Migraine Healing Oasis

Send us Fan Mail
Dr. Michael Dow on healing migraines and his work with PRT, EAET, Stress, and Relational Soothing
Psychotherapist Dr. Michael Dow shares his recovery from chronic weekly headaches and vestibular migraine symptoms that began around 2014 and worsened during COVID while he managed a high-stress integrated health clinic in the Boulder, Colorado area. He describes how mindfulness training alone didn’t prevent symptoms, and how discovering Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) through the Boulder Back Pain Study shifted his understanding from managing pain to reducing fear and retraining the brain to eliminate it. 
Dr. Dow discusses the role of cumulative “background stress,” self-compassion, boundaries, and making major life changes, including leaving his long-term job for private practice. He explains “extinction bursts,” emotional work through emotional awareness and expression therapy (EAET), the impact of relationship dynamics and secure attachment functioning, and practical strategies like graded exposure and partner-based relational soothing.
00:00 Meet Dr Michael Dow
03:09 Why This Conversation Now
03:52 First Migraine Experience
05:35 Stress And Symptom Escalation
06:53 Family Modeling And Genetics
10:15 Mindfulness Was Not Enough
13:56 Symptoms As A Message
16:25 Background Stress And Boundaries
21:52 Self Compassion Missing Piece
23:11 Discovering Pain Reprocessing
25:15 Somatic Tracking Click Moment
27:16 Life Changes And Extinction Burst
29:48 Flare Ups Mean Healing
30:59 Onion Layers Of Emotions
31:36 Agency Breaks Fear Cycle
33:50 Turning Down The Fear
34:36 Pain Relief Is Possible
37:36 Redefining Recovery Progress
40:16 Relationships And Nervous System
47:03 Breaking Migraine Anticipation
53:12 Stigma Shame And Masculinity
55:08 Practice Resources And Farewell

+++++++
REFERENCES:  How to find Dr. Michael Dow
●Website: https://drmichaeldow.com/
●Michael’s Email:  michaelmdow@gmail.com
●Amelie’s Email: amelie@intergativesomatics.net

____
Thanks for listening - I hope you found this helpful. 
FIND ME HERE @ www.migraineoasis.com/linkinbio

Let's continue the conversation...COME SAY HI!
✅ INSTAGRAM:  Follow Migraine Oasis @MigraineOasis 
✅ FACEBOOK:  Join our Community @MigraineOasis
✅ YOUTUBE: Watch us @MigraineOasis 
____
Education and techniques discussed in this Podcast originate from many sources, countless hours of research, training, and self-healing unless otherwise noted.
Music credit: MomotMusic, Kyrylo Momot
___
Disclaimer: Information provided by Migraine Oasis & Karen Ash is for general informational & educational purposes only & is not a substitute for medical advice, psychotherapy, or counselling. Utilizing any of the education, strategies, or techniques in the podcast is done at your own risk. Consult with a physician before engaging in any suggested movements. If in immediate danger, call a local emergency number or go to the nearest emergency room.

Send us Fan Mail
If you're looking for real migraine relief, this conversation reframes everything you've been told.

In this episode I talk with Dr. Howard Schubiner, an internist, paediatrician,  researcher, educator, author, and clinical professor at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.  We talk about migraine through a neuroplastic pain lens and insights from his newly released book, "Unlearn Your Pain" (May 26, 2026).

Dr. Schubiner explains that migraine commonly co-occurs with other neuroplastic conditions, often fluctuates over time, and reflects learned neural circuits influenced by perceived danger, stress, and past experiences rather than tissue damage. He discusses why physiological changes in migraine aren’t necessarily structural injury, how placebo/nocebo effects and treatments like CGRP inhibitors and Botox highlight the brain’s role, and how trigger monitoring and lifestyle “compliance” can increase fear and symptoms. We cover genetics vs epigenetics, modeling effects in families, addressing emotions and stress, paradoxical intention to reduce fear, and practical guidance on rest vs activity during severe episodes.

