Back in Control with David Hanscom, MD – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Miriam Gauci Bongiovanni, Pain Coach and MindBody Practitioner.  She explains her approach to treating patients with mind-body symptoms, emphasizing the importance of shifting focus from symptoms as enemies to understanding them as messengers. She described her initial strategy of building confidence in the mind-body connection and exploring emotional factors contributing to symptoms. She discusses the challenge of convincing patients of the non-structural causes of their symptoms and the value of open-mindedness and curiosity in the treatment process. By challenging their expectations of pain, patients can begin the healing process. Download the transcript Miriam Gauci Bongiovanni is a Trauma-informed Pain Coach and MindBody Practitioner. She made a remarkable recovery from a range of chronic symptoms by tapping into the mindbody connection. Today, she educates individuals on how to overcome a myriad of chronic symptoms by working with emotional release, mindset shifts and neuroplasticity. She is the author of The Pain Secret: Unlocking the MindBody Connection to Overcome Chronic Pain and Symptoms. For more information, visit her website at: https://www.painoutsidethebox.com/my-story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Miriam Gauci Bongiovanni, Pain Coach and MindBody Practitioner.  She shares her journey with chronic pain, which began with a shoulder injury while rock climbing at age 28. Despite being diagnosed with a lesion that required surgery, she chose not to undergo the procedure after learning the surgeon couldn't guarantee a pain-free recovery. Her pain eventually spread to her legs and arms, leading her to discover TMS through online research. Using a combination of journaling, mindfulness, and relaxation techniques, she recovered from her symptoms within 6 weeks, though she experienced occasional anxiety and insomnia that she managed through TMS principles. Nine years later, she remains pain-free and has returned to rock climbing. Download the transcript Miriam Gauci Bongiovanni is a Trauma-informed Pain Coach and MindBody Practitioner. She made a remarkable recovery from a range of chronic symptoms by tapping into the mindbody connection. Today, she educates individuals on how to overcome a myriad of chronic symptoms by working with emotional release, mindset shifts and neuroplasticity. She is the author of The Pain Secret: Unlocking the MindBody Connection to Overcome Chronic Pain and Symptoms. For more information, visit her website at: https://www.painoutsidethebox.com/my-story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Mags Clark Smith, a specialist in somatic work and mindfulness, and a contributor to a textbook on psychophysiological disorders. She discusses her unique approach to chronic pain and body awareness. Inspired by identifying her twin brothers through their gaits, she developed a fascination with movement, realizing early on how subtle physical cues can reveal individuality and inform body awareness, a theme central to her current work. As a lecturer at Lancaster University, she used somatic methods, including guided movement exercises and mindfulness practices, to help rugby players and individuals with eating disorders connect with their bodies through internal awareness. By focusing on movement quality and sensations, she encourages individuals to reconnect with their bodies, reducing stress and fostering self-awareness, which are key to achieving both mental and physical healing. Download the transcript. Mags draws on her extensive knowledge of the body through dance, psychology and non-verbal communication to empower people to move with confidence and resolve chronic pain. Mags offers one-to-one Resolving Chronic Pain consultations and Body Control Pilates classes, as well as taking part in chronic pain research and giving guest talks and lectures on chronic pain. Mags lectures on University Edinburgh Dance Science Masters course. For more information, visit: https://www.resolvingchronicpain.com/teaching-movement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 helping them tap into their innate ability to heal is the real business of medicine. Bernie S. Siegel, MD, is a well-known proponent of integrative and holistic approaches to healing that heal not just the body but also the mind and soul.  He attended Colgate University and studied medicine at Cornell University Medical College. His surgical training took place at Yale–New Haven Hospital, West Haven Veterans Hospital, and the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. In 1978 Bernie pioneered a new approach to group and individual cancer therapy called Exceptional Cancer Patients (ECaP), which utilized patients’ drawings, dreams, and feelings, and he broke new ground in facilitating important patient lifestyle changes and engaging the patient in the healing process. He is the best-selling author of Love, Medicine & Miracles and The Art of Healing.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 less inflammatory, engaged in regular exercise, detoxified his home environment and embarked on a journey of self-exploration to get rid of his anger and forgive those he was angry with. He emphasizes the importance of believing you can heal and taking full responsibility for your healing, Chris Wark is a young adult cancer survivor, bestselling author, and patient advocate. Chris was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2003, at just 26 years old. After surgery, Chris made the decision to go against his doctor’s advice, opted-out of chemotherapy and chose to use nutrition and natural therapies to heal. Six years later, in 2010, Chris began sharing his story of faith, courage, and determination, and his message of hope that chronic diseases like cancer can be prevented and reversed with a radical transforma tion of diet and lifestyle. Chris is the author of the national bestseller Chris Beat Cancer: A Comprehensive Plan for Healing Naturally, published by Hay House in 2018. His second book, Beat Cancer Daily: 365 Days of Inspiration, Encouragement, and Action Steps to Survive and Thrive, was published by Hay House in 2020. His third book, Beat Cancer Kitchen: Deliciously Simple Plant-Based Anticancer Recipes will be published by Hay House on