How To Use Creative Visualization To Reduce Chronic Pain
In part 1 we learned how your brain can be used to make real physical changes to your body. If you missed that bit please go back and read it now: Part one of Creative Visualization
Now you can practice creative visualization/guided imagery for yourself to reduce your pain. Find somewhere comfortable and make sure you will not be disturbed for a little while. Turn off your cell-phone, put the cat out and relax.
Take deep relaxing breaths so that your tummy, not your chest, rises and then falls as you slowly inhale and exhale. Put your hand on your abdomen and feel it rise and fall. Continue to breathe deeply into the pit of your stomach and as you exhale let your body relax. Imagine, that is visualize, all your tension being released and floating away with each exhalation.
Once you are relaxed begin to imagine yourself as you would like to be when you have reached your goal. See yourself in the situations that you know will be so much better once you have reduced your pain. Only you know what these are, and it is worth taking some time to think about them.
What do you miss that has been impossible since you developed the pain? Imagine yourself doing again something that you have had to give up, or something you had hoped to do but could not. Take some time to bring this image of yourself to life. Paint in the details and the sounds. You don't have to believe it, just picture it.
Remember that the patients with the missing limb knew full well that their limb was gone but they convinced their brains that it was back. As you develop the pictures in your mind things will gradually improve for you, taking reality nearer to the image you have created.
Now that you have practiced let's use creative visualization to target your pain.
