Why is pain helpful? How do we distinguish between different kinds of pain? How can we be cognizant of when we’re acting to protect ourselves, and when those protective instincts becomes routines that guide our thinking? And why does the world have so many golf courses?

In this episode, Kahran and Divya discuss pain and the ecosystem that exists around it, both why pain is needed for learning, and where pain and addiction start to intersect. The idea of the mind-body connection comes up in the context of Kahran’s experiences with Forrest Yoga, and Divya talks about some of her experiences while discussing the book Body Keeps Score, available here: https://www.besselvanderkolk.com/resources/the-body-keeps-the-score

Divya also mentions (and misremembers some of the details) of the study, Rats Prefer Social Interaction to Heroin or Methamphetamine, available here: https://nida.nih.gov/news-events/nida-notes/2019/08/rats-prefer-social-interaction-to-heroin-or-methamphetamine

Kahran also briefly mentions the book In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts in the context of addiction, available here: https://drgabormate.com/book/in-the-realm-of-hungry-ghosts/

Theme music is by Steve Combs, available here: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Steve_Combs/Steve_Combs_Premium_Preview_EP_1325/06__Steve_Com