The Metagame #43 — Max Shen | This Book Heals Chronic Back Pain (Dr. John Sarno)
Jan 7, 2026
Max Shen, a pain researcher with a background from MIT, shares insights on overcoming chronic pain through innovative ideas. His journey began when he halved his RSI after reading Dr. John Sarno's book. Max explains how emotional blocks manifest as physical pain and emphasizes the importance of awareness in healing. He discusses the power of expressive practices to release emotions, and the role of intent in body coordination. With practical tools from his work, he encourages listeners to explore their sensations and thoughts to foster pain relief and holistic well-being.
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Book Changed His Pain Rapidly
- Max Shen read John Sarno's Healing Back Pain and his forearm/neck pain halved within days of reading it.
- He describes the book's conviction as a transmission that changed his belief about tissue damage.
Pain As Information Not Just Damage
- The biomedical view treats pain as direct readout of tissue damage via nociception.
- Sarno reframes many chronic pains as psychologically produced signals to distract from repressed emotions.
Local Learning Creates Pain Priors
- Body parts can learn and store associations, creating local learned patterns of tension and pain.
- Chronic pain often emerges when those learned priors interact with fear and feedback loops.
