Good Life Project An End to Chronic Pain? Surprising Science is Getting Us Closer. | Dr. Rachel Zoffness
9 snips
Apr 9, 2026 
Dr. Rachel Zoffness, pain scientist and UCSF clinical professor who wrote Tell Me Where It Hurts, reframes chronic pain through a biopsychosocial lens. She explores how the brain generates pain, the 65-year-old neuroscience behind it, the role of expectations and social connection, and practical pacing and real-time strategies to lower pain signals.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Pain Is Constructed By The Brain
- Pain is not purely biomedical; it is constructed by the brain and involves biological, psychological, and social factors.
- Phantom limb pain shows pain can exist without a body part, proving pain is ultimately made by the brain.
Pain Education Is Missing In Medical Schools
- Medical education largely ignores pain science: 96% of U.S. and Canadian medical schools have no compulsory pain education.
- That training gap perpetuates a biomedical-only approach and leaves doctors without tools to treat chronic pain effectively.
Pain Lives In A Biopsychosocial Venn
- Use a biopsychosocial model: pain lives at the overlap of biological, psychological, and social domains.
- Treating only the biological domain misses two thirds of the pain problem and ignores emotions, thoughts, sleep, and support.
