Hey guys,

I just wanted to throw something out here for the group that really, really, really helped me in my journey through this. More than any other single thing.

Every night in bed, the last thing I would do before mercifully passing out (if it was in the cards for that night) was close my eyes, breathe deeply, and pick a specific scene in my life BEFORE RSD when I was in full health.

I would recreate this scene in my mind with as much detail as I could muster up, and LIVE IT all over again.

Example: A morning walk through the woods in the fall.

I would place myself in the middle of the woods by my childhood home. As vividly as possible, I would:

Feel the wind I am creating on my face and hands as I pick my way around trees and logs and rocks. Hear the sound of my footsteps crackling through the leaves on the ground. Watch my bare feet step one in front of the other. Feel where they meet and leave the earth on each and every step. I look up and see the sunlight trickling through the canopy of bright red and orange and gold leaves above me, feel it warm my face and smile, and look back down to see it make beautiful criss-crossing light patterns and shadows on the ground. I listen to the birds singing back and forth to one another. I feel the temperature, the density of the morning hanging in the air, and breathe in that crispy smoky smell of autumn into my nostrils. I walk to a small stream and step into it toes first with bare feet, and lean down to bring a double cupful of the crystal clear refreshing water to my lips for a drink. Feel the rivulets of cold water run down my cheeks and neck. See the droplets hit the water and break up my shimmering pooled reflection with tiny waves meshing into the current moving downstream.

And so on and so forth

I would recreate the entire scene using every one of my senses as much as I possibly could. I found that a focus on my affected limb being whole and healthy and functional within the scene brought even more positive effects.


If you want to try this --- Whatever scene/memory you choose is obviously personal to you, but I would recommend that you pick one that's got MOVEMENT in it. Specifically motion that involves your affected limb(s).

Don't worry if you find that your memory of the scene you've chosen is filled with gaps (mine was). I would fill in any gaps in the scene with my own imagination. It didn't matter - my mind made it real. Same thing goes if you have full body spread, or other non-RSD ailments, and/or the pain is so great that past memories are too hazy to access. Even if you don't have any memories of full health - create your own personal scene of beautiful, full health from scratch.

It was very difficult at first, with pain always trying to pull me right back out of the moment I was creating. At first I couple barely focus, so I chose much more abbreviated scenes (like doing the triple jump in high school - fifteen steps plus a hop, skip, and a jump - had to have a strong right leg to do THAT!)

There was still that sense of despair in the background that my REALITY sucked, but I gradually got better and better and better at it.

I just did 5-10 minutes every night at first. You might prefer less, or more. The key is repetition - like everything else. Frequency.

Anyways, just putting this out there in the loving hope that this helps someone break on through to the other side.

Thanks Vision. I like this idea. I'm going to try it tonight. I'm having a hard time remembering what my life was like before RSD, but it's worth a try to remember. Maybe on top of it helping me deal with the pain better, it will also bring me some joy. Thanks again. I hope you're doing well and am glad you're back!

Ok Vision. I tried for to imagine myself waking up in the morning on the first day of summer vacation (when I was a little girl) and feeling the warm summer breeze blowing on me in my bedroom while I was lying in bed. Then I smelled the lilacs and fresh mowed grass. Then I listened for the birds flying around outside. I then tried to remember not feeling any pain when I woke up that morning and feeling like I could do cartwheels again. It brought a sense of happiness to me if only for a short time. I could remember not being sick with rsd and being painfree. It was bliss to say the least and did take my mind off my pain if only for a short while. I'll keep trying this exercise and maybe the feeling will last longer with each time I do it. Thanks Vision for suggesting this idea. It works!

WOW Renee what an amazing moment. Thank you so much for this. You made me tear up for the second time in two days.

That is the very reason why this group is so amazing! It always has been and will continue to be! There are so many of us and we sure know a lot more about going thru living thru and trying to breath thru all this pain than many Dr's do! Keep going strong try to hang in there during the worst times ever and maybe just maybe at the end there will be hope for all of us living with this syndrome( Love to All Breezy55~~~

Vision - thanks for this! Guided imagery is beautiful and powerful. I find it tough to do alone and I am much more successful if someone talks me through it. I would like to practice more so I can help myself.
Does the imagery ever reduce you to tears about the loss? I have had vivid dreams about running with abandon and skiing downhill. Strong feelings of exhiliration, until I wake up to my lame leg and cry.

Yes. Going from one "reality" to the next can be a major emotional shock.

I think guided imagery is a GREAT way to start. YouTube away

Have you ever looked into lucid dreaming? Another beautiful tool for RSD sufferers.

Nowadays it seems almost anything has the capacity to reduce me to tears - but that's RSD for ya - we experience the "little" things life has to offer with much more meaning than most.

Lottie you've hit the nail on the head for me...

I think this is a lovely idea....but (why are the buts always so big with CRPS? ) anything like this makes me grieve all over again for what I have lost. People say that when your life first changes from an illness/injury/death of a loved one, you have to grieve, come out the other side as best you can, take that deep breath and start again. Like coming up from the depths for air again.

I sometimes find that things happen to trigger those thoughts of loss again, and they make me sad. I can't help it. Like seeing a mum chasing her giggling child down the street....I immediately think, gosh they look happy, isn't that nice. And then I think, that was me. I used to do that. Now I can't. My youngest girl has missed out on such a lot this last few years, it's not fair on her. So I feel crap.

As I say, it's a lovely idea, and if you're strong enough to be able to just enjoy the memories without it stirring up too much by way of sadness and loss, then all power to you, go for it. I sometimes dream of times past when I was doing something active and enjoying it like the good ole days, but I wake with tears in my eyes, and that crushing sense of loss again as the pain and stiffness of morning stamp on it all with their heartless reality.

I must admit I don't consciously go back like that to better days very often. I try to live in the now, not think too much about the future, and make the best of what I have today. Otherwise I just feel too darned sorry for myself and end up wasting the day dwelling on things I wish I could do...but that's just me Maybe I'm just not quite there yet lol.

I'll give it a go though. I'm always up for a new plan and a new way of looking at this crappy cripsy crud!

Thanks for the imagery and posts, lovely stuff. I know what I'll pick to dream through....

Bram

With my memory I'm lucky if I can remember yesterday, it practically impossible to remember life before RSD apart from really bad things which burnt themselves into my brain

Kev,

You could decide to hop in one of the 8 different Lamborghini models you have garaged... mash the clutch, peel out, and take a 210 kph joyride out on the open road with the windows down. Hell go anywhere you want. Just make it as vivid as you can.