Back in Control with David Hanscom, MD

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with physiatrist and pain management specialist David Clawson, MD. He explains the concept of threat load and its role in the healing process. He details how threat - accumulated over a lifetime from physical, emotional and social sources - can interfere with the body’s immune response to disease, make us more vulnerable to disease and impede the healing pr...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with eminent neuroscientist, Dr. Tor Wager.  He discusses how expectations are a fundamental driver for how you respond to the experience of chronic pain. The expectation is created in the prefrontal cortex and the response is driven from the brainstem. Pain Reprocessing Therapy, a technique his lab has pioneered, helps patients create a...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with eminent neuroscientist Dr. Tor Wager about the neurophysiology of pain. He shares how persistent activation of the acute pain system can cause sensitization and pain avoidance behavior. The brain essentially encodes an expectation of pain when certain triggers or actions occur. The patient’s beliefs about their pain can amplify it or resolve it. Tor Wa...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with world renowned surgeon and best-selling author, Bernie Siegel, MD.  He discusses the relationship between a patient’s belief in their ability to heal and their response to treatment. He shares stories that illustrate these insights and approaches he used to get patients to tap into their innate healing power – e.g., visualization. He...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with world renowned surgeon and best-selling author, Bernie Siegel, MD. He shares stories that illustrate the importance of the doctor-patient relationship. He stresses the key role of understanding the patient’s story – their life situation, challenges, motivations and fears – to the healing process. He expresses his belief that listening to the patient ad...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with patient advocate, global health coach and best-selling author Chris War. He explains the specific steps he took his self healing journey from surgery for stage 3 colon cancer. He was inspired to take these steps by reading about others who had taken a similar approach and achieved full recovery. He changed his diet radically to be le...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with patient advocate, global health coach and best-selling author Chris Wark about the story of his diagnosis of stage 3 colon cancer at 26, his surgery and his decision to take control of his healing process which led to becoming cancer free. He shares the factors that led him to take this approach versus the standard chemotherapy treatments. Ultimately,...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with pain psychologist Les Aria about how the body’s response to sustained threat can prevent you from being the person you really are. He explains that when we are overwhelmed, the primitive parts of the brain take over and rational thinking and behavior decline. It is only when you understand this process and develop coping skills for stress that you can...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Dr. Joshua Smyth. He explains that while unwanted repetitive thoughts (URTs) are very common, people differ in their response to them. Each person has a different level of adaptability and resilience that determines how well they can handle URTs. These repetitive patterns can drain a person’s resources and cause problems with their h...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Dr. Joshua Smyth about the nature and mechanisms for unwanted repetitive thought (URT) patterns. These are thought patterns that persist over time and can have a negative effect on a person’s health and psychology. Dr. Smyth explains that these thoughts often have lots of very emotional associations and can be very experiential / visual. Ironically bec...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with psychiatrist Dr. Fred Moss. He explains the process by which he helps patients reconfigure their narrative through conversation and discover their authentic voice. He stresses the importance of the physician going through this process themselves so they can connect with and help their patients. He shares his own story of healing and...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with psychiatrist Dr. Fred Moss about the evolution of his practice. While his initial interest in psychiatry was to expand on communication as a primary healing tool, a shift in the medical paradigm in the 80’s led to physicians prescribing “magic pills” as a primary way of dealing with emotional distress. The medications, which initially seemed to briefly...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with chiropractor and rehabilitation / pain specialist Dr. Tovah Goldfine. She explains that our bodies already come equipped with tremendous healing capabilities, but these can be blocked by repressed emotions. She discusses the idea that you have to get to your emotions through your thoughts. Having a purpose to heal and taking responsi...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with chiropractor and rehabilitation / pain specialist Dr. Tovah Goldfine about the evolution of her practice and the mind body principles she uses to help patients discover their self-healing powers.  She explains that emotional healing can help us survive and rise above pain and disease. But the first step, she emphasizes, begins with taking responsibilit...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Dr. David Clarke, the President of the Psychophysiologic Disorders Association. He founded the organization in 2011 to provide education to physicians and patients about the nature, diagnosis and treatment of psychophsiologic disorders. He shares advances being made in the field and his hope to eliminate traditional medicine’s assump...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Dr. Vania Apkarian, a world renowned neuroscientist at Northwestern University. He talks about his current research aimed at predicting the likelihood of a patient developing chronic pain following a surgery. To date, the predictive markers his research has identified have shown an accuracy of greater than 80%. He explains how neural...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with neuroscientist Dr. Vania Apkarian, about his groundbreaking research into how chronic pain affects brain structure and activity.  He shares his vision for understanding how measurable neural activity translates into the subjective experience of chronic pain. He discusses the changes that the brains of chronic pain patients undergo over time and the pos...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with pain psychologist Dr. Les Aria, about the physiological and psychological principles that govern your inner critic. He shares the approach he and David Hanscom use in their upcoming workshop to help you understand the function of your inner critic and how you can “befriend” it to heal your pain and transform your life. For more information and to regis...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with gastroenterologist Dr. David Clarke, a gastroenterologist who teaches graduate courses in psychophysiologic medicine at Arizona State University.  He explains the nature of psychophysiologic disorders and his approach to diagnosing them. His approach involves building a timeline of physical symptoms, exploring current and past stresses, and correlating...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom provides an overview of the primary concepts underlying the Dynamic Healing Movement. He explains that when stress the threats we encounter in our daily  llives gets too high, our natural defenses can become overwhelmed. At that point, the processes that normall protect us can become destructive. Thiscan lead to chronic pain and chronic, even life threatening, il...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Dr. Doug Garland, clinical professor of orthopedics at the University of Southern California and author of The Tall Poppy Syndrome. He shows how the Tall Poppy Syndrome can undercut our quest for self-esteem and self-improvement within the context of the family dynamic. He also illustrates how becoming aware of it can help us be our...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Dr. Doug Garland, a clinical professor of orthopedics at the University of Southern California and author of The Tall Poppy Syndrome. He discusses the origins of the ancient and universal metaphor or the Tall Poppy and how it subtly shapes our attitudes and relationships, both at a personal and societal level. Doug Garland, MD, is a clinical professor...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Robin Shapiro, Board Chair and co-founder of HealthAdvocateX. She explains the backgrounds of health advocates and the various roles they play helping patients navigate the healthcare system.  She shares emerging trends in patient advocacy today and also talks about the need for greater patient advocacy in the area of mental health....

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Robin Shapiro, Board Chair and co-founder of HealthAdvocateX. She discusses the evolution of her career in health advocacy and the founding of her not-for-profit health advocacy organization. She explains her approach to health advocacy and its mission to strengthen patient confidence and competence with regard to their healthcare. Robin Shapiro is cur...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Dr. Sue Carter, the former director of the Kinsey Institute and a world renowned scientist. She explains the role that oxytocin plays in lowering inflammation and reducing stress. In fact, under stress, the body produces large amounts of oxytocin, and this amazing hormone can help us make better judgments about who it is safe to conn...