The Modern Pain Podcast

Mindfulness for pain isn’t candles and breathing apps.
It’s measurable, mechanism-based analgesia.
In this episode, we break down what the neuroscience actually shows about mindfulness and pain modulation—and why it works through pathways completely independent of opioids.
You’ll learn:
How mindfulness decouples sensation from suffering (insula vs. prefrontal activity)
Why “trying to relax” can backfire—and what to cue instead
How thalamic gating may reduce nociceptive input before conscious processing
The role of predictive processing and reduced anticipatory threat (amygdala + salience network)
How shifting from narrative mode to experiential mode changes pain
Why mindfulness still works even when endogenous opioids are blocked
How improved interoception supports emotional regulation in chronic pain
This is not about turning your clinic into an eight-week meditation program. It’s about understanding the mechanisms so you can apply brief, practical strategies in real sessions.
If you work with complex or persistent pain, this reframes mindfulness as a clinical skill—not a wellness add-on.
Subscribe so you don’t miss Part Two, where we cover the dose-response data and the minimum effective dose.

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🎙️ - Listen to our Podcast - https://www.modernpaincare.com

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Modern Pain Care is a company dedicated to spreading evidence-based and person-centered information about pain, prevention, and overall fitness and wellness

What do you do when a patient says, “I don’t care about goals—I just want less pain”?
This moment shows up every day in pain care—and how you respond can either reinforce stuckness or help someone get their life back.

In this episode, Mark Kargela breaks down why pain reduction isn’t wrong—but often incomplete—and how clinicians can navigate this conversation without invalidating the patient or taking away hope.

You’ll learn:
 • Why pain reduction alone can narrow a patient’s life
 • Red flags that someone is stuck in the pain reduction loop
 • How pain scores function as communication—not thermometers
 • How to use “creative hopelessness” without confrontation
 • Ways to pair short-term relief with long-term valued living
 • How to reframe goals when patients fear movement and activity

This episode is for clinicians who want practical, psychologically informed tools to manage complex pain conversations—without abandoning pain relief or overstepping their role.

If you work with persistent pain, this discussion will sharpen how you listen, how you frame goals, and how you help patients move forward—even when pain doesn’t fully disappear.

👉 Subscribe for weekly evidence-informed conversations on modern pain care. -  @ModernPainPodcast  

👉 Explore the links below for related resources and deeper learning:
Kenneth Craig Paper on Social Communication Model of Pain 
A biopsychosocial formulation of pain communication 
Creative Hopelessness Guide 

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📸 - Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/modernpaincare/

🐦 - Follow us on Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/modernpaincare/

🎙️ - Listen to our Podcast - https://www.modernpaincare.com

____________________________________
Modern Pain Care is a company dedicated to spreading evidence-based and person-centered information about pain, prevention, and overall fitness and wellness

🎙️ What happens when a clinician becomes the patient—and almost doesn’t survive?
 💥 HLH. ICU. Life support. Then… powerlifting again.
In this powerful episode, strength coach and physio Jared Maynard shares his shocking journey through a life-threatening diagnosis of HLH, his fight to stay alive, and what he learned about healthcare, humanity, and healing.
You’ll learn:
What HLH is—and how it nearly ended Jared’s life
The deep clinical lessons from losing strength, speech, and independence
How small human moments in care created lasting impact
What it’s like to rebuild your life, body, and mindset after ICU
How Jared’s story reshaped his clinical work and coaching
Why “being human” matters more than “having the answer”
Whether you’re burned out, feeling disconnected from your work, or want to show up better for patients—this story will move you.
👇 Subscribe for more clinician-to-clinician conversations.
 🧠 Join the Modern Pain Pro community.
🎓 Explore Pain Practice OS and start applying modern principles.

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📸 - Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/modernpaincare/

🐦 - Follow us on Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/modernpaincare/

🎙️ - Listen to our Podcast - https://www.modernpaincare.com

____________________________________
Modern Pain Care is a company dedicated to spreading evidence-based and person-centered information about pain, prevention, and overall fitness and wellness

Part 2 goes from definitions to implications.
Bottom-up pain does not mean “it’s in the tissues.”
This episode is a recording of a live interview with pain researcher and clinician Asaf Weissman. If you haven’t watched Part 1, start there—we laid the foundation: why pain semantics matter, how mixed messages harm patients, and why “nothing is wrong with your body” is an overreach.
In Part 2, we dig into:
What “always bottom up” actually means (and what it doesn’t)
Structural paradigm vs pathophysiology: why imaging often fails us
Why stress, fear, and emotions are usually modulators, not causes
Threshold models: when trajectories may (and may not) be changeable
The case for neuroimmune mechanisms in chronic pain states
Where diagnostics and biologics may take chronic pain care next
What role physios may play as case managers and guides

This is the second half of a two-part series. Part 1 builds the framework. Part 2 challenges how we interpret evidence, scope, and clinical uncertainty—while staying anchored to what helps the patient in front of you.

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📸 - Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/modernpaincare/

🐦 - Follow us on Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/modernpaincare/

🎙️ - Listen to our Podcast - https://www.modernpaincare.com

____________________________________
Modern Pain Care is a company dedicated to spreading evidence-based and person-centered information about pain, prevention, and overall fitness and wellness

Chronic pain care is stuck—and definitions may be the reason.
In Part 1 of this two-part series, we reset how clinicians talk about nociception and pain.
This episode is a recording of a live interview with pain researcher and clinician Asaf Weissman, whose work explores the relationship between nociception and pain—and why confusion in the field creates real-world harm for patients.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why “just semantics” becomes a patient trust problem
How mixed messages (“all in your head” vs “tissue damage”) derail care
Why “nothing is wrong with your body” is an overreach
Where neuroimmune processes may fit in chronic pain biology
Why psychological interventions tend to show only modest effects on pain intensity
How clearer definitions could move research and practice forward
This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Here, we focus on the foundations—definitions, clinical frustration, and the biological plausibility behind what patients feel. Part 2 will go deeper into implications for treatment and the direction pain care needs next.
Subscribe for Part 2.
Join the Modern Pain Pro community.
Enroll in Pain Practice OS.

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📸 - Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/modernpaincare/

🐦 - Follow us on Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/modernpaincare/

🎙️ - Listen to our Podcast - https://www.modernpaincare.com

____________________________________
Modern Pain Care is a company dedicated to spreading evidence-based and person-centered information about pain, prevention, and overall fitness and wellness