Podcast Summary: The School of Greatness

Episode: 70% of Your Chronic Pain Starts in Your Brain | Dr. Daniel Amen
Host: Lewis Howes
Guest: Dr. Daniel Amen
Date: December 8, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode centers on Dr. Daniel Amen’s revolutionary insights into the connection between brain health and chronic pain—both physical and emotional. Based on decades of psychiatric practice and over 300,000 brain scans, Dr. Amen explains that approximately 70% of chronic pain has its origins in the brain. The discussion explores evidence-based strategies for healing pain, the role of mindset, faith, and lifestyle, and the new framework Dr. Amen introduces in his book, Change Your Brain, Change Your Pain. The conversation offers hope for those in chronic pain and challenges traditional medical paradigms.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Brain-Pain Connection

• Chronic Pain and the Brain
  • Dr. Amen asserts: “Probably 70% [of chronic pain]” is linked to the brain rather than just the body. (03:52)
  • Emotional and physical pain share neural circuits; getting your brain healthy often alleviates both (04:00-04:35).
  • Example: Many elderly people show abnormal MRIs without pain, suggesting the mind’s significant role in symptom manifestation (04:57).

“Physical and emotional pain run on the same circuits in the brain... When you get your brain healthy, it helps to balance these circuits and the pain is less.” — Dr. Daniel Amen (04:00)

The “Doom Loop” and Negative Thought Patterns

• How Pain and Thoughts Interact
  • Pain activates “the feeling pathway,” increasing suffering, which leads to an influx of “automatic negative thoughts” (“ANTs”).
  • Negative thoughts spiral into tension and harmful habits, perpetuating a cycle Dr. Amen calls the “doom loop” (06:46).
• Negativity’s Physical Effects
  • Negativity reduces prefrontal cortex activity, undermining impulse control and resilience (08:17).
  • Chronic negative thinking can make the brain less able to “turn off” pain signals (08:50).

“Every thought you have impacts every cell in your body.” — Dr. Daniel Amen (02:07, 09:31)

“You get negative and then you spin on it, which then leads to nervous tension, which then increases the pain, which then goes to harmful habits...” — Dr. Daniel Amen (06:46)

Biofeedback, Childhood Trauma, and Emotional Processing

• Biofeedback and Mind-Body Links
  • Dr. Amen describes biofeedback exercises showing real-time physiological changes based on positive (“mother”) vs. stressful (“father”) thoughts (09:54).
• Repressed Rage and Chronic Pain
  • Chronic pain often manifests in people who repress negative emotions (“goodists”) (12:40).
  • Techniques like Emotional Freedom Journaling (detailed at 14:27) and therapies like EMDR and ISTDP help process early trauma and rage, breaking the pain cycle.
• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)
  • High ACE scores directly correlate with heightened emotional pathway activation in the brain and increased chronic pain risk (16:09).

“Chronic pain is repressed rage.” — Dr. Daniel Amen (13:39)

“If you are anxious, if you’re depressed, often you have rage inside. And so if the anger could come out, where would it go?” — Dr. Daniel Amen (14:23)

Addressing Negativity Bias & Not Believing Your Thoughts

• Mind Discipline
  • Schools don’t teach us to “discipline our minds”; thus, people get stuck in negativity worsened by social media and news (10:54).
• Techniques for Detached Observation
  • Dr. Amen suggests giving your mind a name (his is based on a mischievous pet raccoon) and using journaling to identify and challenge “automatic negative thoughts” (49:47, 51:01).
  • He references Byron Katie’s “The Work” as a useful framework: Write down negative thoughts, question them (“Is it true?”), and flip them to their opposites (52:38-53:02).

“It's not the thoughts you have that make you suffer. It's the thoughts you attach to.” — Dr. Daniel Amen (57:30)

The Power of Gratitude, Faith, and Community

• Gratitude’s Brain Effects
  • Practicing gratitude calms the amygdala (fear center) and activates the prefrontal cortex (59:59).
  • Chronic negativity, conversely, is associated with increased risk of depression and dementia (60:32).
• Faith’s Protective Role
  • Disbelief in God triples the risk of depression and loss of meaning (34:52), also correlating with worse health outcomes.
  • Dr. Amen’s scans and research indicate larger, healthier temporal lobes in believers (38:46).
  • Faith communities provide ritual, support, and a sense of purpose, which are protective against mental illness and support faster recovery from illness (64:47).
• Scientific Backing
  • Dr. Harold Koenig at Duke has demonstrated multiple health and mental health benefits of faith and regular worship attendance (64:47).

