back in control by david hanscom

I have a mild disc buldge according to MRI with no nerv impingement so i'm happily going along improving with my TMS studies and i discovered his site. I'm not sure i've read it right or wrong but under surgery tab and decision making he has thing listed which are "structural problems" and...

You have been suffering for a while and are understandably upset that you are still suffering from almost unbearable pain. Here is one set of suggestions to help you begin your journey back to a full life. Check out the following websites, which will help you learn about chronic pain and give...

I received an email from an orthopedic colleague who I have never personally met. We are both part of an Internet discussion group about chronic pain and disability. His observations were very succinct and I think summarizes the problem of physicians not being adequately trained in chronic pain...

Many years ago I was involved with helping a young friend, Larry, in his 20’s deal with a difficult legal situation involving drugs. He was a great kid and had ended up associating with friends who were on a path to hell. His father was also incredibly critical of every move he made and was...

Every second of your life depends on your brain scanning your surroundings for trouble. This unconscious process guides your behavior so as to avoid danger and maximize your chances of survival. You will become conscious of this ongoing interaction with the environment only when a given need is...

Recent events in the Middle East have raised a lot of questions about why would people dedicate their lives to the pursuit of destruction. My observation is that this unspeakable behavior is the ultimate expression of what is learned in school beginning in pre-school. Every child entering...

Mike is a local physical therapist who is a friend of mine. He has been interested the DOCC project and, like me, has struggled with severe chronic pain. I have been helping him work through different strategies to pull out of it and he is slowly coming out of the hole. It has also given him a...

As has been discussed many times on this website pain pathways are permanent and part of the unconscious part of your brain. There is nothing you can do to “fix” them. Any attention paid to them simply reinforces them. That includes trying not trying to pay attention to them. The key is to calm...

You have learned the multiple variables that create and affect chronic pain. Regardless of the source of the pain your brain is being rapidly bombarded with unpleasant sensations that become magnified and memorized with time. Additionally they are linked with anxiety/ anger impulses that are...

About three years ago my staff noticed that our surgical patients who participated in the DOCC project principles were doing much better. The successes were better and we were having fewer failures. The postoperative pain seemed less and more easily controlled. Patients were moving forward...

Patients and physicians are not making logical or reasonable decisions regarding spine surgery. I have watched this phenomenon for almost 30 years and it is getting much worse. You have to be fairly intelligent to make it through medical school. A basic concept in trying to repair anything in...

Omega Institute, July 2015 Dr. Fred Luskin, author of Forgive for Good, my wife Babs Yohai, a professional tap dancer, and I will hold a five-day workshop at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. The course is structured around education, hope, forgiveness, and play. It is based on the concepts...

I was in Italy grabbing a ride to my hotel from the Florence train station. While waiting in line I noticed a slightly older taxi driver standing by his cab in the middle of the taxi stand while three or four drivers took off ahead of him. He seemed slightly disoriented. Sure enough he was our...

Your unconscious brain processes data at an estimated one million times per second than your conscious brain and it evolved around avoiding anxiety. Every second of your body’s existence revolves around minimizing it regardless of what action is required. Lack of air, food, water, protection...

I am presenting a starting point for your healing journey. DOCC is a framework that breaks down chronic pain into basic parts that will enable you to develop your own treatment plan. It evolved from my own 15-year experience suffering from chronic pain with the last seven being extreme. I was...

In my work, I often hear terrible bullying stories. The consequences carry over to adulthood and are often devastating. Bullying is a powerful way to deal with the anxiety that arises when someone’s differences make the bully uncomfortable. The story told below in the form of a letter is an...

I am continually trying to understand the Mind Body Syndrome and find better ways to explain it. Here is another one of my attempts. Every human being has anxiety as a necessary survival trait. Every cell in the human body has evolved to survive – not to have a great time. Unfortunately humans...

I am continually trying to understand the Mind Body Syndrome and find better ways to explain it. Here is another one of my attempts. Every human being has anxiety as a necessary survival trait. Every cell in the human body has evolved to survive – not to have a great time. Unfortunately...

I am continually trying to understand the Mind Body Syndrome and find better ways to explain it. Here is another one of my attempts. Every human being has anxiety as a necessary survival trait. Every cell in the human body has evolved to survive – not to have a great time. Unfortunately humans...

I am continually trying to understand the Mind Body Syndrome (MBS) and find better ways to explain it. Here is another one of my attempts. Every human being has anxiety as a necessary survival trait. Every cell in the human body has evolved to survive – not to have a great time. Unfortunately...