Chronic mental and physical pain are solvable by using tools to calm your body’s stress response and also rerouting your nervous system. The journey involves learning skills, which initially takes some effort, similar to acquiring any expertise. However, once your body learns to respond to stress differently, the healing concepts will evolve indefinitely and people thrive.
This is an overview of the resources that have been assembled. They are based my experience of escaping from 15 years of chronic mental and physical pain and also the experiences of hundreds of people who have also connected to their own healing capacity.
Start Your Healing Journey
The healing journey involves learning and practicing strategies to calm your fight or flight physiology and reroute your nervous system. Either the app or course lay out an action plan to become a “professional” at living your life. With repetition these tools become automatic. It is preferable to master one and not try both simultaneously.
Use the buttons below to download the DOC Journey app
from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Books
Back in Control
A Surgeon’s Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain
In his best-selling book, Back in Control, prominent spine surgeon, Dr. David Hanscom, describes how to conquer debilitating chronic pain. His groundbreaking approach presents well-documented treatments that today’s medical establishment has largely ignored. By using a multi-pronged approach to calm and re-route your nervous system, you can minimize or eliminate your pain. His methods evolved from his intense 15-year experience suffering from chronic pain.
Do You Really Need Spine Surgery?
Take Control With a Surgeon’s Advice
Making the right decision about undergoing spine surgery is critical. Do You Really Need Spine Surgery provides you and your medical providers important information to make the best choice. All relevant variables are addressed and organized into a “treatment grid”. With this, you and your health care team can determine the most effective approach and course of action. Do You Really Need Spine Surgery gives back control of the surgical decision to you, the patient. Take it!!
Group Coaching
Four environmental factors directly directly calm the immune system and inflammation.
They are:
1) hope/ optimism
2) sense of control
3) positive mood/ affect
4) social connection.
Being socially isolated has a devastating effect on your health and is estimated to have an impact similar to smoking 15 cigarettes per day. Re-engaging with family, friends, and others is healing.
The group sessions are held on Zoom and are remarkably enjoyable and supportive, as well as educational. They have been a significant factor in moving people forward.
Suggested Sequence
- The suggested starting point is The DOC (Direct your Own Care) course or app. Either one provides a sequence of tools that allow you to regulate your body’s physiology from threat to safety.
- Reading Back in Control will provide you a lot of background and where I share my story. This can be done at your leisure but beginning to learn and use the tools first will allow you to move forward quickly.
- The group coaching is a nice adjunct that you may find helpful. It adds depth to what you are learning as well as providing support. However, the coaching alone is of limited benefit.
- There are a lot of other resources and trying to get through all of them is overwhelming and counterproductive. Getting overwhelmed fires your immune system. They are intended to be looked at over time and add different dimensions to the core pathways.
- Do You Really Need Spine Surgery? is based on my 32 years of decision making with my patients considering spine surgery. it is a quick read, especially in light of the consequences of a failed spine surgery.
- Finally, the www.backincontrol.com website is the repository for all of my work. It is updated weekly.
Outside Media
Discover how to conquer debilitating chronic pain by using a groundbreaking, self-directed approach pioneered by Dr. David Hanscom. His methods have been used by hundreds of patients to eliminate chronic pain and regain control of their lives.
While it may seem impossible that you can break free from chronic mental and physical pain after years of suffering and disappointments, Dr. David Hanscom and Dr. Les Aria show how your nervous system is the game changer in your pain recovery journey.
Anxiety: Another Name for Pain is Dr. Hanscom’s collection of articles on the Psychology Today website. There are well-documented effective solutions for chronic pain that need to be brought into mainstream medicine which these articles focus on.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/anxiety-another-name-pain
These videos of Dr. Hanscom’s talks, interviews and patient testimonials demonstrate that chronic pain is curable by systematically using established medical practices in a self-directed manner. The key is connecting to your own healing capacity.
Dr. David Hanscom is a regular contributor to Pain News Network. His articles cover all aspects of the Dynamic Healing approach to the treatment of chronic pain. NOTE: Type David Hanscom in the search box to see all his articles.
The complete archive of Dr. David Hanscom’s blog posts covering all stages of the Dynamic Healing approach, as well as stories of hope and healing from his patients.
Other Resources
Plan A – Lowering Inflammation Lengthens Life
Learn to lead a healthier, happier and longer life by managing your body’s inflammatory response.
Partner with Your Family to Heal Chronic Pain
Partner with your family to create a home environment that heals chronic pain.
Expressive Writing – Your First Step to Eliminate Chronic Pain
Learn how expressive writing can help heal chronic pain without surgery or meds.
Questions for Your Spine Surgeon
Learn the right questions to ask your spine surgeon when considering a surgery.
Websites
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