Dr. David Hanscom

06/23/2026

𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝘁.

Your only choice is to feel it and make a clear decision to change direction. It can only happen in a second and no matter how much “work” you do, it will always be a part of your life. You just have to “flip the switch” and move on.

Watch the full conversation here: https://youtu.be/w6tSmhQs9Nc?si=kD4gc5jXhu74yyqC

06/23/2026

06/22/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗹𝗱.

We like to think our sharpest moments come when we're fired up — but reactivity is a trap. When something triggers you, you respond before you've actually taken in the whole picture, defaulting to a pattern wired in long ago. That's not creativity; it's repetition. As Einstein put it, doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. Reactivity keeps you defending the old instead of building something new.

The fix is a simple shift captured in one letter. In the word Creative, the "C" comes first — you see and have a choice before you respond. In reaCtive, that same "C" is buried in the middle, because you've already reacted before you've truly seen. Putting the "C" first creates a sliver of space between stimulus and response, and in that space curiosity, awareness, and fresh solutions become possible. As I write in Calm Your Body Heal Your Mind, you can't problem-solve from a reactive state — you have to see first, then create.

Next time you feel yourself reacting, pause and put the "C" first — see before you respond. That one breath of awareness is where creativity begins. 📘 Go deeper in Calm Your Body Heal Your Mind — link below.

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

06/21/2026

𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗵𝗲𝗻, 𝗣𝗵.𝗗 , 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

He discussed the evolution of his relationship with his father, describing how they started with mutual tension but eventually grew closer through letter writing. He explained how he initially struggled with his father's intellectual pursuits while identifying as a basketball player, but later realized these issues stemmed from his own poor self-image. Writing letters to his father helped bridge their relationship, particularly after he became a father himself at age 31.

This is a 2-part interview, and you can listen to the episodes through the link below:

Episode 1: https://open.spotify.com/episode/62pBtejv2HhNUxzSMyr8AO
Episode 2: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7f7zEUxtTvRS6DY5Bke6Mf

You can download the transcripts here:
Episode 1:https://backincontrol.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Transcript-Interview-3-w-Donald-Cohen.pdf
Episode 2:https://backincontrol.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Transcript-Interview-4-w-Donald-Cohen.pdf

06/19/2026

𝙈𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡 𝙤𝙧 𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩.

But anger and awareness can't coexist — when you're angry, blood flow drains from your thinking brain to your survival centers, so you literally can't assess the situation clearly or find a creative way through it. It's why arguments so rarely resolve anything in the heat of the moment: the thinking part of you isn't fully online.

The antidote isn't forcing yourself to calm down. It's awareness. The moment you truly notice your anger — name it, feel it, see it — you begin shifting blood flow back to the thinking centers of your brain, and the anger loses its grip because it can only survive while you're not looking at it directly. As I write in Calm Your Body Heal Your Mind, awareness isn't just the antidote to anger — it's the starting point for deep healing.

Next time anger rises, don't fight it — watch it. That single act of awareness is where healing begins. 📘 Go deeper in Calm Your Body Heal Your Mind - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/804971/calm-your-body-heal-your-mind-by-david-hanscom-md/

06/18/2026

𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

In A Simple Starting Point for Healing: Active Meditation, I explore a practical way to interrupt the cycle of racing thoughts and mental suffering by shifting attention to immediate sensory experience. Rather than battling or suppressing unpleasant thoughts—which often strengthens them and deepens distress—you can intentionally focus on a present sensation (sound, touch, sight, etc.) for a few seconds to a minute. This “active meditation” momentarily disengages the mind from habitual thought loops, calming the nervous system and allowing clearer thinking and a sense of presence to emerge.

Learn how active meditation can help calm racing thoughts, regulate your nervous system, and create space for healing. Start with just a few seconds of awareness and notice the difference.

06/17/2026

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲.

For years, much of healthcare has focused on symptoms. While symptom relief matters, it does not always address the deeper forces driving chronic pain, anxiety, anger, and illness.

The vision moving forward is simple: help people move from ReaCtive to Creative.

When we are trapped in survival mode, our nervous system is constantly scanning for danger. We become reactive, driven by stress physiology, repetitive unwanted thoughts, fear, frustration, and pain. In this state, healing is difficult because the body is focused on protection rather than repair.

Healing happens when we feel safe. But safety is not something we simply think our way into. Safety is created by learning and practicing the right tools that calm and rewire the nervous system. Awareness, expressive writing, emotional processing, mindfulness, play, movement, meaningful connection, gratitude, and purpose all help shift the body from threat toward safety.

As your nervous system settles, your thinking brain comes back online. You gain access to creativity, curiosity, compassion, problem-solving, and deeper connection. This is where transformation occurs. This is where healing begins.

The goal is not to become a different person. The goal is to remove the layers of threat that have been obscuring who you already are.

It's time to wake up.

Read the full article here: https://backincontrol.com/lets-wake-up-from-reactive-to-creative/

06/13/2026

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽

The “Unlikely Friendship” video highlights one of the most powerful healing forces available to human beings: genuine human connection. At its core, the message is simple but profound—humans evolved through cooperation. While competition exists between groups, tribes flourish because of bonding, safety, and working together. Biologically, this connection is reinforced by oxytocin, one of the body’s oldest hormones. Often associated with pregnancy and lactation, oxytocin is a powerful chemical for deep social bonding. Without it, even in animal models, mothers do not bond with their offspring. Connection is not sentimental—it is physiological.

The video's story illustrates how transformative even a single authentic connection can be, especially for those who are socially isolated. Many people carry loneliness, pain, and the “batteries” of adulthood—old wounds, guardedness, and emotional armor. Children, however, do not carry that burden. Their innocence allows others to project the best parts of themselves onto them. “Who doesn’t love a baby?” That reaction reflects our own untouched inner child—the part of us capable of openness, trust, and connection.

Ultimately, the video reminds us that healing from chronic mental or physical pain is not just about techniques or treatments—it is about reconnecting to the essence of who we are and helping others reconnect to theirs. When we meet each other at that deeper level—beyond defenses, beyond roles—we activate biology designed for bonding and safety. In that space, healing becomes possible.

In this installment of our series, "A More Perfect Union," we take a look at an unexpected but powerful friendship. See how an 82-year-old widower was touche...