Solving Chronic Pain and Long COVID: The Mind-Body Connection with Dr. Michael Donnino
Episode 2 of my new show - Multitudes!
And I said, “You’re going to think I'm crazy, but this is what happened and I want to study it. I think this is huge. This could be a paradigm shift for medicine.”
Listen/Watch: YouTube | Apple | Spotify
Welcome to my new show Multitudes, where I highlight ideas and people worth exploring further. I don’t charge money for the show but you can support by subscribing on YouTube, Apple, or Spotify and, if you feel inclined, leaving a review, comment and/or thumbs up.
Last week, I sat down with Dr. Michael Donnino, a Harvard Medical School Professor and physician who's published over 280 medical research papers, to explore a provocative idea: that understanding the mind-body connection might be key to treating chronic pain, a condition affecting 8% of Americans and costing over $300 billion annually.
My interest in this topic stems from personal experience. About two years ago, I found myself among the millions of people struggling with chronic back pain. Despite numerous medical tests and consultations, doctors couldn't identify the source of my pain. It was a frustrating and anxiety-inducing experience.
When a friend recommended "Healing Back Pain" by Dr. John Sarno, I was skeptical. How could a book succeed where extensive medical interventions had failed?
Remarkably, reading the book's central premise - that real physical pain can originate from mental processes rather than structural problems - led to my pain disappearing almost instantly.
When I recently shared this experience on X, the post reached nearly half a million views, with dozens of people reporting similar healing stories (see some examples at the bottom of this page).
Among those who responded was Dr. Donnino, whose journey paralleled my own: while working as a physician, he developed debilitating back pain. Sarno's approach not only helped him recover but inspired him to found the Mind Body Research Group, bringing scientific rigor to these healing techniques.
The Mind Body Research Group’s findings are transformative: they've demonstrated that mental processes alone can create and resolve very real physical symptoms — from chronic pain to shortness of breath.
Dr. Donnino emphasizes a crucial point: these symptoms aren't imaginary or "all in your head" — the pain and physical sensations are completely real. What's different is our understanding of their origin and treatment. For many people suffering from chronic pain, Long COVID, and other persistent conditions, the path to healing might not require new medications, but rather a deeper understanding of how our minds and bodies interact.
I’m interested to hear about your experiences with chronic pain and your reaction to this episode of Multitudes. Please comment below (or send me an email if you wish to keep things confidential). I’m hoping this episode helps people with their chronic pain — please share it with a friend, love one or colleague who might benefit.
Links
Full episode transcript
Mind Body Research Group’s website
Dr. Michael Donnino and Julian on X
Are you exploring starting a company?
I started ODF to help people find the missing pieces — who they might build with, what they might build, etc. We’re over 5 years in and have helped over 1,000 startups launch — check out our top companies list. We’re launching our 24th ODF cohort in SF in late February. Learn more and apply.
Are you looking for funding for an ambitious project?
Merge is the place for microgrants online. We have a microgrant guide featuring video reviews, examples of successful applications, and more. It has already helped people raise >$100k in non-dilutive capital for their projects.
Miss the first episode of Multitudes?
Last week I published my conversation with Yaroslav Shipilov, one of the four people behind ambitious project PlasticList which released a groundbreaking report showing that 86% of tested foods in the Bay Area contain plastic chemicals. Listen/Watch on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify.
Bonus — below are some curated replies to my post from people who eliminated their chronic pain by reading the book Healing Back Pain by Dr. John Sarno:
I healed some severe pain in my arm that I had been experiencing for nearly 2 years by following the principles in this book. It isn’t *only* for backs, but for many types of pain (that aren’t caused by obvious and/or structural issues).
Literally a life changing book
This book changed my life a few years back. It’s hard to believe how effective this has been.
Literally the most important book I've read
This book literally changed my life! Read it over ten years ago. Have given out dozens of copies to friends.
Mine was in the shoulder and arm, very intense (from a cervical herniation according to MRI). Started melting away reading the intro to the book. Every time it flaired up, I read a bit and it went away. After about 2 weeks, gone.
Haha, we spoke about this book at a meetup and someone’s wrist pain went away. Just by listening to us talk about this book. True story.
It’s worth noting that not everyone reported success like those above. You can view all replies to my post here.
P.S. Hit reply if you enjoyed this or have thoughts for future episodes