November 2nd, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, what he discovered led him to become a patient advocate. Chris Wark is a young adult cancer survivor, bestselling author, and patient advocate. Chris was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2003, at just 26 years old. After surgery, Chris made the decision to go against his doctor’s advice, opted-out of chemotherapy and chose to use nutrition and natural therapies to heal. Six years later, in 2010, Chris began sharing his story of faith, courage, and determination, and his message of hope that chronic diseases like cancer can be prevented and reversed with a radical transforma tion of diet and lifestyle. In the last decade, Chris has become one of the most well known cancer survivors on the planet and reaches millions of people per year as a blogger, podcaster, speaker and global health coach through his books, social media and his website ChrisBeatCancer.com. Chris is the author of the national bestseller Chris Beat Cancer: A Comprehensive Plan for Healing Naturally, published by Hay House in 2018. His second book, Beat Cancer Daily: 365 Days of Inspiration, Encouragement, and Action Steps to Survive and Thrive, was published by Hay House in 2020. His third book, Beat Cancer Kitchen: Deliciously Simple Plant-Based Anticancer Recipes will be published by Hay House on November 2nd, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 reconnect to your true self and have the quality of life you desire. Les Aria, PhD is a Pain Psychologist, who has been practicing for the past 16 years with Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, Inc. He served as the Lead Pain Psychologist for Kaiser Northern California to help incorporate modern pain science, mindfulness and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT). Les specializes in treating psychophysiological disorders/persistent pain and medically unexplained problems. His passion for mind body interventions promote a unique style to help patients relate differently to their suffering, and thereby shifting them into pain recovery and wellness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 health or psychology. Cognitive behavioral therapy, in combination with better sleep, exercise and diet, can calm the nervous system and help patients modulate their body’s response to URTs and then eventually slow their frequency. Joshua Smyth is a Distinguished Professor of Biobehavioral Health and of Medicine at Penn State and Hershey Medical Center and serves as Associate Director of Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute (SSRI). Smyth is an internationally recognized expert on ambulatory assessment and intervention, with a focus on the interplay of stress, emotion, physiology and behavior in everyday life.   He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research, and the Society of Behavioral Medicine. Dr. Smyth has served as an editorial referee for more than four dozen journals, served as Editor and Associate Editor for several journals, and has been active in Society leadership for the American Psychosomatic Society, the Society of Behavioral Medicine, and the Society for Ambulatory Assessment. Dr. Smyth has widely shared his research in interviews with ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, PBS, Newsweek, Time and the New York Times, among many others, and recently published (with James Pennebaker) a popular science book on expressive writing interventions. Finally, he is an active and engaged teacher, and has received numerous accolades and awards for teaching and mentoring of students and trainees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 because of this, trying to suppress them consciously typically just reinforces them. They can damage our health because they trigger the body’s threat response. Joshua Smyth is a Distinguished Professor of Biobehavioral Health and of Medicine at Penn State and Hershey Medical Center and serves as Associate Director of Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute (SSRI). Smyth is an internationally recognized expert on ambulatory assessment and intervention, with a focus on the interplay of stress, emotion, physiology and behavior in everyday life.   He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research, and the Society of Behavioral Medicine. Dr. Smyth has served as an editorial referee for more than four dozen journals, served as Editor and Associate Editor for several journals, and has been active in Society leadership for the American Psychosomatic Society, the Society of Behavioral Medicine, and the Society for Ambulatory Assessment. Dr. Smyth has widely shared his research in interviews with ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, PBS, Newsweek, Time and the New York Times, among many others, and recently published (with James Pennebaker) a popular science book on expressive writing interventions. Finally, he is an active and engaged teacher, and has received numerous accolades and awards for teaching and mentoring of students and trainees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 how he discovered the magic of being aligned with your true voice. Dr. Fred Moss is a graduate of Northwestern University Medical School and a licensed psychiatrist who has consulted patients, practitioners, medical facilities, non-profit organizations, and community groups for nearly four decades. In 2006, he began taking a new approach with his patients, working with a chosen few to assist in reclaiming their lives from the clenched fists of medication. Over time he saw that those who persisted gradually and reliably improved once they were free of the medication. Patients began to report frequent success stories that began to open up a whole new set of questions about the actual definitions of mental illness and mental health and the conversations that are created around those definitions. It is around these basic principles that Dr. Moss began to shape his methodology and his work with clients. He is now dedicated his efforts to establishing his brand, Welcome To Humanity (welcometohumanity.net), as a "home base" for his work as a speaker, consultant, and advisor, and for his mental health and life coaching practice as a "non-medicating psychiatrist." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices