Pattern for Managing Chronic Discomfort

© July 2002 - Craig R. Lang, CHt

 

This is a generic form of guided imagery pattern which I have found useful to help clients manage chronic discomfort.

 

I invite you to modify and use this material to fit your own purpose and style, as most appropriate for you or your client.  Please feel free to let me to drop me an e-mail and let me know how it went.

 

Finding a Comfortable place - feel yourself relaxing into a deep beautiful trance.

Taking deep breath, Holding it a moment, then releasing it…

          - Allowing it to take away the cares and concerns of the day.

          - Allowing these concerns to drift away as if on a warm summer breeze.

 

As I count to 5, you can begin to find yourself drifting into a beautiful, relaxing state of hypnotic/meditative trance

 

Perhaps you find yourself entering into a wonderful place, beautiful and pleasant.

Perhaps it is a beautiful waterfall reached after a long hike away from the normal hubbub of life.

Or perhaps a beautiful field, either real or imaginary.

Or perhaps it is another, completely different, beautiful and relaxing place.

 

Noticing how beautiful this place is

    how colorful it is

    how lovely the sounds are in the distance, perhaps wind in trees, water of a distant brook

 

Noticing also, how relaxed you feel, and how you just feel wonderful being here, beginning to notice other little details of the place.

 

In this place, feel safe and relaxed, ever more comfortable, the longer you spend time here.

Every gentle breath you take of the air here, takes you deeper into your beautiful trance.

 

1.      Notice how safe and comfortable you feel here it is a place of safety and comfort.  A place where you feel relaxed, secure and comfortable maybe you bring loved ones here to share it with you or maybe this is a place all your own, where you can enjoy your surroundings by yourself

 

2.     Relaxation continues to deepen as you spend time here.  Every sound you hear in the background just relaxes you further helps and guides you deeper into this beautiful trance

 

3.     Feel completely comfortable here, completely relaxed.  Maybe you're standing, Maybe sitting, or maybe even lying in a comfortable place.  Whatever you are doing, just relaxes you ever more.

 

4.     Look around and realize that in this place you are completely safe.  You might even be able to see that the rest of your life, the rest of your mind is out there in the distance. 

...While you are safe in this lovely place, comfortable and relaxed

 

5.     Deeply, beautifully relaxed here - and in this place, you begin to be filled with a sense of peace and confidence, deep beautiful confidence - a sense that you can fully control the way you feel. 

 

As you relax in this beautiful place, you might now find that you touch your finger and thumb together.

You realize that this is a reminder to yourself that you can always come back to this place.

 

As you touch the finger and thumb together, this sense of peace, comfort and relaxation fill your entire mind and body.

At any time, in any place, under any circumstances, you know you can always come here, by simply touching these two fingers together.

 

Transformation Pattern - Repeat multiple times with variations as appropriate:

You might now find that this knowledge begins to help you feel even more of a sense of control

Now that you know you can recall this sense of peace and relaxation.

 

You might even find that this sense of control allows you to venture forth into a path, exploring areas beyond.

This path may lead to other parts of your life, or perhaps to other thoughts deep within your own mind.

In mind, perhaps you might now find self beginning walking down a path,

Venturing confidently out from your special place

Finding yourself confident, but also relaxed

With your confidence, find yourself traveling down path easily.

 

And at some point of course, you may find that there is a challenge

An obstacle to be overcome

Perhaps it is minor,

... But perhaps also it is meaningful in your life.

 

As you face it perhaps you begin to feel a small, easily manageable bit of discomfort

Perhaps it feels like a belt around you or perhaps something stirring within.

But you also see that it can be surmounted:

...because you also now know that you have the power to overcome this obstacle before you.

 

As you approach the challenge, you find that the discomfort becomes a little bit greater

- And greater yet as you prepare to take on the challenge.

 

Until at some point, the discomfort reaches a threshold – an important level which your subconscious knows about.  A key point at which, suddenly:

    You find yourself taking control

    You meet the challenge

    You tackle the obstacle

    You surmount the difficulty and move on down the path.

 

As you do, perhaps you also begin to find that somehow, your discomfort is less

Perhaps part - or even all - of it has been cast out from your body. 

Perhaps you did this deliberately, or perhaps it was just your subconscious mind acting on its own.

but your discomfort is now outside of you, cast aside.

 

Perhaps it is like a snake - that once was within you, but is now lying helpless on the ground in front of you.

You may find that now you can place it in a container of some kind:

    perhaps a bag or box that you notice nearby

    Maybe it is something that you had been carrying with you,

    perhaps in a knapsack, but you had forgotten about

    Or perhaps some other means of containing it.

 

You place it in the container and close it securely. 

Perhaps, you also do something else to ensure that it is completely helpless and harmless.

You somehow pick up the container in some way, holding it at a safe distance and move on down the path.

 

The path leads you to some means by which you can destroy the container and its contents. 

You smile as you place the container in such a way that it can be removed and destroyed.

You feel joy as the container is removed from your presence, carrying with it the discomfort you have experienced.

 

With this freedom you find yourself returning to the beautiful place which you started from, knowing that you have this adversary.

 

Again deep relaxed feeling comes over you as you once again see, feel, hear and sense how beautiful this place is.

 

Perhaps you already realize that this beautiful place you are in is part of you.

You probably even now understand that this is your own place,

Something which you can recall, and can return to at any time

 

As I count to five, you can find yourself emerging from trance, feeling refreshed, relaxed and aware perhaps even better than you've felt in a long time.

 

Know that can always return to this beautiful place, just by touching your fingers together.

 

1…. Beginning to return to full awareness

2.… 

3….

4…. 

and 5….   Eyes open - Refreshed, relaxed and aware.

Look around, feeling comfortable and relaxed, maybe even better now then you have felt in a long time.

 

 

Bio and Contact Info:

Craig R. Lang, MS CHt

763-257-7334

e-mail: craig@craigrlang.com

 

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