Pain is not the same as suffering. Left to itself, the body discharges pain spontaneously, letting go of it the moment that the underlying cause is healed. Suffering is pain that we hold on to. It comes from the mind’s mysterious instinct to believe that pain is good, or that it cannot be escaped, or that the person deserves it.

"
Reviewing Susan Jacoby's book The Age of American Unreason Kaminer (2008) sees Chopra's popular reception in America as being symptomatic of many Americans' historical inability (as Jacoby puts it) "to distinguish between real scientists and those who peddled theories in the guise of science". He currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Executive Programs at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. The documentary is directed by actress Namrata Singh Gujral and also features cancer survivors Olivia Newton-John Diahann Carroll Melissa Etheridge Mumtaz and Jaclyn Smith.

His books have been translated into 35 languages and sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. Chopra has taught at the medical schools of Tufts University Boston University and Harvard University. His critics accuse him of creating a false sense of hope in sick individuals which may keep them away from effective medical care.