What does pain science and neuroscience say about Dr. John Sarno’s approach?

Dr. John Sarno’s ideas were once considered radical.

As a professor of clinical rehabilitation medicine and attending physician, he maintained that many cases of chronic back pain and musculoskeletal pain were not caused by structural damage, but by brain-mediated processes linked to emotional tension and perceived threat. He called this condition Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS).

At the time, mainstream medicine largely focused on anatomy - discs, joints, posture and biomechanics. Today, however, pain science and neuroscience paint a far more complex picture.