Dr. Adam Dorsay introduces an episode of SuperPsyched featuring physician Dr. Howard Schubiner discussing his updated book, Unlearn Your Pain, and evidence-based approaches to chronic pain that avoid medication or surgery. Schubiner recounts his path from academic medicine to learning from Dr. John Sarno and explains how pain can persist without tissue damage due to neuroplastic neural circuits shaped by stress, emotion, and life experiences, with pain sometimes worsening via nocebo effects from medical messaging and MRI interpretations. He describes criteria suggesting non-structural pain and research indicating most chronic back/neck pain cases may be neuroplastic despite abnormal imaging. Schubiner outlines treatment steps: accurate diagnosis, education about brain-based pain, pain reprocessing therapy to reduce fear and build safety signals, and emotional awareness and expression therapy to address underlying emotions and trauma, citing clinical stories and randomized controlled trial support.

00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched

00:28 Chronic Pain Problem

01:13 Meet Howard Schubiner

02:33 Sarno Origin Story

04:37 Sarno Theory Explained

06:53 How Pain Is Learned

11:21 Compassion and Root Causes

12:34 Pain as Social Justice

15:43 Placebo Nocebo Power

19:17 MRI Words and Nocebo

21:09 Adam Sciatica Story

22:27 When Surgery Helps

23:10 Fibromyalgia Is Real

23:17 Neuroplastic Pain Evidence

23:56 MRI Study Contradiction

26:35 Is It All In Head

27:30 Brain Creates Pain

29:12 Back Pain Recovery Story

31:50 Sensitivity And Temperament

34:02 Peacemaker Pain Pattern

35:33 Endometriosis And Boundaries

39:40 Treatment Steps Overview

42:25 Emotional Expression Therapy

45:05 Movement And Farewell

Helpful Links:

Unlearn Your Pain Website

Unlearn Your Pain Book

Episode 84 - Unlearning Your Pain | Howard Schubinder, MD

The Science Behind The Symptoms Podcast