Hi Dr Hanscom,

I have been meaning to check in with you for a while now and let you know that the DOC program seems to have worked for me. My lower back & leg pain has disappeared and I’m a firm believer in the process, especially the concept that anxiety is the driver of tension and pain in many cases. I picked up the book, Forgive for Good at your recommendation back in the winter and found it to be excellent. I’ve also been doing mindfulness training and it’s been extremely helpful.  If you aren’t familiar with the book, The  The Mindful Way through Depression, I’d definitely recommend checking it out.

I hope you are doing well and enjoying the summer now that it’s finally arrived.

Best, Jean

My Perspective

This patient is the daughter of an esteemed colleague of mine. She had burned out of practicing law and had embarked on a pre-med pathway at the age of 38. She had experienced low back pain for over two years. There was also significant pain, numbness, and tingling throughout her right leg. She had a normal MRI of her thoracic and lumbar spine. Electrical testing of her leg did not show any specific problems with the nerves. As I knew her father so well, I was especially anxious not to miss anything that might be serious. I could not find a structural cause for her symptoms.

I first saw her about 18 months ago, and on our last visit six months ago, she was just a little better. I tried not to be too discouraged but, I was not sure she was going to improve.

What is remarkable about her recovery is that it was truly self-directed. She did not see me in follow-up nor did she see another physician. I had recommended a mental health professional, as I thought she might be depressed. But she wouldn’t engage in that conversation. She did use the Feeling Good book and was diligent writing in David Burn’s three-column format. She also pursued obtaining a good night’s sleep, utilized the re-programming tools such as active meditation, and worked out regularly in the gym. Two years later she is re-pursuing her medical school dream.

This story is not an exception. With full engagement with a structured program the results are consistent.

The post Depression Masking as Pain first appeared on Back in Control.

The post Depression Masking as Pain appeared first on Back in Control.

I clearly remember the week that we talked offline and then in the group where I felt she should stop working on learning more how to solve pain and just move forward into the life she wanted. Consistent with her ongoing commitment to learning, she not only listened, but she took off like a rocket. It is an important step to move forward with whatever pain you have and stimulate your brain to create circuits that are more enjoyable and functional. Her pain continued to decrease over time and whatever any residual she has is not slowing her down.

Moving away from your pain

There is a “C”quence of healing – connection, confidence, and creativity. There are two distinct but linked aspects of healing. There are skills needed to be with your pain instead of fighting it, and positive thinking only makes it worse. However, a positive vision is critical in order to move forward. The other skill set is nurturing  joy and  creativity. It is impossible to be creative while you are fighting off mental and physical pain. Moving into joy is where deep healing happens as you move away from pain circuits and stimulate more functional ones.

The movie

Today, I’m thrilled to share a free ticket to the heartwarming and enlightening documentary called “Love Heals.” I believe it will deeply resonate with you and support you on your healing journey.

This documentary shares her transformative journey, who bravely navigates chronic pain and is in search of healing after 2 unsuccessful spine surgeries. Her partner, Krisanna, is a filmmaker, and together they travel the country to understand how ancient energy practices have helped so many heal and to see what’s possible for those experiencing these practices for the first time.

“Love Heals” has been touching hearts and opening minds all over the world and will reach millions of people when it’s launched on both PBS and Gaia in the next few weeks. It’s not just a film; it’s a movement that celebrates the power of love, hope, and healing.

Visit lovehealsfilm.com to claim your free ticket now and watch anytime between Jan 25 – 31.

If you’re navigating health challenges, seeking deeper self-understanding, or in pursuit of emotional healing, “Love Heals” is a must-watch. It reveals how embracing love and inner strength can lead to profound healing and a renewed sense of purpose.

Featuring insights from various experts in the fields of self-healing and personal transformation, this film is a testament to the incredible power of the human spirit and the healing capabilities we all possess.

No matter the hurdles you face – be it physical pain, emotional struggles, or a search for deeper meaning in life – “Love Heals” offers a message of hope and transformation.

I encourage you to make watching “Love Heals” a priority. It’s available for a limited time, and it might be the catalyst you need to change your life! It is becoming increasingly clear that we spend a lot of time fighting darkness where the answer lies in simply turning on the lights. Good food, spending time with friends, engaging in your passion, giving back, and regaining perspective on life is the definitive answer to suffering.

Your body knows how to heal

You might feel that your problems are too severe to allow for healing. That is simply not true. My personal struggles with chronic mental and physical pain were epic. Dana was in a deep hole when I first met her. At one point I felt that maybe she was a person that couldn’t heal. At my lowest point, I had also given up on me. She not only experienced deep healing, but she has also thrived at a level beyond my expectations, and I think hers. We are not exceptions. This is what happens when you connect to your own body’s capacity to heal. Our stories are typical of what we see on a regular basis. Witnessing and experiencing this depth of healing is what led me to give up my spine surgery practice. I am excited that Dana has done so well and is actively creating the same opportunity for so many others.

Love = awareness and connects you to your own healing capacity.  Prepare to embark on a journey of healing and rediscover the power of love within you!

The post “Love Heals” – Moving into a New Life first appeared on Back in Control.

