Guided Imagery
It’s time to start preparing your MIND for surgery. The brain is capable of miraculous things. In preparation for your upcoming surgery we ask that you take the following steps to prepare your MIND for surgery and the healing that will follow.
The upcoming surgery can be a positive experience. Lipedema not only effects the body physically, it also leaves many women with psychological and emotional pain. Many of us with Lipedema struggle with anxiety and stress management. That is nothing to be ashamed of, just something to be aware of so that we can prepare ourselves to overcome this anxiety. Anxiety and stress is not something a pill or surgery can fix. It takes counseling, inward healing and constant mindfulness to be aware of how our body copes with stress and anxiety and build the strategies to help calm ourselves, taking back control of our thoughts and actions.
It is common for us to become anxious before surgery. During TLRS, Dr. Hagerty will be numbing your pain receptors but your pressure receptors will still be active and you will feel the movement of the vibrating cannula under your skin. It’s important to know that just because you are feeling movement and pressure under your skin, your pain receptors are fully numbed and you are safe. It’s important that we keep you awake during surgery so that you can respond, move when asked and quickly rehabilitate. Our goal is not to put you to sleep or take away your memory of the event. Our goal is to help you be as comfortable as possible during the procedure and keep you an active participant in your recovery.
Some patients may begin imagining that surgery completed while awake and under twilight sedation will be a scary and painful experience, that ought to be avoided. If you have had any concerns about your upcoming procedure, it’s important to be honest with yourself about what your concerns are so that you can speak to those concerns and assure yourself. Because of the power of the MIND, we have the same mental and physical responses when we imagine an experience as we do when it actually happens. We generally get what we expect, which is why we want to help you create positive expectations now, before surgery. If you are expecting a negative experience, sedative drugs alone, will not be able to change your mind about what to expect. To counter act this fear, we ask that you join us in your care before your surgery even begins.
GUIDED-IMAGERY MEDITATION
Guided imagery has significant and often quick psychological benefits:
We have compiled short list of guided imagery and meditation sessions to create a program designed to help relieve your anxiety and help you create and imagine a positive, helpful surgery experience. These sessions cannot replace the benefit of counseling and cognitive behavior therapy, but they will help you relax, look inward and give you positive thoughts to replace any negative ones.
It is our hope that you have the very best surgery experience possible. We found some helpful clips on YouTube that will help guide you in releasing anxiety and creating positive imagery of your upcoming procedure. We all have preferences. These are the clips that we found soothing. If you find the narrators voices vexing, feel free to search for different meditative clips that are more soothing to you.
PRE-OP
Anti-anxiety 10-minute meditation. Do this meditation 1-2 times daily the week before surgery and just before surgery. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-6f5wQXSu8
The upcoming surgery can be a positive experience. Lipedema not only effects the body physically, it also leaves many women with psychological and emotional pain. Many of us with Lipedema struggle with anxiety and stress management. That is nothing to be ashamed of, just something to be aware of so that we can prepare ourselves to overcome this anxiety. Anxiety and stress is not something a pill or surgery can fix. It takes counseling, inward healing and constant mindfulness to be aware of how our body copes with stress and anxiety and build the strategies to help calm ourselves, taking back control of our thoughts and actions.
It is common for us to become anxious before surgery. During TLRS, Dr. Hagerty will be numbing your pain receptors but your pressure receptors will still be active and you will feel the movement of the vibrating cannula under your skin. It’s important to know that just because you are feeling movement and pressure under your skin, your pain receptors are fully numbed and you are safe. It’s important that we keep you awake during surgery so that you can respond, move when asked and quickly rehabilitate. Our goal is not to put you to sleep or take away your memory of the event. Our goal is to help you be as comfortable as possible during the procedure and keep you an active participant in your recovery.
Some patients may begin imagining that surgery completed while awake and under twilight sedation will be a scary and painful experience, that ought to be avoided. If you have had any concerns about your upcoming procedure, it’s important to be honest with yourself about what your concerns are so that you can speak to those concerns and assure yourself. Because of the power of the MIND, we have the same mental and physical responses when we imagine an experience as we do when it actually happens. We generally get what we expect, which is why we want to help you create positive expectations now, before surgery. If you are expecting a negative experience, sedative drugs alone, will not be able to change your mind about what to expect. To counter act this fear, we ask that you join us in your care before your surgery even begins.
GUIDED-IMAGERY MEDITATION
Guided imagery has significant and often quick psychological benefits:
- Before your surgery, it can help you to reduce stress and anxiety that is often so prevalent when you’re waiting for your surgery date.
- Surgery patients can feel alone and unsure before their procedure, but guided imagery can give them back a sense of control and optimism.
- Guided-imagery meditation can help replace the negative self-talk of worry with feelings of hopefulness and assurance.
- Guided imagery can help relieve pain by teaching you to quiet your mind and relax your body. When we are anxious and tense we intensify the pain, but by learning to be calm and soften around the pain mentally and physically, we can actually learn to ease the discomfort.
- Guided imagery can aid in your recovery from surgery by helping you be an active and motivated participant in your own healing, while also encouraging you to be patient and kind to yourself as you heal. It can help you to be compliant with medical instructions which might mean moving, following through with exercises, healthy eating and more.
We have compiled short list of guided imagery and meditation sessions to create a program designed to help relieve your anxiety and help you create and imagine a positive, helpful surgery experience. These sessions cannot replace the benefit of counseling and cognitive behavior therapy, but they will help you relax, look inward and give you positive thoughts to replace any negative ones.
It is our hope that you have the very best surgery experience possible. We found some helpful clips on YouTube that will help guide you in releasing anxiety and creating positive imagery of your upcoming procedure. We all have preferences. These are the clips that we found soothing. If you find the narrators voices vexing, feel free to search for different meditative clips that are more soothing to you.
PRE-OP
Anti-anxiety 10-minute meditation. Do this meditation 1-2 times daily the week before surgery and just before surgery. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-6f5wQXSu8
After you have released your anxiety, listen and participate in this guided meditation that will help prepare you for surgery. Again do this every day the week before surgery and just before surgery. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocSj_3LcKuk
POST-OP
When you are recovering at home or at the hotel and experiencing discomfort, participate in this guided meditation to help you center your focus inward. This practice will help you let go of pain and relieve tension and give your body permission to heal well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMu2lypb98M
We hope you enjoy these inward experiences and find them to be helpful tools during any time of healing.