The Great Pain Deception
Steve Ray Ozanich’s book The Great Pain Deception: Faulty Medical Advice is Making Us Worse is a compelling expedition into the late Dr. John Sarno’s seminal work on TMS, The Mindbody Syndrome, examined through the lens of radical belief shifts.
Ozanich builds upon the work of Dr. John Sarno, arguing that suppressed emotions, like fear and anger — not structural (physical) damage — are the true causes of chronic symptoms. Drawing on his personal journey of healing from decades of severe pain, he offers a provocative take on recovery, urging readers to challenge their conditioned beliefs.
Pause here and take a deep breath. Place a hand on your heart. Say to yourself on the exhale: 'My body is not broken.'
Rather than focusing on symptom management, Ozanich’s approach is deeply psychological, exploring the power of belief, identity, and fear in maintaining pain. He highlights how neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to rewire pain pathways — plays a crucial role in recovery. His work raises important questions about how deeply the mind influences the body — and how much of our suffering is rooted in subconscious resistance. While his approach has helped many, some find his methods intense or even confrontational.
This book summary distills the key insights from his work in a way that allows you to explore them at your own pace, in a way that feels supportive.
The Mindbody Connection in Chronic Pain
Ozanich shares his personal journey of overcoming decades of debilitating pain and shares stories from others who have healed through fully accepting the mindbody connection. Rather than focusing on formal research or structured case studies, he draws from lived experiences to illustrate how pain persists when we fear it and diminishes when we stop engaging with it mentally.
He shares how he used the theory of TMS and the work of Dr John Sarno to overcome his own chronic pain. This concept of TMS – The Mindbody Syndrome, pioneered by Sarno (previously known as: Tension Myoneural Syndrome) – is a condition where repressed underlying stressors and buried emotions can trigger physical symptoms.
The pain is a distraction to keep you from feeling something else, something more threatening to the unconscious mind.
Dr. John Sarno
While Ozanich credits Sarno’s work as the foundation of his healing, he takes the discussion beyond structural explanations of pain, exploring the subconscious mechanisms that keep symptoms active. His work is more experiential, sharing his own journey rather than Sarno’s strictly clinical research. Ozanich urges readers to challenge their entire conditioned belief system about pain and suffering. The insights and theories Ozanich presents offer a powerful lens for understanding neuroplasticity and how the brain can unlearn and relearn patterns.
Chronic Pain and Emotional Healing
The insights in The Great Pain Deception build on the principles of mindbody healing and focus primarily on the role of belief, fear, and activity in chronic pain recovery. Ozanich reinforces the idea that chronic illness is primarily driven by emotions and beliefs rather than structural damage. His approach to healing focuses on fully accepting the mindbody connection, resuming normal activities, and shifting away from fear-based pain responses. He shows how chronic illness (in his case, chronic pain) is often linked to patterns of self-denial, emotional suppression, and unresolved anger.
- Healing requires shifting out of fear-based thinking and re-engaging with life as if the pain were not dangerous.
Ozanich emphasizes that healing requires a shift from focusing on symptoms to living as though the body is already well. Pain is not an enemy — it is a conditioned response that loses power when we stop engaging with it in the same way.
If you’re exploring these ideas and wondering where to start, my First Steps to Recovery Mini-Course is designed to help you begin to reconnect with yourself in a compassionate and structured way. The healing journey begins with understanding and safety.
The Cognitive Model: an Emphasis on Beliefs Work
Ozanich’s approach to healing is bold and, at times, confronting. His philosophy aligns with what we might call “The Cognitive Model”, which emphasises shifting beliefs as the primary driver of healing. This cognitive-first approach prioritises resuming physical activity, breaking the fear of symptoms, and accepting the mindbody connection fully.
Dr John Sarno himself had a somewhat tough-love approach, similar to this in many ways although not quite as extreme as Ozanich. Others in the TMS space, encourage a similar “just believe it” mentality — focusing on changing perception rather than engaging deeply with emotions. Ozanich pushes himself to resume heavy physical activity despite extreme pain. While this method has been transformational for many, it can feel overwhelming — or even counterproductive — for those who have not yet fully understood and integrated the mindbody connection.
