Rethinking Pain: A Conversation with Dr. Howard Schubiner

What an absolute honour it was to host the post-conference Q&A session for SIRPA last week with the brilliant Dr. Howard Schubiner.

Dr. Schubiner is a leading voice in the field of mind-body medicine, renowned for his groundbreaking work on the neuroscience of chronic pain. For those unfamiliar with his work, he is not only a physician and researcher but also a compassionate advocate for a revolutionary understanding of how we experience—and ultimately heal from—persistent pain.

His book Unlearn Your Pain was a pivotal guide in my own healing journey. It offered more than just insight—it provided a whole new lens through which to view pain, grounded in both science and humanity. Rather than seeing chronic pain solely as a physical symptom needing mechanical repair, Howard invites us to consider it as a message—rooted in the brain, influenced by emotion, and capable of change.

Dr. Schubiner’s research builds upon decades of neuroscience showing that chronic pain is not always the result of tissue damage. Instead, in many cases, it is generated and sustained by the brain’s neural circuits. This understanding forms the basis of neuroplastic pain—pain that results from learned neural pathways rather than structural injury.

Through clinical studies and collaborations, including those with institutions such as the University of Colorado and Harvard, Dr. Schubiner has contributed to a growing body of evidence demonstrating that mind-body approaches can be more effective than conventional treatments such as medications, injections, or surgery—especially when it comes to chronic, unexplained pain conditions.

One of the most compelling pieces of research involved Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET), a structured form of psychotherapy that focuses on uncovering and expressing suppressed emotions, particularly around trauma or unresolved conflict. In randomized controlled trials, EAET has been shown to significantly reduce pain intensity, disability, and emotional distress in patients with conditions like fibromyalgia and back pain—often more so than standard medical care or cognitive-behavioural therapy.

What makes Dr. Schubiner’s work so powerful isn’t just the science—it’s his rare ability to combine evidence-based medicine with genuine empathy and human connection. He has a unique gift for helping people feel seen and heard, which is often the first step in true healing. His approach reminds us that pain isn’t just a physical experience—it’s emotional, psychological, and deeply personal.

He teaches that by addressing the root causes of emotional pain and retraining the brain’s response to danger and stress, people can often unlearn their pain altogether. And remarkably, this doesn’t take years of therapy—many patients experience significant relief in a matter of weeks.

What Dr. Schubiner and his colleagues are showing the world is nothing short of a paradigm shift: that healing from chronic pain is not only possible, but it can be achieved without reliance on medication, invasive procedures, or resignation to “managing” symptoms indefinitely.

This isn’t to say all pain is psychological, or that every condition has a mind-body root. But for the millions suffering with chronic pain that conventional medicine can’t explain—or fix—this approach offers profound hope. It offers a path forward grounded in self-compassion, emotional truth, and the incredible adaptability of the human brain.

To share space with Dr. Schubiner and witness his insights first-hand was truly humbling. His knowledge is vast, but it’s his integrity, kindness, and commitment to helping others that leaves the deepest impression.

As we continue to expand awareness of the mind-body connection and empower people to explore new models of healing, I am so grateful to be part of this movement—and to stand alongside pioneers like Dr. Howard Schubiner, who are helping so many rethink the very nature of pain and how to finally move beyond it.