How do our brains process pain? We tend to think that something happens in the body, like stubbing a toe, the nervous system sends signals to the brain, and we feel the pain. But as it turns out, this is an extremely overly simplistic model. When we get into the areas of anticipated pain, chronic pain, and phantom limb pain things get flat out WEIRD!

Today we’re talking about the fact that our conscious experiences of reality and the way that our brains construct those experiences are two WILDLY different things. Specifically, we’re going to apply these concepts to the ways that our brains process pain.

We’ll also discuss some other studies that tie into this topic. All studies mentioned are cited and/or linked below. This will all lead up to something I call the Posturedelic Hypothesis, as well as a model for how this hypothesis could be tested. But there’s LOTS to discuss before we get there.

Chapters:

Introduction 00:08

Is Pain "All in Your Head?" Yes... and No 3:22

Case in Point: Phantom Limb Pain 07:17

What is this Model of Reality Anyways? 10:34

You've Never Actually Seen, Smelled, Touched, Heard, or Tasted ANYTHING! 13:32

What Happens When Chronic Pain Becomes an Integral Part of Your Model of Reality? 19:46

The Intersection of Psychedelics & Chronic Pain 22:54

The Posturedelic Hypothesis 27:03

How Can We Test this Hypothesis? 31?57

Let's Talk Harm Reduction 34:32

Where Does this Leave Us? 37:46

Links & Citations

1. My Linktree


2. My Website: www.ChronicPainRewired.com


3. My Patreon


4. Psanctuary


5. Reality Switch Technologies by Andrew Gallimore


6. Richard J. Davidson Buddhist Monk pain study


7. Finn SB, Perry BN, Clasing JE, et al A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Mirror Therapy for Upper Extremity Phantom Limb Pain in Male Amputees. Front Neurol. 2017 Jul 7;8:26 7. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2017.00267. PMID: 28736545; PMCID: PMC5500638.


8. Kuromaru S, Okada S, Hanada M, Kasahara Y, Sakamoto K. The effect of LSD on the phantom limb phenomenon. J Lancet. 1967 Jan;87(1):22-7. PMID: 6043203.


9. Hollow Face Illusion


10. Rikard SM, Strahan AE, Schmit KM, Guy GP Jr.. Chronic Pain Among Adults — United States, 2019–2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023;72:37 9–385. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7215a1.


11. Daneshjou K, Jafarieh H, Raaeskarami SR. Congenital Insensitivity to Pain and Anhydrosis (CIPA) Syndrome; A Report of 4 Cases. Iran J Pediatr. 2012 Sep;22(3):412-6. PMID: 23400697; PMCID: PMC3564101.


12. Chronic Pain and PTSD


13. Carhart-Harris Robin, Leech Robert, et al The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00020 ISSN 1662-5161


14. Ko Kwonmok, Knight Gemma, Rucker James J., Cleare Anthony J. Psychedelics, Mystical Experience, and Therapeutic Efficacy: A Systematic Review Frontiers in Psychiatry 2022 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.917199 ISSN 1664-0640

Disclaimer

I need to be clear that this podcast is intended for educational purposes only though I do hope you find it entertaining, or at least interesting as well! Nothing about my story or the information contained in any and all episodes hereafter should be misconstrued as individual medical advice. Your health, any choices you make surrounding it, along with any potential consequences arising from those choices always have been and always will be your individual responsibility. I’ll even go one step further and say that if you really need to hear that disclaimer, it just might be for the best that you stop listening right now!

But if you are wanting to explore with an open mind a topic that might seem ridiculous on the surface, I invite you to join me as we go down the proverbial rabbit hole and explore what I strongly believe will be the next revolutionary paradigm shift in the treatment of chronic pain disorders: combining psychedelics with existing proven modalities to increase overall efficacy.

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