Here us a story that was posted on the forum recently;
Elsa posted in Chronic Pelvic Pain - The Mind/Body Connection.
December 15 at 1:11pm
I've posted my story before, but here it is again for those who have missed it!
In the last 8-9 months, I've decreased my pain by about 70%. How? Through education, calming my anxiety, and relaxing my nervous system.
1) I educated myself about chronic pain in general. I stopped looking at all the potential physical problems that could occur i n the pelvis, and watched youtube videos by Dr. Howard Schubiner. He explains that when Drs struggle to find a problem in the tissues, the culprit is likely the brain/nervous system, which is not as visible as an infection or muscle knot. The nervous system can get "wound up" and continue sending pain signals long after a tissue problem has healed. Fear of this pain and attention on this pain creates a negative feedback loop that perpetuates the pain. To break this cycle? Calm your nervous system and re-train the pain signals. One you've educated yourself that you are OK and you dont need a Dr to finally discover the "true problem" you can let go of the "fight" and begin to take your life back, and heal. If you take this approach, you realize you are NOT helpless and you CAN take your life back. There is SO MUCH HOPE.
2) You cant just say "relax" - you need strategies. These were the strategies I developed for me:
A - Pain Mantras: When I notice bad pain, I tell myself:
"I'm OK"
"its just my nervous system"
"these pain signals dont mean I have a physical problem, they are false signals,"
"This pain is here for now, but soon I will be better" etc.
B - Mindfulness Meditation: Youtube has great body scans! I do these to calm my mind and focus on my body. I also use bits of these strategies throughout the day, for example, every time i notice tension in my body (usually jaw or pelvis) I take some deep breaths and let the tension go. When I notice pain, I take some deep breaths and focus on how certain non-painful body parts feel (ex: How do my feet feel on the floor?). Listening to meditative music (Ex a CD or youtube track of waves or birds is nice and soothing). I also took long hot showers, as I find them relaxing:)
C - Permission to Rest: I let go of my expectations for myself. While I'm healing, Its ok to take on much less. I work fewer hours, and allow myself to sleep a lot. I let go of stressful "healthy" eating plans and I dont do so many favors for friends. I can tackle non-urgent problems later. When I'm healed, I can take on more.
D - Cardiovascular Exercise: getting your heart rate up is a tried and true treatment for chronic pain! Releases endorphins! It is also empowering to prove to yourself that you CAN do these things! (but start slow of course, even if it is just a light walk a few times a week).
So basically, give yourself permission to be imperfect and take on less. I educated myself and began resting, meditating, exercising, and after about 3 weeks of completely letting go, I noticed about a 30% reduction in pain. So, I proved it to myself. I kept going, and the pain just kept reducing.
After the constant burning pain reduced, I could incorporate the next step:
3) Desensitization: After a year of wearing no underwear, I started to wear it again. The first day, for just 5 minutes. I'd use the mantras in step 2 ("i'm OK" "underwear isnt hurting me" "its just my nervous system"). After a few days of this, I'd wear them for 10 minutes a day, and so on. After just a few months, I can wear any underwear. I also use dilators to desensitize (they arent just for stretching the vaginal opening!), and now I can even have sex with minimal pain (before mind-body work, sex was agonizing and completely impossible).
So, please educate yourself with Dr Howard Schubiner's videos, and develop your own strategies to relax your nervous system. You can do it! I got my life back by watching those videos and teaching myself to relax and quit fighting the pain.
I spent a year yelling at Drs to figure it out, and believing Id be in pain forever. Now, I'm completely confidant I will be pain free soon.
RESOURCES:
Dr Schubiner's lecture on Chroic Pain:
http://www.unlearnyourpain.com/Online%20Video%20LectureLorraine Faehndrich's blog:
http://radiantlifedesign.com/blog/ Julie O'Brien's blog:
http://julieobrienblog.blogspot.ca/ Blog - Radiant Life Design
radiantlifedesign.com
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