Recent Posts

Stay Out of the Surgical Scrap Heap

Stay Out of the Surgical Scrap Heap

Objectives: Although there is no question about the dedication of physicians to providing excellent care, the rigors of training, the ...
It is Becoming Harder to Make a Living as a Surgeon………

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

When I began my surgical practice in 1986, I was convinced that spine surgery was a definitive solution for pain, ...
If you want to be smarter and live longer, do this!

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

My wife and I started to play ping pong in our backyard about five years ago. We quickly discovered how ...
“Wake the Fun Up” - The DOC Journey App

“Wake the Fun Up” – The DOC Journey App

Nurturing a sense of play is the main focus of the app. It is the optimal healing state of safety ...
“Stars Through the Bars”

“Stars Through the Bars”

Many years ago I was involved with helping a young friend, Larry, in his 20’s deal with a difficult legal ...
Science has the Answer to the Opioid Epidemic - Is anyone listening?

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

The Federal government has spent billions of dollars on combating the opioid epidemic. In 2022, 1.5 billion dollars was allocated ...
We have no protection from mental pain

We have no protection from mental pain

Objectives: Pain from any body part is a protective danger signal that guides our behavior and physical responses to avoid ...
Don’t Take on the World’s Suffering

Don’t Take on the World’s Suffering

Objectives Many of us become upset about the state of the world, which is definitely worrisome and disturbing. However, you ...
Calming Down and Healing with Vagal Nerve Stimulation (VNS)

Calming Down and Healing with Vagal Nerve Stimulation (VNS)

The Relationship Between Chronic Stress and Health Stress is commonly perceived as a psychological term. That is simply not true ...
The Pain of Social Isolation

The Pain of Social Isolation

Many people suffering from chronic pain are socially isolated. When you are trapped in pain you have a difficult time ...
The Root Cause of Societal Disintegration – Untreated Anxiety

The Root Cause of Societal Disintegration – Untreated Anxiety

Being trapped by relentless untreated anxiety is the core driver of destructive human behaviour. Anxiety is the sensation generated by ...
Create a Safe Haven - Family

Create a Safe Haven – Family

Pain = Frustration. In the presence of unrelenting pain this frustration can be intense. Anger is a survival reaction and it ...

Stage 1 Posts - Lay the Foundation

Not Just Another Pain Conference – The 2nd Annual Pain Summit

Not Just Another Pain Conference – The 2nd Annual Pain Summit

 2nd Annual Pain Summit – Feb 26th and 27th, 2022 There is a growing group of health care professionals who ...
Eliminate the Word, “Anxiety”

Eliminate the Word, “Anxiety”

Objectives Anxiety is at the core of how we evolved and continue to survive. It is a gift. It is ...
“The Curse of Consciousness” – Trapped by Your Thoughts

“The Curse of Consciousness” – Trapped by Your Thoughts

Objectives: Unpleasant thoughts are impossible to avoid and can significantly impact your quality of life. They are a “neurological trick” ...
Anxiety is the  Pain

Anxiety is the  Pain

Objectives: Anxiety is the sensation generated when you feel unsafe, and your body’s chemistry is stimulated into a fight or ...
Common Links to Chronic Disease - RUTs are Relentless

Common Links to Chronic Disease – RUTs are Relentless

Objectives: Understanding the nature of chronic disease and the principles behind the solutions, allows you to fully engage in your ...
Dynamic Healing

Dynamic Healing

A new, data-based dynamic approach is needed for medicine to successfully deal with our epidemic of chronic disease. It must ...
Threat versus Safety Physiology

Threat versus Safety Physiology

Lesson Objectives Consider ongoing environmental input separately from your body’s responses. Understand the essence of illness/ disease is sustained exposure ...
Let’s Start Now and Learn the Details Later

Let’s Start Now and Learn the Details Later

Lesson Objectives There is deep basic science research that has revealed the nature of chronic pain and this understanding will ...
Directly Calming the Threat Response

Directly Calming the Threat Response

Your capacity to enjoy your life, feel safe and content is dependent on your body’s neurochemical profile. When you are ...
Principles of Solving Chronic Pain

Principles of Solving Chronic Pain

All symptoms, physical and mental, result from your body gathering data from your surroundings through multiple sensors, your brain interpreting ...
Essence of Illness

