What personality traits did Dr. John Sarno think made someone more prone to Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS)?

If you have explored mind-body explanations for chronic pain, you may have encountered the work of Dr. John Sarno.

Dr. Sarno proposed that many cases of persistent back pain, neck pain, and other musculoskeletal conditions were related to a condition he called Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS).

According to Dr. Sarno, TMS was not caused primarily by structural problems in the body but by processes within the brain and nervous system. In his view, the brain could generate real physical pain as a way of diverting attention away from uncomfortable emotions.