Trust Your Body To Heal: Medical Procedures

When we face surgery or other medical procedures, our mind and body naturally become activated. This gentle Stillpoint meditation supports you to relax, soften worry, and connect with your body’s deep drive to heal. Through mindful breathing, touch, and compassion, this supports you to prepare for and move through medical interventions with greater ease. You are invited to rest in trust and kindness, remembering that your body is doing its best for you.

Transcript

We're looking into how to support ourselves when we have something medical going on,

And in particular when we might have some kind of medical intervention like a surgery,

Where we're in a hospital,

We have medical care that's not our usual.

We have a lot of thoughts and feelings about that,

Of course.

Our nervous system gets pretty engaged because there's something not ideal going on in our body.

We're having it looked at,

We're having it fixed,

We're having it repaired.

Especially if you're having surgery,

It might be a fairly minor surgery or a major one.

We have a lot going on in our mind and our body as we're getting ready.

And then as we're moving through it as well,

It takes some time as we're getting ready to really look through,

How do I feel about the different elements of this?

And how can I best support myself as I'm going through this?

One of the things that I know is that I have competent and skilled medical professionals that I'm working with.

They all want a good outcome,

As do I.

I'm imagining as I'm settling into this inquiry,

Into this exploration,

That we're going to have the best possible outcome.

I relax my body,

I notice my breath.

One of the things that's really helpful as we're attuning to this and paying attention to this is that our body always wants to heal.

Our body's always trying to do its best for us.

And part of what we're working with when we're looking at a medical situation is our own mind.

We get impatient,

We're frustrated,

We might be angry.

When we understand that and we're aware of that,

Then we can work to heal.

One of the ways that we could do that is directly with our body.

As I'm thinking about going through this medical procedure or this intervention,

I could take the time to think it through and to plan for the different things that might be supportive as I'm going through it.

I could also remember to relax my body,

Take a few deep breaths.

There are so many helpful things to do with the breath,

And one of them is cyclic sighing where you have a deep double inhale through the nose and then press your lips and have a long slow exhale like you're breathing out through a straw.

Anytime that this is starting to feel intense,

Either now as you're preparing or during or after,

Having a few tools like that can be really helpful.

Another one is to hold your own hands,

Feel the warmth and the support of your hands.

Put your hands on your heart.

There's a lot of different ways that we can support ourselves,

So it's helpful to have some practice in that,

Heading into this difficult or challenging situation.

Then as we're going through it,

Guided practices are really helpful.

We don't have to come up with this on our own.

Guided practices can help keep our mind focused.

There's a lot of guided practices that are available online now.

Preparing for this,

It's really natural to feel worried,

To feel some trepidation around what's going to happen.

Am I going to feel better?

Is this going to work?

One of the things that we can do is cultivate some skill with our mind so that we become more aware.

This is what's going on in my mind,

And how accurate is it?

As I'm noticing thoughts in my mind that are focused on worst case scenario,

Could I turn that around and actually focus on some better outcomes?

One of the things we could let go of or notice and then challenge or refocus is the thoughts in our mind,

Especially worry.

One of the components of being human,

It seems,

Is that we always have a drive to feel better and to keep our body alive and healthy.

We have the capacity to refocus our mind,

Especially once we notice,

Oh,

I've gone down that train of thought.

That's not really helpful.

Let's work with comfort for a moment.

What would be comforting for you as you're thinking about having this medical procedure?

You might do some preparation around understanding a little more what's going to happen.

Where are you going to be?

What's the situation likely to be?

How long will it take?

Who's going to do it?

It can be helpful just to have a basic understanding of,

This is what I'm expecting to happen.

That's something we can do ahead of time.

Then we could also think about,

How could I best support myself in that environment?

In some environments,

We can take a phone so we have pictures on the phone of people we care about.

We could take our laptop,

Perhaps,

Have a book with us.

We can have friends come.

Some places,

You can have flowers.

Some places,

You can have someone bring you some food,

Depending on what your situation is.

Hospitals,

Especially,

Can be noisy environments,

So maybe you could make sure that you have some earplugs.

Also,

Keep in mind that the situation that we're in,

If we're in a hospital after an operation,

For instance,

Is a very specific situation.

Something that we need to manage and support ourselves with.

Then it's going to be over and we're going to be home.

That's something that we could let ourselves know and remind ourselves.

This is a very specific situation.

Let's take a couple of breaths as we're remembering that,

Reminding ourselves that.

We're going to be cared for by the staff and or a combination of family and friends and people who care about us.

Pain management is taken care of if we're in a hospital situation.

There's a lot of things that will be happening medically to support our body.

Maybe you're getting oxygen or you're having certain kinds of care that's helpful.

We could bring things that would also help us feel more comfortable,

Like maybe a soft blanket,

Your own pillowcase,

Something to look at,

Maybe a picture.

What is it that I could do to really support myself,

To remind me that this is a specific situation.

It's not going to last forever.

I have a couple of days to get through or a week or whatever that might be and I can do this.

I'm resilient.

I'm strong.

I might be feeling a little worn down because I've been dealing with something for a while and I also know that these things tend to get better.

We have an intervention and then we move towards better health.

What it's going to be like when this isn't an issue for you anymore or when the situation has improved enough that you could still get out and maybe enjoy things that you've always enjoyed doing.

Notice what comes to mind and let yourself develop that for a moment.

Images in your mind.

Maybe there's certain people.

Maybe it's your cat or your dog.

Notice who's around you.

Maybe you'll be able to get out for a walk again.

You can sit outside in the sunshine to enjoy a meal with friends.

I'm feeling so much better.

The procedure went well.

The staff were really caring and competent.

Now that I'm out of the hospital and home and recovering,

I feel so much better already.

