Mindful Happiness

Anthony Quintiliani, Ph.D, LADC

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Quasi Self-Hypnotic Pain Relief

Quasi Self-Hypnotic Pain Relief

To be successful in this intervention you will have to let go of ego-based defensiveness and remain quite focused for quite some time. These are not easy things to do. DO NOT do this intervention if you are feeling highly vulnerable at this time, or if you are not working with a well-trained and experienced psychological health care provider.  If you are in therapy this might be a good intervention to do with your helper, that is if your helper feels confident and competent with this level of clinical intervention.  This is a long intervention, so it may be helpful to have your helper read the instructions to you. It may be a very good idea to share this with your healthcare provider/s to see if they think you should or should not do this intervention. It is quite OK to beak this intervention down into a couple shorter experiences. Here we go!

  1. While lying down in a comfortable positions complete several long, slow, deep breaths.
  2. Take another long, slow, deep breath; this time hold the exhalation to the count of 4-5.
  3. Close your eyes and be very gentle with yourself. Just rest and breathe calmly.
  4. For the next few minutes use conscious distraction to pay close attention to places in your body where you are not experiencing physical or emotional pain and suffering.  Focus strongly on the absence of pain.
  5. Now make an image of either a safe or happy place from your life experience. Do your best to expand the details of this image (colors, people, places, things, etc.). DO NOT get stuck in wishing for this experience again. Simply be with the experience and remain positively focused. If “poor me” sets in, the rest of this intervention will most likely not be helpful.
  6. Now take a closer analysis of the safe or happy place: What were you thinking? What were you feeling? What were you doing?
  7. In that happy or safe place in your imagination, notice what your senses were doing: What did you see? What did you hear? What did you feel? Were there any specific tastes or smells associated with the pleasant experience? What was your interoception like (internal feelings and sensations)?
  8. Now shift into trying imaginal numbing of the painful area of your in-body suffering. You may use an ice-pack to assist this process (no more than 15-20 minutes, never directly on your skin, and never if you have been told not to use ice).
  9. Now note the quasi-hypnotics. As you change the imagined shape of the pain, what do you notice? As you change the shape again, what do you notice? Now work on the size (larger or smaller, whichever feel better). As you work on the size, imagine your favorite color over the painful area and notice. As you notice the color, also notice if pain is more/less in the center of the area or on its periphery. Working from the center or the periphery, notice where the pain or suffering subsides. Where is that place? Be there! Concentrate!
  10. As you move on from these imaginary manipulations, bring your spiritual self to act on your behalf. Allow! Allow your spiritual self to support you in the reduction of your pain/suffering.
  11. Shift gently to any helpful relationship you now have or did have in the past. If in the past DO NOT lament; instead use the power of caring from that experience to support yourself here now. See the positive person.
  12. Now do your best to combine the image of the caring person’s face with your happy or safe place experience. This means you are sharing it with them, and that your memory will allow them to help you.
  13. Say “As I visit my safe/happy place I notice I am feeling less pain.”
  14. Say “As I feel slightly less pain, I notice I am feeling emotionally stronger.”
  15. Say “As I feel emotionally stronger, my sensation of pain is reduced.”
  16. Say “As I notice these improvements, I smile deeply to myself.” Smile now! Smile deeply!
  17. Say “As I smile and focus on my facial feelings, I feel less pain sensations.”
  18. Say “As I feel less pain sensations, I notice gentle, glowing white light all over my body.”
  19. Say “As I notice this healing white light, I also notice feeling less pain.”
  20. Say “As I experience the healing white light and less pain, I feel happier.”
  21. Say “As I feel happier, I breathe more freely and notice pain leaves my body on each of my exhalations.”
  22. Say “As I continue to breathe myself out of pain, smile, and feel more happiness – I feel less pain.”
  23. Now simply rest and smile – breathe in a self-loving manner. Let the pain leave on each exhalation. Just be there! Use the power of your mind to assist you.
  24. After a few minutes you can end and leave your lying position.
  25. You may want to keep a pain-reduction journal – note only positive changes in your efforts. Read the entries again later.
  26. I hope you found this helpful. May you be free from suffering – free from pain! Love yourself more!

Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC  

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont and the Home of The Monkton SanghaChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenter

Author of Mindful Happiness  

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New Edition of Mindful Happiness in Production…Coming soon

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Approaches to Treating Chronic Pain Anthony R. Quintiliani, Ph.D., LADC

Approaches to Treating Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is one of the most common and costly physical conditions in the United States. The following approaches have proven to be somewhat effective in reducing personal suffering from chronic pain. Although some of these can be practiced on your own, it is wise to work with a pain specialist, preferably one who does not count 100% on pain medications. Nerve, cancer, and phantom limb pain may be more difficult to improve. Always be cautious when self-administering any pain intervention. Some of the same interventions may also help to reduce psychological/emotional pain; this may be true as an integrated aspect of pain or as a stand-alone condition. Emotional pain and suffering is often associated with aggravated physical pain.  Here is the list. If you are unfamiliar with these, you may need to Google them. Google Professionals may be more helpful.

