Over the years, one of the biggest lessons I have learned is that the body is rarely just a mechanical system.
When someone is living with persistent pain, skin problems, digestive issues, anxiety or other chronic symptoms, it is easy to look only at the physical body. And of course, the physical body matters. Structure matters. Nutrition matters. Lifestyle matters. Movement matters.
But the longer I have worked with people, the more clearly I have seen that the mind, emotions, nervous system and body are deeply connected.
This year has taken me on a much deeper journey into that connection through MindBody medicine.
It is not a new subject for me. I was first introduced to MindBody medicine over 20 years ago through my studies at The CHEK Institute, and it has fascinated me ever since.
Over the years, I have helped many people using MindBody approaches through my work as a CHEK Practitioner, BodyTalk Practitioner and Emotion Code Practitioner.
But in 2026, I felt drawn to explore this field in much greater depth.
At the start of the year, I read Bill Moyers’ book, Healing and the Mind. Around the same time, I came across the work of Dr John Sarno from three separate sources, including Amy Lansky’s book, Living in Synchrony — and watch out for an upcoming podcast interview with Amy.
That led me to read four of Dr Sarno’s books on what he called Tension Myoneural Syndrome, or TMS for short.
TMS was the term Dr Sarno used to describe pain that is not primarily caused by structural damage, but by unconscious, repressed emotions and nervous system tension. In other words, the pain is very real, but the root cause may not be where the person thinks it is.
I also came across the work of Nicole Sachs, a former patient of Dr Sarno. Nicole healed from severe, debilitating lower back pain after being diagnosed with spondylolisthesis, and she has gone on to continue and develop Dr Sarno’s work in a way that has helped thousands of people around the world.
While I was exploring the work of Dr Sarno and Nicole Sachs, I was also completing my certification in The Body Code, the second level of training from Dr Bradley Nelson, who created The Emotion Code.
More recently, I have read Nicole’s book, Mind Your Body, and completed her training, The Sachs-Sarno Solution. This approach helps guide people through a process of identifying and releasing unconscious, repressed emotions that may be contributing to persistent pain and other ongoing symptoms.
Dr Sarno also spoke about what he called “TMS equivalents”. These are conditions that may not always show up as pain, but may still be linked to similar unconscious emotional and nervous system mechanisms. These can include issues such as skin conditions, including acne, eczema and psoriasis, gastrointestinal problems such as IBS, constipation and diarrhoea, as well as anxiety, tinnitus, vertigo and many others.
Of course, this does not mean every symptom is caused by repressed emotions, and it is always important to rule out serious pathology where appropriate. But I do believe that for many people with persistent pain, and some chronic health conditions, the MindBody connection is a missing piece that deserves far more attention.
One of the things I particularly like about Nicole’s work is that it gives the sufferer an active role in their own healing process.
That has always been important to me.
I do not believe people should be passive recipients of treatment forever. I believe people heal best when they are supported, educated and empowered to participate in their own recovery.
That is why I am really looking forward to adding this work, including The Sarno-Sachs Solution into my coaching sessions. It fits beautifully with the whole-person approach I have developed over many years, combining biomechanics, nutrition, lifestyle, emotional release, nervous system regulation and MindBody medicine.
The more I study this area, the more convinced I become that a large number of persistent pain cases are driven, at least in part, by TMS-type mechanisms. I also believe that some skin, digestive and nervous system-related conditions may have an emotional and MindBody component that is often overlooked.
So, if you are suffering with persistent pain, or one of the other conditions mentioned above, and you have not yet found a lasting solution, this may be an avenue worth exploring.
And if you know someone who has been struggling for a long time without answers, please feel free to forward this blog to them.
If you would like to know more, simply email me @ info@bodychek.co.uk and I’ll be happy to share more information.