Essence of Illness

The burden of chronic disease is crushing us while we have the answers right in front of us. A recent ...
Clarifying the New IASP Definition of Chronic Pain

Clarifying the New IASP Definition of Chronic Pain

The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) is highly regarded international society committed to research and education about ...
Anxiety is the Correct Name for Pain

Anxiety is the Correct Name for Pain

Every living creature on this planet survives by processing sensory input from all of the body’s different sensors and automatically ...
Reprogram your Brain Around Pain

Reprogram your Brain Around Pain

One reason that chronic pain, mental or physical is consistently solvable is the brain’s property of neuroplasticity. Your brain physically ...
Smell the Peppermint–Safe or Unsafe

Smell the Peppermint–Safe or Unsafe

Humans survive on this planet by the brain receiving ongoing sensory input from the environment and interpreting it as safe, ...
This COVID-19 Pandemic is Solvable–NOW

This COVID-19 Pandemic is Solvable–NOW

Modern medicine has the capacity to halt this pandemic now. COVID-19 is a complex problem affecting the immune, metabolic, endocrine, ...

Stage 2 Posts - Forgive and Play

From Reactive to Creative

From Reactive to Creative

Objectives Anytime you are anxious or frustrated, something from the past has invaded the present. By definition, you cannot be ...
Anger Academy

Anger Academy

Objectives Processing anger is more doable if it is broken down into its components. Anger is a powerful, necessary, and ...
Blocks to Letting Go of Anger

Blocks to Letting Go of Anger

Objectives Anger is a hard wired automatic survival reaction, and it is impossible to get rid of, conquer, or transform ...
The Ultimate Victim Role – Perfectionism

The Ultimate Victim Role – Perfectionism

Objectives Perfectionism is felt by many of us to be a virtue. It is reflected in terms of, “high standards,” ...
The Impact of Anger on Your Life – and Pain

The Impact of Anger on Your Life – and Pain

Objectives Most patients in chronic pain are frustrated and angry, whether they recognize it or not. Why wouldn’t they be? ...
Mortal Combat – These People are Hurting Each Other

Mortal Combat – These People are Hurting Each Other

In The DOC Journey, we have observed that the “shortcut” to healing is letting go of anger. You are then ...
Experiencing Safety: Solving Chronic Pain: An Immersive Weekend Retreat

Experiencing Safety: Solving Chronic Pain: An Immersive Weekend Retreat

We are holding a weekend retreat on May 21-23, 2021 based on our past experiences at the Omega institute in ...
Anger and Illness–Cause and Effect

Anger and Illness–Cause and Effect

Tom’s original story was one that I never thought was possible. He recounts his journey of undergoing 28 surgeries over ...
Three Aspects of Processing Anger

Three Aspects of Processing Anger

This aspect of The DOC (Direct your Own Care) Journey is by far and away the most critical leg. I ...
Forgiveness–The Continental Divide of Freedom and Hell

Forgiveness–The Continental Divide of Freedom and Hell

There is an intense relationship between anxiety and anger. Understanding this interaction is one of the most important concepts that ...
Bullying is Assault and Should be treated as Such

Bullying is Assault and Should be treated as Such

There are serious mental and physical consequences from being bullied. What would be the outcome of a scenario where a ...
Forgiveness as a Habit

Forgiveness as a Habit

Once is not enough in forgiveness Perhaps this game is like weeding. The trick is to become so practiced that ...
Is your Recreation "Wreck Creation?" 

Is your Recreation “Wreck Creation?” 

There is a basic dividing line in life that influences the development of your brain. Is your overall life outlook ...
Forgiveness is a Learned Skill–and a Power Move

Forgiveness is a Learned Skill–and a Power Move

Forgiveness is both a learned skill and an ongoing daily process without a beginning or end. It is a statement that ...
When I Dance - Omega 2019

When I Dance – Omega 2019

Your brain changes every second and will evolve in whatever direction you choose. The term for this phenomenon is called, ...
Trapped - I Know How Gulliver Must Have Felt

Trapped – I Know How Gulliver Must Have Felt

I have been organizing an annual guy’s ski trip for over 30 years. Anywhere from 20-30 of us head to ...

