Episodes

  • Following the Head Less and the Heart More

    Following the Head Less and the Heart More
    Oct 30 2024
    In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Dr. Susanna Calvert, founder and executive director of the Foundation for Family and Community Healing and Sanctuary of Earth. She shares her personal narrative as a Chinese American who followed a traditional path to success, culminating in a tenure-track position at Virginia Commonwealth University. However, she faced a crisis of fulfillment upon achieving tenure, realizing that societal expectations did not equate to personal happiness. This led her to implement significant life changes, including relinquishing her tenure and embarking on a new career path. Her journey reflects her commitment to personal growth and the importance of balancing emotional and cognitive intelligences. Following a 26-year career in higher education, Dr. Susanna (Sanna) Wu-Pong Calvert, MAPP, PhD is the Founder and Executive Director of two 501(c)3 nonprofits, the Foundation for Family and Community Healing (www.HealingEdu.org) which fosters resilience and wellbeing skill development, and Sanctuary of Earth (www.SanctuaryOfEarth.org), whose mission is to actualize human spiritual potential. During her career, she has published almost 100 journal articles, books, book chapters, and abstracts, and has written hundreds of blogs including for Psychology Today. She is a consultant, reiki master/energy healer, soul medium, tarot reader, and intuitive coach (www.SusannaCalvert.com). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    30 mins
  • Understanding and Healing Pain with Rapid Transformational Therapy

    Understanding and Healing Pain with Rapid Transformational Therapy
    Sep 25 2024
    In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Deborah Gray, therapist and business owner. She explains Rapid Transformation Therapy (RTT), a therapeutic modality that helps clients understand the sources of their issues, determine what needs to be done to heal, and actively engage in the healing process. She emphasizes how language influences thoughts and emotions, emphasizing the need to use high-energy words and positive language to reprogram the mind. She also stresses the importance of prioritizing sleep. Deborah Gray is a mother, grandmother, therapist, lifelong learner, business owner, and lover of life. She has two Master's degrees in Clinical Social Work and Mind-Body Medicine. Deborah knows that life has a way of throwing us curve balls and in the quest to transcend these difficult circumstances she has made a career out of helping others live a Life By Design. Her heart's desire now is to work from anywhere in the world using Rapid Transformational Therapy to quickly bring joy back into the lives of those who suffer. For more information, you may contact her at: dgray@lifebydesignpa.net Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    27 mins
  • The Path to Healing and Resilience

    The Path to Healing and Resilience
    Sep 18 2024
    In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Deborah Gray, therapist and business owner. She shares her personal account of overcoming chronic neck pain and her path to achieving a pain-free state within 18 months. She discusses the various tools and techniques she employed, including stress management, sleep, and neuro-linguistic programming, as well as the role of education and stress management in maintaining her recovery. Also, she reflects on her resilience during subsequent major life stresses, including legal challenges and family health issues, and the approach she utilized to navigate through these adversities. Deborah Gray is a mother, grandmother, therapist, lifelong learner, business owner, and lover of life. She has two Master's degrees in Clinical Social Work and Mind-Body Medicine. Deborah knows that life has a way of throwing us curve balls and in the quest to transcend these difficult circumstances she has made a career out of helping others live a Life By Design. Her heart's desire now is to work from anywhere in the world using Rapid Transformational Therapy to quickly bring joy back into the lives of those who suffer. For more information, you may contact her at: dgray@lifebydesignpa.net Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    27 mins
  • The Healing Power of Pain Reprocessing Therapy

    The Healing Power of Pain Reprocessing Therapy
    Sep 11 2024
    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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    25 mins
  • A Healing Journey from Chaos to Calm

    A Healing Journey from Chaos to Calm
    Sep 4 2024
    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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    28 mins
  • Learning to Be a Pain Patient No More

    Learning to Be a Pain Patient No More
    Jul 24 2024
    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/ . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    30 mins
  • The Healing Magic of Neuroplasticity

    The Healing Magic of Neuroplasticity
    Jul 17 2024
    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/ . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    24 mins