce physiological arousal. 

Another more involved, but very relaxing, breathing technique involves noticing your breath as you count backwards from 50 to zero.

Begin by exhaling through your nose for a slow count and mentally saying “50” as you do so. Then inhale slowly through your nose and count “49.” Make sure your inhales are in time to odd numbers and your exhales in time with even numbers.

With every inhale and exhale pay attention to your breath and what it feels like coming in and out.

If you lose count or your mind begins to wander don’t worry - this is normal and is not a sign you are “doing it wrong.” Simply return to counting and noticing your breath at a place that feels right to you. 

When you get to 20, begin counting only your exhales until you get to zero. 

One important note on both of these techniques: These are not meant as “break glass in case of emergency” interventions. In order to maximize their effectiveness it is best to practice them regularly in order to create what is known as a somatic marker - a process by which your body and brain begin to associate physical sensations with states of calm.

Mantras can be a powerful tool for interrupting the cycles of fear, hypervigilance, and hopelessness that often accompany Mind Body Syndrome. 

I first heard the following mantra in a yoga class when I was dealing with MBS for the second time, and found it incredibly helpful in challenging the narrative that I was irreparably damaged and therefore needed to be hypervigilant in order to avoid further injury:

I am healthy.
I am whole.
I am grateful.
I am unafraid.

I would repeat this in my mind, inhaling with “I am healthy,” exhaling with “I am whole,” inhaling with “I am grateful” and exhaling with “I am unafraid.” 

This was more than just positive thinking - the mantra was a method of calming my nervous system through rhythmic repetition.

Another thing the mantra did was allow me to notice what thoughts and feelings would arise as I repeated the words in my mind.

Although MBS was causing back pain, I was otherwise in good health. The pain may have made walking difficult, but I did in fact have a body, as well as a mind, that was wholly intact. 

“I am unafraid’ was a particularly resonant phrase for me. In my mind it helped reinforce that there was nothing structurally wrong with me, and that since my pain was due to MBS, I could resume normal activities. This broke the cycle in my brain that had me constantly monitoring my activities through the lens of fear. 

Try this mantra for yourself and see how it feels. Perhaps there are words in it that do not resonate with you. If so, ask yourself what feels better and go with whatever comes to mind. Feel free to modify it until it feels right for you. 

Like with mindfulness, it is important to repeat your mantra when you are feeling calm so your body learns to associate it with a sense of safety. This makes it a much more effective tool when you are distressed.