It's Not in Your Head

12 What to Say Instead of "It's in Your Head": Better Communication of Chronic Pain

Dr. Dan Bates & Justine Feitelson Season 1 Episode 12

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 44:30

This episode moves from the problem to the solution — offering specific, evidence-informed language that providers can use to communicate about pain without dismissing or inadvertently shaming patients. The discussion emphasizes that pain is a complex interplay of physiological and psychological factors, not purely one or the other. Both patients and providers are given tools to work collaboratively, address the real drivers of pain, and approach difficult conversations with empathy and clinical accuracy. Mental health crisis resources are provided for listeners who need support.


Resources:

www.iniyh.com/newsletter

Timestamps:

00:00 Official Intro

00:17 Intro

04:27 Patient Example - Suicidal thoughts

07:33 What do we do?

08:50 Mosley & Butler's Pain Neuroscience

10:11 Asher Perspective

10:57 Pain Neuroscience Messages - Good Side

13:47 The Downside

17:11 Blue Sky Effect

18:40 Pain Scales and Shifting Pain

24:26 Words That Are Misinterpreted

28:23 How to Get Around it?

31:08 4 Part Series, Step 1 - Find & Fix

32:29 Step 2 - Filtering

33:47 Step 3 - Turn Down the Amplifiers

36:14 Step 4 - Rewire

38:25 Summarize It

40:32 From The Patient Side

44:01 Disclaimer