Dynamic Healing with David Hanscom MD and Les Aria PhD

“Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Nothing could be further from the truth and holding onto this concept is damaging. Research has shown that emotional pain is processed in overlapping circuits in the brain, and the physiological response is the same. Thoughts and concepts are sensory input and emotions are the sensations generated by your body’s physiological m...

Our unconscious brain’s primary function is to protect us. Unfortunately for humans, it is manifested in ongoing self-critical voices. To access our inherent capacity to love, these voices must be de-energized, which requires specific approaches.   We have discussed that love = awareness, which means being fully engaged in the present moment. Any time you are anxious or angry, something in the pre...

Love is a physiological state of safety that promotes regeneration and healing. It is the antithesis of anger, a state of threat, that consumes resources and causes illness and disease. You have a choice of how you want to be at any moment in time. Make it a habit to choose love.    Discover how to connect to your own healing capacity. Find out more about David Hanscom, MD and his groundbreaking w...

Every person has to deal with unpleasant thoughts, and they are problematic in that we cannot escape from them. In light of all the misery connected with pain and many disease states, disruptive thoughts are a major factor that detracts from our capacity to enjoy our life. Even when physical pain resolves, unpleasant thoughts are often still problematic. Understanding the nature of these disruptiv...

Chronic stress interferes and actually halts the body’s healing process at the cellular level. The problem lies in how you process stress because it is your body’s reaction to it that creates an adverse chemistry. Avoiding stress is even more problematic.   Stress is your TOTAL bodily reaction to a physical or mental threat. It is not a “psychological” issue, it is physiological (how your body fun...

 Perfection is often held up as a virtue by our families, peers, society. It is actually a deadly neurological trick and a cognitive distortion, which steadily wears us down. Perfectionism is much different than a “vision of excellence”, which has the energy of accurately assessing your strengths and weaknesses, creating a vision of where you want to go, and figuring out the steps to get there. Pe...

 Over 60% of people are raised in households that are chaotic and over half of have experienced severe trauma. Neuroscience has revealed that persistent pain and trauma share the same neural circuits cause a dysregulated nervous system and damaging body chemistry. The effects last for a lifetime – unless you choose a different course. Your actions today are programmed by every second of your entir...

Purpose: Similar to anxiety, anger is an even more heightened physiological state. You cannot think clearly, and it is critical to regulate your body’s fight state and get back “on-line” before you take any action. Quote: “Anybody can become angry — that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way — th...

There are few rewards in nature for being vulnerable. You won’t survive. Humans also possess this basic instinct, but we also have language and consciousness that allows the possibility of deep relationships. It is a terrible paradox, in that being vulnerable is at the core of enjoyable and functional human relationships.   Anger is an intense reaction that covers up feelings of vulnerability. Yet...

You cannot move forward into healing if you are holding onto the past. Some aspect of forgiveness must be manifested in your life daily to truly solve your chronic pain. It is ALWAYS the tipping point. Why? Anytime you are anxious or angry, a current event has triggered something from the past that was dangerous or perceived as such. You are there and not here.   Dr. Fred Luskin is a Stanford Psyc...

Our thoughts and actions are processed by the nervous system, which sends out instructions to every cell in the body how to respond. If the input is unpleasant or overstimulating, your body will sense danger and produce a stress response. You will feel anxious, agitated, and your pain will increase. What you CHOOSE to load into your nervous system translates into a physiological response of safety...

 You have more say over your quality of life than you might think. The choices you make stimulate neuroplastic changes in your brain that become embedded with repetition. Humans’ brains develop by interacting with other humans. This is a much different programming process than the development of other mammals’ brains. Every move and decision you make today is determined by the sum total of your pa...

Psychologically flexibility is the opposite of what most of us possess. There is a human tendency to reinforce our views of the world and affirm them. It requires a lot of ongoing energy. ACT teaches you how to become more open to new ideas and creativity. This episode focuses on choose,” which is the final phase of this three-step process. ·       Catch – noticing a shift in sensation or mood ·  ...

Purpose: In order to stimulate your brain to change (neuroplasticity) you must first know exactly where you are at. The first step is to “catch” and notice that there is a change. Then the second step is, “check” where you recognize what the change is (creating some “space”), and then choose where you want to go. Today we will be discussing the “check” phase of reprogramming your brain. Between st...

ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) is a mindfulness-based behavioral intervention that helps us live in the present moment using values to move towards what matters the most to you in life. You are moving away from pain. It provides practical ways to unhook from the storylines of your mind. The approach reduces your suffering from emotional and physical pain. Changing your relationship to adv...

ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) can provide you with practical ways to unhook from the storylines of your mind. The approach reduces your suffering from emotional and physical pain. ACT is a mindfulness-based behavioral intervention helping us live in the present moment using values to move towards what matters the most to you in life. You are moving away from pain. ACT understands that pa...

Emotional and physical pain share neurological circuits in the brain and chronic activation of them is unpleasant. Since we don’t want to feel pain, we suppress it, which fires up the nervous system and your flight or fight response. Over time, we become more and more determined (and rigid) to not feel pain and it is a losing battle.  A key to solving chronic pain is learning to quit fighting it,...

 Remorse is a factor in keeping you moving forward into the life you want. It is the flip side of FOMO (fear of missing out), both of which are embedded thought patterns and don’t respond well to rational interventions. It is also unique to human consciousness.  The Problem Remorse is a common almost universal trait.  It is a problem in that the time and energy spent on missed opportunities keeps...

Because change is challenging for majority of us, New Year's resolutions often fail to realize change takes time. Like growing something you planted, a fruit tree will take years to mature and consistently bear fruit. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers solutions to guide us through the process of change, that is, our New Year’s resolutions. A core aspect of ACT is becoming aware of and...

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is a common pattern of thinking in modern times. Why in the face of so much prosperity is it so prevalent? Understanding that is a manifestation of your unconscious self-critical voice and this it is irrational is the first stepping in successfully dealing with it.  This session will discuss: ·      The neurological nature of the problem – it is an embedded thinking patt...

Emotional pain and physical pain have overlapping circuits in the brain. They play off each other. People in pain are more sensitive to social rejection and social rejection makes the pain worse. Loneliness has profound effects on your mental and physical health. This situation is magnified during the Holiday Season. By understanding the nature of the problem, there are potential solutions that wi...

What truly brings you joy and how can you fully experience it? These tips can enhance your capacity to connect to other people close to you. In this episode, we’ll be discussing the last three tips to help you thrive during the Holidays. ·      Being in the Present Moment is Key to Being Peaceful o  47% of the time our mind wanders, and we get caught-up in the mind’s story lines. o  Metaphor: Bein...

It is ironic that we treasure having major holidays with the spirit of love and giving, yet there are many ways that they can be incredibly draining. Much of the “Holiday Spirit” is created by the marketing world and is not a lot of people’s reality. In this episode, we’ll be discussing the need to be realistic and also communicate. You can capture the Holiday Spirit. Here are 7 Tips from Dr. Davi...

Learning psychological skills is key to surviving, not just using your breathwork or meditation, or exercise –but using tools that provide effective outcomes to help you be your best and safest this holiday season. Dr. David Hanscom and Dr. Les Aria provide tips on todays episode that will help you become more psychologically flexible, which leads to safety versus threat, which is psychological in...

Humans evolved to our current state at the top of the food chain through cooperation. It is one of the main reasons that social connection is so critical. The deeper the connection, the better; except family triggers are the most powerful and destructive. This problem is accentuated during the Holidays where hope and expectations for connection are high, and it is even more painful when these pote...