Back in Control Radio

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Vanessa Blackstone, a therapist and Executive Director of the Pain Psychology Center. She explains Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), a therapeutic modality aimed at eliminating chronic pain by rewiring neural pathways in the brain. She emphasizes that it shifts the patient’s belief about their pain and helps them rewire their brain to change their response to pain. This involves educating them about the sources of their pain, how their brains predict pain and how neuroplasticity can help them heal. They learn how to become more aware of their pain and create detailed descriptions of it, including its evolution and intensity. Through questions, she helps her patients better understand and track their pain. In the process, they learn to change their compulsive thoughts and begin the healing journey.

Vanessa Blackstone, ACSW, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Nation, is the Executive Director of the Pain Psychology Center. She earned her M.S. in Social Work from the University of Southern California. After overcoming chronic pain herself, Vanessa became a therapist in 2018. She specializes in chronic pain treatment, sex therapy, substance use recovery, mindfulness-based relapse prevention, and works as an Onset Wellness Professional. Vanessa, a former foster youth, advocates for foster youth by sharing her experiences at public speaking events. She is the author of the forthcoming book, The Pain Reprocessing Therapy Workbook, to be released in November 2024. For more information, visit: https://painpsychologycenter.com

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Vanessa Blackstone, a therapist and Executive Director of the Pain Psychology Center. She candidly discusses her tumultuous childhood, entering foster care at a young age, and the normalization of the chaos in her life. She talks about how chaos came to feel comfortable and how she later learned that her brain created chaos as a way for her to feel comfortable. This came through her migraines, emotional distress and compulsive thoughts. When she became a therapist and discovered Pain Reprocessing Therapy she applied it to her own situation and began to heal.

Vanessa Blackstone, ACSW, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Nation, is the Executive Director of the Pain Psychology Center. She earned her M.S. in Social Work from the University of Southern California. After overcoming chronic pain herself, Vanessa became a therapist in 2018. She specializes in chronic pain treatment, sex therapy, substance use recovery, mindfulness-based relapse prevention, and works as an Onset Wellness Professional. Vanessa, a former foster youth, advocates for foster youth by sharing her experiences at public speaking events. She is the author of the forthcoming book, The Pain Reprocessing Therapy Workbook, to be released in November 2024. For more information, visit: https://painpsychologycenter.com

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with chaplain and pain coach Bonnie Lester.  She explains the different techniques she uses to help herself and her clients. Examples of these approaches include getting better sleep, sensory stimulation, humor and play, planning to do things that will make you feel more comfortable during the day and social connection. All contribute to the healing process. In addition, she use cognitive behavioral therapy to learn to “be with the pain.” She emphasizes the transformative role of neuroplasticity in paving new pathways in the brain to alleviate chronic pain.

Chaplain Bonnie Lester, MA, Certified in Advanced Pain Rehabilitation, is a pain coach who has personally overcome CRPS after a 30-year struggle with this challenging chronic pain syndrome. Drawing on her own recovery and evidence-based research, she now specializes in teaching neuroplasticity techniques and comprehensive lifestyle strategies to help others overcome chronic pain. Bonnie has helped hundreds of clients significantly reduce their pain levels and improve their quality of life. She is the author of the book Unwinding Pain: Affordable and Accessible Ways to Feel Better Now (available on Amazon for preorder now).  For more information, visit https://www.bonnielester.com/ .

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with chaplain and pain coach Bonnie Lester. She shares her experiences with chronic pain, delving into the profound impact it had on her life. She details the various experiments she tried with alternative approaches to find what would work after conventional medical treatment offered little relief. Her breakthrough came when she became acquainted with neuroplasticity and the realization that she could change the way her brain processed pain.

Chaplain Bonnie Lester, MA, Certified in Advanced Pain Rehabilitation, is a pain coach who has personally overcome CRPS after a 30-year struggle with this challenging chronic pain syndrome. Drawing on her own recovery and evidence-based research, she now specializes in teaching neuroplasticity techniques and comprehensive lifestyle strategies to help others overcome chronic pain. Bonnie has helped hundreds of clients significantly reduce their pain levels and improve their quality of life. She is the author of the book Unwinding Pain: Affordable and Accessible Ways to Feel Better Now (available on Amazon for preorder now). For more information, visit https://www.bonnielester.com/ .

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Senior Feldenkrais Trainer David Zemach-Bersin.  He discusses the two aspects of the Feldenkrais method, which include physical work in the office and lessons for home practice. He guides the listener through a movement exercise, emphasizing the importance of reducing effort, observing sensations, and maintaining a pleasurable experience. Throughout the demonstration, he emphasizes the connection between movement and sensory awareness, and the potential for healing through the Feldenkrais method. He also discusses the importance of adopting techniques to calm the body and mind, particularly in managing anxiety and stress, highlighting the role of letting go and in the process helping rewire neurological circuits.