The post “Love Heals” – Moving into a New Life appeared first on Back in Control.

• Anti-depressants
• Sound generators
• Hearing aids
• Cochlear implants
• Behavioral therapy
• Transcranial magnetic stimulation (2)

Much to my surprise (and shock), my tinnitus of over 25 years resolved as I went through my own healing process. It has been gone for over 20 years.

My Experience

The old saying, “Youth is wasted on the young,” is true—especially in my case. Many of the physical issues of my adulthood resulted from a perceived invincibility during my teenage years, combined with my refusal to heed adult advice. Protecting my ears was one of those cautions that I cavalierly ignored.

The Destruction of My Hearing

I worked as a carpenter and hod carrier from the time I was 14 years old and into medical school. Every summer and most college vacations, you could find me building houses. The summer before medical school began, I built my parents’ home. Although I was involved in many aspects of construction, my most frequent task was framing and pouring concrete slabs, which entailed using a Skilsaw much of the day. I never gave a thought to decibel levels, even when I was using the tools close to my ears.

Fellow workers mentioned ear protection, but I just did not see the need. To further punish my ears, I used a nail gun to shoot nails through two-by-four floor plates into concrete. I would load a 16-penny nail (3.5 inches long) into the gun, position it over the 2 by 4, and pull the trigger. To make matters worse, the sound was magnified when I performed this work in basements. Still, the suggestion of using ear protection didn’t seem important.

The Ringing Begins

When I was about 32, I began to notice a strange sound in my ears, like a bell ringing, all the time. It started during a time when I was recovering from low back surgery that had gotten infected. I wasn’t sleeping well, and my stress levels were extremely high.

At first, I didn’t think much about the ringing—until I realized that it wasn’t going to stop. First, I tried to ignore the ringing, which didn’t work. Every time I heard it, I became increasingly frustrated. My attempts to cope with it began to drive me slightly crazy. The problem grew larger and larger. One day I read about a former TV star who had committed suicide because of his tinnitus. This was not reassuring.

No Answers

I saw several ear-nose-and-throat (ENT) physicians, whose exams revealed that I had suffered some high-frequency hearing loss. When I asked about the ringing, they shrugged their shoulders and said it was nerve damage, and nothing could be done. Loud environments aggravated the condition, so I avoided them. Even eating in restaurants would exacerbate it. Earplugs were somewhat helpful.

The Ringing Stops

The tinnitus ceased along with 16 other chronic symptoms around 2003. I could not understand why I could have been so miserable and then have so many divergent symptoms resolve. I heard a lecture by Dr. Howard Schubiner, author of Unlearn Your Pain, where he listed over 30 symptoms that are caused by your body being under sustained stress.(3) Essentially, all chronic mental and physical symptoms, illnesses, and diseases are caused by sustained flight or fight physiology. The effects occur at the mitochondrial (energy producers in each cell) level, and your DNA directs the production of inflammatory cells. The solution lies in calming your stress response to safety (rest and digest) where your body can refuel and regenerate.

Hearing loss is common as we age and permanent. It includes a diminished capacity to discriminate. For example, I could not hear you well if you talked to me in a noisy restaurant. Today I regret the folly of my youth, knowing that much of my hearing disability was self-inflicted. The exact link between hearing loss and tinnitus is unclear.

Calming Down Your Body’s Chemistry

The process of lowering your stress chemistry is called “Dynamic Healing.” You can regulate your body’s stress physiology by:

1. Processing the input in a manner that is less impactful to your nervous system.
2. Increasing the resiliency of the nervous system.
3. Using tools to directly lower your stress physiology. The speed of nerve conduction slows down, and your inflamed brain calms down.

I don’t know the numbers, but numerous people who have learned and used these concepts have reported that their tinnitus diminished or disappeared. I talked to a radio show host who inadvertently used these principles and noted his tinnitus resolved.

The tinnitus still returns when I am in noisy environments, if I am sleep deprived, or if my stress-coping skills are especially challenged. But if I am careful, the ringing is minimal to non-existent. It has been an incredible relief to escape that endless, irritating sound.

Conclusion

There are various types and causes of tinnitus. Not all of them will respond to these concepts, but there is no way of knowing without learning to calm yourself and see what happens. There is no downside, and you may be pleasantly surprised. no longer have to endure tinnitus.

References

1. National Institute of Health. Tinnitus. Available online: https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/tinnitus (accessed on 17 September 2021).
2. Denton, AJ, et al. Implications of transcranial magnetic stimulation as a treatment modality for tinnitus. J. Clin. Med (2021); 10:5422. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10225422
3. Schubiner H and M Betzold. Unlearn Your Pain, third edition, Mind Body Publishing, Pleasant Ridge, MI, 2016.

The post Solving Tinnitus – The Ringing in My Ears first appeared on Back in Control.

The post Solving Tinnitus – The Ringing in My Ears appeared first on Back in Control.

Interstitial cystitis

Here is a list of the symptoms from the Mayo Clinic website:

The signs and symptoms of interstitial cystitis vary from person to person. If you have interstitial cystitis, your symptoms may also vary over time, periodically flaring in response to common triggers, such as menstruation, sitting for a long time, stress, exercise and sexual activity.

