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Initially, learn to be aware of your present condition and
take the steps to eliminate symptoms caused by it. Eventually,
as this process proceeds you may find the clues to the elimination
of the cause as well. as described earlier, practice with a relaxation tape preceded
by a signal such as a special breath will train the body to
recognize the signal for letting go and becoming relaxed.
It will take some time, but the reward is to be able to achieve
relaxation at any time at any place. A very inexpensive fingertip thermometer or a more complex
device such as a digital thermometer may be used. To practice
temperature training, get comfortable, measure your fingertip
temperature. Listen to your relaxation tape with the biofeedback
device taped to your fingertip, and then remeasure your temperature.
At first you may notice a drop in your temperature. This is
a common finding because there is a natural tendency to "try"
to achieve the result with efforting, and that may be counter-productive.
Don't try to force it. Be pleased with yourself when you succeed
in actually sitting down and practicing. Don't be discouraged.
In a day or two of practice you will see the temperature begin
to rise. Be patient. This process will take some time-perhaps
a month of practicing diligently two times per day. The fingertip
temperature, as a general rule, can be about 96oF under conditions
of relaxation. (Under the tongue it's nominally 98.6oF.) Often,
under conditions of normal daily activity, fingertip temperature
can be as low as 90oF. Some have fingertip temperatures as
low as 76oF if they are under stress, have "poor circulation",
Raynaud's, or migraines. One can purchase a simple GSR device. These devices can be
used as indicators of arousal levels as relaxation is practiced.
A tone sounds as arousal changes - perhaps higher as you are
excited or lower as you relax. The moment to moment feedback
from the device guides your brain to that elusive relaxed
place that one may not be able to reach without external guidance.
The next step is to be able to achieve a calm state with
a signal, such as a breath, in a very short time. So, in the
space of approximately 30 seconds or one minute, a significant
relaxation can occur. (This has been demonstrated with biofeedback
assisted guided imagery, in which it can be shown that upon
prior training the fingertip temperature will rise and the
GSR will drop even with the brief exercises). Such brief respites
prepare the body to meet its subsequent challenges better.
This can be translated into a very efficient relaxation exercise
to be done any time at work, in the car at a stoplight, or
during a lecture. An anchor is a marker for a particular experience, such as
a relaxed state. A practiced association of the anchor with
a relaxation experience will eventually allow the anchor to
help bring about the relaxed state it is associated with.
Thus, the signal breath is a kind of anchor, one which may
be added to, with certain phrases or images built into the
original practice. For example, Relax as you breathe in and
Release as you breathe out. In this way, the words become
an anchor for the signal breath, and the signal breath an
anchor for the deeply relaxed state. Learning is the key to
this experience, and repetition is the key to learning. All of this may be done in a beautiful spot you imagine,
by encouraging your mind to stop and explore a lovely place
where you have previously had a great time or achieved a real
sense of relaxation. The body already knows the effect it
felt and will respond. This is an exercise best done with the guidance of a tape
with the specific phrases for training spoken at the correct
frequency. It is designed to enhance relaxation and awareness
of muscle tension. This training is designed to train control of attention.
By training to broaden the focus of attention, the body is
taught to move toward a calmer state. A version of this training
has been applied directly to pain management, proving in yet
another way that the experience of pain can be put directly
under voluntary control. This training is best done with the
guidance of a tape with the phrases spoken at the cadence
designed for learning effectively. Self-training can readily be accomplished with the breath.
For example, a simple way to monitor breathing is by placing
one hand on the upper chest and the other on the abdomen,
below the belly button. Observe the movement of your hands
through the cycles of the breath. In healthy breathing, there
should be earlier excursions of the abdomen than the chest.
In the case of shallow, or stressed, breathing, there would
be very little abdominal movement. The biofeedback therapist can show you points on your body
that may be very tender (tender points) or may also refer
pain (trigger points). The tender points will be responsive
to massage by a friend or a significant other. Trigger points
take more care and require the advice of the professional.
Acupuncture, ice, deep massage, and specifically designed
exercises are often the treatments of choice. Often using an ice cube wrapped in a wash cloth to massage
a very stiff muscle in your neck or shoulders can encourage
blood flow to the area which therefore brings more oxygen
to the fatigued muscle and carries away any toxic build-up
from the spasm or stiffness. These are small dots that can be purchased at the stationary
store. Several dots are placed around the environment- in
places such as the refrigerator door, the telephone, on a
toothbrush, on the rear view mirror of the car etc. The "magic"
is that whenever you see a dot you take a signal breath and
relax. Perhaps you even take 10 more seconds to drop your
shoulders and check to see if you are breathing abdominally.
