PMS
Resource Center
Picture
Yourself PMS-Free
by Laurel Kallenbach
Visualization
and positive thinking are beneficial
tools for everybody - from a cancer
patient who pictures his immune system
attacking cancer cells to an athlete
who rehearses her winning performance
in her mind. The power of this mind/body
technique is real. In fact, a study
from the University of California,
Davis, Medical Center suggests that
patients controlled the amount of blood
they lost during surgery by doing a
pre-surgical visualization in which
they directed blood away from their
incision.
Belleruth
Naparstek, author of Staying Well
with Guided Imagery (Warner Books,
1994), calls visualization "directed
daydreaming, a way of using the imagination
to help mind and body heal." She
notes that conjuring sensory impressions
- sights, sounds, smells, tastes or
feelings - can have a physiological
or emotional effect, such as causing
a perception of pain to diminish or
a feeling of depression to lift.
SOS
for PMS Stress
"When we learn to manage stress and free ourselves from chronic unhappiness,
we alter our physiology in favor of health," writes Alice Domar, Ph.D.,
in her book, Healing Mind, Healthy Woman (Delta, 1996). Domar, who heads
the Mind/Body Center for Women's Health at Harvard University, believes that
mind/body methods including visualization teach you to release stress to help
the reproductive system.
In
a 1990 study, Domar and her colleagues
found that women with severe PMS who
practiced relaxation showed a 58 percent
improvement in both physical and emotional
PMS symptoms, compared to those women
that didn't practice. For five months,
these women listened to relaxation
tapes once or twice a day. "When
you use relaxation techniques over
several weeks, you tend to get the
greatest reduction of PMS symptoms," says
Domar. "If you do relaxation only
while you're premenstrual and feeling
cruddy, you may feel better temporarily,
but not the rest of the day. However,
if you practice relaxation for a month
or so, you're more likely to have fewer
symptoms throughout your period."
Six
Types of Visualization
In Staying Well with Guided Imagery, Naparstek suggests various
approaches to deal with PMS or other health problems. Here are some great
examples of imagery to practice:
-
Feeling-state
imagery: Summon a better
mood by imagining your favorite place
or a happy memory. If PMS has you
feeling irritable or depressed, you'll
feel cheerier from practicing good
thoughts.
-
End-state
imagery: Imagine yourself
the way you want to be but aren't
yet, such as free of PMS. See yourself
having a month without headaches,
cramps or mood swings and how great
you will feel.
-
Physiological
(or cellular) imagery: Picture
your uterus, ovaries and hormones
functioning in an optimal, balanced
fashion so you'll feel well. Imagine
each cell in your body doing its
task perfectly.
-
Energetic
imagery: Think of your body
as a system of unimpeded electromagnetic
energy or life force. If you suffer
from cramps or abdominal bloating,
picture healthy energy flowing easily
throughout your pelvis, making it
feel alive and well.
-
Psychological
imagery: Engage in imagery
that helps you process your feelings
or shift your attitudes. Instead
of associating your period with pain
and discomfort, concentrate on it
as a natural time for internal cleansing.
Rehearse your response to pain: Instead
of becoming frustrated, allow yourself
to relax.
-
Spiritual
imagery: Think of yourself
in connection with the divine. Remember
that your period is one of your connections
with the cycles of nature.
Everyday
Tips for Relaxing
Practicing relaxation regularly will help you cope with PMS symptoms more
readily as well as providing you with a solid basis for handling daily stresses
and pressures. Here are some simple relaxation tips to get you started:
-
Listen
daily to a tape recording of a guided
visualization. Domar recommends mentally
walking along a mountain stream or
a beach - whatever leads you to a
sense of relaxation and reduction
of PMS symptoms.
-
Choose
music to offset your mood. Music
may elicit powerful, healing imagery.
If you feel drained or depressed,
listen to something energetic. If
you're stressed, pick soft flowing
music for relaxation.
-
Practice
progressive muscle relaxation, says
Domar. Tighten, then relax, muscle
groups. Start with forehead, eyes
and jaw and move down the body. "Tightening
a muscle, then letting it go, teaches
you the difference between tension
and relaxation," she says.
-
Do
daily diaphragmatic breathing. The
diaphragm muscle separates the chest
and abdominal cavities. Domar says
you should relax your abdomen, place
your hand on your belly button, and
breathe deeply. If you're doing it
right, your hand should rise and
fall with each breath. Count down
from ten to zero, one number for
each breath, she recommends. By the
time you reach zero, you'll feel
more relaxed. "Half the effect
here is physiological and half is
distraction," she says. "If
you focus on counting, you can't
worry about what your mother said
this morning or about problems at
work."
What
To Do When You're in Pain
Here you have a choice: You can either concentrate on alleviating the pain
from headaches or cramps, or you can use imagery to distract your mind from
it. See which of these ideas works best for you:
-
Touch
the area of pain to direct awareness
to that place, suggests Naparstek.
For instance, place your hands over
your abdomen and imagine loving warmth
radiating from your palms.
-
Imagine
you're an outside observer and watch
your pain. Give it a shape, color,
then imagine it as it floats out
and hangs in front where you can
see it. Try to change the pain with
your mind.
-
Breathe
into the area of pain. Visualize
cleansing oxygen moving into the
area.
-
Do
yoga or take a relaxing walk to reduce
the intensity of cramps.
-
Picture
yourself in your favorite place or
engaged in an activity you love rather
than focusing on pain. Distraction
is a powerful tool, Domar believes.
"Almost
any condition can be made worse by
stress; it can also be made better
by relaxation," Domar says. "PMS
is difficult for a woman because she
feels so out of control of her mind
and body. Visualization makes her feel
better and more in control."
About
the Author:
Laurel Kallenbach writes about health, wellness and travel. She lives in
Boulder, Colorado.
Article
syndicated from GAIAM:
http://www.gaiam.com/retail/gai_content/learn/gai_learnArticle.asp?article%5Fid=422
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