Andrew David Shiller, MD

14/11/2025

Stephanie is one of my students who wrote recently,

"I notice I'm much less bothered by my chronic pain than I used to be. It still hurts. But it doesn't feel as cruel and miserable. So I can live life a bit more with it. It's not a contradiction. And when I just "Let it be there," it doesn't bother me as much. It's like the negative emotion is drained out of the pain. So, there is more room for positive emotion. More room for ... Me".

🧘‍♂️One way that meditation helps is that it teaches non-reactive emotional awareness. You learn to be aware of what you're feeling without falling into it. And as a result, you notice the tension and inner negativity. And it gives you an opportunity to "let go of it".

So the unpleasant sensation might be there. But you learn to dissolve the misery that makes it worse. So you have more space to exist. And you develop greater control over your emotions.

⏭Free training in mind-body skills. This coming Monday. If you want to benefit from these proven techniques you need to pre-register. Click the event below and you'll see the registration link.⏮

📑Want some evidence?

A study in the journal Emotion in 2008 demonstrated that mindfulness training can lead to improved emotional regulation by increasing brain activity in areas associated with emotional processing (Goldin, P. R., & Gross, J. J. (2008). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on emotion regulation in social anxiety disorder. Emotion, 8(3), 361-371.)

A recent publication made a hypothesis that there are two ways that meditation might help you to live in a more balanced and happy way.

✅One is the in-the-moment experience of meditation, which often brings a greater sense of calm, clarity and comfort in the moment.

✅The second is how meditation trains and changes brain function over time. Regular meditation practice appears to teach the brain to live in a more emotionally regulated place. (Raugh IM, Strauss GP. Integrating mindfulness into the extended process model of emotion regulation: The dual-mode model of mindful emotion regulation. Emotion. 2023 Oct 16.)

It seems true to me.

🗣I heard from one of my other students this week. After years of chronic pain and fatigue and just feeling miserable, she has been practicing in my classes for a year or two.

She initially noticed nice changes after class. Sometimes it didn't last. Now she's reporting just feeling happier. And that people around her are noticing. So nice to hear.

And my own experience resonates very much with the idea that there are immediate benefits of meditation. And also longer-term changes from regular practice.

🧠 For me, I've noticed that the "thermostat" of my mind and emotions have become more stabilized over time.

When I was practicing regularly, I used to notice this little voice in my head (or heart). I'd be driving down the road after work and it said,

"Do you need to be holding the steering wheel so tightly?". So I'd relax my hands and it felt good.

Or, "maybe you could just let the tension out of your jaw and shoulders".

It was trippy. But the voice was right-on. It was like I was turning on my inner voice of self-care and wisdom.

Over time, I learned to listen to it. And the impact has been dramatic. I'm much calmer. More clear-headed. Better sense of my own priorities. And that neck pain--gone.

That's part of why I'm so committed to sharing these techniques. 😊

Because they help people. If you're interested in having a positive impact on your well-being, they can probably help you, too.

We do basic techniques with breathing and attention to evoke the physiology of relaxation and reduce pain and anxiety. We talk about challenges in practice. And even people who are convinced they can't meditate...can.

📌The training is free, but you need to pre-register. Click the event link to get more information and sign up: https://web.facebook.com/events/821513127140034/

See you soon.

13/11/2025

Conventional medical thinking and treatment often fail to solve chronic pain.

That's shown in the medical research and in tens of thousands of patient encounters in my own experience.

In contrast, there are simple, safe, science-based principles that support the healing process. There are obstacles to healing. You can learn simple things that remove those obstacles. So your body-mind system can heal. So you can feel better and live better. Even if you've "tried everything".

Learn more. Look for the link to the free e-book download that is in the comments. If you can't find it, please send me a pm.

Once you do that, if you want to help other people with chronic pain, please share this post.

12/11/2025

Fibromyalgia, back pain, neck pain, bursitis, nerve pain, and arthritis. They can make life tough and frustrating.

Medical school and residency taught the usual ways doctors diagnose and treat pain. But many many people continue to suffer despite the best medical care. People have knocked on my door saying they had "tried everything"

But they hadn’t tried “everything”. They had tried the conventional medicine from their doctors. Some of them tried complementary therapies that didn’t help.

It was a big wakeup call for a young idealistic doctor fresh out of training.

So I went on a journey, and studied a ton of natural medicine. And I learned about the inner healing wisdom that we all have inside of us.

What became clear is that conventional pain diagnosis and treatment often misses three important things.

When we care for these three things, many people feel less pain, suffer less, and have a better life.

Even if they "tried everything".

What if there are things that you could do to help your pain, even if you've received the best
medical care?

You can get my free ebook to understand why your pain is sticking around and what you can do about it. Access it here: https://andrew-david-shiller.mykajabi.com/3clues

If you want to help others going through pain, please share this post widely.

11/11/2025

Too many people continue to suffer from chronic pain and illness despite the best conventional medical care.

Does that sound familiar to you?

Meanwhile, evolving science is showing us reasons why pain and illness get worse rather than better.

And that knowledge is powerful.

Because when you know what is driving the suffering, you can make powerful choices to change it.

Imagine if you had a set of tools to shift your biology. To enhance your sense of well-being. And to even change the course of illness.

I'm excited to share a video that discusses the most important of these things that worsen pain and prevent healing. And the things you can do to change that. I believe it could resonate with you on a deeper level, offering insights that empower you.

Watch the video for free here:https://andrew-david-shiller.mykajabi.com/autonomic-imb-pain-illness?preview_theme_id=2155625861

10/11/2025

What if I told you the best thing to improve your pain, chronic illness, and well-being is to align your body and life with your soul?

When I say “aligning with your inner soul,” I mean connecting with your inner self. You have an inner dimension that is a potential source of healing, wisdom, and strength.

Whether you use the language of “soul” or not, your "inner place" can help you heal and grow.

As you learn to live in integrity with your true self over time, you become less affected by external stressors and more focused on living your purpose.

This shift towards authenticity leads to a greater sense of ease and well-being, with profound biological effects.

Over the past 30 years, I have had the honor of supporting countless individuals as they moved through the process of recovering from catastrophic illness and injury.

I'm eager to share why Inner Transformation Is The Key To Healing Chronic Illness and Pain. See the new blog here: https://drshiller.substack.com/p/why-is-inner-transformation-the-key

10/11/2025

Remarkable stories of healing chronic pain and illness and living a life of purpose and joy.

09/11/2025

07/11/2025

Surviving a health catastrophe is only the beginning.

Too many people never fully recover—not because of lack of willpower, but because the medical system focuses on treating symptoms instead of the root causes of health-robbing dysfunction.

Twenty-five years in rehabilitation medicine have shown me how overactive protective responses derail recovery—and why an integrative, whole-person approach is essential for getting your life back.

➡️ Dive into the article https://drshiller.substack.com/p/accelerating-healing-after-catastrophe

06/11/2025

What if...
You took responsibility for the things inside the blue circle and gradually learned to stop trying to control the things outside of the blue circle...
How would your life change?
Please leave a comment or two.

04/11/2025

Do You have persistent pain?
Are you trying or thinking about trying mind-body techniques?
Ever hear of Dr Sarno?
Dr Sarno shared an important principle about healing back pain.
But his work can be misleading.
Watch the video for more.
What if there are things that you could do to help your pain, even if you've received the best
medical care?
You can get my free ebook to understand why your pain is sticking around and what you can do about it. Access it here: https://andrew-david-shiller.mykajabi.com/3clues
If you want to help others going through pain, please share this post widely.