Mind-Body Medicine, Dr. Sarno Approach
Education and Work Experience
Dr. Andrea Leonard-Segal is a board-certified rheumatologist and Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She graduated with distinction from the University of Michigan and the George Washington University School of Medicine, where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, the medical school equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa.
Dr. Leonard-Segal completed her residency in Internal Medicine at George Washington University Hospital and her fellowship in Rheumatic Diseases at Georgetown University Medical Center. She practiced general rheumatology and taught Georgetown’s rheumatology fellows for many years until she became interested in Mind-Body medicine in 1990 and was trained in Dr. John Sarno’s Approach to the treatment of chronic pain. . Â At that time, she dedicated her clinical practice to treating patients with Psycho-Physiological Disorders, transitioning her practice to the George Washington University Medical Center and the GW Center for Integrative Medicine.
In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Leonard-Segal educates GWU residents and medical students and has served on a GW Medical Center research committee focused on assessing Integrative Medicine. She is skilled in clinical trial design and analyst and served as a Division Director at the Food and Drug Administration from 2005 – 2013.
Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) Treatment
Dr. Leonard-Segal has been treating patients with Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) since 1991 and collaborated closely with Dr. John E. Sarno for over 20 years. Dr. Sarno trained her in TMS diagnosis and treatment, regularly referring patients to her throughout their professional relationship and even after his retirement. He invited her to contribute a chapter to his book “The Divided Mind “. Â Beyond their professional ties, they developed a personal friendship. In “The Divided Mind”, Dr. Sarno praised Dr. Leonard-Segal, stating, “We are extremely fortunate to have Dr. Segal’s contribution to this volume. She is an erudite rheumatologist and a clinician of great warmth.”
At GWCIM
Dr. Leonard-Segal is seeing patients seeking Dr. Sarno’s TMS treatment approach. Dr. Leonard-Segal is the most senior physician at GWCIM, having joined the team 25 years ago. She has been continuously seeing patients since then. She is passionate about bringing all her wisdom and compassion, as well as a rigorous medical approach, to patients suffering from chronic pain.
Books and Research
In 2016, it was Dr. Segal’s great honor to have been given an opportunity to make the presentation at the Columbia University Medical Center Psychosomatic Conference: ‘Healing Unexplainable Pain paying tribute to Dr. Sarno’s life’s work and achievements. Dr. Segal was also interviewed in the documentary film about Dr. Sarno entitled, ‘All The Rage’, which premiered in 2016. Dr. Leonard-Segal has published in peer-reviewed academic journals in rheumatology and drug development.Â
In 2023 Dr. Leonar-Segal co-authored and published a book about Dr. John Sarno’s and his approach legacy – “This is really a wonderful book. Not only do you get to hear from Sarno’s closest students about what it was like to work with him and his courageous innovations in mind/body medicine, but each of them has their own unique and very valuable contributions. I learned a lot about how to work with and understand mind/body symptoms. Highly recommended!“