00:00 Meet Dr Howard Schubiner
03:58 New Book Buzz
05:08 What Is Different About This Book
06:33 Migraine As Neuroplastic Pain
10:48 Neural Circuits Explained
13:39 Safety vs. Danger Signal
16:24 Migraine Biology with Mindbody Lens
19:58 Medications And Placebo
22:49 Botox And Hypervigilance
28:03 Triggers And Conditioning
31:06 Fearful Thoughts Impact on Recovery
34:12 Can Migraine Be Inherited?
36:05 Genetics vs Epigenetics
38:47 Family Modeling Effects
40:09 Role of Childhood Trauma
42:31 Redefining Stress
44:38 Safety Messages to Brain
47:48 Rest or Push Through
53:25 Fearful Monitoring Loops
55:59 When did Symptoms Begin
59:26 Disease Label vs Neuroplastic
01:03:01 Resources and Farewell

___________

Find Dr. Schbiner:
·        Instagram: @hschubiner
·        websites: www.unlearnyourpain.com, www.freedomfromchronicpain.com
·        “The Science Behind The Symptoms” Podcast w. Dr. Becca Kennedy
·        ATNS: www.symptomatic.me

The FREE Online "Chronic Pain Healing Summit" - November 13-14, 2026 where Dr. Schubiner will be speaking.

Mentioned at the end: Living Proof, a UK non-profit helping to raise awareness of this mindbody approach to neuroplastic conditions. 
____
Thanks for listening - I hope you found this helpful. 
FIND ME HERE @ www.migraineoasis.com/linkinbio

Let's continue the conversation...COME SAY HI!
✅ INSTAGRAM:  Follow Migraine Oasis @MigraineOasis 
✅ FACEBOOK:  Join our Community @MigraineOasis
✅ YOUTUBE: Watch us @MigraineOasis 
____
Education and techniques discussed in this Podcast originate from many sources, countless hours of research, training, and self-healing unless otherwise noted.
Music credit: MomotMusic, Kyrylo Momot
___
Disclaimer: Information provided by Migraine Oasis & Karen Ash is for general informational & educational purposes only & is not a substitute for medical advice, psychotherapy, or counselling. Utilizing any of the education, strategies, or techniques in the podcast is done at your own risk. Consult with a physician before engaging in any suggested movements. If in immediate danger, call a local emergency number or go to the nearest emergency room.

Send us Fan Mail
Mother’s Day can bring a mix of emotions.  This year, I'm navigating my first without a mother, and it's been complicated.
In this episode, I talk about how this holiday can be painful and emotionally complex for many people for a variety of reasons. There can be conflicted feelings underneath—resentment, tenderness, guilt, shame, love, and grief—emotions that can coexist and are completely normal. 
00:00 First Mothers Day Without Mom
02:19 Grief In Public Spaces
04:30 Small Kindness Matters
05:37 Why Mothers Day Is Complicated
06:54 Mothers Living With Chronic Pain
08:31 Obligation Versus Authenticity
11:43 Resentments And Repressed Emotions
13:23 Feeling Versus Expressing Emotions
17:10 Lessons And Unsent Letter Exercise
19:47 Complex Grief & Closing Thought
_________
EAET was mentioned:  That is Emotional Awareness & Expression Therapy.  For more information on what this is, see Ep 23 where Dr. Kaufmann does a good job explaining how it was successfully studied for migraine reduction.
 
____
Thanks for listening - I hope you found this helpful. 
FIND ME HERE @ www.migraineoasis.com/linkinbio

Let's continue the conversation...COME SAY HI!
✅ INSTAGRAM:  Follow Migraine Oasis @MigraineOasis 
✅ FACEBOOK:  Join our Community @MigraineOasis
✅ YOUTUBE: Watch us @MigraineOasis 
____
Education and techniques discussed in this Podcast originate from many sources, countless hours of research, training, and self-healing unless otherwise noted.
Music credit: MomotMusic, Kyrylo Momot
___
Disclaimer: Information provided by Migraine Oasis & Karen Ash is for general informational & educational purposes only & is not a substitute for medical advice, psychotherapy, or counselling. Utilizing any of the education, strategies, or techniques in the podcast is done at your own risk. Consult with a physician before engaging in any suggested movements. If in immediate danger, call a local emergency number or go to the nearest emergency room.

Send us Fan Mail
What if expressing avoided emotions could actually reduce migraine?
That's exactly what the research is starting to show — and in this episode, I sit down with Dr. Dan Kaufmann, research assistant professor at the University of Utah and a scientist who went from developing pharmaceutical compounds for migraine prevention to exploring how unresolved emotions and adverse life experiences may be driving factors of migraine.
Dr. Kaufmann recently published preliminary results of a study using EAET (Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy) specifically in people with migraine — and the results are promising.
In this episode you'll learn:
Why stress and hormones alone don't explain migraine — and what's missing from that picture
What EAET actually is, and how it's different from journaling or talk therapy
How unprocessed and avoided emotions and adverse childhood experiences may be keeping the brain in a threat state — and fuel migraine
What working on your "emotional muscle" actually looks like in practice
Encouraging study results
Resources to support you
Dr. Kaufmann brings his pharmacology and science background to a mindbody framework — and the result is one of the most grounded, science-backed conversations you'll hear on how expressing avoided motions can aid in migraine reduction.
Resources mentioned:
ATNS Practitioner Directory: symptomatic.me/practitioner-directory
Danielle Byron Henry Migraine Foundation: daniellefoundation.org
EAET practitioner training (Drs. Howard Schubiner & Mark Lumley)

