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The Divided Mind:
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"The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders" is the latest book from
Dr. John Sarno.
Unlike the rest of Dr. Sarno’s books, this one was read simply for research, since my
psychosomatic back pain
is a thing of the past. The book is a great read, but is a less effective form of
knowledge therapy
than his previous more directly focused books.
The Divided Mind Sections
Dr. Mann’s section on psychosomatic contribution to hypertension was eye opening and informative. Dr. Rashbaum is a colleague of Dr. Sarno at the NYU Medical Center, Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine. Dr. Rashbaum wrote a short but informative chapter concerning his experiences with tension myositis syndrome and specifically how to approach a patient with the diagnosis. Dr. Leonard-Segal wrote an excellent chapter on her experience as a rheumatologist treating mind/body disorders. Her writing is excellent and is perhaps the best part of this book. Dr. Rochelle wrote a chapter on his perspective concerning psychosomatic disorders as a practicing orthopedic surgeon. Dr. Hoffman wrote an excellent chapter on the nature of psychosomatic pain. It is also one of the highlights of the book. Finally, Dr. Sopher finishes off the book with his chapter on mind/body medicine in family practice.
The Divided Mind Critique
Dr. Sarno is a great and innovative man. He constantly challenges the accepted beliefs and practices of the medical system, while remaining a practicing physician within that hallowed system. Dr. Sarno has recruited some talented doctors to support his work in this latest book. It is certainly nice to see some qualified doctors rallying to embrace and defend Dr. Sarno’s controversial teachings. I guess as time goes on and knowledge therapy becomes mainstream, Dr. Sarno will finally get the glory and accolades he deserves as a true pioneer in medicine. His contributions are among the most important in history and I am sure one day he will be honored as one of the greatest doctors of all time.I did not find this book to be as personal from a patient’s point of view, but it certainly has more appeal to a professional peer audience of doctors and therapists. If you had to make a choice of a knowledge therapy book to help you cure your back pain, I would definitely still recommend “Healing Back Pain” as the first choice. If another psychosomatic pain syndrome is your primary health complaint, try “The Mindbody Prescription” as the best choice for you. If you have already read these, by all means move on to a greater understanding of psychosomatic conditions by reading this latest edition of Dr. Sarno’s wisdom.