Eat regular nutritional meals. Hypoglycemia can cause headaches.
A sugar snack will cause abnormal rise and fall in insulin
levels and can also cause headaches. Vitamin and mineral supplementation
may be important, but again be advised to work with a professional
for a personal assessment. Certain foods act as trigger or headaches in some people.
Some people have a sensitivity to one or two foods., e.g.
corn or tomatoes. Some migraines may be triggered by food.
It may be necessary to go on an elimination diet to determine
your triggers. It is best to do this with the guidance of
a professional as there are many things to look for as signs
of sensitivity. One eliminates the suspect substance from
the diet for a period of two weeks, and then gradually reintroduces
it. should be used with care. For instance, Feverfew, is a natural
pain killer but can have side effects if taken unwisely in
conjunction with other medications. The same holds true for
St. John’s Wort or L-Tryptophan. Please check with the doctor
before self-medicating regularly. Stress management is all about finding a balance in life
that keeps the body/mind in good working order. Self-care
includes limiting adverse levels of stress, which can come
in the form of hunger, fatigue, hormone changes, strong odors,
bright lights. Make note of the things that can tire you and
determine a way to limit them. It may be necessary to make a diary of sleep, medication,
mood, food, treatments, frequency, duration and intensity
of headaches. After looking at the patterns that become obvious,
small simple changes may be all that is required. The sense of well-being that comes from exercise is one of
the best ways to eliminate stress headaches. Too strenuous
weight training or incorrect breathing during training can
cause headaches. Have a professional trainer check your technique.
It is most often advisable to ask the advice of the body/mind.
Techniques such as Interactive Guided Imagery (SM) using the
Inner Advisor to Dialogue with the Symptom are very helpful.
It may be easier to begin with the help of a trained professional,
because imagery may be considered a subset of psychotherapeutic
techniques. (See reference below to Academy of Guided Imagery.)
Dehydration can often contribute to headache. Perhaps all that is required is to take a break or simply
re-center and do a signal breath (see above). The three simple exercises mentioned above take only three
minutes and can relieve the tension built up from long hours
at work. Pressure applied in special areas called acupressure points is often very effective.
If there is an opportunity to do so, lying down for even
5 to 10 minutes may relieve the build-up of tension. Ice can bring great relief. If ice is not available, try
getting a bag of frozen vegetables (like peas) out of your
freezer or take a cold can of soda and use it at the back
of your neck as you relax for a few minutes. If the headache
is due to tension, this may provide relief. Relaxed abdominal breathing changes the carbon dioxide/oxygen
ratios in the blood and can be helpful in relieving stress
and often pain as well. With the above techniques the addition of a very small amount
of sugar such as half a jelly bean or half a lifesaver under
the tongue can also be helpful. The concern is that it may be overused, in which case a rebound
headache can occur. Get up and go outside. There are some indications that the
platelets in the blood may clump under indoor or artificial
light. When the sun is available even for short periods of
time, they will separate and are able to resume their job
of carrying oxygen. allowing the neck, shoulder and head muscles to relax with
quick massage from a friend or loved one may be all that is
necessary to relieve the headache. Time regression: take some time to go over the last few hours,
in your mind's eye and determine where the most stress has
occurred. Observe your response to the stress at the time
and notice whether it may have had an initial effect in triggering
the headache. Notice a few things you might have done to relieve
your response to that earlier stress. Is there something that
still needs to be done. If so, make a mental note of a time
to do it. Now note how your headache feels. Allow an image to form representing the pain of the headache
at its worst. In your mind's eye explore the image, noticing
how you feel about it, how big or small it is, what the essential
qualities are, etc. Allow that image to transform into an
image that represents less pain. Explore and examine that
image noticing its qualities, your feelings, etc. Then allow
that image to transform into an image that represents no pain.
Explore that image, noticing its qualities and your feelings
about it, etc. While keeping this image in mind, notice the
state of your headache. |
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Neurofeedback Holoiday
47 Christchurch Av
London
NW6 7BB