Thread by @TheStoryOfPain

Dr Sarno was often dismissed for not doing randomized control trials of his work. Data only has value if we make sense of it. We can also make sense of the data and evidence that exists. rumur.com/if-stress-is-t…

When we observe patterns, like the idea that unaddressed trauma from childhood has negative health impacts, we can work to address that trauma to reduce those impacts. If addressing that trauma leads to alleviation of illness we can build our understanding. Dr Sarno did this.

He saw profound results. In our film “All The Rage” we looked at patterns of wealth disparity and saw that it rose at a rate similar to the rise in the pain epidemic. This fact does not “prove” a connection between pain and inequality but it does indicate it should be looked at.

When we combine that data with the data compiled in the ACE study the story gets more complex. If wealth inequality leads to the kind of stresses that lead to adverse childhood events; divorce, abuse, a parent in prison, death of a parent, the link becomes more clear.

If we add in awareness that our sense of our place, and our own value, in the world we can see how expectation might play a role- the expectation that we do a little better than our parents. If economic circumstances make that less likely and we need more support it can impact

Our sense of our well being. This can be especially true if that sense of not doing well enough has negative impacts on our core relationships. If we are blind to those impacts, that in itself can be somewhat traumatic. To hold a view that we are failing at life is stressful

As Dr Sarno realized, the stresses and strains of life can be severely impactful especially if we put unreasonable pressures on ourselves to perform or “succeed”. Some of this pressure often forms due to expectations established in childhood, some due to trauma.

Those expectations come to feel like “who we are”. To fail is to experience a sense of danger which puts the body into fight or flight- and when we fail to differentiate between a physical and emotional threat we can get our foot stuck on the gas petal of fear.

In the post that starts this tweet there’s an examination of stats related to Lupus. Women get it 2x men, Asian women 2x white women, Latinx women 3x, Black women 4x. That’s a chart of relative privilege = relative demand for repression in order to avoid conflict.

If there another explanation I’d love to see it. The same website states that stress can’t cause Lupus - but that it exacerbates it. @DrGaborMate makes the connection between stress/denial of one’s authentic self with auto immune diseases.

All of the auto immune diseases have no clear cause, however all the “experts” agree that stress can’t “cause” them. Correlation is not causation. However, the mind body interaction is a complex issue. Causation may be much more multi-factorial than we want to believe.

In 2005 I almost died from an MRSA infection. This is a multi resistant bacteria infection. These bacteria can be a big problem in hospitals where people have compromised immune systems. I thought I might have gotten it when I was with my wife after a procedure for a miscarriage.

I made a video about that experience. It was only later that I realized I very likely got it because my immune system was compromised by grief from the loss of the miscarriage. I’m not do good at grief. vimeo.com/193208231

When scientists are trained to look for singular causes that can be isolated in randomized control trials that don’t examine emotional/ economic / social factors- that data may have a patina of clarity. Still data that doesn’t factor in emotions is thin if emotions are a factor.

If we are only looking for a gene, a parasite, an abnormality, a virus/bacteria- and are ignoring social, economic, cultural, and mental health aspects then we aren’t practicing “health care”. Our minds are not separate from our bodies, or our social/family situation.

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