Stage 3 Posts - Move Forward

The Golden State Warriors and the “Ironic Effect”

The Golden State Warriors and the “Ironic Effect”

We all know that when you try not to think about something, you’ll think about it more. Most of us ...
Commit to a Daily Practice

Commit to a Daily Practice

Objectives Most of us strongly commit to making concrete changes at beginning of a New Year. Why can’t we follow ...
Feel the Life You Want 

Feel the Life You Want 

Objectives Your brain is incredibly neuroplastic and can change quickly in whatever direction you choose. We automatically know how to ...
Repetition and Healing

Repetition and Healing

Objectives Learning any new material or skill is an active process than can only be acquired through repetition. There are ...
Your Life’s Roadmap – Just Begin Anywhere

Your Life’s Roadmap – Just Begin Anywhere

Objectives Long term change always occurs in small steps and requires persistence. The reason is that our behaviors today are ...
Get Organized – Chronic Pain is Complex

Get Organized – Chronic Pain is Complex

Objectives Chronic mental and physical pain is a complex problem that requires a systematic approach to solve. How can you ...
Who Do You Choose to be Today?

Who Do You Choose to be Today?

Objectives Most of us intellectually understand that the only moment we have in life is this very one. That is ...
Create Your “Personal Business Plan”

Create Your “Personal Business Plan”

Objectives Most of us have become so used to solving problems and just making ends meet that we have lost ...
Connect with the Life You Want

Connect with the Life You Want

Objectives It is easy to become focused on problems to the point where you forget what you really want out ...
Exercise Improves Your Health, Quality of Life, and Lifespan

Exercise Improves Your Health, Quality of Life, and Lifespan

Objectives: Regular exercise is a defined and to measurably lower inflammation, which will decrease your pain. It is basic to ...
Tune Your Nervous System and Lower Anxiety - You have the controls

Tune Your Nervous System and Lower Anxiety – You have the controls

KEY POINTS When stresses overwhelm the coping capacity of your nervous system, your body will go into flight or fight ...
Awareness–Ingrained Patterns/ Your Life Lens

Awareness–Ingrained Patterns/ Your Life Lens

Objectives A basic trait of human consciousness is to give meaning to everything from objects to experiences. These perceptions and ...
Deadly Nature of Self-esteem

Deadly Nature of Self-esteem

Objectives Much of our identity or self-esteem revolves around the “stories” we create to make sense out of the world ...
You Have to Feel to Heal - Emotional Awareness

You Have to Feel to Heal – Emotional Awareness

Objectives Since emotional pain is processed in a similar manner as physical pain, why would you want to feel it? ...
Connecting to Life with Your Senses - Environmental Awareness

Connecting to Life with Your Senses – Environmental Awareness

Objectives Humans are subject to an endless barrage of unpleasant thoughts that cannot be controlled. These thoughts are sensory input ...
Flip Your Consciousness - 4 Types of Awareness

Flip Your Consciousness – 4 Types of Awareness

Objectives A significant aspect of your healing journey is stimulating your brain to create a new set of circuits that ...

Stage 4 Posts - Expand Your Consciousness

Awareness as a Tool - The "Circle of Life"

Awareness as a Tool – The “Circle of Life”

Objectives Awareness is at the center of life. You cannot make good decisions without understanding the relevant variables. It is ...
Not Being Judgmental–Not Possible

Not Being Judgmental–Not Possible

Objectives Human consciousness precludes suppressing thoughts and emotions without experiencing physiological consequences. You may intellectually understand that being judgmental is ...
The Gift of Anxiety – Your Bodyguard or Prison Guard?

The Gift of Anxiety – Your Bodyguard or Prison Guard?

