David Hanscom > Quotes

“emotional insult is processed in exactly the same way in the brain as a physical insult.”
― David Hascom, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain

“If a situation is bad, it’s bad. Pretending otherwise does not help. The”
― David Hascom, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain

“Don’t let anyone or anything, anywhere, anytime, or anyplace take away my ability to enjoy my day.”
― David Hascom, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain

“Anger is at the core of obsessive behavior. Once my patients in pain become truly (and appropriately) angry, the whole nature of their interaction with their families and the medical system changes in a terrible way. They become focused on the pain and it runs their lives.”
― David Hascom, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain

“Getting caught up in a “good cause” (The cause might be excellent, but the driving force behind it could be suspect if examined carefully.)”
― David Hascom, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain

“Wegner’s experiment shows that trying not to think about something will markedly increase the chances of your thinking about it.”
― David Hascom, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain

“the central nervous system must be taken into account in every patient every time.”
― David Hascom, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain

“As a result, several things happen. Your pain receptors and nervous system now exist in a different chemical environment, even though there’s no additional physical affliction, or perhaps no physical affliction to begin with. What’s the ultimate result? Your senses are heightened and you may experience even more pain.”
― David Hascom, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain

“the central nervous system can independently cause pain and other physical symptoms through the development of learned nerve pathways. This”
― David Hascom, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain

“Pain modifiers are important to understand because under stress your body chemistry changes. Your stress hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline, become elevated. Adrenaline”
― David Hascom, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain

“My basic definition of an obsessive disorder is unresolved anxiety fueled by anger.”
― David Hascom, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain

“getting my patients to sleep better, there was always some improvement in their sense of well-being if not also in their pain. Most patients with chronic pain sleep poorly and are tired during daylight hours. They”
― David Hascom, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain

“The feeling of being trapped was familiar to Victor Frankel, a famous Jewish psychiatrist who survived WWII concentration camps. He wrote the classic book, Man’s Search for Meaning.2 It is striking that in spite of the extreme physical hardships Frankel endured, for him the most difficult part of the ordeal was not knowing if and when it was going to end—which is similar if not identical to what patients in chronic pain experience.”
― David Hascom, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain

“recent research has shown that the brain can create pain that is identical to the pain of a physical injury.”
― David Hascom, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain

“I am whole and powerful. I am loving and harmonious. I am forgiving and happy. I am at peace.”
― David Hanscom, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain

“A significant part of human existence revolves around avoiding or reducing anxiety. The ability to deal with anxiety in a healthy way is critical to quality of life. It’s even more important for someone who experiences chronic pain.”
― David Hascom, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain

“If you are whole, you don’t have to expend energy filling gaps; the result is power to live your life. Love is often described as the absence of fear; harmony is the result. It’s impossible to be happy without forgiveness. You won’t be at peace without all of the above.”
― David Hanscom, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain

“Suffering takes many forms. Usually it’s manifested by complaining, arguing, manipulation, gossiping, etc. There are often strong repetitive thoughts regarding the mess that your life has become. The resulting anger is the jet fuel that gets these circuits really spinning. It’s almost impossible to “let it go” because the anger feels so justified. Remember,”
― David Hascom, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain

“David Allen, author of the book, Getting Things Done.8”
― David Hascom, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain

“done.”
― David Hanscom, Back in Control: A Surgeon’s Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain, 2nd Edition