Interstitial cystitis signs and symptoms include:

• Pain in your pelvis or between the vagina and anus in women
• Pain between the scrotum and anus in men (perineum)
• Chronic pelvic pain
• A persistent, urgent need to urinate
• Frequent urination, often of small amounts, throughout the day and night (up to 60 times a day)
• Pain or discomfort while the bladder fills and relief after urinating.
• Pain during sexual intercourse.

Melinda’s letter

Hi Dr. Hanscom! I don’t know if you remember me. You kindly spoke to me on the phone over the summer. I thought I’d let you know that today I had a HUGE breakthrough and am starting to see what you meant when you talked about kind of being with the pain.

My own pain has been due to basically having an autoimmune bladder condition called interstitial cystitis, in which the bladder lining is shot, giving me bladder pain when exposed to certain triggers, combined with candida overgrowth. When I have yeast flares, I get this terrible bladder pain. I went a while controlling the yeast well, but this week it’s been flaring up, along with the anger and the fear associated with it (which I’ve been trying to be very mindful of and not feed it too much).

Earlier this evening I decided to welcome the pain. Let it ride this ride with me if it’s going to be there either way. Better than being angry all the time about it. And it almost instantly went away. Later in the evening, I had a banana, which should have given me a lot of pain. And I’ve had none. None! I definitely still have the yeast, I can tell in other ways. But I’m not experiencing any pain right now. My brain is still barely computing this pretty wild and welcome change. This is really amazing! And if it comes back, I might be a little bummed out, but I think I can welcome it again.

I wasn’t totally sure it would work for me since I have a pretty apparent physical cause that rises and falls depending on what supplements and foods I ingest. But it did. It still did.

Thank you so much for what you’re doing! I’ve been recommending your book to anyone I know in chronic pain. This might work for people with interstitial cystitis as well, I’ll try to put it in the Facebook groups. I am pretty blown away!

Best regards, Melinda

Being with your pain

I have been holding Back in Control experiential workshops once or twice a year since 2013 with one of them being at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. My co-presenters have included Dr. Bernie Siegel, author of Love, Medicine and Miracles; Dr. Fred Luskin, author of Forgive for Good; Babs Yohai, my wife and professional tap dancer; Jasmine Yohai who is an expressive arts therapist and my daughter. Our next one will be held on June 7-9, 2019 at the Omega Institute.

Most of the participants experience a marked improvement in their mood and decrease in pain during the weekend. The key has been creating an environment where people feel safe and are able to share enjoyable experiences. They also aren’t allowed to can’t share their pain or complain.

During the first five-day workshop in 2013, one woman was experiencing the need to go to the bathroom every 10 – 30 min throughout the week – until the last two days. She had a marked decrease in her symptoms that lasted for a couple of weeks. Then she became re-immersed in her environmental triggers. I don’t know her long-term outcome, but the key to anyone’s healing is learning to process triggers. It’s not possible or desirable to avoid them.

“The Ring of Fire”

The first thing I tell each group is that, “You aren’t here to get rid of your pain.” Everyone looks at me like I’m out of my mind. They’ve traveled from all over the country because of their wish to be free of pain and this is not what they came to hear. The problem is that if you’re trying to get rid of the pain or solve it, your attention is still on your pain. Since your brain will develop wherever you place its attention and you’ll just reinforce it. The goal is to move forward with life on your terms with or without your pain. Paradoxically, there is a higher chance your pain will be left behind. The weekend is based on the concepts presented in my post, “The Ring of Fire”.

We work hard to avoid the red ring of anxiety and frustration by staying busy with accomplishments, achieving prestige, engaging in enjoyable activities – anything to keep us from feeling anxious. It works for a while, but eventually many get worn out and sink into the red ring of anxiety, anger and reactivity. Life becomes a survival existence. The ideal place to be is in the center where it’s quiet, and you can live whatever life you choose. However, every time you enter into the green center, you must pass through the red ring. In other words, you have to train your brain to be less reactive to stress and learn to “be with your pain”.

It’s understandable that you would be chronically frustrated being trapped by pain, but this state of mind keeps your adrenaline and other stress hormones elevated, which creates more symptoms to be frustrated about.

When I talked to Melinda last summer, she was working hard on learning the concepts, but had a difficult time with the idea that you can’t fix yourself. You have to let go and become an observer of your own healing. You can’t be an observer it you’re being reactive. I am excited about her letter and also know that she will experience many recurrent flares. However, as she learns her own set of skills to process stress and pain, she’ll be triggered less often, and the painful periods will be shorter. Once you’ve tasted this kind of success, your brain will continue to find ways back to it.

The post Spastic Bladder Resolved – Being with Anger first appeared on Back in Control.

The post Spastic Bladder Resolved – Being with Anger appeared first on Back in Control.

Prehab

We decided that if the surgical results were so much better, we would have all of our patients engage in at least 8 to 12 weeks of “prehab” before any surgery, regardless of the magnitude. Our protocol included:

• Learning about chronic pain through my book, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon’s Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain.
• They were sleeping at least six hours a night (often required meds).
• Addressing their stress.
• Engaging in the expressive writing exercises.
• Learning and using active meditation.
• Noting some improvement in their mood and pain.
• Narcotic medications were defined and stabilized.