Objectives: Since the body’s response to threats affects every cell in your body, it feels like part of who you ...
The Bidirectional Interaction between Resilience and Your Immune System

The Bidirectional Interaction between Resilience and Your Immune System

This blog is based on a review paper written by Dr. Robert Dantzer that discusses how resilience and immunity influence ...
Navigating the Entire Circle of Your Life

Navigating the Entire Circle of Your Life

The DOC (Direct your Own Care) Journey is a collection of resources that reflect the ones many people have used ...
Pain: the Gift Nobody Wants

Pain: the Gift Nobody Wants

I have felt that it is important to pick out heroes to emulate. One person that I have greatly admired ...
"Play 20" - Create Your Life at Any Age

“Play 20” – Create Your Life at Any Age

Maurice is someone who I recently met and immediately was intrigued by his demeanor and outlook. My wife and I ...
Thrive and Survive–The Movement

Thrive and Survive–The Movement

I have launched a major effort to change the way we think about disease; whether it is mental for physical ...
Expanding Your Horizon–Your New Life

Expanding Your Horizon–Your New Life

The DOC process evolved from my own, mostly futile, attempts to both figure out how I fell off a cliff ...
Thrive and Survive COVID-19: The Polyvagal Approach

Thrive and Survive COVID-19: The Polyvagal Approach

The main problem with the COVID-19 virus is not that we catch it, but that that it can kill you ...
“The Bottom”

“The Bottom”

Generation Z and Millennials as a group are struggling. In spite of living in an era of unprecedented opportunities, they ...
Beyond Forgiveness–Compassion for Those Who Hurt You

Beyond Forgiveness–Compassion for Those Who Hurt You

Ongoing anger is an absolute block to moving forward and living a truly enjoyable life. You are stuck to past. As ...
The Gift of Hope – “This Might Hurt”

The Gift of Hope – “This Might Hurt”

One of the worst aspects of being trapped in chronic pain is losing hope. No one can give you a ...
Success is a "Story"

Success is a “Story”

There is currently an epidemic of pain in our country, and chronic pain is increasing especially rapidly in people under ...
Moving Forward – A New Horizon

Moving Forward – A New Horizon

I have stopped doing spine surgery and active clinical care to pursue the Back in Control project full time. This ...
"Dying" Before Living

“Dying” Before Living

Florence, Italy, 2013 On vacation We all intellectually know that life is short and somehow we spend a lot of ...

Stage 5 Posts - Decision-making

Never Too Late for Hope

Never Too Late for Hope

This letter was sent to me by a woman that I have corresponded with a few times but I have ...
Know Your Surgeon - Well

Know Your Surgeon – Well

When the DOC project began to evolve in 1999 it was my feeling that if there was a structural problem that it ...
Dashed Hopes

Dashed Hopes

Mainstream medicine is frequently not offering you effective care. Many procedures performed for spinal problems have been documented to be ...
Avoids a Five-level Neck Fusion

Avoids a Five-level Neck Fusion

I received this email from a physical therapist on the East Coast, who I’ve never met. He’d heard about my ...
Prehab – Optimizing Surgical Outcomes

Prehab – Optimizing Surgical Outcomes

“Prehab” is refers to a patient engaging in a rehabilitation process before surgery. There are well-documented factors that affect pain ...
Comprehending the Downside of Spine Surgery

Comprehending the Downside of Spine Surgery

Deciding whether to undergo spine surgery is one of the most important choices you will ever make. Currently, failed spine ...
Eight-Level Spine Fusion? No!

Eight-Level Spine Fusion? No!

A seventy-three-year-old woman—let’s call her Dorothy for the sake of this story—was understandably apprehensive. She had just been told that ...
Surgery is the Definitive Solution?

Surgery is the Definitive Solution?

Ernie presented to me a few years ago with severe back and leg pain. He had undergone two spine fusions ...
When will the Pain Stop?

When will the Pain Stop?

Mike is a local physical therapist who is a friend of mine. He has been interested in the DOC project ...
 Are You Kidding Me? – ILL Advised Spine Surgery

 Are You Kidding Me? – ILL Advised Spine Surgery

Patients and physicians are frequently making illogical decisions regarding spine surgery. I have watched this phenomenon steadily worsen for over ...
Structural Sciatica Resolved Without Surgery

Structural Sciatica Resolved Without Surgery

When I published the first edition of my book, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon’s Surgeon’s Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain in 2012, I was ...
Am I Operating on Your Pain or Anxiety?

Am I Operating on Your Pain or Anxiety?

