15: Shifting Persistent Pain with Marnie Hartman, DPT, CSCS

In today’s episode, we unpack persistent pain with Marnie Hartman. Marnie has a doctorate in physical therapy and is a certified strength and conditioning coach as well as being a yoga teacher, putting her in a unique position to help us understand pain, particularly lasting or persistent pain, from varied perspectives.

Marnie talks to Rachel about some of the myths and misconceptions around pain. She explains how the experience of pain is an output of the nervous system rather than an input, making it highly individual, and how that knowledge can inform the yoga techniques we use in pain care. She offers a range of suggestions on how we can work with pain in a more caring and compassionate way, whether it’s our own or that of others, by harnessing the power of curiosity and playfulness.

Listen in to learn how pain works and how we can work with it.

“Pain is a fascinating experience in our body.” – Marnie Hartman

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“The longer that pain is present, the less it gives us an indication of what’s happening in the body.” – Marnie Hartman

Show Notes:

Marnie’s journey from physical therapist to yoga teacher [3:43]
Defining pain and common misconceptions about pain [7:26]
Is pain a reliable indicator of tissue damage? [11:14]
Our tendency to frame pain as an unpleasant experience [13:19]
Environmental influences on pain perception [14:45]
The relationship between pain and stress, the first and second dart [17:27]
Yoga in pain care and the pain mandala model [23:52]
The power of simple practices, including listening, when working with someone in pain [30:02]
Teasing out the details of the pain experience to shift our neurologic maps [34:21]
Body scanning to invite curiosity around sensation, “and this too” [38:49]
Other yoga applications for people with persistent pain [42:10]
The importance of language in pain care [58:35]