We encouraged them to return, but we weren’t going to perform surgery without them engaging in a prehab process.. The data shows that not addressing these issues significantly compromises surgical outcomes. (1)

What Happened?

I am enjoying my practice at a level that I could not have imagined. Our patients are doing well and excited about their progress. What I didn’t expect was that so many patients would become pain-free without undergoing surgery I thought they needed. We presented a research paper reporting on a group of patients who’d come in for their final preoperative visit, and their pain was gone. Of course, we canceled the surgery.

What was even more surprising was the severity of the problems. Normally, the diameter of the spinal canal is about 15 mm. I don’t schedule surgery unless the canal is less than 8 mm, and the patient has leg pain. I have one patient who avoided surgery with a four mm canal.

Janet’s Story

The following letter is from a woman whom I saw last summer with a large synovial cyst. This is a problem where a sac of fluid is formed off a facet joint off the back of the spine. It was not only pinching her sciatic nerve, but it was calcified, which means it couldn’t shrink. I immediately offered her a small operation to remove it. The outcome of removing the cyst is predictably positive with few complications. It is one of my favorite procedures. I offered her the prehab process through my book and website. I also thought the pain center would help. I was surprised that she did not immediately take me up on surgery. She never returned to see me, and I received this letter from her about eight months later.

Dear Doctors,

Last summer, an MRI scan revealed a synovial cyst in my back. I had severe pain from cramps in my butt and calf muscles. My family doctor referred me to your office.

I am writing to update you on my status, which is greatly improved. On my initial visit at the Pain Center, the doctor asked me to keep a journal of what I couldn’t do.

What I cannot do because of pain

I cannot get up in the morning in a flash. I need to exercise and stretch my right leg in bed, roll carefully out of bed to ice my butt and calf, do stair-step exercises, and then finally do a 20 to 30 minute “working with pain” meditation. I can’t sit in any chair I want because my butt muscle will spasm. Car seats are hard to sit in. I have to get out at least every 45 minutes to stretch. I was on Gabapentin, Cyclobenzaprine, and Ibuprofen. I followed the Back-in-Control program, writing down my thoughts and beginning to focus on what I wanted to do, including returning to dance class. In early October, I began sleeping in a semi-upright position, with a pillow under my legs, and the cramping began to subside. I also had biofeedback training. By mid-November, I was able to get off all pain medications and start lifting weights again.

I have very occasional twinges in my right butt when sitting or walking, but I am basically pain-free. I am so grateful for the chronic pain management program and extremely grateful that you offered the program rather than immediate surgery on the synovial cyst.

Many, many thanks.

Sincerely,

Janet

Do Surgery Now??

I had forgotten about her case, so I reviewed her MRI scans and was shocked to see the size of the cyst. However, I have been surprised at the severity of the pathology with every surgical patient I have witnessed becoming pain-free without an operation. In fact, in the first edition of my book, I comment that if a patient has a significant structural problem with matching symptoms, surgery should be performed quickly so as to move forward with the comprehensive rehab program. I thought the pain would be too distracting to be able to participate. The opposite scenario occurred in that when I performed surgery in the face of a fired-up nervous system, the pain would frequently be worse. I eventually discovered this problem has been well-documented in the medical literature. (1) Chronic pain can actually be induced or worsened as a complication of any surgical procedure, including painless ones such as a hernia repair. One of the risk factors is pre-existing chronic pain in any part of the body.

I now have dozens of stories similar to Janet’s. There are many times that I do perform urgent surgery for compelling problems. But if there’s any room to have my patient participate in the prehab, that is what we have them do.

Video: Get it Right the First Time

Ask for This Approach!

I’m excited about this turn of events, although it is becoming a little challenging maintaining a surgical practice. The medical literature has clearly documented that this process is effective. Ask your doctor to help you out with setting up your own program. You don’t need a major pain center, as the necessary resources are readily available.

Every surgery has risks, and no one thinks a complication will happen to him or her. I have seen them all. They are unpredictable, and the outcomes can be catastrophic. Also, why would you not want to maximise your odds of success. Do you really need surgery? Be careful!!

Are You Kidding Me?

Perkins FM and Henrik Kehlet. “Chronic Pain as an Outcome of Surgery.” Anesthesiology (2000); 93: 1123-1133.

The post Optimizing (Avoiding) Spine Surgery first appeared on Back in Control.

The post Optimizing (Avoiding) Spine Surgery appeared first on Back in Control.

Anxiety is the sensation generated when you are in flight or fight. It is a physiological state. When you can’t resolve your anxiety, your body kicks in a stronger neurochemical response and you’ll be anger. Anger and anxiety are the result of stress, not psychological, and a million times stronger than your conscious brain. You have absolutely no control over these reactions. However, you are able to reprogram these responses.

This email was recently sent to me by someone who I have never met and reflects most of the concepts of healing presented in The DOC (Direct your Own Care) course and app.

The letter

Hello David,

I am writing to you on my day off, sun is shining and I am almost ready to go for my walk. I really feel supported by your program and thank you for replying my emails.

