Dr. David Hanscom

05/27/2026

05/26/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 (𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲)

It has long been observed that there is a fine line between love and hate. Why? It is because they are the opposite sides of the same coin. They are both transferences. In anger, you are projecting your negative views of yourself onto another person or situation. It is not them; it is you who has been triggered. That is why blame is such a futile effort. But we do it because we don’t like that part of us, and we don’t want to own it

When you are trapped by anything, especially pain, anger is the result. You may have been there for so long that you don’t even recognize it anymore. Understanding the nature of anger will allow you to move past it and live an “Enjoyable Life.”

Watch the full video here, and while you're at it, hit the subscribe button and watch the rest of my videos with Dr. Les Aria - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0DKIPOBuTM&list=PLGnQ5JaoJ4NzvUPT8bAj5CHZQquhTsiy3

05/25/2026

“𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴?”

Most destructive human behavior does not come from evil intent—it comes from unconscious survival reactions. When the nervous system perceives threat, the prefrontal cortex—the brain’s center for reasoning, empathy, and self-awareness—goes partially offline. At the same time, deeper survival structures such as the insula become dominant. The insula processes internal sensations, emotional significance, and prediction patterns based on past experiences. Under chronic stress, it can trap people in rigid belief systems and threat expectations that feel physically true, even when they are irrational or harmful.

This is why fear-driven societies become polarized, reactive, and resistant to logic. When people absorb information while stressed or threatened, they cannot properly filter it through higher reasoning centers. Beliefs become emotionally embodied instead of thoughtfully examined. Arguments about politics, religion, race, and identity become nearly impossible to resolve because survival physiology—not rational thinking—is driving the conversation. Collective unconsciousness creates collective destruction. Humanity cannot heal until enough people wake up and recognize when their nervous systems are hijacking their thinking brains.

05/24/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵. 𝗝𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮).

Work can create meaning, connection, structure, and purpose—but when stress becomes chronic and recovery disappears, the nervous system shifts into survival mode. The issue is not simply work itself, but the dose. Too much stress without safety, rest, or support can quietly wear down both the mind and body.

Read the full article here:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/anxiety-another-name-for-pain/202605/work-is-medicine-but-we-keep-prescribing-the-wrong-dose

05/23/2026

𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

There are over 2200 research papers that document that expressive writing in some form is effective for improving both your mental and physical health. I have been adamant for a long time that you should write down just negative thoughts – not positive ones. That has also been the general feeling of many papers. Interestingly enough, I ran across several papers that documented that writing down positive thoughts is equally effective. It appears that expressing thoughts and emotions works. The debate is how and why it is effective. One theory is that it switches your thinking into a slower, more rational mode, than automatic fast thinking. For me, writing was the first and only effective strategy that pulled me out of a 15-year tailspin. I had been in psychotherapy for 13 years and continued to spiral downward. I am an advocate of psychological interventions but they have to be combined with some other tool that helps to calm and re-route the nervous system.

My first step with every patient is to have them write down his or her thoughts and instantly destroy them. Thoughts are only connections between neurons within your brain. There is no substance to them – none. However, as your body secretes chemicals in response to thoughts, they seem like real and part of your identity. Your goal is to bring these thoughts to life as vividly as possible and then separate from them. Unhooking from the train Meaningful healing will not occur until you start writing. It has been the one common strategy of essentially every patient I have seen go to pain free. I ask that patients begin this process before they do much reading, as it is the true beginning of the program. Write Your Way Out of Pain

Twenty-five years after their first hit record, Coldplay's current ...

05/22/2026

𝗙𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻.

Your brain is wired for survival, not happiness. When your nervous system detects danger—whether it’s physical pain, criticism, rejection, uncertainty, or failure—it triggers the same threat pathways designed to keep you alive. The problem is that your brain cannot reliably distinguish between a real physical threat and a mental one. Under stress, survival chemicals flood your body with adrenaline, cortisol, and norepinephrine, pushing you into fight-or-flight mode. In this state, the prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for reasoning, learning, empathy, and decision-making—partially shuts down.

This explains why intelligent people say irrational things in arguments, why athletes collapse under pressure, and why anger feels powerful yet often does damage. Stress redirects blood flow and energy away from higher-order cognition toward rapid emotional reactions designed for immediate survival. Your “thinking brain” goes offline as your reactive survival brain takes over. When this happens repeatedly, people become trapped in cycles of anxiety, anger, impulsivity, and poor decisions—not because they lack ability, but because their nervous system is stuck in protection mode.