Liz Wallenstein + Dr Michael Donnino — The Mind-Body Connection (EP.126)

Dr Michael Donnino is the founder/director of the Psychophysiologic Research Group, and the first person in the country to complete a residency/fellowship program leading to board certification in internal medicine, emergency medicine, and critical care. Liz Wallenstein is a licensed mental health counselor who has trained in, among other areas, the methodology of ‘TMS Mind Body-Connection’. Liz and Dr Michael join the show to discuss the profound influence of Dr John Sarno on their lives, and the potentially transformational power of ‘Mind-Body’ therapies. Important Links:

• The Mind-Body Group
• Michael’s Twitter
• Liz’s Website
• Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection

Show Notes:

• Introductions to Dr. Sarno
• The relationship between our emotional and physical reactions
• Reasons to be hopeful
• Emotions and conditioning
• A response to the sceptics
• The societal costs of chronic pain
• Mental health: moving beyond diagnostic labels
• Long COVID and mind-body syndrome
• The future of psychophysiological research
• What does the medical community think of mind-body syndrome?
• Doing the inner work that’s needed to heal
• The future of mind-body treatments
• The importance of sincerity

Books Mentioned:

• Your Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma; by Bessel van der Kolk;
• Molecules of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine; by Candace Pert
• Healing Back Pain; by John E. Sarno
• The Screwtape Letters; by C.S. Lewis
• The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It; by Will Storr
• The Great Pain Deception: Faulty Medical Advice Is Making Us Worse; by Steve Ozanich
• Anatomy of an Illness: As Perceived by the Patient; by Norman Cousins