The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders

by John E. Sarno

We know from experience that the theoretical wall, the barrier separating the conscious from the unconscious mind, cannot be breached from below—that is, the rage will not break through into consciousness—but there is nothing to stop us from intellectually breaching the barrier from above, from saying, “I can use my imagination and think of my unconscious as the basement of my mind. I know what’s down there even though I can’t see or hear it. I have been taught to recognize the inhabitants of my unconscious mind, in all of their dangerous, unflattering detail.” And the unconscious response might be, “He/she has found out what he/she wasn’t supposed to know, and has discovered the closely guarded secret about the rage and other painful or threatening emotions, like hurt and sadness, that go back to childhood. The cover has been blown on this covert operation, so there’s no sense in continuing the pain.”