Has anyone had any experience using EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and/or Matrix Re-imprinting?
I am a practitioner of both of these techniques and am interested to know if anyone has tried them. I only know two people with TN and originally started on my 'therapist' journey to help my mom. She has tried both of them, unfortunately not enough to get to any core issues. I also appreciate that 'tapping' or doing anything like that is not a priority when you are in such pain and that concentrating is also difficult. My mom has had an MVD and I still think there has to be a better way....and what about all those sufferers who cannot have this procedure or if it fails! I have looked on the internet and asked other practitioners and I am unable to find much in the way of anyone even trying. I know that EFT and MR have helped me, as a relative, keep my sanity over the past 6+ years.
I would love to hear everyone's thoughts.
Also has anyone tried heart breathing? In my story I have told how mom actually cancelled a procedure because she was able to control her TN with heart breathing.
Heart breathing is when you breathe into your heart, so as you breathe in you imagine green light going into your heart and on the out breath you should notice another colour light coming from your heart (In moms experience it was black or a dark colour) as you continue to breathe green in, you'll notice the colour coming out gets lighter with each breath.
The second part (which mom rarely does) is when your breathing is slow and regular, imagine a time when you were really happy. This regulates your brain waves and your heart beat and brain waves synchronise. Thus putting you into 'The Zone'.
The techniques you are describing seem to lie in the general vicinity of "creative visualization", and meditation which have long been used in pain management even for cancer patients. However, I would caution that this class of techniques is not a viable substitute for effective medication in pain control for the great majority of patients with chronic pain. Likewise, be advised that there is absolutely NOTHING (that I know of) in medical literature that demonstrates a benefit for "synchronizing" heart rate and any one of the several natural rhythms of brain electrical activity. That description for mind-body calming doesn't hold up under any reasonable or rigorously scientific standard of observation or practice, simply because the body doesn't work that way.
These things being said, deep breathing, meditation, and the Yogas are often constructive as aids to a program of medical therapy. They certainly can't hurt anyone.
I have a friend who has had success with EFT for anxiety. For anything where there is a trigger and patterned thinking, I think any of these techniques can be useful. While I am a very enthusiastic meditator as part of my overall mission to be healthier/stronger, I have had a really issue with implementing these to deal with this pain and in a medical setting. I am really bothered by the unspoken premise that we have this because we are less mindful, particularly when it goes alongside a medical diagnosis where someone is pointing at something on the MRI and saying that there is a physical cause, as well. I get that pain control and it has to be multifaceted, but I have a problem with people who know little about me judging me in this way.
I am never going to be able to sit around and meditate my way out of pain (if that was ever possible) with a medical professional who I don't really trust. So I'll keep going to yoga/meditation and pursuing wellness, but I won't be doing it with people who write in my medical chart and make judgments about my treatment. Trying to spend more time pursuing it on my own terms.
My physiotherapist did try tapping and memory therapy with me, but I found it did not help. I did find that electronic and magnetic treatment with a gadget did seem to help, much to my amazement!
To help me cope with chemotherapy my psychotherapist taught me breathing techniques and self hypnosis to calm me down and lessen my anxiety. It did help, but as Red says I cannot imagine it being a substitute for the excellent medication I take. If it don’t harm it can’t be a bad thing, but not necessarily a good thing for all.
In reply to to Richard...I must make it very clear that I do not suggest these techniques as a substitute for effective medication. I should have written that in my original post. Thank you for pointing that out. The breathing technique I describe worked for my mother in the short term and also for my cousin (she had neuralgia) both breathed into the heart. Please take a look at 'heart math'.
Mac...I am sorry if you feel that I am judging you and there is absolutely no unspoken premise that you have TN because you are less mindful. I agree entirely that you should never work with anyone who you do not trust. People have to do what is right for them and some things resonate, some don't. (It took me a long time to realise that).
I don't feel like you're judging me at all, sorry if I was unclear! I'm very much in favor of this kind of therapy, I was just reflecting on how in my own situation the context in which it has been offered is problematic. But I do pursue this kind of thing independenty.
Jane I dont know what it is called. Physcio had the gadget in her hand and held it over my tooth which gives me the most trouble. She expained it would help the healing. Sounded crazy to me, but i am feeling less pain since she treated it, I am going again tomorrow.