 It means a lot to me. I do a bit of reading and learning each day and then move on to the things in life that I need and want to do.

I touched a huge topic and adressed it. I arranged for a meeting with my ex-partner and told him I wanted to have a one on one conversation on how we are raising our son seperately and how this is going. In this conversation I was able to really listen to him and feel the hurt feelings and being uncomfortable. He let me have my moment and I spoke up about my grief and the things that caused my hurt feelings and what I would wish for my son, and also that it was hard for me to forgive him on how things went between us in the past.

It was the first time that I spoke and took this approach. Usually, I complain about him to my boyfriend, whom suggested that I should say these things in a mature way to my ex. Now, I feel like I forgave me and him. Actually, me meeting and speaking up, without the actual need for me to have him change anything made all the difference. But I needed to have the conversation. Only so much you can learn from books. In the playground of real life you are meant to use the things you learn.

It feels that I am moving forward and I am persistent. It is working for me because I am showing up for me everyday and do my writing, eating well, sleeping, and learning.

It is a life-long journey. I am also adressing the relationship between me and my parents. My mom has become ill and she is in her victim role most of the time. Also I am reviewing my role in family dynamics. For me this was also confronting, because stopping complaining and not talking about my pain was a huge step. My therapist friends help me accomplish this.

I have notes on my fridge. I crossed out “try” and the “do” note hangs on my bathroom mirror. Even my son participates with me. He manages to sleep in his own room, which is a huge step for him and for me.

Now I realise that trying to fix yourself is focusing on what you don’t want and you can fail easily. Moving forward and taking small steps to the life you want makes it possible to let them co-exist. Since the pain is needed to get myself moving. This time I am dedicated and for this reason I am making it work. I took control.

And what makes me happy everyday is that I show up for myself and do my work, everyday. This realisation makes it that I feel I can be more persistent and pursue life as I see fit. It is like getting married with myself, for better and for worse.

I will keep you updated. I am so grateful that my friend pointed out your work. Thank you for showing this way and helping people to live the life they want to live. To have hope and knowing that I can succeed with patience, persistance and dedication.

Wishing you well, WT

Summary of her journey

Her letter covers the core of the healing journey. I’ll just list them.

Leg 1 – Beginning the journey – and learn later

• Expressive writing is a major necessary step. It is not the final solution but nothing will really happen without this exercise.
• She stopped complaining
• Sleep improved

Leg 2 – Understanding the healing principles

• She quit trying to fix herself and pursued the life she wanted.
• The two separate but linked parts of healing are letting go and moving forward.
• Hope has been shown to lower inflammatory markers. Being trapped in pain without direction is a dark place and why I call it “The Abyss.”

Leg 3 – Lowering threat physiology – anxiety

• Relaxed enough that her son could be a part of all of this
• An anti-inflammatory diet contributes to lowering threat physiology.

 Leg 4 – Awareness

• She let go of her expectations and agenda and was able to listen
• Your family is the source of your deepest triggers and she took responsibility for her possible role. You can’t change your family, but you can work on yourself.

Leg 5 – Anger processing

• Confronting a given situation head on
• Stopped blaming her ex
• “Try” is the ultimate victim word. “Do” is the opposite. This is a strategy that I learned from my Hoffman process.

Leg 6 – Pursuing your vision

• Consistence and persistence are key – one day at a time.
• Continually trying to fix yourself places your brain on the problem and reinforces your pain.
• As you learn to let go, you can move forward away from your pain circuits. They will “atrophy” from disuse.

Leg 7 – Living life on your terms

• She is executing and moving forward.
• She took control. Nothing will happen until you lean into this. We are somewhat programmed to look outside of ourselves for fixes and also for blame.
• She understands what makes her happy and nurtures that energy.
• Connecting with friends for support and connection is also powerfully anti-inflammatory. Instead of complaining to her friends, they became her support.

One key concept was her statement, “It is like getting married with myself, for better and for worse.” In other words, she connected to every aspect of herself, including her capacity to heal. The DOC Journey is not a self-help program. It is a set of documented tools based on deep medical research and provides a foundation of knowledge that allows you to figure your own way out of The Abyss. You cannot go from pain to pleasure without a sequence and tools.

Then, as you move into the life that you desire, your brain will continue to evolve in the direction of your choice (neuroplasticity), physical and mental symptoms abate, and you’ll thrive and move into a life that you never thought was possible.

Her journey is an example of how you can heal. You will implement your own version of it, and healing is always possible regardless of how long you have been in pain. The choice is yours. Do you want to learn the skill set to move forward and become a professional at living your life?

The post How to Heal – A Patient’s Story first appeared on Back in Control.

The post How to Heal – A Patient’s Story appeared first on Back in Control.

A story of healing

This is a letter that was submitted to the “Stories of Hope” section of my website.

I had back pain which became sciatica- it got worse and worse and I could only walk 50 yards. I read Isobel Whitcomb’s piece in Slate, where she discussed doing a Dr Hanscom workshop- I thought ok, let’s give it a try and within about 5 minutes my pain had gone from a 7 or 8 to a 2 or 3. 4 months later, I’ve got no pain at all- I’m running 2 or 3 times a week. My boss thinks I should advertise myself as a healer and throw chicken bones at people’s pain before giving them a “special pen” to write down all the pain. I am incredibly grateful to Dr Hanscom- he has changed my life.

