Chronic Pain: Your Key to Recovery

By Georgie MCSP Oldfield

Can you really cure chronic pain without drugs, surgery or therapy? Surprisingly often the answer is Yes. While chronic pain can have a physical cause, this book, written by a leading UK Physiotherapist and chronic pain specialist, reveals how very real, and even debilitating pain, can frequently be caused by our brain in response to repressed e

• Language: English
• Publisher: 2QT Limited (Publishing)
• Release date: Jan 18, 2019
• ISBN: 9781912014385

Book preview

Title Page

2nd Edition published 2015 by

2QT Limited (Publishing)

Settle, North Yorkshire BD24 9RH

www.2qt.co.uk

1st Edition published in 2014 by Authorhouse™ UK Ltd

ISBN: 978-1-49697748-9

Copyright © G Oldfield

The right of G Oldfield to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that no part of this book is to be reproduced, in any shape or form. Or by way of trade, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser, without prior permission of the copyright holder.

Illustrations: Richard Barrett

Cover image: iStock.com/aydinmutlu

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-1-910077-75-7

Disclaimer

Reading this book does not establish a therapist-patient relationship with Georgie Oldfield MCSP and it should not replace the care and direct supervision of a trained healthcare professional. The recommendations given in this book are intended solely as education and information, and are not intended to replace any medical advice.

The information in this book does not offer a diagnosis or any treatment for medical conditions. This book suggests you review stressful events in your life therefore if you have any health/mental health problems, or if you are currently taking medications of any sort, you should consult your doctor or equivalent health professional prior to undertaking any of the suggestions in this book. If you experience any mental health/emotional difficulties while undergoing the programme, you must seek advice from your doctor or mental health therapist.

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Professional endorsements

Patient endorsements

Introduction: From conventional to pioneering

Chapter 1: Setting the scene and demonstrating the evidence base

Chapter 2: The concept underlying stress-induced symptoms

Chapter 3: Possible stress-induced symptoms/conditions

Chapter 4: Causes of stress-induced symptoms/conditions

Chapter 5: The recovery process

Appendix

Personal recovery stories

Foreword

Many a serendipitous encounter acquires great depth of importance in retrospect - the way I met Georgie was no different. I’m a pharmacologist by profession, and spent the first decade of the twenty-first century immersed in drug research. The working assumption was always that the body had somehow malfunctioned and there was no better alternative than to drug away the symptoms. I think many of us have now grown up enough to realise that suppressing bodily functions is very different to healing, recovery and cure. Nonetheless, the search for the ‘magic bullet’ has positioned pharmaceuticals as the world’s second-largest industry, and global drug expenditure now exceeds a trillion dollars per year. Don’t get me wrong: pharmacology is a beautiful toolkit and can teach us a lot, but drugs have very little to do with medicine in its truest and most sustainable form.

Growing increasingly disillusioned with the entire philosophy of drug-based medicine, one thing led to another, as is often the case, and I took up the post of Head of Research and Education for BackCare, the UK’s national back and neck pain charity. I had graduated from the drug research laboratory which was so divorced from human realities to direct contact with the consequences of modern medicine gone awry. More acutely than ever before I witnessed the profound disconnect between scientific evidence and medical practice, and how it locked patients into seemingly inescapable lifelong suffering. I felt compelled to remedy the situation. Reassured by the conviction that truth brings liberation, I began work. And then I met Georgie.

Here was someone who also had a conventional medical background and who had made the same journey as I did through the disenchantment. Georgie trained as a physiotherapist in the 1980s and went on to manage respiratory services at a large city hospital. However, after about fifteen years of being exposed to the enormous variety of patients, conditions and treatment approaches, the limitations of conventional pain medicine had become all too apparent. The phrase ‘paradigm shift’ has, sadly, become such a cliché, and yet between 2000 and 2007, Georgie underwent a series of experiences that were to prepare her for something that I can only describe in such terms.

Research tells us that human development occurs ‘in response to life experiences that are structurally disequilibrating, personally salient, emotionally engaging, and interpersonal’*. This challenging period of Georgie’s life, which included her own personal health scare and an unrelenting exposure to the inconsistencies between patients’ symptoms and their clinical diagnoses, certainly provided all of these ingredients. I find the way that people’s lives unfold deeply interesting, and also how Georgie’s experiences seemed to mirror aspects of my own. In fact, scientific knowledge unfolds in a very similar manner.