My surgical decision-making dramatically changed over the last five years of my practice. In spite of watching so many successes ...
Avoid Surgery by Raising the Pain Threshold

Avoid Surgery by Raising the Pain Threshold

A friend of mine asked me for an opinion a couple of years ago about his back. I was giving ...
Think Twice About Spinal Surgery

Think Twice About Spinal Surgery

Roy Carey, a well respected spinal surgeon in Melbourne created this video highlighting the decision-making about undergoing spine surgery. It ...
Video: I Can Only Fix What I Can See

Video: I Can Only Fix What I Can See

I discuss the cultural belief system about spine surgery and it’s impact on the treatment for chronic pain. It took ...
Video: Surgeons Do What They are Trained to Do

Video: Surgeons Do What They are Trained to Do

I discuss the lack of awareness to the alternative approaches in the spine surgeon world and the treatment of chronic ...

Stage 6 Posts - Procedures

No posts found.

Important Posts

No posts found.

Stories of Hope

28 Surgeries–"I elected to not be in pain"

28 Surgeries–”I elected to not be in pain”

For many years, I thought that for many patients there was a point of no return because the sheer magnitude ...
Never Too Late for Hope

Never Too Late for Hope

This letter was sent to me by a woman that I have corresponded with a few times but I have ...
What Makes Your Book Different?

What Makes Your Book Different?

This is a followup letter from a woman who emailed me about four years ago. I had never met her ...
Moving Forward by Being with her Anxiety

Moving Forward by Being with her Anxiety

Lisa is a 58 year old high-level professional who developed chronic neck pain about 5 years ago. It began around ...
Meditation versus Medicating for Life

Meditation versus Medicating for Life

This is a letter from someone who I have never met. I would encourage you to read it carefully for ...
"Un-screwed"–Yoga Healing Back Pain

“Un-screwed”–Yoga Healing Back Pain

This is a piece submitted by a reader, who has done well. It illustrates several aspects of the healing journey ...
A Couple Re-united

A Couple Re-united

During the last few years of practice, our team became extremely aware of the effect of chronic pain on the ...
Avoided a 12-hour Spine Fusion and is Free from Chronic Pain

Avoided a 12-hour Spine Fusion and is Free from Chronic Pain

Mark Owens’ Story This is a video that we shot of Mark Owens, who wrote the Forward of my book ...
How I Cured my Migraine Headaches

How I Cured my Migraine Headaches

Migraine headaches are brutal and often incapacitating. They are also one of the symptoms of a chronically stressed nervous system ...
Chronic Neck Pain Gone - DOC Prevents Relapse

Chronic Neck Pain Gone – DOC Prevents Relapse

This story is from a woman, who I met at our first Omega workshop in 2013. I was holding the ...
Using New Tools to Reclaim My Life

Using New Tools to Reclaim My Life

Beginning in 2003, I suffered low back pain in the L4-5 region. I saw a chiropractor from time to time ...
A Little Merrier Christmas - Letting Go of Blame

A Little Merrier Christmas – Letting Go of Blame

People trigger each other and the closer the relationship, the stronger the reactions. When you become anxious or frustrated, you’re ...
Life Sentence

Life Sentence

After my fourth L3-L4 surgery the neurosurgeon sat me down and said “…you are not going to get better but ...
Chronic Pain is Solvable -Take Back Your Life

Chronic Pain is Solvable -Take Back Your Life

It has been my observation that suffering from chronic pain affects almost every aspect of your life, especially trying to ...
My Story of Hope

My Story of Hope

I had a rough start living in a chaotic household with an angry mother who suffered from chronic pain. I ...
Healing With Support from her Community

Healing With Support from her Community

Hi Dr. Hanscom, It’s Donna, a former patient. I just wanted to write and tell you some good news regarding ...

Expressive Arts Posts

Wear A Mask!

Wear A Mask!

We have protected all our outside art as a reminder … This is serious! No related posts ...
The Cellist

The Cellist

When I saw this man playing on the street so he could make some money, I saw the expression on ...
Lost and Found

Lost and Found

I keep coming back to this idea that there are two sides to every coin. In this time of global ...
Caught in a Swirl of Change

Caught in a Swirl of Change

This mask represents the feeling of being separated from normal life. The Coronavirus has caused the government to close my ...
Florentine Mosaic

Florentine Mosaic

Mosaico Fiorentino Fragments like colored glass Segmented memories Names of streets Distant ricordi In a flash my thoughts translate into ...
Me

Me

Becoming myself through Balinese masks, rhythm tap and rumba. (Click the mask to see the video.) Related posts: Rewire Your ...