Using Imagery to cope with pain.
Alternative methods for Lupus sufferers
Imagery is a very effective coping strategy. It can be used for relaxation, or to help improve the way you feel or think. It has applications in a number of different areas and can be a very powerful technique, besides being very pleasant and enjoyable. Imagery is a process by which you develop pictures in your mind. One of the nicknames for imagery is “going to the movies in your mind.” We all have imaginations of one sort or another. For example, can you imagine the way chocolate tastes? You might not be able to imagine it as precisely as if you were tasting it right now, but you’ll probably use experiences you‘ve had tasting chocolate to whet your appetite! But what if I asked you to picture what “glurgle” tastes like? You don’t have any experience or memory of that to help you create an image. Now can you imagine what a cute little kitten looks like? You probably can picture in your mind an adorable furry ball of fluff. But how about imagining what a “spagoff” looks like? You wouldn’t be able to. Imagery really draws on experience to conjure pictures in your mind. (By the way, glurgle and spagoff are just made-up words!)
So what’s the difference between daydreaming and imagery? With daydreaming, your mind tends to wander, and may include a number of different “scenes.” However, with imagery you are using your daydream constructively, with a goal in mind. Imagery is daydreaming with a purpose.
How Can You Use Imagery?
There are a number of different ways to benefit from imagery. Helping to deal with pain, tension, emotions, or people, are among the many possibilities. Research has shown that imagery can be used to help the functioning of your body. Let’s try an experiment. Read the next paragraph first. Then follow the directions. If you have any difficulty remembering what to do, either ask someone to read the paragraph to you slowly, or tape it, and you can then play it back. In either case, remember to pause briefly after each sentence. Start off by breathing rhythmically and deeply. Imagine that you are comfortably stretched out on your own bed. You are VERY comfortable. You can feel the soft mattress beneath you, the soothing texture of the sheets, the blanket over you, and the softness of the pillow. Just relax, Let your body go limp. Feel the tension flow out of your body. Relax. Just breathe comfortably. Now let that image fade from your mind. How did that feel? Were you able to get a clear picture in your mind? Did you take a nap? Now try this one. (Remember, you might want to tape it first, then close your eyes and listen.)
Sit back in a chair and make yourself comfortable. Put both of your hands off the arms of the chair. Imagine that next to your left hand I am going to place a bucket of icecold water. In a moment, you are going to dip your hand into that bucket of frigid water. Now imagine that you are slowly dipping your hand into the bucket. You can feel the ice-water touching the tips of your fingers. You’re putting your fingers in a little more and you can almost feel tingling numbness because the water is so cold. Imagine you’re putting your hand in more, to the point where your hand is almost completely submerged. Feel that numbness. Now, in your mind, take your hand out of the water. Feel the difference as your hand warms up because it is no longer immersed? In your mind, take a towel and dry your hands. Allow that image to fade from your mind and then open your eyes. How was that? What sensations did you feel? If you could feel the water and the tingling, you may be able to control localized pain! You can use your imagination to develop a feeling of numbness or coldness in an area where you might feel discomfort.
Imagery For Pain
How is imagery used to deal with pain? The first step is to try to “paint a picture” of the pain. There are many different words that are used to describe pain, such as shooting pain, throbbing pain, pins and needles and so on. Try to describe it so that others would know exactly what you’re experiencing. For example, if you get a headache, does the headache feel like a tightening, such as having a very tight rubber band around your head? Does it feel like your head is being used as a piece of wood and it’s being hammered? Does it feel like it is being crushed in a workshop vice? Does it feel like the Jolly Green Giant is squeezing your brain with his humongous hand? Get a picture of whatever it feels like. Use imagery to reverse whatever it is that you’re feeling. If your headache feels like a tight rubber band stretched around your head, get a picture of it in your mind, see the color of the rubber band, and see how it seems to be stretched. Then use imagery to loosen the rubber band. Imagine the elasticity going out of it. The rubber band is becoming looser and looser, until all of a sudden it just falls off your head. You will find that your headache will get better, too. The reason is that imagery triggers certain brain responses that actually result in the pain going away.
What about other types of headachepain? If the headache felt like a hammer hitting your head, imagine that you’re putting layers of cotton on your head so that the hammer is hitting your head more and more softly With the workshop vice, imagine that somebody is loosening it. If it’s the hand squeezing your brain, imagine that the hand is squeezing less and less until you can feel it gently patting your brain. Imagery can be used for many types of pain. Let’s say you have some discomfort in your belly, leg, or your foot. Imagine a heating
pad being applied to the area or imagine a moist, warm washcloth where you feel the discomfort. Actually imagine the warmth penetrating the area. You will find that it will help you feel better. Sometimes, imagining a soothing fluid lubricating your joints can help the achy feeling of joint pain diminish.
What Else Can Imagery Do?
Besides dealing with pain, imagery can help you cope more effectively with many other things. For example, if you are uncomfortable about talking with somebody (such as a prospective employer, a physician, or an in-law), use imagery to view in your mind what you might experience during your conversation. Using imagery anticipate the comments you might hear, and plan how you might respond. Imagery can be used to help you improve your performance in sports or in other physical activities. It can even help you gain control of your emotions. Feelings of sadness, depression, anger, and fear, among other emotions, can be improved using imagery How do you proceed? You might want to obtain a great book on imagery, “In the Mind’s Eye,” by Arnold Lazarus. It’s available in local libraries or bookstores. Or you might want to seek out services from organizations which specialize in applying imagery techniques to a variety of situations or problems. Whatever direction you choose, imagery can certainly improve the quality of your life. Good luck!