Back in Control with David Hanscom, MD

This episode features the first of Dr. David Hanscom’s two interviews with social psychologist James Pennebaker PhD, one of the pioneers in the study of expressive writing.  He details the evolution of his research on expressive writing, how he came to understand the power of this simple tool, and how it can positively impact our physical and mental health. Visit: https://backincontrol.com  for mo...

This episode features part 2 of Dr. David Hanscom’s interview with physiatrist Melvin Belsky. Dr. Belsky shares his experience working with chronic pain patients who had suffered adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the role these can play in delaying or often preventing a patient’s recovery from chronic pain.  He provides a detailed discussion about what constitutes an adverse childhood exper...

This episode features part 3 of Dr. David Hanscom’s interview with Mark Owens, a renowned photographer, ecologist and best-selling author who underwent major spine surgery and struggled for many years with chronic pain before recovering. In this podcast, he shares his thoughts about his difficulties with the healthcare system, its affect on the quality of his life and the impact on his path to rec...

This podcast episode features part 2 of Dr. David Hanscom’s interview with former patient Mark Owens, a renowned photographer, ecologist and best-selling author. In this podcast, Mark talks about his debilitating, nine-year struggle with chronic pain following spine surgery and his recovery to a fully productive life. He discusses how he employs expressive writing and other self-healing techniques...

The episode features an interview with Mark Owens, a renowned photographer, ecologist and best selling author. In the first of a 3 part series, he talks about his early experiences in Africa and the sudden disruption of his life after a serious accident left him with severe spinal injuries and intense chronic pain. For more informaton, visit: https://backincontrol.com. Mark Owens with wife Delia,...

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) is the term used to describe all types of abuse, neglect, and other potentially traumatic experiences that occur to people under the age of 18. The number of types of such experiences determines an individual's ACE score. According to the CDC, adverse childhood experiences have been linked to risky health behaviors, chronic health conditions, low life potential...

Spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom holds an annual Omega workshop called "Relief from Chronic Pain." In this episode he, his wife Babs and daughter Jasmine talk about the specific design of the workshop and the experience they have designed to help attendees heal from their chronic pain. Through group discussions, guided imagery, and sensorimotor exercises, individuals learn to address all the factor...

Relentless untreated anxiety is the core driver of destructive human behavior. It is the sensation generated by your body’s stress chemicals in response to a mental or physical threat. We hate feeling anxious and will do anything to solve or avoid this sensation. Untreated anxiety is becoming a major social and health issue. Many people in their late teens, twenties and early thirties are sufferin...

In this second interview with spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom, Melissa Cady, DO, a pain specialist and anesthesiologist, talks about the principles that have shaped her patient-centered approach to treating chronic pain. These help patients leverage their body's capacity to heal. She also discusses some of the factors in our current healthcare system that may be preventing physicians from deliveri...

When she first began treating chronic pain patients, pain specialist and anesthesiologist Melissa Cady quickly realized the traditional approaches being used by her colleagues were, for the most part, ineffective and sometimes harmful. In this interview with spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom, she talks about how she developed a more patient-centered approach with much better results. She also talks...

In part two of the litigation interview series, spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom talks with attorney John Layman about how to move forward with your healing process while you are in the  process of litigation. They share insights on how attorneys and physicians can better help their patients / clients continue on their healing journey during litigation. John is an attorney representing victims of s...

The medical literature contains a number of articles showing an increased risk for a negative outcome when litigation is a factor. In this episode, spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom talks with attorney John Layman about the impact that litigation has on the patient's healing process, their relationship with their physician and healthcare team, and the  quality of their lives overall. John is an atto...

Anger - from chronic pain or some other source - can distort our lives, and isolate us from friends and family. In this episode, spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom interviews Fred Luskin, best-selling author of Forgive for Good, about the tools available to help us forgive, move past our anger and move forward with our lives. For more information, visit: http://www.backincontrol.com/the-4-stages/stag...

People who have suffered from some sort of long term vulnerability - e.g., chronic pain - can become angry and build a "grievance story" to justify holding on to their anger. In this episode, spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom talks with Fred Luskin, best-selling author of Forgive for Good, about this process of victimhood, and its power to shape and distort our lives. For more information, visit: ht...

The relationship between a doctor and patient can be a potent force for healing or a barrier to the patient getting better. In addition to providing treatment for a specific condition, the doctor plays an important role in helping guide the patient to tap into their own healing powers. In this episode, spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom talks with world renowned surgeon Bernie Siegel, best-selling au...

Part of healing chronic pain is deciding to move forward and then choosing the tools that will help redirect your brain's response to pain. This can include mindfulness, visualization, re-engaging with family and friends, play, and more. In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom discusses how nurturing the part of your brain that enjoys life is a learned skill. That is why it is so critical what you choo...

Within each of us is a powerful capacity for self-healing. This is especially true when it comes to our experience of chronic pain. Our brains turn sensory inputs and thoughts into chemical processes that can either diminish or amplify our experience of pain. In this episode, spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom talks with world renowned surgeon Bernie Siegel, best-selling author of Love, Medicine & Mi...

Part of the journey to healing chronic pain is creating new pain pathways that minimize the production of the stress hormones that trigger anxiety and pain. The old pain pathways do not go away, however, and can still be triggered from time to time. This may cause individuals who have freed themselves from chronic pain to feel they have "failed" in some way. In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom expl...

Anxiety is the body’s neurochemical reaction to a mental or physical threat. Without it you can’t survive. It’s the sensation created by elevated levels of stress chemicals. Because the unconscious brain is over a million times stronger than the conscious brain, anxiety is not subject to rational psychological interventions. In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom shows that your capacity to enjoy your...

The definitive step of your healing journey is giving back. Your attention is focused away from you and your troubles, and you’ll move a long ways from your pain circuits. The reason that many people dealing with chronic pain seem self-centered and self-serving is that they have been disconnected from themselves by anxiety and anger. It’s impossible to reach out to others if you are just trying to...

We all want to become better, happier people, and we work pretty hard at it. The marketing world keeps reminding us that we are not even close to our potential and holds up endless images of perfection that reinforce that idea. We are programmed into being defined by external factors. What we really mean when we say that we want to be happy is that we would like to experience less anxiety. When we...

The solution to the opioid epidemic is to solve chronic pain. Eighty-seven percent of patients on opioids have chronic pain, which is both driven by and results in severe anxiety. The second aspect of dealing with the opioid crisis involves recognizing that what drives most people to use opioids is mental pain and secondarily the physical pain. Unrelenting anxiety is intolerable. Environmental fac...

Chronic pain develops in a series of steps from our first experience of pain. In this episode, spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom talks about the four stages of chronic pain and details the physical and emotional characteristics of each stage. For more information, visit: http://www.backincontrol.com/four-steps-in-the-evolution-of-chronic-pain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adch...

Chronic pain is a family issue. Your deepest human interactions happen at home and family members trigger each other. These powerful reactions have severe consequences. Partners and parents often end up acting in ways that they would not tolerate in their children. In this episode, spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom discusses how each of us has patterns of behavior, embedded in our nervous systems, t...

When you’re frustrated about any situation or relationship that you have no control over, you are wasting your time and destroying your quality of life. You might wish things were different, but this won't make things better. Fred Luskin, author of Forgive for Good, has called these situations the "unenforceable rules." Trying  to "fix" them generally only worsens the situation and causes more pro...