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Stories

Insights

• THE "ROUNDTABLE"
  • Arm the Worker
  • Treat the "Abyss"
  • Response to "Treat the Abyss"
  • "Call Things by Their Right Names"
  • "The Snarled Stumper"-Noncompliant Patients
  • Everyone Needs Support
  • The "Five E's" of Chronic Pain
• INTRODUCTION TO DOCC
  • Human Body vs. Machines
  • Birth of the DOCC project
    • My Original Surgical Philosophy
    • Solo Practice – Sun Valley
    • Early Experience with Sleep
    • Early Stress Management Concepts
  • Framwork of Care
    • Defining the Source of the Pain
    • The Pain IS "In Your Head"
      • Your Brain "On Fire"
• MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
  • My Low Back Surgery/Infection
  • Journey into Burnout
• THE PATH TO CHRONIC PAIN
  • Four Categories of Issues
    • 1-THE SOURCE OF THE PAIN
      • The "Pain Generator"
        • Degenerated Discs and Back Pain
      • Dr. Schubiner-Can Tics Be Contagious
    • 2-SENSITIZATION OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
    • 3-MEMORIZATION OF NEUROLOGICAL CIRCUITS
      • "Suffering"
        • "Normal Arms Amputated"
      • "Suppressing"
      • "Masking"
        • The Myth of Self Esteem
      • Psychoses-"Phantom Brain Pain"
    • 4-THE "MODIFIERS"
      • Anger
        • Anger/Victim in Worker's Comp
          • "Many Italians Choose Suicide" — People Need to Work
          • Your Doctor Might Not Be Listening
      • Anxiety
      • Sleep-The Trump Card
• REVERSING CHRONIC PAIN WITH DOCC
  • DOCC-A Framework of Care
  • I-Clarity of Diagnosis
    • Structural Problems
    • Soft Tissue Problems
      • Non-Structural or Soft Tissue Pain
  • II-Calming Your Nervous System
    • A-Sleep
      • Sleep Hygiene
      • Sleep Meds
      • Writing at Bedtime
      • Sleep Disorders
    • B-Medication Management
      • Narcotics
      • Non-narcotics
      • Anti-anxiety
      • Anti-depressants
      • Anti-seizure
      • Anti-spasm
    • C-Education
    • D-Goal Setting
      • Three Questions
        • Where am I?
        • Where am I Going?
        • How am I Going to Get There?
      • Template for Your Personal "Business Plan"
      • The Elephant's Noose
      • The First and Last Day of School
      • The Journey of 1000 Moons
• STRESS MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW
  • The Two Aspects of Managing Stress
    • Building Up the Positive Side
    • Plugging the Negative Drain
  • Managing Stress a Learned Skill
    • Breaking it into Parts
    • Pain without Hope
    • Problems are Opportunities
  • Summary of Stress Management
• ANXIETY-BASIS OF BEHAVIOR
  • Anxiety Basics
  • Anxiety Magnified
  • Progression of Anxiety
  • Anxiety Coping Mechanisms
    • Decreasing Anxiety with Control
    • Masking Anxiety
  • Anxiety and Chronic Pain
  • Anxiety and Me
  • Maslow's Miss
• ANGER-THE "CONTINENTAL DIVIDE"
  • Anger=Loss of Control
    • "Genealogy of Anger
      • Two Kinds of Anger
    • "The Pit of Despair"
    • Anger Simplified
    • Anger and Workers' Comp
  • Advantages of Victimhood
  • Anger and Chronic Pain
  • Perfectionism
  • My Victimhood
  • Examiners from the Worker's Perspective
    • Communicate with Injured Workers
  • Taking Back Your Spirit-Caroline Myss
• ANXIETY/ANGER-HIGHWAY TO HELL
  • Your Hand Over the Stove
  • The "Abyss"
  • The Terrifying Triad
  • Anger-The Absolute Block
  • Pain = Anger = Abuse
  • Patient's Feedback on the "Snarled Stumper"
  • Your Hand Stuck Over the Stove
• Reprogramming the Nervous System
