What’s more effective at treating chronic back pain: the usual standard of care, a placebo, or psychotherapy? That’s the question Yoni Ashar, PhD, sought to answer in his latest randomized clinical trial. Join us as Dr. Ashar talks through the results of his study and breaks down what it all means for people in pain.
After 10 years of conflicting diagnoses and mysterious flare-ups, Dr. Etrian Lim had no idea whether she’d ever find relief from the litany of symptoms that plagued her. She found herself having to lie down between seeing patients, going to her own medical appointments almost daily, and occasionally using a wheelchair. Join us as Dr. Lim shares what’s happened over the past year that led her to 80% symptom reduction and a quality of life she never thought she could find again.
Have you ever felt that you simply don’t have the time, resources, or emotional bandwidth that it would take to heal? You’re not alone. In fact, according to Dr. Trung Ngo, this is one of the most common barriers to healing success. From his experiences as a refugee from Vietnam to his clinical work with complex, chronic diseases, Dr. Ngo has gained a deep understanding of the process of overcoming hardships. He shares an exciting new tool he’s using with patients to help them create a safe spac...
Nathan has struggled with symptoms of back pain, IBS, fatigue, and a laundry list of other ailments since the mid-90s. In this episode, he shares about his experience with John Sarno’s book 'Healing Back Pain', his subsequent discovery of how the science has evolved since the book was written, and his life-changing journey of rewiring and reducing all of his symptoms. Tune in to hear about his routine with the Curable app, experience with Nicole Sachs’s 'Journal Speak' technique, and more.
For 20 years, Stefanie Reyes has navigated life with IBS, migraines, fibromyalgia, panic attacks, anxiety, and depression. Today, she's optimistic that the next 20 years will look very different. After living life at what she calls 30 percent of herself for two decades, Stefanie shares her hopes and plans for a future with less fear, more joy, and radical authenticity.
Millions of children struggle with persistent symptoms. Millions more watch their parents or loved ones struggle. What they see, hear, and experience during these formative years will have a lasting impact on their adult experience of pain. What can we do to make sure the next generation responds to pain in a healthier way than the generations before them? Dr. Joshua Pate joins us to explore possible solutions.
Dr. Les Aria found his love in an unlikely place - a chronic pain clinic. For the past 16 years, Dr. Aria’s passion been helping skeptics to believe that pain psychology can help to reduce their physical symptoms. Dr. Aria serves as the Lead Pain Psychologist at Kaiser Permanente Medical Group in Northern California, and has helped countless patients put doubt in their pocket and open their minds to a new way of thinking about pain. Join us to hear more about his unique approach.
Taking care of yourself is a resilient act, one that requires vulnerability, rest, and compassion -- that’s the advice that Kamil Lewis, AMFT, gives to her clients who are struggling with chronic pain. In this episode, Kamil offers validation and guidance on navigating experiences that contribute to chronic pain, like oppression, marginalization, and burnout. Join us to learn tips on building community, acknowledging the challenges you've faced, and reigniting your sex life in the face of chroni...
Why do modern pain science and treatment seem so different from one another right now? As a physician and consultant, Dr. Deepak Ravindran observes this gap across thousand of pain patients, providers, and organizations each year. On this episode, he explains how pain patients and practitioners alike can achieve better outcomes by closing their knowledge gaps about how pain really works. Join us to learn about the difference between pain and nociception, what fibromyalgia has in common with back...
Every day, we move through life unconsciously processing a wide range of emotions and anxieties. Whether we realize it or not, the way we handle (or don’t handle) these stresses produces a physiological response in the body. Dr. Allan Abbass explains how this works, why it’s important to understand, and how it leads so many folks down the path to chronic symptoms.
After recovering from 20 years of chronic migraine, mindful meditation and self compassion expert Jessica Dixon simply couldn’t go back to “life as she knew it.” Her healing journey had changed the way she experienced life physically, mentally, and emotionally. Deep down, she knew it was time for her talents to be redirected towards helping others find their own way down the healing path. Join us as Jessica shares her journey from chronic migraine sufferer to mindful self compassion coach, medit...
The road to recovery from chronic pain is unique for everyone. But according to Christie Uipi, the journey almost always holds a few predictable twists. As the former Associate Director of the Pain Psychology Center, Christie helped hundreds transform their relationship to pain.
Nicoles Sachs is no stranger to chronic pain. After overcoming her own physical pain and transforming her life, she knew that her calling would be to help others do the same. Her unique approach to doing that doesn’t involve pills or years of therapy; it simply requires an open mind, a pen, and a piece of paper. Join us as Nicole explains her philosophy and guides you how to use her “Journal Speak” techniques at home.
INTRODUCING: Tell Me About Your Pain, a new Curable podcast. In this episode: Chronic pain sufferers share their struggles with navigating Coronavirus anxiety. Kristin grapples with feelings of uncertainty, while Bethany has a difficult time cultivating a sense of safety during the global pandemic of Covid-19. Co-hosts Alan Gordon, LCSW (Founder of the Pain Psychology Center) and Alon Ziv help Kristin and Bethany calm their fears, and discuss how these anxieties connect back to the latest resear...
Dr. Bethany Ranes is a research scientist with a background in cognitive neuroscience. She’s currently working on a project that could dramatically change the future of healthcare for chronic pain patients. Her team at UnitedHealth Group Research and Development is tasked with significantly improving chronic pain patient outcomes over the next 10 years. And to do that, they’re building a new system: one that’s more reflective of modern pain science and one that treats patients from a biological,...