“If you don’t believe in God, it triples your risk of depression.” — Dr. Daniel Amen (34:52)

Substance Use, Nutrition, and Mental Health

• Alcohol & Marijuana
  • Alcohol ages the brain; Dr. Amen: “If you’re a drinker, your brain looks older than you are.” (41:00)
  • Marijuana lowers brain activity in all areas and increases the risk for anxiety, depression, and psychosis (45:40-46:13).
• Artificial Sweeteners
  • Aspartame, found in many diet products, can cause arthritis, anxiety, and even impact future generations through epigenetic changes (43:40-44:08).
• Diet’s Role in Pain
  • Healthy gut bacteria are essential for mental and physical well-being; Splenda and poor nutrition harm the microbiome, impacting the brain (42:07).

“Skills, not just pills. Skills, not just substances.” — Dr. Daniel Amen (44:43)

The Amen “Whole Four” Framework

• Holistic Healing
  • Dr. Amen’s Whole Four approach covers: brain/body health, the mind (psychological), relationships, and faith.
  • These are all “different expressions of the same unhealthy lifestyle and toxic exposures that have exactly the same cure.” (32:32)
  • Optimizing all four domains is necessary for sustained pain relief and flourishing.
• Intergenerational Health
  • Health (or lack of it) is passed to future generations not just via habits but also through biology and epigenetics (76:41).

“Your health is going to reflect [the health of your friends].” — Dr. Daniel Amen (72:50)

“I believe the answer to these epidemics is not to see them as separate disorders, but as different expressions of the same unhealthy lifestyle and toxic exposures that have exactly the same cure.” — Dr. Daniel Amen (32:32)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Mindset’s Power:
  “Every thought you have impacts every cell in your body.” — Dr. Daniel Amen (02:07, 09:31)
• On Negativity and Pain:
  “Thoughts impact your ability to either heal or experience pain, either on a positive or negative side.” — Lewis Howes (09:20)
• On Repressed Emotion:
  “With chronic pain, it often comes in good people who have repressed rage.” — Dr. Daniel Amen (12:40)
• On Faith and Wellbeing:
  “If you don’t believe in God, it triples your risk of depression.” — Dr. Daniel Amen (34:52)
• On Substance Use:
  “Alcohol kills so many people. It’s not good for you. It’s a disinfectant.” — Dr. Daniel Amen (41:00)
• On Modeling Health:
  “How do I help other people be healthy? I model it. I live the message.” — Dr. Daniel Amen (77:54)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic/Quote | |-----------|-------------| | 03:52 | 70% of chronic pain is brain-related | | 06:46 | “Doom loop” explained | | 08:17 | Brain scan study on negativity bias | | 09:31 | Every thought affects your cells | | 12:40 | Repressed rage and chronic pain | | 14:27 | Emotional Freedom Journaling technique | | 16:09 | ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) score and pain | | 34:52 | Tripling of depression risk without faith | | 38:46 | Temporal lobe size in believers vs. nonbelievers | | 41:00 | Alcohol and brain aging | | 45:40 | Marijuana’s negative effects on brain // | 49:47 | Naming your mind to gain distance from negative thoughts | | 52:38 | Ant species & challenging negative thoughts (Byron Katie's method) | | 59:59 | Gratitude's effects on amygdala and cortex | | 64:47 | Science-backed benefits of regular religious service attendance | | 72:50 | The health-reflecting effect of social circles | | 76:41 | Modeling health for children and future generations |

Additional Insights

• Societal Trends:
  Social media, cell phones, and processed foods are driving epidemics of depression, anxiety, and chronic pain among youth and adults alike (11:01, 23:17, 25:11).
• Critique of Psychiatry:
  Current psychiatric practice is outdated—diagnoses are made without ever looking at the organ in question (the brain), relying on symptom checklists alone (25:11–29:29).

Summary Table: The Whole Four Areas of Health

| Area | Function | Core Takeaway | |---------------|--------------------------------------------|---------------| | Brain/Body | Physical health, nutrition, sleep | Foundation for all healing | | Mind | Thought discipline, emotional healing | Negative thoughts drive pain | | Relationships | Social connection, community, attachment | Isolation worsens suffering | | Faith | Purpose, meaning, spiritual practice | Faith acts as a protective factor |

Links & Resources

• Book & Bonus Materials:
  Change Your Brain, Change Your Pain and resources: changeyourpainbook.com
• Dr. Amen’s Clinics & Social:
  amenclinics.com
  Instagram: @doc_amen

Final Takeaways

• Chronic pain is not just a physical problem; healing begins with the brain.
• Negative thought patterns directly intensify pain and reduce resilience.
• Key strategies: Emotional processing, gratitude, faith, social connections, and lifestyle interventions.
• Holistic well-being in four domains—brain/body, mind, relationships, and faith—is the path to breaking the cycle of suffering.
• Modeling whole health is the greatest gift you can give yourself—and the next generations.

“You have the power to change your brain—when you do, you break the cycle of pain and open up to a life of greater energy, freedom, and purpose.” — Dr. Daniel Amen

For those in pain—there is hope, and it starts with caring for your mind.