Imaging and breathing can be powerful tools for pain relief.

At first Sukie B. was tense during her neck pain treatments and had trouble letting go. To help her, we worked on breathwork and imaging. She had learned in her Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) class about using the breath to reduce stress. I taught her another technique from Dr. Andrew Weil’s book about Breathing. Breathe in for a count of 3 through your nose. Hold or suspend the breath for a count of 7. Blow out for a count of 8. Keep your tongue on the ridge of tissue behind your teeth the whole time. Repeat 4 to 8 times.

She wanted images to use when she was in pain. One that she tried was a waterfall, cooling and washing away the burning pain and waste products. A good little book about imaging and affirmations is by Shakti Gwain called Creative Visualization.