53 | The Mind, Pain, and the Body: A New Approach to Healing - Karen Bigman
53 | The Mind, Pain, and the Body: A New Approach to Healing - Karen Bigman  
Podcast: The Pain Free Formula
Published On: Tue Mar 31 2026
Description: Most of us know what it's like to hurt — and to feel like nothing is working.In this episode, Stacey Roberts sits down with Karen Bigman, who spent years doing all the "right" things — physical therapy, injections, specialist after specialist — and still couldn't find relief. What finally helped wasn't another treatment. It was understanding the connection between her body, her emotions, and the stress she'd been carrying for years.Karen's story isn't unusual. For a lot of people, pain doesn't have a simple fix — and that can feel incredibly isolating. This conversation explores why that is, and what it actually looks like to start feeling better when nothing else has worked.If you've ever felt dismissed, frustrated, or just plain exhausted by your own health journey, this one's for you.Timestamped Highlights01:00 – Karen’s early experience with chronic pain02:30 – Surgeries, injections, and hitting a breaking point05:30 – Facing spinal fusion—and choosing another path07:30 – Discovering the mind-body connection09:30 – How stress and emotions trigger pain12:00 – Why pain is real but influenced by the brain14:00 – Reframing pain: acknowledgment vs. fear16:00 – Journaling and emotional release techniques19:30 – A breakthrough moment: pain-free at her daughter’s wedding21:00 – Taking back control and feeling empoweredAbout The GuestKaren Bigman is a certified life coach and host of the Taboo to Truth: Life & Sex After 50 podcast. Alongside her work in sexual health and life transitions, she shares her personal journey overcoming chronic pain through mind-body healing.Her podcast is called Taboo to Truth: Life & Sex After 50. • Website: taboototruth.com• Apple Podcasts: Listen on Apple• Spotify: Listen on Spotify• YouTube: youtube.com/@taboototruthpodcast• Instagram: @taboototruthMentioned Resources:Dr. John Sarno's BooksHis major works include: Better World BooksMind Over Back Pain (his first book on TMS)Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection (1991) — his most popular and best-selling bookThe Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain (1998)The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders (2006)Dr. Sarno passed away in 2017, so there's no active personal website, but his daughter Christina Sarno (a psychotherapist) carries on his work through the Sarno x Sachs Solution: yourbreakawake.com/sarnosachsNicole Sachs, LCSW Nicole Sachs is a speaker, author, podcaster, and psychotherapist who worked directly with Dr. Sarno. She was one of his patients and later became his protégé, eventually founding the JournalSpeak method. My TMS JourneyShe has two books:The Meaning of Truth (2013) — her personal TMS recovery storyMind Your Body — a culmination of over two decades of her work in mind-body healing for chronic pain, anxiety, and persistent stress-related conditionsHer website: yourbreakawake.comHer podcast (The Cure for Chronic Pain) is linked from her site as well.Important LinksPain-Free Formula Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pain-free-formula/id1802518411Free eBooks - https://newyouhealthandwellness.com/ebooksBiomechanics: When Movement MattersHeal Your Gut, Heal Your Pain - The Gut Joint Axis: A Missing Link to Joint and Muscle HealthHormones: A Missing Piece in Pain ReliefStacey’s Book on Amazon - https://www.amazon.ca/Pain-Free-Formula-Solving-Injections/dp/0998183717New You Health and Wellness Website - https://newyouhealthandwellness.comAbout the HostStacey Roberts, PT, MBA, MSN, RN, is an Amazon bestselling author, physical therapist, registered nurse, and functional medicine specialist with 30+ years of experience. She founded and runs New You Health and Wellness in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Her program, detailed in her book, The Pain-Free Formula; Solving The Puzzle of Muscle and Joint Pain Without Surgery, Drugs or Injections, has helped thousands overcome chronic pain and reclaim their vitality.The Pain-Free Formula Podcast is brought to you by Stacey Roberts. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.Medical DisclaimerInformation in this program, as well as any information provided by New You Health and Wellness and its subsidiaries, is provided for informational purposes only. This information is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by a licensed physician or other healthcare professional, or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging that we supply. Do not use the information on this website or podcast for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement or using any treatment for a health problem. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health provider promptly. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking professional advice because of something you have read or heard in this program. Information provided in this program and any other presented by New You Health and Wellness LLC, and the use of any products or services purchased from New You Health and Wellness LLC by you does not create a doctor-patient relationship or healthcare provider-patient relationship between you and any of the health professionals affiliated with our website or clinic. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. 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