logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2023
1h 4m

This Book Changed My Relationship to Pai...

NEW YORK TIMES OPINION
About this episode
Physical pain is a universal human experience. And for many of us, it’s a constant one. Roughly 20 percent of American adults — some 50 million people — suffer from a form of chronic pain. For some, that means having terrible days from time to time. For others, it means a life of constant suffering. Either way, the depth and scale of pain in our society is a ... Show More
Up next
Today
Ross Douthat: The Exit Interview
My colleague Ross Douthat is leaving The Times after 17 years to become a correspondent on “60 Minutes.” Before he goes, I’m asking him a few questions. Douthat has had a unique vantage point on the news media and politics over the last few decades. He’s typically held the role o ... Show More
1h 13m
Aug 7
AMA: Peter Thiel, Chris Rufo and the D.S.A.
The show’s executive producer, Claire Gordon, joins me in the studio to ask me your questions. Topics include: whether my views on “woke” issues have changed; the feedback we got on our episode with Chris Rufo; the D.S.A. insurgency; my first singing lesson; and the story that I’ ... Show More
57m 9s
Aug 4
The A.I. Revolt Is Here
What’s big and ugly and has united Republicans and Democrats? A.I. data centers. An overwhelming majority of Americans say they’d oppose a data center being built near where they live. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul just imposed a one-year moratorium on data center construction, ... Show More
1h 18m
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2021
Dolorology (PAIN) with Rachel Zoffness
<p>PAIN. What is it? Where does it come from? And how can we hurt less? Which hurts more, a kidney stone or heartache? Why does chronic pain persist? Can we turn down our pain dials? To answer these huge questions, pain psychologist Dr. Rachel Zoffness enthusiastically explains t ... Show More
1h 34m
Feb 2025
Understanding and treating chronic pain, with Rachel V. Aaron, PhD
Each year, more than 50 million U.S. adults experience chronic pain. Increasingly, researchers and patients are finding that behavioral treatments and therapies can be an important part of pain treatment. Pain psychologist Rachel Aaron, PhD, discusses what effective treatments ar ... Show More
34m 36s
Nov 2020
How Pain Works
<p>In recent decades we’ve come to understand that there’s a lot more to pain than: touch hot stove/feel burning hand. Pain is a far more sophisticated experience and, unfortunately, a system that can often go haywire, with terrible effects.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-c ... Show More
51m 45s
Jun 2025
The Answer to Pain May Lie in Your Brain
For something that’s a universal experience, pain has been pretty hard to measure, treat and even understand. That’s what Dr. Sanjay Gupta decided to write his forthcoming book, “It Doesn’t Have to Hurt: Your Smart Guide to a Pain-Free Life.” And in this episode, he's switching o ... Show More
30m 15s
Jan 2021
145: Explaining Pain as a Pain Psychologist | Rachel Zoffness
"Has anyone ever explained pain to you?" Rachel Zoffness, PhD, always asks her patients this one question in order to bridge the gap between her patient's understanding of their own pain and what other health care providers have told them about their pain. On today's episode of P ... Show More
47m 10s
Nov 2022
How To Heal Chronic Pain with Dr Howard Schubiner #310
Headaches, migraine, back, neck or joint pain, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia – they’re just some of the common causes of chronic pain, which is estimated to affect between a third to half of all UK adults. If you or someone close to you is one of them, you don’t n ... Show More
2h 6m
Jan 2022
Healing pain by treating the mind, with Tor Wager, PhD
More than 20 percent of U.S. adults suffer from some form of chronic pain. For many, effective treatment remains elusive, with medications and even surgeries giving little in the way of relief. But in recent years, psychologists’ research has begun to suggest that at least for so ... Show More
36m 55s
Apr 2021
The Art and Science of Easing Pain with Abdul-Ghaaliq Lalkhen, MD
All of us have experienced physical pain at some point in our lives. Yet many of us are unaware of how essential context is to the pain experience. Even today, there is much about pain that remains poorly understood. How is it that something so core to being human can remain such ... Show More
45m 42s
Jun 2024
Top Pain Researcher | The 6 Keys to Relieving Pain
<p>Stanford neuroscientist Sean Mackey, MD, PhD reveals pain is highly subjective, shaped by our beliefs and experiences - not just injury signals. He unpacks chronic pain's persistence, promising treatment strategies like brief behavioral therapies, and research toward personali ... Show More
1h 8m