Dr. David Hanscom

06/08/2026

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀, 𝘄𝗲'𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲: 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱.

But step back and look at the numbers — nearly a fifth of adults live with an anxiety disorder in any given year, and close to half of us will meet criteria for a diagnosable condition at some point. When something is that widespread, it's worth asking whether we've been framing it backwards. What if anxiety, compulsive habits, and that low hum of overwhelm aren't isolated diseases, but the predictable response of a nervous system asked to stay on guard far longer than it was ever designed to?

That single shift — from "What's wrong with me?" to "What is my nervous system responding to?" — changes everything. It moves the conversation from shame to understanding, and understanding is where real change starts. You're not broken. You're a human being whose alarm system has been running a little too hot, for a little too long, doing exactly the job it evolved to do. The good news is that a nervous system that learned to stay on alert can also learn to come back down. That's what the rest of this series is about.

06/05/2026

06/05/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱.

Many people believe meditation means clearing the mind, but that often becomes another source of stress. When we're anxious or overwhelmed, the nervous system is already activated. Trying to force thoughts away can make us more aware of them. Active meditation takes a different approach by shifting attention from mental activity to simple physical sensations.

By focusing on the body—your breath, sounds around you, or the feeling of your feet touching the ground—you give your nervous system a signal of safety. Even a few seconds can interrupt stress patterns and create space for calm. The goal isn't to control your thoughts; it's to reconnect with the present moment. Small moments practiced throughout the day can have a powerful cumulative effect.

My new book is out: "Calm Your Body, Heal Your Mind". You can place an order here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/804971/calm-your-body-heal-your-mind-by-david-hanscom-md/

06/04/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗽𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁?

Becoming skilled at living isn’t about fixing yourself—it’s about developing a set of practiced abilities, just like learning an instrument. A concert pianist doesn’t aim for perfection; they commit to showing up every day, refining their touch, listening closely, and adjusting in real time. Living well works the same way. It’s a discipline of awareness, emotional regulation, presence, and connection—skills that are learned, practiced, and embodied over time, not solved in a single insight.

When you shift your focus to skill-building, the pressure drops. You’re no longer chasing an ideal version of yourself—you’re engaging in a process. Each moment becomes an opportunity to practice noticing your reactions, creating space, and choosing how to respond. Excellence in living emerges from repetition, curiosity, and patience. Like music, it becomes fluid and expressive—not because you forced it, but because you trained for it.

This is an Instagram Reel I want to share that relates to this blog: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DVtCakngqdx/

Link to the Psychology Today blog: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/anxiety-another-name-for-pain/202204/becoming-a-genius-at-living-life-and-healing

06/03/2026

As part of my awareness campaign, I will be sharing my favorite quotes from Anthony De Mello's book, The Way To Love. You can also watch this video: https://youtu.be/d3Y6zOizpf0?si=CU8KithR7RefTmD

06/03/2026

𝗜𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝘅𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹?

No! Anxiety is a physiological state. It is the sensation your body generates when you sense danger or are under stress, triggering the fight-or-flight response. Your body remains alive as a unit, with the nervous system at its center. Sustained exposure to stress physiology is what drives chronic mental and physical disease.

Visit The DOC Journey and explore more tools and resources for healing, awareness, and nervous system regulation: www.thedocjourney.com

06/02/2026

𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗱𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼 (𝟭𝟵𝟯𝟭–𝟭𝟵𝟴𝟳) 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀𝘁, 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗴𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗱𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗛𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺.

His sole aim was “waking up” — helping us observe the inherited beliefs and attachments that keep us asleep until they loosen and we can see reality as it truly is.

In The Way to Love, he strips love to its essence and calls it awareness. Love is not craving or possession; it is simply seeing clearly, free of the distortions of ego and fear. This is why healing begins the moment we stop reacting. Anger is awareness collapsed.

I was first introduced to Anthony deMello’s work in 2003 by my golf instructor, who later became my surgical performance coach. The book was “Awareness”, which was a compilation of lectures at a retreat. He pleads with the world to “wake up.” We spend most of our lives caught in reactive patterns, which pull us out of present awareness. He describes this state as driving down the freeway using the rear-view mirror to navigate.

My physiatrist colleague gave me the little book of his last meditations, The Way to Love, where he defines love as awareness. Healing happens as you stimulate your brain to develop in the direction of your choice. But many of us, especially me historically, have no idea where we are. I was 50 years old before I realized that I had ANY anger. It was my baseline, and I could not recognize it from my lifetime of programming.

The theme of my efforts is “Let’s Wake Up,” followed by “From Reactive to Creative.” There is little creativity when you are angry and reactive. In fact, your thinking brain has less blood supply, and you cannot reason clearly. If you take the letter “C” out of reactive and place it first, it becomes creative. Awareness is the first step in healing, and you must “C” first in order to heal.

The Way to Love, along with Dr. Fred Luskin’s book, Forgive for Good, has been the cornerstone of healing. Learning to take full responsibility is essential, and anger and awareness cannot exist in the same room at the same time.

I encourage you to look at deMello’s book and Fred Luskin’s as well. I have given them to hundreds of patients, friends, and colleagues. I still read a few pages each week and have been doing so for many years. I will be sharing a few sentences each week from The Way to Love.

Order 'The Way to Love by Anthony De Mello' here: https://www.amazon.com/Way-Love-Meditations-Anthony-Classics/dp/038524939X

06/02/2026

📚✨ 𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗔𝗩𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘! ✨📚

I'm excited to announce the release of my new book, Calm Your Body, Heal Your Mind.

In this book, you'll discover how chronic pain, anxiety, anger, repetitive unwanted thoughts, and many other symptoms are often rooted in the body's stress response. Healing begins when we learn to create safety, regulate our nervous system, and reconnect with ourselves.

There is a way through.

Order your copy through the link and begin your journey from reactive to creative.

ORDER HERE: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/804971/calm-your-body-heal-your-mind-by-david-hanscom-md/

06/01/2026

𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙.

Many of us spend years trying to think our way out of anxiety, stress, and emotional pain. But when your nervous system is stuck in threat mode, more thinking isn't the answer.

Your brain is doing exactly what it was designed to do: protect you. The challenge is that it may still be reacting to dangers from the past rather than what's happening right now.

Healing begins when your body experiences safety again. As your nervous system settles, clarity, resilience, and connection naturally return.

What helps you feel safe and grounded?