The Role of Emotion in Healing
One of the key differences between The Cognitive Model and the Mind Body Spirit approach I use is the inclusion of emotional processing. While Ozanich and others in the cognitive-first space focus almost exclusively on shifting thoughts to break the cycle of pain and symptoms, I have found that healing is most effective when cognitive work is accompanied by somatic healing and followed by deeper emotional integration.
While belief shifts are an important early steps of the journey, lasting healing unfolds in phases — first by reshaping thoughts, and working somatically to restore a sense of safety, and then by working with the root cause of symptoms and processing stressors and emotions.
True recovery happens at your own pace, in a way that feels safe for you. You don’t have to force anything or push yourself beyond what feels right. Healing is about finding the balance between cognitive awareness and emotional self-compassion.
The subconscious mind holds onto pain for reasons we can’t always see — old fears, survival instincts, deep-seated identity beliefs. Letting go isn’t about force — it’s about surrendering the need to control.
Steve Ozanich
The Perfectionist-Pain Cycle
Ozanich argues that many chronic pain sufferers share common personality traits that contribute to their symptoms:
- Perfectionism and self-criticism
- People-pleasing and the need for external validation
- Repressed anger and difficulty expressing emotions
One of the case studies Ozanich shares is about a man who spent years trying every physical treatment available for his debilitating back pain. He followed every piece of medical advice, yet his condition worsened. Eventually, he discovered Dr. Sarno’s work and realised that his pain was connected to deep-seated emotional patterns—years of repressing anger, fear, and grief. When he began addressing these emotions, his pain diminished, and he was able to return to a full life.
For many of us with chronic illness, perfectionism is not just about achievement—it’s about safety. We may have learned that being “good” and “in control” will protect us from pain, rejection, or even worsening symptoms. But healing is not about control — it’s about learning self-acceptance and allowing emotions to move through us rather than suppressing them.
The Philosophy Behind The Great Pain Deception
The Great Pain Deception explores the philosophical and psychological dimensions of healing. Ozanich examines how self-identity, personality traits, and subconscious survival mechanisms contribute to chronic pain. He draws from Jungian psychology, particularly the concept of the shadow — the hidden, suppressed aspects of ourselves.
“Pain is a reflection of the parts of ourselves we are too afraid to see.” — Steve Ozanich
According to Ozanich, chronic pain is not just a distraction but a direct expression of the shadow self. When we suppress emotions like anger, grief, or shame, they don’t simply disappear—they find expression in the body. Pain, in this view, is not just a defense mechanism; it is an invitation to look at the deeper aspects of ourselves that we have disowned.
Ozanich argues that we must dissolve the false beliefs that keep us in fear. He urges readers to fully embrace the mindbody diagnosis, let go of symptom-focused thinking, and step into a life no longer dictated by fear of pain. His philosophy is deeply experiential — he doesn’t just present theories; he shares his own healing journey, as well as the stories of others who have freed themselves from chronic pain through radical acceptance of the mindbody connection.
Key Psychological Insights from Ozanich’s Work:
- The Shadow and Repressed Emotions: Pain is often a manifestation of the parts of ourselves we deny—anger, grief, fear, and unmet needs that we push into the subconscious. The more we resist these emotions, the more the body creates symptoms as a defense mechanism.
- The Role of the Subconscious: Pain is maintained by deep-seated beliefs about safety, suffering, and identity. Ozanich explores how early life experiences and conditioning create unconscious patterns that reinforce chronic symptoms.
- Fear and the Cycle of Pain: Healing is not just about uncovering emotions but about breaking the habit of fear. Fear of pain itself keeps the nervous system engaged in a chronic stress response, reinforcing symptoms.
While The Great Pain Deception is not a book about structured therapeutic techniques, it offers a powerful philosophical reframe for those struggling with chronic symptoms. Ozanich does not focus on symptom relief techniques but instead urges readers to live as though they are already healed, shifting attention away from pain and toward life. His approach challenges traditional healing methods, making his work both compelling and, at times, polarizing.
