How Visualisation Changed My State

I started listening to guided imagery to get me into a state of relaxation, when my body was in such heightened pain. Apparently visualisation can lower stress levels in the body, such as cortisol, and it can calm our sympathetic nervous system.

Picturing a strong and powerful tree trunk with its roots deep in the ground, really strengthened my physical state when I listened, and visualised with guided imagery on chronic pain.

When we use all of our senses we are placed in a tranquil, relaxed state of mind through imagination, and it’s usually a positive experience, if we can use our visual senses like me.

The key state to be in for chronic pain is a calm, relaxed state, as the muscles are tense in the body, therefore we want to change the physiology in the body, and relax all of the muscles, to reduce painful symptoms.

Studies have shown that visualisation significantly reduced pain in arthritis, and other joint issues from a 2015 article published in the journal of Pain Management Nursing, however this works for chronic pain across the board, if you are a visual person. I would recommend that you find what other senses you have, if you cannot picture images, or memories in the past so that you can recreate it to a positive state.

I used to visualise waking up pain free out of bed, and remembered how I used to do this, full of energy. I also did the same when walking pain free in nature, visualising what I could see, smell, and take in all of my senses to build up a picture in my head, and use this imagery to attach a positive belief. The most important thing was to know how I was feeling, i.e. amazing, and I would do this consistently, so that I could motivate myself to become pain free.

I would visualise lots of memories in my past where I was physically active, and the ones that bought me so much joy. I went back to a time I used to dance. I absolutely loved dancing, and still do, and I felt confident. I remembered at university I would dance on stage with my friends, and lose myself in the rhythm. The beat, the vibe, the intensity. It was in my blood, the resounding noise that a Sikh Punjabi girl from the ancestral roots of Punjab in India knew only too well. Family gatherings, or weddings would always see me on the dance floor. Music uplifted me, allowing me to be in that moment, and gave me a feeling that energised every bone in my body.

To this day I listen to music wherever I go, on the train, walking, play it in the morning to switch my mood, in the kitchen dancing with the kids, anywhere where it takes my fancy. I never listened to music in my debilitated state, as I was too busy obsessing about pain, the recovery of pain, and anything in between.

As an NLP Practitioner, I knew the power that techniques such as anchoring had on my emotional state. I had to remind myself of ways I used to feel, and what state I wanted to be in, such as confident, energised, happy, and ultimately pain free.

Anchors

An anchor creates a response in either you or in another person. When an individual is at the peak of an experience, during an intense, emotional state, and a specific stimulus is applied, a neurological link is established between the emotional state and the stimulus. It is always fully associated. Anchoring can occur naturally or be set up intentionally and can assist in gaining access to past states and linking the past state to the present and the future.

I would visualise the memories from my past of being active in different scenarios, and I would apply it to my goals in the future, as to when I was going to make this my reality again with a set date. That was a motivating factor for my recovery, as I knew how I would feel again.

I would also visualise myself walking pain free and really picture that time in the past when I felt really happy, and was in the sunshine, in the warmth, walking fast, and being in nature. I also remembered a time when I completed a half marathon with my friend, and of the days I was running in the rain, snow, sunshine, up hills and willing my body to keep going and feeling amazing. I used to wake up early for 6am runs with my friend, or by myself. The times I was by myself I would put high energy music on and had a sense of elation. I also pictured when there were huge crowds waiting for us to finish, the cheers towards the end encouraging us to finish, my husband watching on, and just the pure joy.

To me it was such an important factor being able to do a half marathon as I was told by my teacher as a young child that the stitch I used to get in my side when I was in a girls football team was because I was unfit, and that stayed with me. I didn't know any different until I became aware. My memory stored that piece of information that I was unfit. So remarkably I had no stitch when I had completed approximately 13 miles of running, therefore I dismissed that untrue belief that I had held. How many stored beliefs, or comments have we subconsciously left in our mind that have really held us back?

Stacking Anchors

Anchors can be stacked to increase their intensity.  We can use the same scenario or a different scenario regarding what state we want to be in, and it has to be repeated a few times over. When stacking states, choose complementary states. For example if I wanted an ‘upbeat’ anchor and a ‘chill-out’ anchor, it is probably best to stack two different sets of anchors.

To anchor a specific, powerful state, stack many examples of the powerful state. To set up a resource anchor, stack examples of various states that support each other. Some powerful states for you may be confidence, relaxed, energetic, motivated, excited, empowered.

3 takeaways:

1. You can find guided imagery on Youtube videos, or in apps such as Calm, or Headspace if you want further help. There are a lot of free resources on the internet to suit your needs.
2. If music is your bag then put it in your toolkit, and start listening. Change your physiology in your body.
3. If visualisation does not work for you don’t lose hope, as this is my journey of healing, and to look at another tool, which may be better suited for your own recovery.  Remember a time when you were relaxed, confident, or energetic in the past and use those methods from the past to bring you into the present, and the future.