Do you struggle with chronic pain in your body? Are you searching for an alternative approach to pain rather than running from it or struggling with it? In this episode of “Your Life in Process,” Diana discusses mindfulness-based approaches to pain with internationally known mindfulness teacher, Dr. Christiane Wolf.

A NOTE ON THE SOUND QUALITY: I wanted to let you know that this episode has some poor audio quality on my part. I was playing around with the knobs before I recorded and ended up getting a fuzzy version of me throughout. I hope that you will give me some grace on that. Because I love the organic conversation back and forth with Christiane and myself. So focus your attention on that and allow for a little bit of imperfection. That’s what we need to all do for each other.

About Christiane Wolf

Christiane Wolf, M.D., Ph.D. is a former physician, internationally known mindfulness and Insight (Vipassana) meditation teacher. She is passionate about translating ancient wisdom teachings into accessible and applicable modern-day language. She aims to live from the heart informed by the brain and inspires her students to explore the same. 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”. Christiane is the lead-consultant and teacher trainer for the VA’s (US Department of Veteran Affairs) National Mindfulness Facilitator Training and a senior teacher at InsightLA. She is the mom of three amazing humans and can usually be found in the Los Angeles area training for ultramarathons and triathlons.

Key Takeaways

• All humans experience pain and we respond to pain matters.
• Changing our relationship with our pain requires getting curious about stories, behaviors, words, and emotions connected with our experiences of pain.
• Engaging in mindful and compassionate practices will free you from the intense suffering that often follows resistance to unchosen pain.

Related Resources

• Download Your Daily Practice for this episode
• Find out what kind of Striver you are and get your free Skillful Striving Toolkit
• Learn More about Dr. Christiane Wolf
• Read Dr. Wolf’s Book: Outsmart Your Pain
• Enroll in Dr. Wolf’s on-demand chronic pain class.
• Listen to Diana and Dr. Jud’s discussion of curiosity
• Read about the science of relationships, threat, and pain experiences by Sue Johnson
• Read about the science of interoceptive awareness in athletes under stress
• Learn More about Insight LA

Diana’s Events

• Reserve your spot in Diana’s Reset and Restore Retreat in Costa Rica in 2023!
• Sign up for Diana’s From Striving to Thriving Summit!
• See Diana at an upcoming event

Connecting With Diana

Thank you for listening to Your Life in Process! Subscribe to the podcast for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts. If you have any questions or feedback you can contact Diana by email podcast at yourlifeinprocess dot com or leave Diana an audio message at (805) 457-2776. Follow Diana at YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website.

Thank you to the team Craig, Angela Stubbs, Ashley Hiatt, and Abby Diehl. Thank you to Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music.

Remember when you become psychologically flexible, you become free.

Episode Segments

• [00:00] Introduction
• [00:21] About Christiane Wolf
• [02:35] Sponsor: InsightLA Meditation
• [03:16] Diana’s Upcoming Events and Episode Sound Quality
• [04:16] Pain x Resistance = Suffering
• [09:13] How The Brain Interprets Chronic Pain
• [12:07] Acute Pain vs. Chronic Pain
• [13:26] The Pain Story
• [15:50] The Box That We Call Pain
• [16:58] Interoception And Resilience
• [18:44] Ultra-Marathons And Endurance
• [21:16] How Are You Talking About Pain?
• [25:28] Yes…And With Pain
• [28:29] Attentional Flexibility
• [29:57] The Emotional Component Of Pain
• [33:35] Chronic Pain Is Bio-Psycho-Psycho-Spiritual
• [36:15] Compassion And Pain
• [40:54] The Goal Is Not To Get Rid Of It
• [42:09] Learn More About Dr. Christianne Wolf
• [43:44] Your Daily Practice
• [46:00] Connect With The Podcast