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Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD is a former physician who is now an internationally known mindfulness and insight meditation teacher. While practicing medicine, Christiane began noticing the mediation practices she was sharing were making a profound difference in the lives of her patients, and she is here to explain those changes with us today.

In our conversation together, Christiane dives deep into explaining the science behind how pain and our brain work (we have quite the geek out session). You’ll learn the 3 components of pain, how the words you use regularly can affect that pain, and which mindfulness techniques are helpful in both managing and lessening your experience with pain.

If you are experiencing chronic pain (or are even a physician who treats chronic pain) this episode is for you. Christiane wonderfully blends Eastern techniques with Western medicine and provides mindfulness practices that are simple, effective, and a true gift to anyone who is struggling with pain.

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Here's What You'll Learn:

How mindfulness is a benefit to the patient and physician in Western medicine
Understanding the science of pain (it’s all in your head…literally)
What the 3 specific components of pain are, and why it’s important to know them
How to train your mind to stay in the present (and stop stressing about the past and future)
The difference between being in pain and suffering - and how to work with both
Understanding suffering vs resistance in Christiane’s ‘equation of pain’ so you can better manage your experience
What it means to stop taking your pain personally (and how that helps to lessen it)
How you can manage ‘permanent’ chronic pain conditions by building systems around your shifts in attitude
Why placing our focus on “being” allows us to “do” more
The benefit of remaining fully in point A before moving on to point B

Useful Resources Mentioned:

Christiane Wolf’s website

Working with Pain: Mindfulness practices and insights for physical pain relief (on-demand class)

Ep152: Understanding the Difference Between Integrative & Traditional Medicine | with Dr. Edison de Mello

Outsmart Your Pain, Mindfulness and Self-Compassion to Help You Leave Chronic Pain Behind

Christiane’s classes

Ten Percent Happier #366 How To Outsmart Your Pain with Christiane

Continue to Listen & Learn

Ep223: Stop “Managing” Your Chronic Pain and Start Fixing It | with Julie Fahrbach

Ep224: Managing & Alleviating Chronic Pain with…Creativity? | with Anna Holtzman

Ep01: Understanding the Link Between Creativity and Depression | with Dr. Edison de Mello

Ep26: The Power of a ‘Mindfulness’ Practice | with Dr. Swati Desai

Ep161: Managing Limiting Beliefs, Imposter Syndrome, and all the “Chatter” In Our Heads | with Ethan Kross

Ep170: How to Avoid Burnout and Live a More ‘Effortless’ Life | with Greg McKeown

Ep136: Promoting Mindfulness, Well-Being, and Sanity In the Edit Bay | with Kevin Tent, ACE

Ep124: Simple Solutions to Your Chronic Aches & Pains (and Where They Came From) | with Dr. Sadie Sanders

The Beginner’s Guide to Alleviating Chronic Pain In 5 Min a Day…Right at Your Desk [VIDEOS]

The Magic of Postural Modification (And How It Can Cure Your Back Pain Better Than a Doctor)

Ep149: How Modern Society Is Damaging Your Brain (and the Simple Steps to Reverse It) | with Dr. Dave Jenkins

Ep21: Using HRV to Reduce Stress (and Master Your Nervous System) | with Ronda Collier

Ep42: How to Reverse Depression, Anxiety, and ADD at the Genetic Level | with Dr. Ben Lynch

Guest Bio:

christiane-wolf-bio Christiane Wolf

Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD is a former physician, internationally known mindfulness and Insight (Vipassana) meditation teacher. She is board certified as an OB/GYN and holds a PhD in psychosomatic medicine from Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany. Dr. Wolf is the lead-consultant and teacher trainer for the National Mindfulness Facilitator Training at the US Department of Veteran Affairs. She is the author of “Outsmart Your Pain - Mindfulness and Self-Compassion to Help You Leave Chronic Pain Behind” and the co-author of the classic training manual for mindfulness teachers “A Clinician’s Guide to Teaching Mindfulness.”

Show Credits:

This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared by Debby Germino and published by Glen McNiel.

The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet).

Ep225: Outsmarting Your Chronic Pain with Mindfulness | with Christiane Wolf

The Zack Arnold Podcast