There's so many ways that I support my body.

I remember to breathe.

Take a few deep inhales.

A few longer exhales.

My shoulders soften.

I can offer myself kindness.

These situations are difficult.

They're challenging.

And there's a lot of ways that I can support myself and I could also cultivate compassion,

Patience.

It might be true that my body hurts or it's not operating the way I want it to.

And it wants to.

It wants to heal.

Our bodies always want to do the best for us.

In this temporary situation,

It's a bit more challenging.

Our nervous systems interpret any kind of a threat to our health as something to be alarmed about.

And we often have a lot of emotions about that and thoughts about that.

Notice how you're feeling in your body.

Your body's not functioning quite as well as it did.

Maybe there's some kind of an issue.

Are you feeling disconnected from your body?

If that's the case,

Perhaps you could use your hands.

Put your hands on your body.

Take a few breaths.

Move around a little.

We keep coming back to compassion for ourselves.

It's really challenging when our body isn't functioning well,

Especially if it's something fairly serious or a big change.

We might be angry at our body or angry at why am I the one that has this situation going on?

Everybody else seems to be healthy.

Let some of that come up to the front of our mind and look at it.

We could allow ourselves to feel how we feel.

And those are some things that we could do ahead of time.

And then we could also work with while we're in a hospital or right after the intervention.

Infuse our body with kindness and compassion and patience.

All of the things that would help our body to heal and to recover.

This is a temporary situation.

Let's come back again to how could I support myself in making it more comfortable,

Making it easier to handle,

Especially if you're in a hospital or something like that.

Might be interesting to call together a group of friends,

Social network,

Or family.

Some people perhaps would like to bring you some food if you're allowed to eat food that's not prepared by the hospital.

You might have people bring you in little treats,

Something that tastes good,

Like soup or something that's healthy,

But it's not hospital food.

As you get further along in your recovery,

It might be really helpful to have a few people bring over dishes that you enjoy eating and that you don't have to cook for yourself.

That's also something that we could work with is could I allow myself to ask for help?

Could I allow people to support me?

This might be a little bit more difficult for those of us who like to stand on our own and to manage things on our own,

And we like to be the helpers,

But it's a little bit harder to accept help.

This might be a really good time of practice.

Could I practice allowing other people to care for me and to help and support me to ask for what I need?

Some of this journey is internal.

We support ourselves through our breath by reminding ourselves that this is a temporary situation.

We have a friendly relationship with our body.

We give it whatever support it needs right now that we can give it,

Whether that's a beautiful fabric in a blanket that we could have with us,

Practicing a longer breath,

Noticing when we're getting into catastrophic thinking and refocusing into something that's either neutral or more positive.

It is completely understandable that we have worry,

That we have thoughts about what if it doesn't turn out,

That we might have anger,

That I'm in the situation.

All of that is completely normal.

Could I allow myself to be human?

Could I allow myself to have the experiences that I have and not be judging myself for that?

Really offer myself compassion.

We're not alone in this situation.

There's a lot of other people in the world who are also facing challenging situations.

We're not doing something wrong because we're challenged by this.

This is just how it happens.

Breathing in and breathing out,

I trust my body.

I know my body wants to heal.

I trust my body and I feel kindly towards my body.

I will do everything I can to support my body.

Let yourself absorb that feeling into your body.

I trust my body.

I know my body wants to heal and is always doing its best.

I trust my resilience.

I've been through very many challenging things and in this case,

This is a temporary situation.

I can call in my supports,

My own internal supports,

Friends,

Family,

Other people,

Audiobooks to listen to,

Flowers,

Whatever that might be.

I've been through many difficult situations and I trust my resilience.

I know that I can heal.

I have a realism about my body.

I know that it's not perfect.

I have something going on that needs healing and I'm okay with that.

I don't have to be perfect in order to love myself.

I could love myself as I am.

I could love my body that's trying so hard to do the right thing,

To heal,

To support me.

And I have something going on that needs help and I've asked for help and I'm getting help and that's okay.

I'm kind with my mind and my feelings.

I understand it's normal to have a lot of different feelings about my health and what's going on.

It's natural that I would be afraid,

Natural that I would have all kinds of feelings.

I allow myself to be human and to feel.

I'm patient,

Compassionate,

And kind with myself.

While I'm in pain,

I'm kind to myself.

While I'm in care after the procedure,

I really let myself rest and focus on letting go of all of my usual responsibilities.

My focus right now is to heal and to let myself receive the support I need,

To ask for what I need,

And to put all of my energy into healing.

And later on,

Whether that's a few weeks from now or a few months,

This is what my life is going to be like.

What are some of the elements of that that you could bring to mind?

Perhaps you're no longer in pain.

Maybe you have more energy now that you're healing.

This big step is in the past now.

Instead of looking forward to what's going to happen coming up,

Now it's in the past so you can really focus on healing.

Taking a few deep breaths,

Let yourself nurture your mind,

Your body,

Your emotions,

With some images of what it will be like once you're healed.

It might not be the very same as it was before this came up,

And yet it's going to be so much better than it is right now.

You have more energy.

Your body will function better.

No matter what the outcome is specifically,

One of the things that can happen during a situation like this is that we really develop a stronger,

Kinder relationship with ourself and with our body.

We can bring that kindness forward into our healing and recovery and into the rest of our life as we move past this specific incident and get back to our normal lives.

Life as it will be.

Take a few more breaths.

Maybe put your hand on your heart.

I trust my body is always doing its best,

And I support my body in every way that I can.

With my breath,

With kindness,

With love,

I know that I can heal.

Reviews

Thanks Lynn 🙏🏽 this was wonderful and helpful!! ♥️♥️✨✨♥️⚓️⚓️