As time went on, I was getting closer and closer to my trip to Alaska. Closer and closer to the cold weather, that I was not prepared for. I needed something to help with the pain. At this point, I was still against starting any kind of medications for pain. I started researching things that have helped others with pain and found several different products and techniques. One of those techniques that I researched was Biofeedback. I didn’t have time to find someone who did Biofeedback and make an appointment. So, I just researched the techniques and started using them! When going to someone who teaches Biofeedback, they will monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, muscle contractions, etc, to make sure you are doing it correctly so that you get benefit from it. I didn’t (and still don’t) have any devices, although they do sell some online, but I just monitored how I felt and monitored my heart rate on my Fitbit.
What I learned was, it truly does help! Your Autonomic Nervous System controls the functions of your body that you are focusing on while doing Biofeedback. When in pain, you just close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Focus on each breath in, and each breath out. Focus on your chest rising, and your chest falling. Focus on feeling and listening to your heart beat as you are focusing on your breathing. Think of it as getting inside your body, focusing on the things your body does that you don’t typically realize you body is doing.
I like to turn on music when doing Biofeedback, but I am a music listener. I listen to music when outside, working, cleaning…really anything I’m doing, you can find me listening to music. So, having music on, to me, just helps me to drown out my surroundings. Others may prefer to do their Biofeedback in complete silence. There have been a few times that the music being on has distracted me and I’ve had to turn it off. You just have to figure out what works best for you and when!
Biofeedback has also been proven to be very effective in the treatment of anxiety. I hope those of you out there suffering from pain or anxiety will at least try this technique. I know it sounds strange, but I think I would try about anything if I thought it would help this CRPS pain. I hope you’ll give it a try and I hope you find some benefit in it! ❤️
Ami’s Journey 