Stage One: Second Step
“You are Not Your Thoughts”
Writing Begins Your Path to Healing
The foundation of this whole DOCC project begins with writing exercises.
- Associating thoughts with physical sensations forms neurological pathways.
- Writing down your negative thoughts creates a space between you and the paper
- It associates that space with vision and feel.
- With repetition you will separate from your thoughts.
Your journey to healing will begin only when you engage in a regular writing routine. Write and don’t stop
1. WRITE DOWN YOUR NEGATIVE THOUGHTS AND INSTANTLY THROWN THEM AWAY.
- Write down the actual thoughts. Be specific!!
- Destroy them so you can write with complete freedom.
- Do this once or twice a day for 15-30 minutes per session.
- It is counter-productive to “journal” or keep these writings.
- Write in this free-flow format for a couple of weeks
- Then engage in the “Feeling Good” format below
There is usually some decrease in anxiety and frustration within a few weeks of beginning the free writing. It is then helpful to transition into the writing format described in Feeling Good. You should begin writing in the Feeling Good format within a month.
2. FEELING GOOD
- Read the first third of David Burn’s book, “Feeling Good”
- Write in his “three-column” format
- This format represents the phases of reprogramming: 1) awareness 2) detachment 3) establishing new circuits
- This a great book but not effective without writing Letter from David Burns
- Continue to IMMEDIATELY destroy your writing
- Continue with your free writing indefinitely
What is Your Reality?
It has been said by philosophers for centuries, “You Are Not Your Thoughts”. However it certainly seems like our reality is determined by our thoughts. As pain is linked with anxiety and frustration (The Terrifying Triad) over time your thoughts and life can become very dark. My orthopedic term for the situation is living in “The Abyss”.
In Mind Body Medicine pain, anxiety, and anger are all viewed from the perspective of neurological circuits, not psychology. You cannot control, change, or remove any of these imbedded pathways. You can only detach or separate from them. You then have the capacity to form “detours” or new more functional circuits. It does require utilizing specific techniques.
Can You Unlearn How to Ride a Bicycle?
With chronic pain your brain lays down pain pathways similar to you knowing how to ride a bicycle. These circuits are permanent. This is not a “psychological” problem so traditional psychological approaches do not work. Once you know how to ride a bicycle you cannot unlearn to ride it. The strategy that is effective is “re-programming” these circuits. Unlearning How to Ride Your Bicycle
We have learned that there are many additional strategies that are helpful in decreasing your pain but all are in ADDITION to the writing. Writing is not the final solution but it is the foundation of this entire project. I have seen very few patients become pain free without this step.