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For decades, patients with back pain have been told the same story: your spine is damaged, your muscles are weak, your body is broken. Surgery, injections, endless physical therapy — yet the epidemic only grows.
But a small group of doctors and researchers dared to say: What if the problem isn’t in the back at all?
These pioneers challenged mainstream medicine by pointing to something radical, yet profoundly human: the role of the brain, emotions, and nervous system in chronic pain. Their courage — and their research — paved the way for approaches like The Makepeace Method.
Here are some of the doctors whose voices still echo today:
Dr. John Sarno
New York University Rusk Institute
“The purpose of the pain is to distract the mind from repressed emotional issues.”
The trailblazer of mind-body medicine. Sarno’s clinical work at NYU showed that unresolved emotions could manifest as very real pain — long before neuroscience confirmed it.
Dr. David Hanscom
Former spine surgeon, Swedish Neuroscience Institute (Seattle)
“Chronic pain is a neurophysiological disorder, not a structural one.”
A spine surgeon who walked away from surgery after realizing most operations didn’t cure pain. His shift toward brain-first treatment shocked his peers.
Dr. Howard Schubiner
Wayne State University School of Medicine
“Chronic pain is a learned nerve pathway disorder that can be reversed.”
Through clinical trials, Schubiner demonstrated that pain circuits in the brain can be retrained — proving that healing is possible without structural fixes.
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk
Boston University School of Medicine
“Pain and tension are all ways the body holds onto emotional injury.”
Author of The Body Keeps the Score, van der Kolk showed how trauma leaves a physical imprint long after the event has passed.
Dr. Candace Pert
Neuroscientist, Johns Hopkins–trained, NIMH & Georgetown University
“Your body is your subconscious mind… it can be changed by emotions.”
A neuroscientist whose discovery of neuropeptides revealed how emotions literally live in the body’s tissues.
Dr. Gabor Maté
Physician & addiction specialist
“Repressed emotions, and self-denial, create the perfect storm for pain and illness.”
Widely respected for his work on stress and health, Maté revealed how personality traits like people-pleasing can quietly fuel chronic conditions.
Dr. Peter Levine
PhD, Medical Biophysics, University of California, Berkeley
“Trauma sticks in the nervous system. The body remembers what the mind cannot.”
Levine’s work on somatic experiencing explained why the nervous system keeps replaying unresolved stress as physical symptoms.
Dr. Fred Luskin
Director, Stanford Forgiveness Project
“Forgiveness reduces anger, improves health, and quiets the body’s stress response.”
His research on forgiveness showed how unresolved anger and resentment keep the stress system — and pain — alive.
Dr. David Burns
Adjunct Clinical Professor Emeritus, Stanford University School of Medicine
“When we change the way we think, we change the way we feel, including physical pain.”
A pioneer in cognitive behavioral therapy, Burns demonstrated how thought patterns affect both emotions and physical sensations.
Bringing It All Together
Each of these voices challenged the conventional wisdom that pain must equal physical damage. Their findings converge on a simple, radical truth: chronic pain is generated by the brain and nervous system—and it can be unlearned.
The Makepeace Method brings these insights together into one structured, seven-day process. By combining neuroscience, emotional awareness, and practical tools, it helps people finally break free from pain.
Keep learning
Johns Hopkins Confirms: Pain Can Persist Long After the Body Heals
Researchers at Johns Hopkins discovered that once the brain learns to associate certain sensations with danger, it can keep generating pain even after the injury is gone. The good news: the brain can unlearn it too.
Two-Thirds of Back Pain Patients Healed Without Pills, Injections, or Surgery
In a landmark study from the University of Colorado, two-thirds of chronic back-pain patients became pain-free after a brain-based program—no surgery, no medication. The treatment worked not by fixing the spine, but by retraining the brain.
Stanford Reduced Chronic Back Pain in Just One 2-Hour Class
A two-hour neuroscience education class at Stanford helped chronic pain patients reduce symptoms as much as weeks of therapy. Understanding how the brain misinterprets signals allowed participants to feel safe again—and that’s when the pain subsided.
Real people. Real relief.
These are real stories from people who were stuck in pain—until they tried the Makepeace Method. Now they're free.
One day, you bend down to pick up a sock—and your back goes out.
“Knowing what I know now, I regret having back surgery.”
“I feel so much better — and I’m grateful this exists.”
“This took my pain from a 9 or 10 down to a 1 or 2.”
“After doing the program, I got up from my desk one day and the pain and tingling were just gone.”
“I've had significant improvements in my pain levels. I now feel confident about managing my back health.”
“This method makes a complex idea easy to implement. Bottom line: I’m feeling much better.”
“I was bedridden for weeks. Now the pain is gone, and when it flares, I can shut it off.”
“I was a massage therapist for 30 years. Several weeks ago I started an excruciating ordeal with back pain. The Makepeace Method was life changing for me. My back has improved tremendously. Thank you a million times over.”
“I loved your course. It was a blessing listening to your videos. It has given me hope on my healing journey.”
“I had been truly suffering for months. Within a few days, I was moving freely again. Thank you.”
You've done your time in pain. Now take your life back.
You’ve fought hard and tried it all, but the burden was never yours to carry forever. Your brain is ready to reset, your body to feel safe again. Pain is not who you are - it’s time to reclaim your life.
