Recent Posts

RUTs – Can’t Take Your Hand Off the Stove? Turn Down the Heat

Anger Manifesto – “Humans, wake up!!”

Avoid Surgery by Raising the Pain Threshold

I Took a Walk with Bella Today – A consideration of what we can learn from other species.

Stories of Hope

Anger, Tall Poppy Syndrome, and Schadenfreude (The Luigi Mangione Story)

CEO Shooting vs. A Healing Journey

The Tragic Decline of Luigi Mangione: Pain, Isolation, and the Human Survival Response

The Pain of Social Isolation

“I Wish You Well” – Not as Altruistic as it Sounds

Quit Fighting Darkness and Turn on the Light

Stay Out of the Surgical Scrap Heap
Stage 1 - Lay the Foundation
Select a step from the dropdown menu below to view the posts in that step. The steps are:
Step 1 - Learn About Your Pain
Step 2 - Expressive Writing
Step 3 - Active Meditation
Step 4 - Sleep
Step 5 - Don't Share Your Pain

The Pain of Social Isolation

Science has the Answer to the Opioid Epidemic – Is anyone listening?

The Root Cause of Societal Disintegration – Untreated Anxiety

The Myth of MUS (Medically Unexplained Symptoms) – It’s MES

Calming and Stabilizing Your Nervous System

Active Meditation – a simple starting point

“The Abyss” – Honour your suffering

Solving Tinnitus – The Ringing in My Ears

Your Hand Stuck Over the Stove

Verbal “Expressive Writing”

Marsha’s Three Unnecessary Spine Surgeries

David Hanscom’s Mission and Resources

There is an Answer to the Mental Health Crisis

My Descent Into The Abyss

Charley’s Story: Pain Free After 17 Doctors

Processing Anxiety/ Frustration – They are not Going Away
Select a step from the dropdown menu below to view the posts in that step. The steps are:
Step 1 - Understand the Impact of Anger on Your Life
Step 2 - Acknowledge Your Disguises
Step 3 - Admit Your Victimhood
Step 4 - Forgive
Step 5 - Play

Anger Manifesto – “Humans, wake up!!”

Anger, Tall Poppy Syndrome, and Schadenfreude (The Luigi Mangione Story)

The Tragic Decline of Luigi Mangione: Pain, Isolation, and the Human Survival Response

“Wake the Fun Up” – The DOC Journey App

Don’t Take on the World’s Suffering

The Myth of Self-Esteem

Depression Masking as Pain

Our Need to Feel Safe

Bullying is Good for Your Health

Social Anxiety – Vulnerability Doesn’t Feel Safe

“She Just Let Go”

Suicide – A Horrible Way to Escape from Pain

“5–3–2” – Processing Anger in Three Steps

Gun Violence – No Action in a Reaction

From “Would Like” to “Should” – The Unenforceable Rules

Grievance Stories
Stage 3 - Move Forward
Select a step from the dropdown menu below to view the posts in that step. The steps are:
Step 1 - Commit to a Daily Practice
Step 2 - Create a Safe Haven - Family
Step 3 - Get Organized
Step 4 - Connect with the Life You Want
Step 5 - Create Your Vision

If you want to be smarter and live longer, do this!

“Stars Through the Bars”

Calming Down and Healing with Vagal Nerve Stimulation (VNS)

Create a Safe Haven – Family

Downhill Skiing is Dangerous – So is Life

Navigating Life is Similar to Playing Major League Baseball

The “C”quence of Healing Chronic Illness

“The Pit of Despair”

Stress Kills – Don’t Allow it

Happy Holidays – Not

How healing happens

Connection – The Antithesis of Pursuing Self-esteem

Why are New Year’s Resolutions So Hard to Keep?

No One Can Take Away Your Holiday Joy – But You

Do You Feel Safe in Your Own Home?

Your Relationship to Food and Life
Stage 4 Posts - Expand Your Consciousness
Select a step from the dropdown menu below to view the posts in that step. The steps are:
Step 1 - Pass Through the "Ring of Fire"
Step 2 - Step Into Your New Life
Step 3 - "Failing" Well
Step 4 - Look Up - Your Spiritual Journey
Step 5 - Giving Back is Healing

I Took a Walk with Bella Today – A consideration of what we can learn from other species.

“I Wish You Well” – Not as Altruistic as it Sounds

Quit Fighting Darkness and Turn on the Light

Why You Do Need an Ego? Dissolve it with Awareness

Kogos: Why Anxiety is the Real Gift of Life

“The Bottom”

“Our envy of others devours us most of all”

Be an Expert at Living life

Mindfulness Should not be Taught in School – Really??