Breaking down the healing journey

Expressive writing is the foundational tool of healing all chronic pain – mental or physical. It is rarely the definitive solution, although the shifts can happen quickly and be profound. The originator of the approach is Dr. James Pennebaker, who is an academic social psychologist in Austin, TX. He published the first paper in 1986 and over 2000 papers since then have documented its effectiveness.

The response from this person’s boss response is typical. It seems unlikely that such a simple approach can have such profound effects. But the data is deep and the benefits are consistent. Expressive writing was what began my journey out of pain after suffering from 17 different mental and physical symptoms for over 15 years. I discovered it accidentally and I did not understand what had happened until many years later. All my symptoms are gone and have not returned for almost 20 years. I layered on many other tools and eventually a healing sequence has evolved that has helped many people. However, expressive writing is always the one necessary starting point.

Interestingly for me, is that if I slack off on my expressive writing for two or three weeks, some of my symptoms will return. The most common one is burning in my feet, ringing in my ears, and skin rashes will come and go. Even 30 seconds of writing makes a significant difference. I now view the exercise as part of my regular mental hygiene.

Dr. Pennebaker has summarised the research in his book, Opening Up by Writing It Down, 3rd edition. Just a few of the effects include:

• Faster wound healing
• Decreased anxiety, anger, and depression
• Lower viral load in HIV
• Improved symptoms of asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and other autoimmune disorders
• Better athletic and academic performance

Why does this approach work?

We asked this question to Dr. Pennebaker and he is quite open in that none of us really know. His feeling is that it is a process that allows people to give substance to “secrets” that every human being has in some form. Just by the nature of consciousness we all have thoughts we are not particularly happy about or even ashamed of. Also, most of us have taken actions or been in situations we regret. Of course, we don’t want to share them with anyone, but we don’t have to. Just putting them down on paper gives them substance and separation. He pointed out to our study group that keeping secrets requires a lot of mental energy. Since 20-25% of our entire body’s fuel consumption goes towards running our brains, you’ll eventually wear out. And with time these secret circuits become much stronger. You cannot do battle with them. You can only separate from them and is the reason that expressive writing is a necessary step to begin the healing journey.

The core of the healing journey

There are two separate but linked skill sets to the healing journey. Both are equally as important. One is learning to process your survival circuits that humans call anxiety and anger. The other is moving your conscious brain into the life you want. But you can’t move forward while being enmeshed with your past. The expressive writing is the beginning exercise to break you loose. I have not seen anyone really heal without using a version of this tool. The main “risk” is that your life will change, but you get to choose the direction.

References

1. Pennebaker, JW and JM Smyth. Opening Up by Writing It Down: How Expressive Writing Improves Health and Eases Emotional Pain Third Edition. The Guilford Press, New York, NY, 2016.

The post No More Back Pain – A Story of Healing first appeared on Back in Control.

The post No More Back Pain – A Story of Healing appeared first on Back in Control.

This email was sent to me by someone that I have never met. A high percent of people find relief on their own with the medical system becoming a resource instead of a place to fixed. This letter illustrates a problem that created my original suffering – positive thinking. It seemed like a good idea for many years and I seemed to accomplish many things with it. My attitude was, “bring it on.” Then I exploded from essentially no anxiety to an intense panic attack. I didn’t see it coming and I did not emerge from this hole for over 13 years.

The letter

Dear Dr. Hanscom,

I’m a positive-minded person. I endeavor to never give up since I always think I will prevail over all adversity. Twenty-plus years of chronic LBP were not overcome by positive thinking. In fact, my almost exclusive reliance on my positive thinking added to my anxiety and fear of ever being able to relieve my chronic pain.

But, only through meditation and an immersion in your program did I finally find relief from my chronic pain. Positive thinking surely plays a part in one’s pursuit of accomplishment throughout our lives. However it is the rewiring of our thought process that brings pain relief. I can be positive that I can overcome my pain but it’s the follow-through steps that make the difference.

Only after going through an excruciating process of forgiving and forgetting, of riding myself of anger and resentment was I able to prepare myself to be rid of my pain. This process enables you to rid yourself of the fear and anxiety that chronic pain produces. You can be positive that you will get better. But, until you commit and do the work your chances of recovery are quite limited.

Do the work by detoxifying yourself. Write down and throw away all of your daily bad feelings, your anger, resentments and negativity. This process includes daily meditation, which when combined with the writing offers you the opportunity to be rid of your anger and negative thoughts that prevent hope. If you believe there is no hope of pain relief you have effectively given up on your current and future prospects of ever living a pain free existence.

At one point in my past I had given up all hope of ever having ANY pain relief. I was anxiety ridden and afraid to get out of bed to face another pain filled day. I was full of the anger and resentment that comes with chronic pain. I did the work and continue to do the work everyday. My LBP disappeared four years ago. I’m rid of the pain-induced anger, fear, anxiety and hopelessness that once controlled my life. Just do the work!