For those open to exploring the deeper psychological roots of pain — including identity, belief systems, and subconscious resistance — his book offers a radical perspective.
Key Takeaways from the Book
The central message of The Great Pain Deception is that chronic pain is not just a physical issue — it is a learned response, reinforced by fear, identity, and conditioning. Ozanich challenges the idea that the body is damaged and instead reframes pain as a protective mechanism. He rejects the medical approach of symptom management, arguing instead that true recovery happens when we stop fearing pain and start fully engaging with life. Some key insights include:
- Pain is a learned response, not a sign of structural damage. The body is not broken—chronic pain is maintained by fear and subconscious conditioning.
- Healing does not come from fixing the body, but from changing belief systems. The more we focus on symptoms, the more they persist.
- Fear reinforces pain. The key to recovery is shifting focus away from symptoms, and stopping symptom management.
If these ideas resonate, know that you don’t need to push through a full book to understand them. This summary provides the key insights so you can explore them at your own pace, in a way that feels safe. Healing is not about striving for intellectual understanding—it’s about shifting your relationship with fear and trust, one step at a time.
If these ideas feel meaningful but also overwhelming to navigate alone, I’d love to support you. Healing happens when you feel safe enough to reconnect with yourself. If you’re looking for guidance, you're welcome to explore my First Steps to Recovery - designed to support you with self-compassion and care. If it feels right, click to discover the Mini-Course.
Meet the Author: Steve Ozanich
Steve Ozanich is a writer, speaker, and TMS advocate who healed himself from decades of chronic pain through the teachings of Dr. John Sarno.
Ozanich’s personal journey with chronic back pain spanned nearly 30 years, during which he endured debilitating symptoms and sought answers within the medical community, only to find that conventional treatments provided no lasting relief. A pivotal moment occurred when his then-wife, introduced him to Dr. John Sarno’s work, urging him to consider the mindbody approach. Initially skeptical, Ozanich eventually embraced Sarno’s teachings, leading to profound healing through acceptance of TMS. This transformative experience became the foundation of his book, The Great Pain Deception, which focuses on helping others see the psychological roots of pain.
You are not broken. Your body is on your side.
Amari's Perspective
Steve Ozanich’s approach to healing is highly controversial. He advocates pushing through pain with full conviction in the TMS diagnosis. I do not encourage “pushing through” in my approach. Many people with chronic symptoms are in a state of nervous system dysregulation, and I believe that healing should be approached with care, self-compassion, and safety. For some, his tone can feel intense, even confrontational, and this approach may not resonate — especially for those who are in deep pain and need a more gentle way of working with their symptoms.
That said, there is no doubt that Ozanich is brilliant. His deep study of TMS, his ability to synthesise complex ideas, and his philosophical take on pain and the subconscious make this book a fascinating resource for those looking to expand their understanding of mindbody healing and brain training.
Personally, one of the things I enjoyed about The Great Pain Deception was Ozanich’s sense of humour. I found myself laughing at times — not just because he’s witty, but because there’s a kind of comradeship in the way he writes about the recovery journey. His style is bold, unfiltered, and at times irreverent, which can be refreshing when you’ve spent years all alone with the heaviness of symptoms. But I also know that some people struggle with his style and with his approach.
In many ways, Steve Ozanich’s book might be like the British spread Marmite — you either love it or you hate it!
Next Steps: Where to Go From Here
Take your time with these insights—there’s no need to rush. Healing unfolds gradually, through revisiting what resonates and allowing new understandings to settle when you’re ready.
If this book summary has sparked something in you, here are some gentle ways to continue exploring:
✨ A Guided Healing Practice – Short, accessible exercises on the blog designed to help shift you out of fight-flight-freeze and into a space of ease.
🌿 Visit the Resources Hub – A dedicated space where you’ll find blog posts, guided healing practices, in-depth articles, and mini-courses to support your mindbody healing journey.
Trust that you’re already on the path. Healing isn’t about urgency or forcing progress — it’s about creating space for yourself and moving forward in a way that feels safe and supportive.
You are already enough. This is the beginning of something beautiful. 💗