Understanding the “Curse of Consciousness”

AI and the Cumulative Effects of Trauma

Four Aspects of Solving RUT’s

“Don’t Worry, Be Happy”

Your “Authentic Self”

Connecting the past and present to the future – Bruce Lipton and David Hanscom

Romanticizing Pirates – Normalizing Suffering and Abuse
Select a step from the dropdown menu below to view the posts in that step. The steps are:
Step 1 - General Principles - The Grid
Step 2 - The Source of Your Pain
Step 3 - The Impact of Stress on Your Pain and Decision-making
Step 4 - Understanding the Magnitude of the Surgery
Step 5 - Making the Final Surgical Decision
Step 6 - Stories of Surgical Despair

Avoid Surgery by Raising the Pain Threshold

CEO Shooting vs. A Healing Journey

Stay Out of the Surgical Scrap Heap

It is Becoming Harder to Make a Living as a Surgeon………

“My Son Just Died”

Make the Right Decision About Spine Surgery – The Grid

The Impact of Stress on Pain and Decision-Making

How Many More Neck Surgeries?

Do You Really Need Spine Surgery?

Optimizing (Avoiding) Spine Surgery

My Early Surgical Philosophy

Anger Altering a Surgical Decision

My Call to Action

Make the Right Decision About Spine Surgery – The Grid

Phantom Brain Pain – “The Doctor is Missing Something”

Humans Aren’t Data Points – Modern Medicine is Hurting Us
Stage 6 Posts - Procedures
Select a step from the dropdown menu below to view the posts in that step. The steps are:
Step 1 - General Considerations: Magnitude vs. Benefit
Step 2 - Decompressions
Step 3 - Lumbar Fusions
Step 4 - Deformity Surgery
Step 5 - Other Spine Surgeries
Step 6 - Stories of Surgical Despair

Posterior Lumbar Fusion

Lumbar Laminectomy/Laminotomy

Lumbar Microdiscectomy

Trapped for 18 Years from Scoliosis Surgery

A New Life at 72

My Low Back Surgery–and Infection
Important Posts

Do You Really Need Spine Surgery?

David Hanscom’s Mission and Resources

Anger Academy

Dynamic Healing

Plan A–Lowering Inflammation Lengthens Life

Essence of Illness

Navigating the Entire Circle of Your Life

Clarifying the New IASP Definition of Chronic Pain

Anxiety Basics

Learn Another Language – “An Enjoyable Life”

Healing Begins at Home – The DOC Journey Starting Point

Happily Ever After

Degenerative Disc Disease Isn’t a Disease

The Pain of Social Isolation

Learning to Heal with Awareness – Gail’s Story

Depression Masking as Pain

“Love Heals” – Moving into a New Life

Solving Tinnitus – The Ringing in My Ears

Spastic Bladder Resolved – Being with Anger

Optimizing (Avoiding) Spine Surgery

How to Heal – A Patient’s Story

No More Back Pain – A Story of Healing

Positive Thinking vs. Real-time Reprogramming

Charley’s Story: Pain Free After 17 Doctors

No More Being a Victim – Pay it Forward and Heal

“My Way Out” (of “The Abyss”) – One Patient’s Story

“Ritalins”

“Physician, Heal Thyself” – and She Did

Freed by Persistence and Play
Expressive Arts Posts

The Walk Home

Fierce Pain – Medically Explainable Symptoms (MES)

“MdDS: She is a Beautiful Flower” (acrylic on black watercolor paper, Feb 2017)

“Mystic Fragmentation … a medicine painting” (acrylic paint and collaged feet on 48×60″ canvas, 2021)

Shadows Dancing in the Fire

Emotional Turmoil

Somatic energy

With or Without

“Compassion”

Autumn Leaves

A selection from my mask project

The Lone Ranger

Six Feet Apart
Other Posts
- RUTs – Can’t Take Your Hand Off the Stove? Turn Down the Heat
- Stories of Hope
- We have no protection from mental pain
- Create a Safe Haven – Family
- Accept the Gift of Consciousness – Choice
- Threat Physiology Can’t be Controlled with Behavioral Approaches
- Mental Rigidity – A Core Trait of Many Mental Health Diagnoses
- The Popcorn Machine – Healing RUTS
- Make the Right Decision About Spine Surgery – The Grid
- Everyone Needs Support
- The “Five E’s” of Chronic Pain
- Video 14/19: Chronic Pain: Pain Free is Not Only Possible, it’s Probable.
- Compassion and an Italian Dinner
- Video 8/19: Fusions For LBP Don’t Work
- Problems are Opportunities
- Video 7/19: The Catastrophe Index
- Examiners from the Worker’s Perspective
- Video 4/19: Listen When Your Surgeon Says “No”
- Arm the Worker
- Video 8 of 19: Finding the Source of The Pain
- Video 5 of 19: An Alternative Approach to Chronic Pain & Spine Surgery
- It Really is Upside Down
- “I Want to Believe”
- The Catastrophe Index
- Your Doctor Might Not be Listening
- Worsening Prognosis with Time Off of Work
- Two Kinds of Anger
- Anger Affecting Nerve Pain
- Stress Management Overview
- How am I Going to Get There?
- Where am I Going?
- Where am I?
- Setting Goals with Three Questions
- Anti-Spasm
- Anti-depressants
- Anti-seizure
- Anti-anxiety
- Non-Narcotics
- Narcotics
- Medication Management
Click a Show Section button below to view the posts in that section.
Section 1 - Overview of RUTs
Section 2 - Solving RUTs
Section 3 - The Evolution of RUTs
Section 4 - Consequences of RUTs