Thank you for your work!

Positive thinking versus positive outlook – my experience

The problem with positive thinking is that it is a global way of suppressing negative thinking. I didn’t want to feel bad, so I wouldn’t allow myself to feel unpleasant emotions. I was masterful at putting my head down, not complaining, and viewed myself as being really tough. But suppression of thoughts only makes them stronger–much stronger. When my anxiety exploded, it was brutal. It was like the top exploded off of a pressure cooker and I couldn’t get it back together. A colleague succinctly pointed out to me that the key is to first, ” allow yourself to feel before you can heal.” You can’t redirect you nervous system, if you aren’t aware of its current state. A positive outlook is much different and represents your efforts to create and execute your vision. Your focus is on the solution instead of the problem.

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10 years in a wheelchair

Jane, a woman in her early 60s, was exactly such a patient. She’d lived with severe scoliosis all her life. Then, in 2001, she was rear-ended while driving, and the following year, she had a bad fall while grocery shopping. By the time she came to see me, she had severe pain everywhere. She’d been using an electric wheelchair for nearly a decade. She was taking over 200 mg of morphine per day and high doses of anti-anxiety drugs.

When I examined her, she was tilted forward and to the left, barely able to stand. Her spinal curve was severe enough that I recommended surgery but I warned her that the treatment had a high rate of complication.  Because of this, it was unsafe to do the operation until her medications were stabilized, her pain significantly diminished, and she was more mobile. The term we use is “prehab” or rehabilitation before surgery to optimize the outcome.

I gave her my book, Back in Control and referred her to a colleague to coordinate her care. She was not that interested and they mutually agreed to not continue care. Eight months passed and I saw her on my schedule. I was curious because I knew the size of her curve and the severity of her pain. High-dose narcotics makes it all the more difficult because they sensitize the nervous system. I did not have high expectations…

Out of the wheelchair

I was shocked when I walked into the room and there was no wheelchair, walker, or cane. She was standing up to greet me. She was off all of her medications, had no pain, and was working out in the gym three times per week. She was animated, smiling, and engaging. I ended up an hour behind in schedule, as I wanted to find out what had turned her life around.

Jane admitted that she had spent the last 10 years sitting alone in her house stewing over all the wrongs that had been done to her. She only went out when necessary. After understanding the linkage between anger and the pain pathways, she decided to forgive. She forgave her ex-husband, the person driving the car that had hit her, the people involved in her legal battle, and the medical system that had not helped her. This process took several months to work through – but within weeks of doing so, her pain began to abate.  She still had scoliosis but as her pain diminished, she stopped stooping over protectively to guard her back. She now could stand up straight and tall.

Reconnecting through forgiveness

Forgiveness researchers, such as Dr. Fred Luskin, have shown how rumination and anger influence central and autonomic nervous system function and impair functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal cortical axis (stress system). While forgiveness is seen as a coping mechanism that helps to relieve the stress of anger, it also has direct and indirect effects on health and nervous and endocrine function.

It has been my position that anxiety-induced anger is the driver of chronic pain. The manifestations of unrelenting anger are profound and one of them is becoming socially isolated. Now you have all the time in the world to think about your pain and all the ways you have been treated badly. You body is full of adrenaline, which decreases the blood supply to the frontal lobe (thinking area) of your brain. Indeed, it is well-documented that patients’ brains shrink in the presence of chronic pain. Between the adrenaline and not using the creative part of your brain, that would make sense. Fortunately, your brain will re-expand with resolution of the pain. (2) Anxiety, anger and adrenaline

Social isolation

Besides moving too fast, our modern societal structure does not encourage us to interact with each other in a meaningful way. I read a US News & World Report article several years ago, which reported that the average number of close friends that person in the US had was 2.2. That means that many people have essentially no close friends.

I am a pretty social person but when I was in the midst of my own burnout I became isolated. It wasn’t that there weren’t people around. I had so many intensely negative thoughts about myself whirling around in my head that I couldn’t believe that anyone would want to hang out with me. The loneliness was crushing. When I arrived back in Seattle in 2003, a close friend invited me over for a barbeque and I was shocked. I have not forgotten that day and it was the beginning of my re-entering life.

People being with people

We have held three five-day Omega workshops and this year we will be putting on a weekend seminar with Dr. Bernie Siegel, author of Love, Medicine, and Miracles. My priority was to create a safe environment where people could be with other people and share experiences. One of the most effective ways to re-connect is play and as people began to relax and laugh their pain would disappear. Of course it, returned when they returned to the real world and their triggers. But most of the participants learned the skills to consistently remain out of pain. The more satisfying aspect of the process though was that as the pain abated many re-engaged with their lives in a much more powerful way. Play

As we presented our material throughout the week, I realized that we did not have to do much. It was the participants being with other people that created healing. It was remarkable. Dr. Louis Cozolino wrote an exhaustive review in his book, The Neuroscience of Human Relationships. (3) He points out that humans evolved by interacting with other humans. Therefore, the consequences of becoming isolated are consistent and often severe. Studies out of Australia have shown that there are damaging mental health effects when workers become disabled and out of the workflow of the day. Sitting around the house without a sense of purpose is not a great way to thrive. (4)

One of the first Omega participants sent me this video link. She experienced profound healing after being in pain for over 35 years and has been a true inspiration. TED talk: Our lonely society makes it hard to come home from war

This Fox segment was filmed with another one of our Omega participants. She has a great story amongst many others. We never anticipated the power of people healing people.  Video: Write your way out of pain

Jane was in a wheelchair for over 10 years and on high dose narcotics with a severe spinal deformity. It was by her working past her anger, getting out of the house and re-connecting with her friends did she heal. No medical treatment can replicate the power of the body to heal itself. Anger disconnects – play connects.

