Hi everyone.
I'm Marina London,
A licensed clinical social worker and certified provider of Empowered Relief,
A two-hour workshop that teaches practical skills for managing pain.
But first,
Let me share a little of my own story.
Starting in my 40s,
I developed joint pain in my hips and knees,
Plus a mysterious pain in my left ankle nobody could explain.
And I tried everything endless scans,
Cortisone injections,
Four joint replacements,
Physical therapy,
Acupuncture,
Chiropractic,
Medications.
I have a feeling some of you know exactly what that journey felt like.
Then in early 25,
A colleague pulled me aside and said,
Marina,
I just read about a behavioral pain treatment that can help people in just one session.
You have to check it out.
My first reaction,
That sounds completely crazy.
But it reminded me of a doctor named John Sarno who was doing fascinating and controversial work back in the 80s and 90s.
Dr.
Sarno was a rehabilitation physician at the Rusk Institute in New York City.
And he was frustrated that none of his back pain patients were getting better.
So he started thinking differently.
He developed a theory that the unconscious mind was actually generating his patient's pain,
And that if people became aware of that connection,
They could take back control.
His method was simple.
He'd gather patients in an auditorium and spend three hours explaining that their brains,
Not their backs,
Were the source of their pain.
And it worked.
Hundreds of patients reduced their pain,
And many eliminated it entirely.
He wrote books,
Appeared on TV,
Became well known.
And yes,
His medical colleagues thought he was a total quack.
But here's where it gets exciting.
In the 21st century,
Brain imaging technology finally caught up with Dr.
Sarno.
Researchers proved conclusively that chronic pain lives in a specific region of the brain.
And when that brain is successfully treated,
That region simply goes quiet.
It no longer lights up on an fMRI scan.
Turns out,
He was right all along.
