Hi everyone,
So I'm amidst another cluster and I've been noticing how much better I 'manage' my pain, then I used to. Either that or my CH's are weaker. lol. Either way I know keeping relaxed, and avoiding becoming negative helps a lot.

Now, I'm not a granola-eating yoga-master, or a freak, but I do meditate. Rarely if I'm not in pain, but its vital I take a few moments each day to relax. I used to get Tension headaches, on top of, and after a CH, then a Stress-headache somewhere in between. 

I have little advice to offer fellow sufferers, yet I'm sure lots of people could benefit from learning to "really" relax more. a.k.a meditate. I'm not suggesting using the posture, although I find good straight posture helps me.

Explaining how to meditate is easy, and doing it in ideal conditions is also easy. Yet finding stillness when your heads exploding isn't as natural.

What I find works, is focusing on my breathing and keeping my muscles relaxed. Shoulder and neck especially. Don't use words or try to "think" at all. Its harder then its sounds. If its impossible, use 1 word like "Black" or "nothing", and repeat it. Something that wont initiate a thought/distraction.

While in pain, I try to "disconnect" from myself/pain/body, by visualizing 2 orbs, if you will. I visualize the "me" orb moving just a little bit away from my "body" orb. I'm sure that sounds odd, but I'm just trying to be very descriptive.

Again, I'm not a Buddhist Monk, and I don't astroplane across another dimension. A lot of people think meditation is like yoga or something complicated. Really its just relaxing. I've seen videos of people thrashing around while in a CH, and although I can't feel their pain, I think the thrashing and moaning only makes things worse. Yet again, I can only speculate, and if it works for you, good on ya.

I also find staying positive helps, although again, its not easy at times. I remind myself that things could be worse, in so many ways. It helps when I start to feel sorry for myself, and question my own existence.  Or if I get really low and actually think about....... the Bullet cure. 

Hi PlayDoh,

No doubt that meditation could be very beneficial to cluster patients or to anyone suffering severe pain. The problem is, the only way for it to be truly effective is for the one meditating to focus on his pain; not the psycho-emotional reactions surrounding the pain but the actual, physical sensations of the pain itself. Nobody wants to do that.

Ron

bonkers wrote on May 29^th, 2010 at 5:49pm:


I think I understand, since I used to find impossible to just sit there quietly. Without distractions, I found I just became completely focused on nothing but the raw pain.
It was a kin to standing in front of a siren and resist not covering your ears.

However I now find that I can, to a definite point, "Tune-out" the pain more with meditation. To me its like I 'contain' my pain and for that matter my entire physical sensations, then metaphorically 'step aside' from it. "step aside", describes the sensation difference I feel also, as its a step down, and never an elimination of the pain entirely.

This all sounds like some new-age spiritual stuff, but really all I'm describing is how 'inner-peace' alleviates some of my pain. I think its very beneficial since in the past I was causing myself more pain by frustration, tension and stress.

Undoubtedly your attitude will effect your meditation results. I used youtube and my girlfriend to learn how to meditate. "Learn" is the wrong word probably, since "Unlearn" was more appropriate. Meditation is about turning my Mach 3 brain in to stand-by for a bit, and losing myself by doing so.

Either way, I totally understand how meditation is the last thing to try for some, if not most. That was primarily my motive for suggesting it.

For me, learning that I could (sometimes) distract myself and abort a CH, taught me that I had some control. Psychosomatic, sub-consciously, or consciously I can effect my CH's, to a degree. If not, then simply the aftermath of my CH's.

For me, rather then becoming focused on my pain and/or exacerbate it, I seem to be able to find a measure of relief. A minor measure, usually.

Keeping my pain/CH's in their place is important for me also. As strong and tough as CH's are, I AM STRONGER! (haha, I just found my sig). Meditation helps me see my pain for what it is, and know that I am separate from it. Simple to say, but hard to Know when you just want to die from the agony.

I have  a little different take on this.

I've been meditating daily for going on 30 years now. Well except for when I'm in a CH episode (!!)

It's very relaxing, of course, and therefore it ranks right up there with a nap for it's very high likelihood of TRIGGERING a CH for me (and I imagine for a lot of other CH folk who pretty much need to stay engaged as much as possible and avoid lulls, naps, etc. during an episode).

Now if someone is only prone to CH attacks during certain hours of the day, then I suppose it wouldn't be so risky in the "off" hours.

As far as meditating as a way of dealing with an attack that is full blown, I can see that, and I actually recall once being able to become detached from a crushing high kip blaster by doing so. It's just that I've been lucky enough, and hyper vigilant enough after learning a LOT here that I haven't had to experience full blown/full length attacks for awhile, so I guess that could explain why I'm so oriented towards avoiding triggers. Like ...unfortunately...meditation.