____
Thanks for listening - I hope you found this helpful. 
FIND ME HERE @ www.migraineoasis.com/linkinbio

Let's continue the conversation...COME SAY HI!
✅ INSTAGRAM:  Follow Migraine Oasis @MigraineOasis 
✅ FACEBOOK:  Join our Community @MigraineOasis
✅ YOUTUBE: Watch us @MigraineOasis 
____
Education and techniques discussed in this Podcast originate from many sources, countless hours of research, training, and self-healing unless otherwise noted.
Music credit: MomotMusic, Kyrylo Momot
___
Disclaimer: Information provided by Migraine Oasis & Karen Ash is for general informational & educational purposes only & is not a substitute for medical advice, psychotherapy, or counselling. Utilizing any of the education, strategies, or techniques in the podcast is done at your own risk. Consult with a physician before engaging in any suggested movements. If in immediate danger, call a local emergency number or go to the nearest emergency room.

Send us Fan Mail
In this episode, Chelsea Emery, shares her inspiring journey of overcoming chronic migraines and other neuroplastic symptoms through a mindbody healing approach. Despite suffering from migraines for 45 years, Chelsea managed to drastically reduce her symptoms by exploring alternative health measures and eventually embracing the Curable App's mindbody tools and other journaling techniques. Chelsea discusses the impact of her past traumas, stressors, and repressed emotions on her physical health and explains how tools like journaling, meditations, and setting authentic boundaries helped her regain control over her life. Now symptom-free, Chelsea is passionate about helping others on their healing journeys. Her story is a beacon of hope for anyone struggling with chronic pain and looking for alternative paths to recovery.
 
 00:00 Introduction 
 01:39 Early Struggles with Migraines
 02:24 Alternative Treatments & Discoveries
 05:59 The Impact of a Diet Change on Migraines
 08:30 The Role of Fear & Hypervigilance
 14:24 The Tsunami of Symptoms
 22:45 Finding Hope and the Curable App
 27:22 Skepticism and Acceptance of Mindbody Healing
 33:12 Understanding Nervous System Regulation
 34:53 The Power of Journaling
 37:20 Exploring Childhood Trauma and Its Impact
 40:35 The Role of Internal Family Systems
 42:05 Daily Practices & Techniques
 50:05 Importance of Self-Compassion
 58:49  New Career
 01:03:35 Final Thoughts & Encouragement
++++++++++
 How to connect with Chelsea
✅ Email: chelseaemery53@gmail.com
       Insta @ emery_cj
       Coming soon: www.yourpeacefulpathways.com

 Resources Mentioned in order of mention:
✅  Glucose Goddess on Insta (remember, please take caution in getting hypervigilent on diet & restriction)
✅  IFS by Richard Schwartz (Book "No Bad Parts")
✅ Curable App - FREE 6-Week Trial - QR Code here: https://www.migraineoasis.com/guide
✅  Dr. Schubiner's Book "Unlearn Your Pain" & EAET 
✅ Anna Holzman: www.instagram.com/anna_holtzman/
       FREE WORKSHOP 9.10.25! www.annaholtzman.com/beseen
✅ Nicole Sachs:  Journal Speak Explained  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRfyj8hhl9o76AbNOvoJW-0_VBJXo5AEn
____
Thanks for listening - I hope you found this helpful. 
FIND ME HERE @ www.migraineoasis.com/linkinbio

Let's continue the conversation...COME SAY HI!
✅ INSTAGRAM:  Follow Migraine Oasis @MigraineOasis 
✅ FACEBOOK:  Join our Community @MigraineOasis
✅ YOUTUBE: Watch us @MigraineOasis 
____
Education and techniques discussed in this Podcast originate from many sources, countless hours of research, training, and self-healing unless otherwise noted.
Music credit: MomotMusic, Kyrylo Momot
___
Disclaimer: Information provided by Migraine Oasis & Karen Ash is for general informational & educational purposes only & is not a substitute for medical advice, psychotherapy, or counselling. Utilizing any of the education, strategies, or techniques in the podcast is done at your own risk. Consult with a physician before engaging in any suggested movements. If in immediate danger, call a local emergency number or go to the nearest emergency room.