Visualization and Wegs

[Sangye]

This is sort of an odd topic, but it might make for a good discussion.

Someone recently told me that 20 yrs ago they were dx'ed with advanced cancer and given a few months to live. They enrolled in a program that taught them to visualize their WBCs as powerful bears eating the tumor, and here they are, 20 yrs later with no cancer. They didn't do chemo, they just did this. There has been research over the years showing this to be effective-- at least in part-- for people with cancer.

Now I'm definitely NOT suggesting we replace our Wegs drugs with visualization. But I'm wondering what you guys think about this. I haven't been able to come up with any way to visualize something for Wegs since there's nothing like a tumor to be destroyed.

In keeping with the forum rules, please avoid making references to religious beliefs/images, etc... if you suggest a visualization.

[Luce]

Shortly after I was diagnosed someone told me to read a book on the Law of Attraction, which apparently is a method for healing yourself and being able to do anything. "Without exception, every human being has the ability to transform any weakness or suffering into strength, power, perfect peace, health, and abundance."

It talks of willing yourself better and apparently people have healed themselves of cancer and things like ME, but I just couldn't buy into the idea. Don't get me wrong, I think alternative therapies like hypnosis can be fantastic for helping change peoples habits and conquer their fears. I just don't think that willing yourself to be better will make your body listen and start behaving again, although I firmly believe a positive attitude will help you get through the rough patches and deal better mentally with being ill.
Just my opinion and perhaps my negativity towards such an idea would stop it working anyway.

[Sangye]

Oh yeah, I totally agree about the "willing" thing.

What I mean is that when I think of Wegs, I can easily picture how damage is done. However, I don't have an equally weighted image of how to deal with that damage. Like all I see is the raging fire, but I don't know how to picture the water hoses putting the fire out. Does that make sense?

[Col 23]

Love this visualization thread. All my life I have believed in creative visualization and I could give hundreds of examples of it working, setting goals and achieving and even smaller things. I have always found it amazing. I even have witnesses that have been long term friends as to my achieved visualizations. However with Wegs and the realist in me, I know the only thing that keeps us alive is the drugs. That doesnt stop me however of visualizing that at Xmas this year (12 months of diagnosed WEGS) I will be feeling better and off Pred and loosing weight. My visualisations are small at the moment. I also now think that Wegs is something I must endure for a short time and let the drugs do its work. I didnt think this at the beginning, I was angry, grieving and my thoughts were so muddled due to the Pred, I think I would be embarrassed if I looked at my initial chats on this site. Cringe.....
Cheers Col 23

[Sangye]

Col, have you come up with a specific visualization for inside our bodies?

[Kimbangu]

Well they do say that stress can trigger a flare so it does seem logical to say that a positive mental attitude might help prevent one? - and look at those victims of "voodoo" who can actually die merely because they BELIEVE they are going to die....

"Visualisation" gives me a problem, because I don't have much imagination. But I'd have to be honest and say that - given Doktor Friedrich Wegener's rather dubious war record- I think it would be something pretty horrible.

[Col 23]

Its all about focusing every day at a quite moment and imagining your body where you want it at. For example close your eyes and picture yourself slim, picture yourself eating healthy foods, picture yourself exercising, picture yourself in a fabulous dress etc. Keep the focus every day. I am doing this at night when I cant sleep, I dont expect miracles and am realistic so my focus has been Xmas. Dont forget to add affirmations, like " Im getting better each day, the body is responding to the drugs", keep it simple and confim each day. You can also write down your goals and paste pictures next to them and look at it each day to stay focused when your doing your affirmations.
This might sound weird but it also assists with a positive outlook and helps when depression hits.
cheers Col 23

[LisaMarie]

I love Visualisation...I use it all the time...but will admit using it to battle WG is a hard nut to swallow....My favorite spot is at the beach...with my toes in the sand and as the water goes out ...so does all the bad...and as it returns back to shore all clean and anew....I try to visualized new healthy things coming my way...whether I am stressed over work,,,the kids...my husband...or just life....negative can bring some bad mojo...so I try to rid myself of it as quickly as possible....tooo bad I no longer live near a beach and have to image the beach too...lol if alll goes well I will be near on in 2 weeks yeah...

[elephant]

These all sound great! I need to visualize my bacteria infections getting eaten by the WBC's. I am having a hard time wrapping my brain on how the cancer patients visualized that. All I can say is, "WOW!"

[jola57]

I think that cancer patiens would have an easy way to visualize, there is a growing mass that they can destroy. for us it would be very hard, what would we concentrate on, the granulomas roaming our blood vessels? I think of them as these tiny little long pill like rods. So if I can think of something eating them and then spitting them outside my body? would that work? I do believe in positive thinking, I know that my personality of not dramatizing my illness has led me to feel better (much better) than if I was angry or depressed. But I have a hard time imagining that this visualization would cure wegs. So I need to work on my belief and who knows maybe it will happen. The beach and feet in sand looks and sounds sooooo good. I will try this every day for a while and let you know how I do.

[Col 23]

Hi
The way I look at it, we have been advised there is no known cure out there for Wegs, so we have nothing to loose. Just to get Wegs to managable is good anything else is a bonus. It doesnt cost anythng, can assist with a positive outlook and take us elsewhere for a moment. No harm and who knows???
cheers Col 23

[Lightwarrior]

Fascinating topic Sangye, I believe in visualization and in the begining I tried to visualize PRB3 as a dude in a helmet and a laser gun, and the cytoxin as soldiers that came to take him out. My ANCA and PRB3 are no longer positive but Wegs is much more elusive than that. I'm thinking perhaps of visualizing Wegs as a cloud of poison (like a field that has just been dusted) that permiates every nook and cranny. Then perhaps the immune system as the planes that spread the dust. Then the meds could shoot down the planes and in the stillness bring a cleansing rain that clears away the weg cloud and restores balance?? I'll keep thinking. I have one vivid imigination.

[elephant]

I will work on the visual!

[katarzena]

I've been thinking about this a lot, especially about the sentence:'' think positive! '' It's hard for me to believe that anything I do mentally can help heal me physically. But the universe is an amazing place so why not?
I dont do the tipical visualization, but I do kind of encourage myself when I come home after IV cyclophosphamide and my hair falls out for a week more then before, I just think ab out the drug going through my body and healing me. When the hair falls out, the wg is getting killed to, that's what I tell myself.
I agree with col. What keeps me going is the thought that after a year of treatment I'll be done (at least with prednisone) as I've been told. No matter how many people have stayed on it longer, it just keeps me going. Call it naive, maybe, maybe not, this is the only way I can stay sane.

[Doug]

Cute little body buddies getting rebuilding supplies at Home Depot, then returning to the afflicted area to remove the beat up cells with new, healthy ones?

[DEE]

Cute little body buddies getting rebuilding supplies at Home Depot, then returning to the afflicted area to remove the beat up cells with new, healthy ones?
only you could put it like that Doud made me smile :) hows you not geard from you in awhile DEEx

[jola57]

Doug I wondered where you were? Now I know, buying rebuilding supplies at Home Depot LOL

[DEE]

only you could put it like that Doud made me smile :) hows you not geard from you in awhile DEEx

another preds moment Doug looked ok last night spelling always the first thing i notice, not good when tired too DEEx