There are no facts in science - it’s important to understand that. Scientific experiments accumulate data; we interpret this data to produce evidence, and we use evidence to build models. These models explain why things happen as they do and predict how we can change what may happen next. But knowledge is always evolving and, when enough contrary evidence has built up, new models emerge that make better sense of things. This process is true of all fields of science, not least the applied science of medicine.

The ‘biomedical’ model of medicine that emerged in the mid-1800s painted health as no more than the absence of apparent symptoms, and illness as the deviation from this normal baseline caused by a broken biology. While initially liberating medicine from its superstitious and mythological predecessors, the biomedical model limits us in this day and age. Overwhelming volumes of clinical evidence have now rendered the biomedical model irrefutably incapable of fulfilling medicine’s essential goal - to bring the patient to health without harm.

In 1946, the World Health Organization authored a wider definition of health that has remained unchanged at the heart of their constitution to this day: ‘Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.’ The biopsychosocial model that emerged during the 1970s went some way to capture this essence, with the inclusion of psychosocial factors in its diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic outlook.

There can be no doubt that psychological health and physical health are related. By starting to take this on board, the biopsychosocial model of medicine initiated a crucial departure from dangerously outdated thinking. However, despite its expanded view of medicine, the biopsychosocial model is by no means the end of the road. Within this model, psychosocial factors are primarily seen as able to influence illness indirectly by driving unhealthy behavioural patterns (e.g. addiction/dependency; sedentary lifestyle; fear avoidance), but not able to directly cause or cure illness outright. So what comes next? To date, medicine has continued to promote the idea that physical illness arises when biology breaks down, much like a car that breaks down and can’t be driven. However, evidence from recent decades supports an emerging model of medicine that takes a very different perspective. Its defining principle is that illness represents an entirely purposeful and meaningful, yet subconscious, expression of an underlying disparity between innate and learned needs - a maladaptive stress response.

Georgie’s work represents the application of this latter model. Higher-order models afford higher-order outcomes. While palliative and management approaches to chronic pain very much reinforce a fixed belief in lifelong incurability, Georgie has demonstrated that patients with chronic pain can recover completely through deliberate intervention, irrespective of the pain’s location, intensity and duration. You might say the proof of the model is in its application. Recovery from chronic illness is a new order of clinical outcome yet to be glimpsed by conventional care. In the work carried out by Georgie and Stress Illness Recovery Practitioners Association (SIRPATM) we have a rare outpost at the leading edge of our understanding. With hundreds of millions of people disabled by chronic pain worldwide, and otherwise destined to remain that way, I feel compelled to pay great attention.

Dr Adam Al-Kashi - Researcher, educator and thought leader.

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* Manners J, Durkin K, Nesdale A (2004) ‘Promoting advanced ego development amongst adults.’ Journal of Adult Development, Vol. 11, No. 1: 19-27.

Acknowledgements

Not only did my professional career undergo a major turnaround when I came across John E. Sarno MD’s work, so did my own understanding of who I am and why I am as I am. My ‘work’ has now become my ‘life purpose’ and for that I am extremely grateful to Dr Sarno who lit the initial flame within me.

Since that time I have been so grateful for the kindness and support I have had from the Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) - now also known as the PPD community - over the years. This altruistic group of health professionals and recovered patients have worked hard over the years to enable this self-empowering approach to evolve and reach even further as we work to have it accepted into mainstream medicine.

More specifically I am indebted to Howard Schubiner, MD for his support, especially in the early days as I was finding my way without any peer support over this side of ‘the pond’. His invitation to stay at his home, when he organised the first ever conference for professionals interested in this field in 2009, was a sign of his kindness and generosity of spirit and I thank both Howard and his wife Val for that.

I would also like to thank Dave Clarke MD who kindly agreed to come on board as SIRPA’s™ International Clinical Adviser when we set up in 2010. His support during that time was invaluable and he too has given his time freely, not just by helping to brainstorm ideas but by attending a couple of our meetings in the UK.

‘Forest’, who has in his own time developed the absolutely outstanding www.tmswiki.org*, has also been a valuable ally since we first met in 2009 and I am hugely appreciative of both his support and his work in this field.

