Why Dr. Sarno Was Anti-Placebo

Dr. Sarno did not recommend placebos. He actually warned against them. For several reasons: The effect of placebos is almost always temporary. The pain or symptoms usually come back later. You are susceptible to the symptom imperative, you might get a symptom substitute. So, if a placebo made you decide that your back is cured, you’ll get another symptom, physical or emotional, so that the distraction from your emotions can continue. Dr. Sarno even made the bold claim that if a TMS condition is cured through a placebo, the brain may later create an even more serious condition, such as cancer. Another reason why placebos may stifle your healing is that they do not acknowledge the root cause, which is the repressed emotions, primarily rage. They further distract you from the root cause. So they are another distraction. They keep you looking outside of yourself for solutions when the solution is inside. And the temporary effect gives you the illusion that they are working so you keep pursuing them more and more. They keep you on a treadmill.