I am sharing these letters from a former patient to explain why I continue to work to help people escape from pain. As a complex spine surgeon, much of my practice involved treating patients deeply in The Abyss who had lost hope of escape. What drives me is not just … Read More
Holding your hand over a hot burner triggers an immediate threat response (anxiety) and prompts action to address that threat. This sequence is part of the protective pain response known as the nociceptive pain system. Numerous danger cues activate this response. As your nervous system memorizes dangerous situations, this system … Read More
Objectives: Pain from any body part is a protective danger signal that guides our behavior and physical responses to avoid danger and remain safe. This system is called the nociceptive system, which guides behaviors to not exceed the limits of a given structure. Feedback from internal organs is called interoception, … Read More
This article was written by a journalist that I met in New York City about five years ago. My wife and I met her at the end of a long day at a publicity summit. After talking to so many people, we were a bit tired, but she instantly energised … Read More
The deep need to feel and be safe is the driving force of all life, including humans. In this physiological state the body refuels, regenerates, builds muscle and bone, empties waste products, better fights off foreign invaders, and the organism thrives. Consider newborn babies who are cared for and nurtured … Read More
Objectives: Honor your suffering. You are trapped by physical and mental sensations without an apparent way out. You feel extremely isolated but many people in this hole (The Abyss) are also suffering badly. You are not alone. Your rightful frustration (rage) fires up your symptoms even more. Systematically learning and … Read More
Anxiety is the “gift of life” created by sensations from the unconscious nervous system. Every living creature, from one-cell organisms to mammals processes input from its surroundings in order to navigate challenges in order to first remain alive and secondly to pass its genetic material to the next generation. The … Read More
RUTs (repetitive unpleasant thoughts) are driven by our unconscious brain Here is the essence of the problem with RUTs and the human condition. The sequence begins with your unconscious brain that is constantly on alert for danger and is much more powerful than our late-evolving language-based consciousness. Humans use language … Read More
It really appears insurmountable, & the process stops and starts, but when you begin to take this course, to move in a different way with the psychology & the physiology finally finding ‘right relation’ to one another, the magic begins show itself, it just takes time – then one day, … Read More
Objectives Mental rigidity is a transdiagnostic process that spans many mental health diagnoses Creating mental flexibility may be an important early intervention in successfully treating them. The need to suppress unpleasant thoughts is a driver of this process. Creating mental flexibility is challenging in that people must be trained to … Read More