  1. Cognitive distraction techniques
  2. Mediating self-talk
  3. Safe place imagery
  4. Happy place imagery
  5. Shifting perceptual attention away from the pain
  6. Changing sensory perception about the pain – for example, what does the pain look like, smell like, etc.
  7. Specific meditation and yoga interventions
  8. Noticing very small changes in perception of pain via changing locations in the body or in and outside of painful areas
  9. Intense focused attention on sensory objects around you – outside of you
  10. Guided visualization
  11. Imaginal numbing
  12. De-centering skills – MBCT
  13. Muscular relaxation skills
  14. Conscious dissociation (difficult to do)
  15. Regular practice of sensory manipulation of the painful area – size, location, shape, color, localization, density, temperature , etc.
  16. Use of Wolpe’s Subjective Units of Discomfort Scale – from 1 to 100 how bad is the pain before and after doing interventions?
  17. Use of Quintiliani’s Subjective Units of Pleasure Scale – from 1 to 100 how much does the pan improve after interventions? This scale may best fit safe place and happy place interventions.
  18. Skilled chiropractic and/or physical therapy
  19. Last caution: Pain in any form is not something to play around with; best to work with a trained and experienced professional.
  20. This post will be followed by one that deals with suggestive and quasi-hypnotic interventions in pain.

 

Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC  

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont and the Home of The Monkton SanghaChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenter

Author of Mindful Happiness  

Mindful Happiness cover designs.indd

New Edition of Mindful Happiness in Production…Coming soon

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Chronic Pain and Doing Body Scanning

Chronic Pain and Doing Body Scanning

Although doing body scans cannot fully relieve your pain, it may help you manage it better. If your pain is serious and chronic you need to work with a qualified pain management professional, who will use both psychological and medical interventions. Note that a recent issue of Consumer Reports reviewed research and suggested that addictive pain medications and surgery should be the last options for most people.  I have modified and integrated body scan instructions presented by Jon Kabat-Zinn and Thich Nhat Hanh. I have also added my own body scan style and process. Kabat-Zinn noted that body scan meditations may be the most effective mindfulness meditation practice for management of physical pain. I would add that it may also help with psychological or emotional pain as well. For best results practice the body scan for 45 minutes every day. Strong practice brings better outcomes. Here are the instructions.

  1. While lying flat on your back on a soft surface, place your body in a comfortable outstretched position.  Now just rest and breath gently.
  2. Close your eyes and get a “feel” for how your body is being experienced at this time.
  3. With your eyes still closed take a few long, deep, slow breaths and notice how the lower belly (hara) rises and falls on the in-breath and the out-breath. Notice the feel of interoception in your body.
  4. If your mind loses focus, gently bring attention back to the body.
  5. If you experience pain while doing this scan, go slow and easy as you accept it and breathe through it. If you experience too much pain, stop the body scan and seek professional advice.
  6. Bring complete attention to your feet, and as you focus and breathe allow your body to feel as if it is sinking a bit into the surface below you. Allow the surface to support your body and your mind.
  7. Pay strong attention to your right foot, and slowly move attention from the foot to the ankle, lower leg, knee, thigh, hip and into lower belly. Allow time at pass (4-5 minutes at each location) before moving to the next body area in this sequence.
  8. Now move attention from the lower belly up to the chest and the to front of the neck. Rest a while as you pay close attention to the emotional energies in the front of the neck. Notice.
  9. With deliberate action move your attention to the chin, lower lip, upper lip, nose, ridge of the nose, eye brows, third eye area, over forehead and all the way up to the top, center of the head. Again, spend 4-5 minutes at each area. Once at the top of the head, rest there for a few moments. Notice.
  10. From the top of the head, allow attention to drift to the lower back neck, and down the backbone slowly – bone by bone. Stop at the base of the back. Be sure you are still breathing deeply, slowly.
  11. Move your attention to your left hip, and slowly move attention down the lower body – from the left hip to the thigh, knee, lower leg, ankle and down to the left foot and toes. Rest there for a while. Breathe fully. Relax. Notice.
  12. Now return your attention to the top, center of your head. Notice the “feel” there again.
  13. Allow the movement of attention and interoceptive perception to slowly slide over the sides of your head and face – next to your eyes, the ears, down your cheeks, stopping at the sides of your neck. Rest there for a moment. Notice. Be sure to allow 4-5 minutes at each area before moving on to the next area. Energize your attention and prepare to use it in new ways.
  14. Notice how it feels when you move attention out to the shoulder tips, then slowly down the upper arms, to your elbows and lower arms.  Stop and notice how you feel when you reach your wrists.
  15. Use your imagination to bring full attention to both hands and follow the sensations of awareness all the way out to your finger tips. Rest for a moment. Continue to breathe deeply and slowly.
  16. Once you feel the attentional energies in your fingers, place both hands over your heart area and rest. Remain in this position for at least five minutes, breathing deeply and slowly with both hands resting on your heart area. If attention wanders, gently bring it back to your heart area.
  17. In this position very gently and slowly rock your body side to side. Notice what you notice!
  18. To extend the time of your body scan, you may begin again in reverse direction. This time starting at the top, center of your head and slowly moving attention and sensation down your body all the way to your feet and toes.
  19. For your ending, simply breath slowly and deeply and rest fully. Rest in Yoga Nidra if you know how to do so. Simply be with your body and breath.
  20. Before rising, move your body slowly side to side and sit first. Be sure your legs hold you as you rise from the floor ever so slowly.

For more information refer to Harvard Medical School (2019). Pain Relief Without Drugs or Surgery: Natural and Integrative Ways to Reduce Your Suffering and Take Control of Your Life. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Medical School Special Health Report. See also various instructions on body scans by Jon Kabat-Zinn and Thich Nhat Hanh. You may appreciate his instructions on mouth yoga as part of this practice.

Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC  

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont and the Home of The Monkton SanghaChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenter

Author of Mindful Happiness  

Mindful Happiness cover designs.indd

New Edition of Mindful Happiness in Production…Coming soon!