David Zemach-Bersin is a Senior Feldenkrais Trainer who has studied and expanded upon the work of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais for over 50 years. He studied directly with Dr. Feldenkrais in Europe, the USA and Israel for over ten years. With the onset of Covid in 2020, he co-founded FeldenkraisAccess.com, with the intention to bring the incredible benefits of the Feldenkrais Method to everyone wishing to improve, and lead a more comfortable, pain free life. David has taught all over the world and lives in Connecticut with his wife, Kaethe. For more information, visit www.feldenkraisaccess.com.Pain, Chronic Pain, Healing,

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Senior Feldenkrais Trainer David Zemach-Bersin. He discusses the neuroscience behind anxiety and pain and how the Feldenkrais method addresses these. He explains the Feldenkrais emphasis on slow movements to engage the parasympathetic nervous system and promote calmness and a sense of safety. He talks about its ability to facilitate learning by leveraging the body's physiology to regulate the nervous system. He discusses how it can reverse the survival response and its role in attracting the brain's attention to positive experiences. He also touches on the practical application of Feldenkrais sessions in creating new circuits in the nervous system.

David Zemach-Bersin is a Senior Feldenkrais Trainer who has studied and expanded upon the work of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais for over 50 years. He studied directly with Dr. Feldenkrais in Europe, the USA and Israel for over ten years. With the onset of Covid in 2020, he co-founded FeldenkraisAccess.com, with the intention to bring the incredible benefits of the Feldenkrais Method to everyone wishing to improve, and lead a more comfortable, pain free life. David has taught all over the world and lives in Connecticut with his wife, Kaethe. For more information, visit www.feldenkraisaccess.com.

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Lisa Goodpaster, author, childhood trauma educator and founder of the Stephood Project.  She explains how parental alienation happens following divorce when the mother and father are unable to co-parent. This can create extreme anger in the affected children and result in the formation of deep triggers that lead to negative patterns of behavior that can last a lifetime. She talks about the physical effects of stress on the body, such as skin rashes, panic attacks, and inflammation. She emphasizes the importance of understanding stress physiology and treating the physiological response to stress. She shares the steps in her healing journey, including the impact of childhood distress on her adult life and how understanding it helped her heal.

Lisa Goodpaster is the founder of the Stephood Project, a childhood trauma educator and the author of Alienated: When Parents Won’t Parent. She was alienated from both her mother and father by her stepmother. Lisa’s ability to connect and inspire while creating a safe space for all who are struggling to understand children who have been alienated is unmatched. Lisa is also a motivational speaker helping all families and professionals understand the complex issues that arise in all families. Her ability to connect and help others understand the dangers of not co-parenting and the connection to parental alienation is creating a positive movement forward to help create change while clearing the path for other survivors to come forward. For more information, visit https://www.stephoodproject.org.

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Lisa Goodpaster, author, childhood trauma educator and founder of the Stephood Project. A child of divorce, she broke her neck, and suffered for years with over 22 physical symptoms and intense chronic pain. She shares her experience of feeling alienated from both her mother and father by her stepmother, and the impact it had on her childhood. She explains that by reading Back in Control, going through the Hoffman process and working with somatic therapist Kendra Bloom, she discovered the roots of her suffering in her childhood alienation and how to use that awareness to heal.

Lisa Goodpaster is the founder of the Stephood Project, a childhood trauma educator and the author of Alienated: When Parents Won’t Parent. She was alienated from both her mother and father by her stepmother. Lisa’s ability to connect and inspire while creating a safe space for all who are struggling to understand children who have been alienated is unmatched. Lisa is also a motivational speaker helping all families and professionals understand the complex issues that arise in all families. Her ability to connect and help others understand the dangers of not co-parenting and the connection to parental alienation is creating a positive movement forward to help create change while clearing the path for other survivors to come forward. For more information, visit https://www.stephoodproject.org.

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Jamie Shafir – LCSW, health coach and adolescent specialist at the Mind Body Therapy Center. She discusses the significance of early intervention and psychoeducation in addressing chronic pain in youth. She explains the different components of her approach including: pain reprocessing therapy, emotional awareness and expression therapy, and intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy. She emphasizes the importance of establishing safety and rapport with patients, and also discusses the nuances of treating adolescents and children, highlighting the need for tailored approaches that account for the unique brain development and cognitive abilities of young individuals. She talks about the challenges of working with families and stresses the importance of establishing strong clinical boundaries to create a safe environment for young clients.

Jamie Shafir is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, health coach, and adolescent specialist at the Mind Body Therapy Center. She is trained in and practices Pain Reprocessing Therapy, Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy, as well as Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy. Jamie pulls from her breadth of training and clinical experience to tailor and provide her youngest clients developmentally appropriate services through a chronic pain informed lens. For more information, email her at: [email protected].

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Jamie Shafir – LCSW, health coach and adolescent specialist at the Mind Body Therapy Center. She shares how her sister’s early experience with chronic pain got her interested in non-pharmacological interventions for anxiety and for pain. She transitioned from her fundraising and grant writing work with adolescent youth groups to private practice with the help of Dr. Daniel Lyman. She talks about the unique challenges of working with children and adolescents, particularly in the context of chronic pain. She emphasizes the need for a tailored and informed approach when working with young clients and the importance of managing the expectations of parents.

Jamie Shafir is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, health coach, and adolescent specialist at the Mind Body Therapy Center. She is trained in and practices Pain Reprocessing Therapy, Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy, as well as Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy. Jamie pulls from her breadth of training and clinical experience to tailor and provide her youngest clients developmentally appropriate services through a chronic pain informed lens. For more information, email her at: [email protected].