Episode 57 - Beyond the Physical: Why Treating Chronic Pain Requires Healing the Whole Person wit...

In this conversation, Dr. Michelle Weiner shares her evolution from chief resident in interventional pain medicine to pioneering integrative practitioner who treats chronic pain through a biopsychosocial-spiritual lens. Double board-certified in Interventional Pain Medicine, Physical Medicine, and Rehabilitation, Dr. Weiner reveals why traditional procedure-focused approaches often fail chronic pain patients and how she discovered more effective ways to create lasting healing. Dr. Weiner's journey started with her background in nutritional science and athletics, leading her through physical medicine and rehabilitation before specializing in interventional pain. But day after day of performing procedures without truly connecting with patients left her frustrated and seeking deeper solutions. Her introduction to medical cannabis as chair of Florida's advisory committee opened her mind to personalized medicine and treating the whole person rather than just diagnosis codes. You'll hear about her unique approach to fibromyalgia, which she reframes as "central sensitization" to empower rather than limit patients. Dr. Weiner explains how trauma and adverse childhood experiences prime the nervous system for hyperreactivity, leading to chronic pain that becomes centrally mediated rather than structurally based. Her practice now integrates cannabis protocols, ketamine therapy, and comprehensive team-based care to address the root causes of both physical and emotional pain. Dr. Weiner also shares her personal ketamine experience during training, including a profound vision that later manifested in real life, demonstrating the spiritual dimension she now incorporates into treatment. You'll also hear practical insights about building an integrative practice, the importance of set and setting, and why true healing requires addressing the person with the diagnosis, not just the diagnosis itself. What You'll Learn in This Episode · Career transition insights - How Dr. Weiner evolved from high-volume interventional procedures to relationship-based integrative medicine and why she felt traditional approaches were "stringing patients along" · Central sensitization framework - Why she avoids the term "fibromyalgia" and instead explains central sensitization to empower patients and create hope rather than diagnostic limitations · Biopsychosocial-spiritual model - How incorporating the spiritual dimension creates awe-like effects and connections that traditional medicine misses, supported by neuroscience research · Medical cannabis integration - Her role on Florida's Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee and how cannabis opened conversations about personalized medicine and treating individual endocannabinoid systems · Trauma's role in chronic pain - How adverse childhood experiences and physical trauma prime the nervous system for hyperreactivity and chronic pain development · Practice building strategies - Practical advice about insurance credentialing, marketing to other providers, creating therapeutic environments, and building multidisciplinary teams · Set and setting importance - Why the physical environment, staff training, and patient preparation are crucial for maximizing ketamine therapy outcomes · Patient education approaches - How she explains that healing happens during the neuroplastic window after ketamine, not during the infusion itself, and why "more is not better" · Team-based care model - Working with coaches, therapists, and specialists trained in pain reprocessing therapy and somatic approaches to support comprehensive healing Episode 57 show notes: 00:00:00 - Teaser: Heart-Forward Medicine and True Passion  00:00:19 - Introduction and Dr. Weiner's Background Overview 00:02:00 - Educational Journey: From Nutrition Science to Pain Medicine  00:05:13 - Colleague Reactions to Non-Traditional Approach 00:08:37 - The Pivotal Moment: From Procedures to Purpose  00:11:04 - Cannabis Integration and Personalized Medicine Discovery  00:13:43 - Biopsychosocial Model and Pain Neuroscience Education  00:17:09 - Trauma Patterns and Chronic Pain Development  00:19:54 - Reframing Fibromyalgia as Central Sensitization  00:23:54 - Adding the Spiritual Dimension: Biopsychosocial-Spiritual Model  00:29:07 - Personal Ketamine Experience and Training Story  00:34:22 - Practice Building: From Employee to Business Owner  00:38:18 - Set and Setting: Creating Therapeutic Environments  00:41:48 - Patient Misconceptions and Education Strategies 00:47:08 - Rapid Fire Questions:  00:53:55 - Advice to 18-Year-Old Self 00:55:34 - Final Thoughts: Pain Complexity and Nervous System Healing  00:56:32 - Contact Information and Practice Locations  00:57:29 - Ending and Show Resources Connect with Dr. Weiner at: Website: www.drmichelleweiner.com (http://www.drmichelleweiner.com) LinkedIn:   / michelle-weiner-do-mph-276b34b9   Facebook: https://...