STAGE 1

Lay the foundation

The first phase of the Direct your Own Care (DOC) process involves stepping back and learning a better way to heal. What you have been trying has not been effective. This stage will provide basic tools and information to embark on your journey out of pain. You must know where you are headed with the appropriate resources in order to be successful in any worthwhile endeavor.

STAGE 2

Forgive and play

To solve chronic pain it is necessary to:

• Calm down the nervous system,
• Create new circuits around permanent pain pathways
• Shift back onto pleasurable neuro pathways.

Forgiveness is critical in decreasing the body’s stress chemicals and letting go to allow new circuits to form. Play is a powerful way to switch off pain pathways.

STAGE 3

Move forward

Chronic pain destroys almost every aspect of your life. One important step in the healing process is to rebuild your support system in multiple arenas, including your family, friends, and work. It takes specific organizational skills and vision to navigate this part of your journey.

STAGE 4

Expand your consciousness

Regaining perspective, spending time with friends, and engaging in enjoyable activities shifts your attention away from pain circuits in your brain. Giving back to others is also a powerful way to accomplish this. As you learn to create this shift, your brain physically changes its structure (neuroplasticity). You can program in almost any set of circuits, which don’t include mental or physical pain. Witnessing patients not only regain their lives but create new realities has been the most gratifying part of my practice.