Sounds True: Insights at the Edge [ENCORE EPISODE] Jon Kabat-Zinn: Befriending Pain
14 snips
Nov 6, 2025 
Join Jon Kabat-Zinn, a pioneer of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and acclaimed author, as he discusses the transformative power of mindfulness for those living with chronic pain. He shares insights on reframing our relationship with discomfort, emphasizing the importance of befriending sensations rather than seeking immediate relief. Explore how alternating attention between pain and pleasure can ease suffering, and discover meditation as a path to compassion and unity. Jon invites listeners to embrace their authentic selves through mindful practices.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Awareness As A Built-In Superpower
- Mindfulness transforms suffering by teaching you to inhabit human awareness rather than trying to become a "good meditator."
- Jon Kabat-Zinn says awareness is a built-in superpower anyone can learn to sustain and use against pain amplification.
Patients Who Failed Medical Treatments
- Jon first received chronic pain patients sent from the hospital pain clinic who had failed medical treatments.
- Those patients taught him that ancient meditative practices could restore life and function where medical interventions had not.
Begin With The Body
- Start your practice by attending to the body and sensing sensations directly instead of amplifying them with thoughts.
- Turn toward painful sensations with curiosity and train to dwell in embodied awareness to lessen suffering.
