It is the rare person who has not experienced, to some extent, that feeling of dizziness and vertigo caused by a change in balance. Do you remember the time of your youth when you could not get enough of roller coasters and other amazing attractions? Then, at a later age, the fun stopped and you spent most of the trip fighting nausea, eyes closed, praying for the end of the trip. Opting to ride a roller coaster is one option that adults can easily defer to, but avoiding a trip by plane, ship, train, or car is often inconvenient, expensive, and sometimes even embarrassing.
A common “cure” for motion sickness is the application of a medication such as Dramamine, with side effects including drowsiness and loss of appetite. But what’s the point of going on that fishing trip of a lifetime when you spend most of your trip sleeping in the forward cabin? And everyone knows that one of the main attractions of cruising is the fantastic variety of food available; you won’t get your share while drugged, or worse, battling nausea while isolated in your cabin. Have you ever needed to use those “doggie bags” for motion sickness while wedged between two strangers in an airplane seat? Talk about humiliating.
Often, if you take the medication, you can miss out on the adventure entirely and even get a “drug” hangover once you reach your destination. A vacation in the tropics isn’t very satisfying when you’re in a foggy state. I wonder if you can imagine being free from the devastating effects of motion sickness… being able to enjoy traveling without the discomfort of rocking or jerking sensations. It is possible through hypnosis. What Really Causes Motion Sickness? According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “Motion sickness is caused by the contradiction between external data from the eyes and internal signals from the center of balance in the inner ear.
For example, in seasickness, the inner ear perceives the movement of the boat, but the eyes see the motionless cabin. This stimulates stress hormones and accelerates the contraction of the stomach muscles, causing dizziness, paleness, cold sweat, nausea and vomiting. Minimizing changes in speed and direction can help, as can leaning back, not turning your head, closing your eyes, or focusing on distant objects.” Traditional preventative cures for motion sickness include medications such as Dramamine, whose active ingredient, dimenhydrinate, may cause tiredness.There is a patch available that is placed on the body like a smoker’s patch, but behind the ear, it must be placed about 12 hours before riding, it works by administering the drug Scopolamine Hydrobromide through the skin.
It can be used up to 3 days, but cannot be reused. For those who want to try a drug-free method, there are wrist bands that apply pressure to an acupuncture point on the arm. Two bands must be worn, one on each wrist in the correct position to be effective. Even if used correctly, they may not work for everyone. Hypnosis techniques that anyone can apply for relief. Research has shown that stress and fear responders in the body contribute to elevated blood pressure and tense muscles, resulting in discomforts such as headaches, tension, dizziness, and nausea. The first step to relieve these symptoms is to relax the body. This can be quickly accomplished through three easy steps:
1) Close your eyes to eliminate external distractions
2) Breathe deeply and slowly
3) Imagine yourself in a peaceful and quiet environment, perhaps your favorite place to read or relax, or perhaps a safe and beautiful place outdoors that you enjoy.
Notice that as you continue to breathe and mentally focus on that spot, both your mind and body gradually calm and relax. Also, as she continues to calm down, gently clasp your hands together or press the tips of your thumb and finger together. This gesture will act as a trigger going forward to help you reach that relaxation even faster. It’s a good idea to practice this technique several times a day before you set out on your journey. Another method that is helpful in reducing the discomfort of motion sickness is to imagine yourself actually experiencing your trip. As you practice self-hypnosis for relaxation, project yourself into your journey. This is called future rhythm and is backed by the belief that you become what you think about. In this case, seeing yourself on your journey, enjoying yourself, feeling healthy and happy, will actually help the manifestation of a pleasant journey. So you have practiced the above techniques and now you are traveling and still find yourself suffering from dizziness. What can be done?
To ease discomfort quickly, close your eyes and take a deep breath…then follow one of these strategies: Take back control. Imagine yourself with your favorite toy. You may not have played with it in a while, but you can remember a time when you spent hours learning how to manipulate and control it. Maybe it was a yo-yo, or a remote control car, or a basketball. If you didn’t have any toys as a child, how about choosing one of your adult toys: your car or your motorcycle, or even a paintbrush and a canvas? Whatever it is, look at yourself and feel yourself handling it now. Become aware of the physical movement that makes you feel bad and now transfer that movement to your toy. If the boat rocks from side to side, imagine that movement in your toy. Realize that it is you who is leading the movement now; you are in control of your toy.
If you’re riding a motorcycle, project your vision down the road so that every turn, every little climb and descent is anticipated and enjoyed. Notice that the action is planned and controlled by you. You can see yourself painting a fantastic picture with your brush, perhaps dipping it into the paint rhythmically, or sometimes quickly flinging it onto the canvas, all in sync with the movements inspired by your journey. As you take control of the movement, it becomes a tolerable and maybe even pleasurable sensation. Reapply this method as needed. You’ll soon discover that you won’t even need to close your eyes for relief. Object images. An effective hypnosis tool for symptom relief is to imagine the discomfort, whether physical or emotional, as an object and then transform it. This amazing technique can be used for all ages.
Start by focusing on the problem and assigning it a particular shape. This can be any shape you want, it’s totally your choice. Add a color to this shape, a color that represents how that discomfort feels. Imagine then the texture and consistency of discomfort. Finally, designate the size of this object; as big as a plane or a ship… or maybe it’s the size of a bread box. You choose. As you visualize this image in your mind, begin to change the elements of the object. Start with the shape: what shape would you like it to become? See it change to the new desired shape. Now imagine changing the color to a color you want and continue to vary the texture and consistency of the object. Watch it evolve before your eyes, transforming under your command. Next, resize the object, noting how it now looks completely different. Finally, create a way to let go of that object. You may want to put a helium balloon on it or place it on a bird’s wing.
It doesn’t matter how, but notice the sensation as you watch the transformed object slowly drift away, drifting into the clouds of your awareness. And keep in mind, too, that you can keep it on view if you want, and in fact, you can even retrieve it if you need to. Secondary increase in motion sickness. One of the keys to reducing or eliminating a disease or illness is to discover its origin or causal factor. Unfortunately, understanding and treating the problem is not always enough to make it go away. This is mainly due to a phenomenon described as “secondary gain”. Secondary gain is a method by which a patient either consciously or unconsciously benefits from being ill. For example, a person with a back injury, while actually experiencing the misery of the injury, can greatly benefit from secondary gains. This could be in the form of being able to stay home from work, receiving sympathy, providing care and attention from friends and family, being able to avoid normal household chores, financial benefits, etc.
Secondary gain benefits often overshadow recovery benefits and play an important role in restricting recovery and even influencing recurrent episodes of illness or injury. Taking secondary gain into account is crucial when addressing a problem like motion sickness. It is important to take into account the possible reasons why a patient may not be aware of it, favoring the problem. Hidden secondary gain may be: a deep desire to avoid taking a trip, an undiscovered phobia of speed, water, or heights, a craving for attention and care, avoiding having to participate in activities, fear or aversion to lack checkpoint etc.
In addition to weakening the physical source of motion sickness, it is ultimately recommended to understand and treat any suspected secondary gains. This can be done through self-hypnosis methods or with the help of a qualified professional, depending on the depth and severity of the problem. Hypnosis is an affordable, natural and effective solution for the treatment of motion sickness. The days of crazy roller coaster rides may be behind us, but with a little pre-planning and practice, almost anyone suffering from this restrictive disease can find relief and enjoy travel and vacations.