My own journey, which enabled me to be ready for this pioneering concept when I stumbled upon it, began well before I came across Dr Sarno’s work. My appreciation goes to all those people who have taught me so much over the years, including the authors of the numerous books, articles and studies I have read, other practitioners and, most of all, my own patients.

My thanks should also go to my husband and children who, to their credit, were very quickly 100% on board with my change in direction once they began to really see just how powerful the mind-body connection is and the difference this understanding can make to people’s lives, including our own.

There is a saying, ‘You teach best what you most need to learn’. That has certainly been the case for me and I know this philosophy has helped not only improve my own health and wellbeing, but those closest to me, and for that I will be forever grateful.

I would also like to thank those people who have helped me pull this book together, including my parents who offered to proofread it and then provided constructive feedback. My thanks also go to all the individuals who made the effort to write up their own recovery stories to share with, and inspire, readers of this book.

Specifically I would like to thank Richard Barrett for the wonderful cartoons he drew for this book. As an artist and someone who suffered from stress-induced pain, I thought he was the ideal person to ask to create the cartoons. I hope these will not only help readers to understand the content but also lighten up what at times can seem a ‘heavy’ subject.

Thank you too to Becca Luberoff, who worked tirelessly with Forest to help him develop the TMS Wiki and who, while working with Forest, kindly offered to look at the suggestions I had for the cover of this book. She then sent me an idea she had, which we actually used without having to change anything at all.

Finally I would like to thank my PRIDE team for their support and guidance over the past two years as we have followed our Purpose, while working to create Results and Inspire others in our Determination to Evolve and at the same time make a positive difference in the world.

In the words of one of my Spanish patients, the understanding my work provides through SIRPA™ is to help people learn to ‘live life with less resistance’. I believe this awareness is something we should all be taught from childhood in order to maintain our health and wellbeing, not just regain it when things have gone wrong and hopefully this will be the case in the not too distant future.

Georgie Oldfield MCSP, Physiotherapist & Founder of SIRPA™.

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* The TMS wiki is an online resource for people looking for support and guidance in this field and brings public and practitioners together.

Professional endorsements

‘It’s great to have such a competent and enthusiastic colleague in the UK.’

John E Sarno MD. Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine (retired), New York University School of Medicine. Bestselling writer of 4 books, including The Mindbody Prescription.

‘Chronic pain causes misery for millions - but what happens when the doctors can’t find either a cause or a cure? Could it be that they’re looking in the wrong place? As this fascinating book explains, while your pain may be real physically, very often the cause is emotional. When we repress our emotions - and how many of us were brought up to do just that - we’re setting up BIG problems for ourselves in the future. But our pain isn’t punishment - it’s our body’s way of trying to get our attention. And as leading chronic pain specialist Georgie Oldfield reveals, it’s only when we’re prepared to stop and listen to the messages our body is trying to share with us, that we have any real chance of achieving lasting healing. What makes this work particularly powerful is that not only does the reader get to understand the science behind this new way of thinking, but the exercises provided within its covers alone can provide real, long term relief.’

Olivia Stefanino. Author of Be Your Own Guru and creator of the Personal Enlightenment And Release Process.

‘Mrs Oldfield is an excellent physiotherapist who has developed a first-rate program for healing. I highly recommend this book if you are suffering from chronic non-structural pain. It is well written and contains everything you need to reverse stress-related illnesses’.

Howard Schubiner, MD. Professor, Wayne State University, Providence Hospital, Southfield, Michigan, USA. Author, Unlearn Your Pain.

‘One of every six adults has pain or other symptoms caused by Stress Illness. Millions of patients struggle to find qualified help when diagnostic tests fail to fully explain their condition and the usual treatments don’t help. Fortunately, Georgie Oldfield has years of experience successfully diagnosing and treating Stress Illness. Now in this book she explains the principles that can lead to relief in a way everyone can understand’.

David D. Clarke, MD. President, Psychophysiologic Disorders Association and author of They Can’t Find Anything Wrong!

‘Georgina has an infectious and warm disposition. She is passionate about the Mind-Body link and her dedication to establishing what is still not accepted in mainstream healthcare is admirable and refreshing. She believes she can make a difference and because her belief is unshakable she does make a difference! The world could do with a lot more people like her.’

Wayne Kampers MRCPsych. Consultant Psychiatrist, The Priory Hospital Roehampton, Priory Lane, London, SW15 5JJ & 127 Harley Street London W1G 6AZ.