Grace Theisen is a musician, songwriter, entrepreneur, and activist - all of which are parts of her identity that got shoved to the side after she woke up one day with excruciating pain in her back. A pain that stuck around for the next seven years despite two intensive surgeries and thousands of dollars worth of treatment. Today, Grace has a pretty good idea of where it came from and why it kept getting worse, but it took her nearly a decade to get these answers and find a way to gain control o...
Neuroscientist, writer, consultant, and coach Dr. Alex Korb. Dr. Korb has studied the brain for over 15 years. The more closely he studies conditions like depression, anxiety, chronic pain, and addiction, the more he realizes that they’re not so separate from one another. Join us as Dr. Korb explains how the brain gets stuck in downward spirals and how we can play a role in turning them upside down. Advisory: This episode contains a brief story about suicide. If you are not in a position to list...
Fiona has spent the last 25 years of her life battling serious health issues. The most disabling of those issues for her has been ME, or as many people know it, chronic fatigue syndrome. ME/CFS has severely limited Fiona's energy and mobility for the past 14 years. There’s a lot more to her story than just her illnesses and the burdens that they have placed on her life; but today, that’s the topic she’s here to speak about. After years of suffering, Fiona has found a way to work with her body th...
When it comes to pelvic floor dysfunction, Evelyn Hecht has seen it all in her 20+ years of experience: pain with sex, vulvodynia, interstitial cystitis, urinary frequency, pain associated with endometriosis, pudendal neuralgia, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, post-surgical symptoms, and more. Throughout her career, she has found that the journey OUT of pain is just as unique and individual as the journey INTO pain. That's why she treats her patients with a more holistic approach, lookin...
Lowri has experienced some form of pain or illness since she was a child. Over the years, her symptoms have taken many forms - including vulvodynia, endometriosis pain, IBS, migraines, and more. After years of various treatments, she resigned herself to the fact that she'd simply be in pain forever. Last year, all of that changed. Join us as Lowri shares her stunning journey into self-discovery, healing, and hope.
Dr. Murphy has spent the bulk of her career scaling safe, effective ways to treat chronic pain at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. As the VA’s master trainer in cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain, Dr. Murphy has helped to train over 500 healthcare practitioners in a whole-person treatment approach. She also served as clinical director for the VA's only inpatient chronic pain treatment program and has helped expand access to similar programs in VA. Today, she’ll give u...
As a physical therapist and yoga therapist, Katie Estridge has always been interested in treating her patients as whole-minded individuals. Depending on a patient’s needs, her unique approach will draw from pain science, traditional rehabilitation exercise, meditation, gentle yoga flows, and more. Though her techniques have helped many to live a better life, she’s only recently discovered the missing piece in her own struggle with chronic pain: the ability to connect her lifelong grief and long-...
John Stracks, MD, has been helping patients overcome their chronic pain for over a decade. Then last year, during a particularly stressful period of his life, he faced a case of symptoms that he couldn’t immediately solve. The patient? Himself. Join us as Dr. Stracks takes a journey inward: re-learning how to listen to his body, finding new ways to move on from his past, and discovering lessons to pass along to his patients.
David Schechter, MD, runs his medical practice at the intersection of two seemingly conflicting fields: sports medicine and mindbody medicine. After a brush with mindbody symptoms of his own, Dr. Schechter was treated by Dr. John Sarno during his residency - an experience that would shape the way he approaches injury and rehabilitation. Now, in his own practice, Dr. Schechter works with athletes and individuals to help them tease out what’s physical about their symptoms, whether psychology could...
Nikki, a former hairstylist and esthetician, is no stranger to pain. After working on her feet for hours a day, she endured excruciating symptoms in her shoulders, neck, hands, and wrists. Her search for relief spanned years, and proved to be mostly fruitless. Then one day, she saw an ad for Curable - an app that would transform her outlook on pain and her relationship to her body in ways she never imagined.
Could daily 'mind training’ be the simple answer to a life of health and happiness? Dr. Dan Siegel thinks so. That’s why he developed the “wheel of awareness” - a practice he outlines in his latest New York Times Bestselling book “Aware.” Join us as Dr. Siegel explains how he developed the wheel, and why he believes that mind training practices like this one are a giant piece of the puzzle when it comes to chronic pain.
Recovering perfectionist Katie has always held herself to high standards. But after giving birth to two little boys, she soon realized that perfection and parenting don’t mix. In today’s episode, Katie explains how the pressure to be a perfect wife, mother, and businesswoman led to the development of frightening physical symptoms, and how cutting herself some slack became the key to finding relief.
New York Times Bestselling author and investigative journalist Cathryn Jakobson Ramin spent 6 years researching back pain. Join us as she discusses the startling discoveries she made about the $100 billion dollar back pain industry, including: why largely ineffective spine surgery is still performed regularly, and what the data really says about the effectiveness of injections, chiropractic treatment, physical therapy, posture, the role of the brain, the role of exercise, the emotional component...
Rachel had an unconventional job: climbing trees for a living. But when her knee pain and shoulder pain start to spread throughout her body, she had no choice but to stop working for several months. Plagued by tingling in her arms, back pain, neck pain, chest pain, and an array of other symptoms, Rachel was finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia. After the drugs she was prescribed failed to make a difference, Rachel turned to yet another physician for answers. After two hours in the doctor’s office...
This guided meditation will help you witness the way that your body stores emotion and stress. You will be guided to connect the physical sensations in your body with the thoughts, feelings, and memories that may be keeping these sensations stuck. This awareness provides a great foundation to work through the core issues that may be contributing to your experience of physical pain. This 15-minute guided meditation is a part of the Curable app. If you’d like to build upon the realizations you’ve ...