PlayDoh wrote on May 29^th, 2010 at 7:39pm:


Hello Play Doh and Welcome to the board!

Mediation can be quite affective for many things My Dad has used it almost all his life for various things, from helping lower his blood pressure to avoiding illness. 

I am not as adept at meditation as he is and many others aren't as well.  It may be of help for others for you to post a few links to the information on that you used to help learn to meditate and what ever tips your girlfriend gave you to use. 

For me at least learning to meditate has been quite difficult because I am a person who prefers to be in control of all aspects of their life (control freak about my own life not others lives... LOL) This may be why a CH hits my personality type so hard, talk about being out of control, CH Kip 10 or even a 5 will take what control you thought you had and chuck it right out the window. 

So, for myself as well as others who are willing to try just about anything to avoid a CH hit, please post what links and other information you may have pertaining to learning how to meditate.

Well said everyone, and thank you for the welcoming Ginger.

Heres a good meditation explanation/lesson.
Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

Heres a video you learn to meditate with.
Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

DattatreyaSivaBaba  —  has lots of videos on youtube also.

I also agree that anyone who has suffered from CH's has learned immense coping skills, and some form of meditation/relaxation. Except, I'm afraid, children perhaps. It truly breaks my heart to hear that children get CH's, cause their suffering must be brutal.

Medicine is a powerful tool, but so is your mind. Unfortunately your mind can easily work against you, and bring you pain and suffering. Yet it can also be used to 'manage' or alleviate pain and suffering. This is where meditation has help me.

P.S - I would never presume to know what causes someone else distress or pain, or argue their own coping techniques with them.

For all that I said about keeping calm during hits.... let's be honest - it does get a little exhausting overtime.  That's why I'm such a happy camper tonight - the 02 was delivered this afternoon.  Woohoo!! 

Kate

Quote:


Vegas !

Interesting stuff.  I have learned to remain calmer than I did during previous cycles and attacks, even during those exquisite Kip 9/10s.  I may be flinching and having little convulsions while sucking on the O2, but it's a less manic experience than it once was.  I have been wanting to learn meditation for some time; fortunately I have a brother-in-law/good friend who's helping me to get started.  My wife and I are going to try yoga again, as well.  This isn't new-agey stuff for us but a means to better breathing and better, more supple, muscle tone. And of course, relaxation.  We tried this once before, but someone hit Julie head-on about 3 weeks into the yoga classes.  The fractured sternum and arms effictively ended that.  But we're going to give it a go again.  Anything I can do to try to eliviate the severity and duration of these cycles, and not fall apart as we march into middle age, is a plus.  Good luck and PF days to all.

George

sometimes it helps me maintain a cold face as i call it even if it is hard to do.
leaving the face muscles relaxed while getting hit.not forcing the eye to look in different directions or open it more than the eye droop forces to do seems to lessen a bit the pain.but still not something too worth mentioning as still not fuctional...has nothing to do with meditation or stuff like that you are  talking about.

nope it's not yoga as it has no body exercises and no meditation as i don't focus on breathing or try empty the thoughts.
i just try to to relax the face muscles while on hit not to react on pain, when and if i can,but still i focus on pain and my main thought is....mainly inner curses on the beast

therefore it's no meditation.

kika wrote on Sep 5^th, 2010 at 11:06pm:


While I wouldn't have described it as meditation,  I pretty much try and get very quiet and calm during a hit too.  I can't really think of a technique for this though.  It's a bit more like after a certain amount of hits your pain tolerance increases--what used to force me up and pacing or crying in fetal position on the floor I can usually sit through these days (okay, my hand is often on my eye, and this doesn't work for KIP8+). 

I then just wait it out, and for the most part my mind goes blank until the pain is gone.  Come to think of it is VERY much like vipassana meditation.  I did have an ex that was VERY into that but I never consciously decided this is what I'm going to do--over the years my response has just evolved to that.  I'm not sure if (other than the calmness lack of tension factor) it helps me deal with the pain as much as it helps me hide it from people, which I'm not sure is a healthy way to deal with this but the stoic thing is somewhat my personality.

There are a lot of online instructions for vipassana, and you can go to meditation retreats for free to learn about it if you desire.   This blog has a hilarious account of a failed attempt at a retreat  (warning:  I doubt everything on this blog is safe for work):  Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

Marc wrote on Sep 8^th, 2010 at 7:59am:

It's my belief that this happens when our bodies really start pumping the endorphins.