‘This book is a gift to sufferers of chronic pain. Read the recovery stories and you’ll understand what I mean. The principles shared in this book are life changing and will also be of great value to anyone struggling to cope with the challenges of living in today’s hectic world.’

Griselda Togobo. Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker and founder of AWOVI Consulting.

Patient endorsements

At the age of twenty-nine, I began a seven-year battle with life-stealing, profoundly traumatic physical pain and limitation. For three of those seven years I found myself barely able to walk, unable to sit in a car, unable on very bad days to cut up my food. In fact, the pain pattern was so deep within me, that I had to live alone, and only saw two people a week - and then only for hour-long visits. The medical diagnoses included prolapsed disc, torn meniscus in my knee, collapsed metatarsal arch, fibromyalgia, possible complex regional pain syndrome, etc. In a word: devastating. But then I discovered Georgie and she quite literally gave me what I needed to turn my life around.

I attribute my time spent with her (after years of searching for solutions) to be what enabled me to recover and which has ultimately led me to being able to manage a pregnancy and have a son! She taught me to recognise the true nature of pain: where it is really coming from, why it is doing that, and how to stop it. Her knowledge in this field is deep and extensive and her approach to this work is very inspiring. Not only is she hugely approachable, but she is also full of integrity and intelligent insight, personal humility and wisdom.

To move from being housebound, crippled by pain, and unable to spend time with others, to being a married mother of one . . . well, it was beyond my wildest dreams. I don’t have enough words to thank her. But, I am planning a visit to see her soon and hope that a cuddle with my beautiful, blue-eyed boy will say it better than I ever can.

So, here is my bottom line to anyone reading this note: if you’ve picked up this book, you have just put yourself squarely on the road to a successful recovery. How fab is that?!

Amelia Petrie

I had occasional back pain for years and then severe back pain/sciatica for about six months in 2010. I couldn’t sleep or work for it and was frightened all the time. I thought my life was over and I would never be able to do the things I needed to do, let alone the things I loved doing. I had even started to consider suicide. Eventually I had an MRI which showed a ‘massive prolapsed disc’ compressing the nerves on both sides. I declined surgery because by then I had found out about TMS/Stress Illness.

I followed Georgie’s programme and within weeks I was getting significantly less pain. Within about two months I was pain free and within the next few months the other symptoms I had also resolved. I was able to get back to all my normal activities and have started lots of new ones too, including open water swimming and running.

Marie Lovell.

After suffering from severe back pain and anxiety and depression, I was constantly seeking a cure for my pain (which became very expensive) and I was finding I had bad reactions to pain medication. I felt a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders when I finally met Georgie and she assessed me. At first I was naturally sceptical but now I realise it was the best approach. I am now virtually pain free and would highly recommend Georgie and the SIRPA™ programme. It all clicked into place when I read the programme. I still read it and I am much more active now because I used to be unable to go outside. I hope you will find help from Georgie, whom I highly recommend.

Hazel CrossHazel Cross.

Georgie, I really cannot thank you enough for pointing me in the right direction. My life is so much easier now I’m free of any pain. It is really quite remarkable how profound the effect suppressed emotions can have on the body, often even without us being aware of them at all. I am now completely free of any pain, I can touch my toes with ease and play with my son - massive goals when I came to see you. I wish you the best of luck. Keep up the good work - we need more people like you to shift people’s perspective.

Daniel Dybosky-Bryant.

When I ‘injured’ my back lifting weights, I went through the normal route of physio and chiropractic treatments, but nothing seemed to make any permanent difference: the pain just stayed and even moved around. It impacted my life so badly that I couldn’t sit or stand for very long (even lying on the floor at dinner parties!).

After discovering the work of John Sarno, MD and TMS, I began to think differently about my bulging discs and the pain began to ease. Things improved more with Georgie, who helped me look at my day-to-day thinking patterns and behaviours and how these can keep the pain cycle going. Learning how to journal and to meditate helped me become aware of my thoughts and what my wandering mind was up to.

Richard Barrett.

From conventional to pioneering

‘What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.’

Ralph Waldo Emerson

My journey as a physiotherapist began in 1983 but it is the years since 2007 that have been most rewarding because that was when I came across Dr John E Sarno’s work in New York and the condition he called tension myoneural (and previously myositis) syndrome (or