How to Reduce Anxiety

·57 min·5 clips

Spine surgeon David Hanscom reveals how expressive writing, not surgery, began his escape from 15 years of chronic pain.

Host Kwan Saluja interviews Dr. David Hanscom, a spine surgeon and author of 'Back in Control'. Hanscom begins by describing his abusive childhood and subsequent development of extreme anxiety and chronic pain at age 38. He spent 15 years searching for solutions before discovering expressive writing, which he credits as the necessary starting point for his recovery. He explains that chronic pain involves memorized circuits in the brain and that writing is a complex neurological task that helps disrupt these pathways. A key practice is to write and then immediately tear up or destroy the pages to avoid analysis and reinforce freedom. Hanscom outlines his treatment framework, which involves addressing multiple factors like sleep, stress, and physical conditioning simultaneously to reach a tipping point. He reveals that as a surgeon, only 4.6% of his patients undergo surgery, and he has over 100 patients with major surgical issues who are now pain-free without an operation. The discussion covers how chronic pain can be induced at new surgical sites if underlying nervous system issues aren't addressed. Hanscom emphasizes that anxiety is a survival reflex driven by adrenaline, not merely a psychological issue. He details specific rules for families, including never discussing pain at home to avoid reinforcing pathways. The host shares his own writing practice, and Hanscom coaches him to tear up all his old notebooks as an act of letting go. Hanscom discusses his upcoming workshop at the Omega Institute and recommends starting with his book and website. He connects untreated anxiety to broader societal issues like the opioid epidemic and anger. The episode concludes with Hanscom's vision for integrating writing and relaxation tools into school systems to address anxiety early.

As heard by us

A personal chronic-pain story turns anxiety into a matter of mechanism, distance, and practice.

Chronic pain opens into a broader look at anxiety as David Hanscom traces a 15-year struggle shaped by an abusive childhood, demanding work, professional success, and symptoms he could not initially explain.

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Why you'd press play

If anxiety keeps turning into tension or anger, you will find a route from body sensation to a small practice here.

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