Chasing Life Should You ‘Lean Into’ Your Chronic Pain to Relieve It?
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Jul 18, 2025 Dr. Sanjay Gupta chats with Eric Garland, a researcher and clinical therapist from UC San Diego, about innovative ways to tackle chronic pain. They discuss how mindfulness meditation can rival opioids without the nasty side effects. By leaning into pain instead of avoiding it, individuals can rewire their brains for lasting relief. The conversation highlights the emotional burdens of chronic pain, the significance of shifting focus to healthy body areas, and practical mindfulness techniques that can transform pain perception and daily living.
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Emotional Anguish Amplifies Pain
- Chronic pain is fundamentally different from acute pain and involves complex brain processes.
- Emotional anguish significantly amplifies the pain experience in the brain.
Garland's Personal Pain Journey
- Eric Garland experienced severe herniated disc pain and found mindfulness meditation could reduce his pain to zero.
- He trained his mind to focus on pain-free parts of his body to diminish his hypervigilance toward pain.
Chronic Pain as Traumatic Memory
- Chronic pain acts like a traumatic memory that the brain replays repeatedly.
- This causes people to obsess unconsciously over pain sensations and interpret more sensations as painful.