1. Eisenberger N. “The neural bases of social pain: Evidence for shared representations with physical pain.” Psychosom Med (2012); 74: 126-135.
2. Seminowicz DA, et al. “Effective treatment of chronic low back pain in humans reverses abnormal brain anatomy and function.” The Journal of Neurosci­ence (2011); 31: 7540-7550.
3. Cozolino, Louis. The Neuroscience of Human Relationships. Norton and Co. New York, NY, 2014.
4. Waddell, G and Kim Burton. Is Work Good for Your Health and Well-Being? TSO. London, England, 2006.

Listen to the Back in Control Radio podcast Social Isolation and Chronic Pain

The taste of freedom – Omega 2017

Social Isolation and Chronic Pain

The post The Pain of Social Isolation first appeared on Back in Control.

The post The Pain of Social Isolation appeared first on Back in Control.

His letter

I met Dr. Hanscom under the most stressful circumstances imaginable.

When I moved back to the Northwest a little over a year ago, I experienced crippling anxiety, panic and agoraphobia – combined with excruciating lower cervical and upper thoracic pain radiating down not one, but both arms. I was in and out of the ER four times in one month, and over a period of several months, with new and emerging physical symptoms, I had seen over sixteen doctors of different specialties and had nearly every study and workup imaginable, running up some fifty-thousand dollars in medical expenses in the process. I simply did not know what was wrong with me and was completely frustrated with the medical care system to a great degree.

When my back pain became the focus, I came to the local spine center and presented to Dr. Hanscom my symptoms. After filling out an extensive questionnaire, which covered not just physical lifestyle, but emotional and behavioral issues as well, I sat in the exam room waiting. He came into the room after having viewed my MRI and offered not surgery, but something different, as an option. He told me to read a book Feeling Good, use the tools in it and begin to look at how my lifestyle and the way I was thinking were affecting my physical symptoms. In fact, he said, if I quote correctly, “I believe that when you do the exercises in this book and get a handle on your anxiety and depression, these symptoms will clear up.” He also stressed the importance of good quality, full stage sleep, which I was also being deprived of, as a crucial aid to the healing process.

After this experience, while driving home I remember telling a friend down in LA on the phone, “Gee I went to see a doctor and I ended up finding a healer.” In light of everything, it just made sense. In short, I was ready to move on to the advanced user features of my own software and hardware for that matter. I purchased the book, read it and did the exercises, used the tools contained therein, followed up with Dr. Hanscom and after a few months, I began to notice a difference.

Then on a recent trip to Los Angeles for work this year, I noticed I had no back pain at all. Diligence is key and maintenance is the watchword, but I remain asymptomatic to this moment and when I do feel the twinges, the spaciness, or any other telltale symptoms, my first impulse now is to confront the thought behind the physical and emotional feeling. And more often than not, I return to a normal, happy and focused state of mind – only this time with a much easier disposition.

Charlies-story-pain-free-after-17-different-doctors

My Perspective

I met Charley in 2006. I had just re-commited to the DOC project. I realized that my patients either with or without surgery were not doing nearly as well as I had experienced in Sun Valley where the project was born. He was experiencing a lot of neck pain, but was also not sleeping. It was also clear that he was quite anxious and becoming increasinly discouraged by not finding a way out of the Abyss. He clearly was motivated to get better, as he had seen 16 physicians within an 18-month span.

At that time I did not have much clarity about the links between anxiety, anger, and pain. I happened to have a slow clinic day and was able to talk to him for a while. We hit it off and had a great conversation. We began by working on his sleep and I shared the book, Feeling Good with him. I asked him to begin the writing that David Burns, the author, had suggested.

The first six months were not that easy for him and we had frequent phone calls. He all of a sudden, “woke up” and went after everything with a vengeance. There was no book or website at the time presenting the Back in Control concepts. What he taught me was there is no magic formula to any of this. It is a matter of re-connecting with the best part of yourself. Then there is no stopping you.

Charley moved back to Southern California were he is re-engaging in a busy, rich, full life and career. He has been pain free for over 10 years. We recently shot a short video to encapsulate his story and discuss his last ten years. He has not only remained active but has launched in a massive startup company. He will be the first to tell you, as will I, that this is not a straight-line journey but overall incredibly rewarding and you will connect with your capacity to create whatever life you wish.

We have become good friends and regularly stay in touch. I appreciate his willingness to share his journey with you.

The post Charley’s Story: Pain Free After 17 Doctors first appeared on Back in Control.

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