  • "The Talent Code"-Understanding Neuro Pathways
  • "You Are Not Your Thoughts"
  • A Bunch of Balloons
  • Pain to Pleasure-Pavlov's Dogs
  • Unlearning Riding Your Bicycle
  • White Bears and "ANTS"
  • Your Demons Are Robots
• Awareness
  • "Call Things by Their Right Names"
  • Creative versus Reactive
  • "C"ing Clearly
  • The Eye of the Storm
  • Staying in the Storm
• SOLVING STRESS: THE HOMEWORK
  • Purpose of Homework Chapter
  • Phase IV-BIOOTW
    • Hoffman Process
      • My Interpretation of Hoffman
      • My Hoffman Experience
    • Enjoy Your Day-Today
    • The Power of Commitment
    • Your Spiritual Journey
  • Write and Throw
    • Not Being Judgmental
  • "Feeling Good" format
    • Self-Directed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Identification and Acknowledgement
  • Taking off the Disguises
  • Commitment to Change
  • Reprogram
  • Acceptance and Forgiveness
  • Write and Dont' Stop
• BACK PAIN SURGERY-STATE OF THE UNION
  • What Do We Know?
    • Source of Back Pain is Unclear
    • Degenerated Discs are Normal as We Age
    • Worsening Prognosis with Time Off Work
  • What Are We Doing?
    • Back Pain vs. Mouth Pain
    • Doctors Treat Themselves Differently
    • Surgical Results Overly Optimistic
• INDICATIONS FOR SURGERY
  • "Failure of Conservative Care"
  • Defining Non-operative Care
  • Surgically Profiling Yourself
  • The Surgical "Grid"
• "I Want To Believe"
  • The "Catastrophe Index"
• Stories
  • "I Am Not Angry"
  • "I Am Not Letting Yesterday Ruin Today"
  • "I Understand Your Anger. Get Over It."
  • A New Life at 72
  • Agoraphobia Masking as Pain
  • Breaking Loose
  • Compassion and an Italian Dinner
  • Depression Masking as Pain
  • Eight Level Spine Fusion?? No!
  • Freed by a Pen
  • How Many More Neck Surgeries??
  • My Call to Action
  • Salvages His Own Spine Surgery
  • The KKK and a Spiritual Journey
  • Visualization – "Holt's Winning Run"
• Uncategorized
• Introducing David Hanscom
• Your Hand Over the Stove
• Completely Trapped
• Listen When Your Surgeon Says "No"
• Surgeons Do What They are Trained to Do
• Standard Stress Skills Inadequate
• The Catastrophe Index
• Fusions for LBP Don't Work
• Is Your Pain Structural or Not?
• Degenerated Discs are NOT a Disease
• I Can Only Fix What I Can See
• Your Brain Becomes Sensitized
• Memorizing the Circuits: Phantom Pain
• Pain Free is Probable
• Anger Fueled Anxiety-"The Highway to Hell"
• Anxiety and It's Demons
• Stage 1 – Address Anxiety
  • Stage 1: Step 1 – Insights
    • Four Steps in the Evolution of Chronic Pain
      • 1-THE SOURCE OF LBP
        • Mind Body Syndrome-"Short Circuits"
    • Source of LBP is Unclear
    • Sleep
    • Stress Management Overview
    • Three Sources of Chronic Pain
    • Structural Sources for LBP
  • Stage 1: Step 1 – Stories
    • Eight Level Spine Fusion?? No!
    • Hod Carriers and a Frayed Wire
    • How Many More Neck Surgeries??
    • Marsha's Three Needless Spine Surgeries
    • My Call to Action
  • Stage 1: Step 1 – Videos
    • Degenerated Discs are NOT a Disease
  • Stage 1: Step 3 – Stories
    • Motivated by "The Talent Code"
  • Stage 1: Step 5 – Stories
    • Bipolar Disorder Broken
    • Mind Body Syndrome and Me
• Stage 2 – Deal with Anger
  • Stage 2: First Step Stories
    • Anger Altering a Surgical Decision
    • It Really Is Upside Down
    • Labeled "Drug Seeker" and Almost Died
  • Stage 2: Step 2 Stories
    • A Tale of Two Golf Holes
  • Stage 2: Step 5 Stories
    • Out of the Abyss with Forgiveness
• The Myth of Self Esteem

The 5 Stages