disclaimer: results may vary
This is Anna’s own account. She writes so well, I have just published her letter. You will note that Anna had a very quick response. Other people have to wait quite a long time to see a change – often many weeks, when they have such a long-standing condition.
I am 39 years old. I have suffered from tension headaches which subsequently evolved into full blown migraine attacks from the age of six.
I did not see a doctor about my migraine until I was 34 as everyone I ever discussed my migraine with told me that the condition was incurable, and if I was lucky enough it might just disappear on its own accord – needless to say it did not!
My way of dealing with acute throbbing pain above my eyebrows was to take a good dose of painkillers (codeine and later paracetamol) and just “soldier through” for 3 days until the pain subsided and then disappeared. Not for long, however, it appeared again the next day, a few days later or may be next week, but it always did without fail.
I learned to plan my life around migraine attacks and tried to avoid obvious triggers like alcohol, chocolate and cheese while heavily relying on coffee, which seemed to ease my condition!
I learned to value my pain free days and crammed as much as possible into them as I knew that in the days when I experienced my migraine it would be impossible for me to function normally – in short I accepted migraine as part of my life and learned to cope with it.
Unfortunately my migraine refused to exist on the same constant “bearable” level of pain at which I could just about tolerate it. It adapted and learned to ignore painkillers, it gradually increased my level of pain and suffering. The symptoms worsened and it struck at will at any time it felt like it – it ruled my life.
Finally, I decided to take prescription medication to ease the symptoms. I took triptans for more than a year and it felt like finally I was able to control migraine attacks. However, gradually I noticed that I went through my two packs of medicine much quicker than when I started to take it and attacks occurred more frequently than previously. I also developed disturbed sleeping patterns and when I read the information about it, I discovered that this was a common side effect of these drugs.
The fact that I was suffering yet another symptom as a consequence of taking drugs gave me the scare of my life and I stopped taking any medicine both prescription and over the counter. I resolved not to fear migraine attacks but accept them if and when they came. My resolve lasted for a year and I felt significantly better and calmer during migraine attacks.
At about the same time developed I interest in alternative medicine and practices like acupuncture and massage to ease muscular tension however none of them helped me to a significant degree. In January 2009 I came across an article on the Internet that mentioned hypnotherapy as the most recent way of helping people with various pain disorders. I searched the Web for hypnotherapists in London and instead of hypnotherapy, and I discovered Olivia’s Resolution Programme.
I decided to give it a try because it was convenient (I find it easier to practice the Resolution Magic exercises at my own time and pace rather than book and attend therapy sessions) and inexpensive (I was given to understand that a single session with a hypnotherapist would cost £70).
I got positive results from the first time I applied the Resolution Magic technique. I managed to send the developing attack away with just 5 min of exercise – I was ecstatic! I practiced the technique from the end of January 2009 and by the end of March I was completely headache and migraine free for the first time in my life.
At first if I did not catch the symptoms early enough and let the headache develop. I did the exercises a few times a day, every 1.5 hours during an attack, to begin to reduce the intensity and ultimately to send it away.
During this reduction period I only had two 3 days attacks but their intensity was nowhere near the pre-Resolution levels. I was able to function normally both in the office and at home, just as though I did not have a migraine.
Now I have mastered the techniques, I no longer experience headaches (let along migraine attacks!) and if I feel any sort of tension or “disturbance” in my head it takes me 30 seconds to send them away with the Resolution exercise.
Olivia also taught me how to apply Resolution technique to period pain – which now significantly diminished – and hay- fever, which I also developed when I was a child. I now look forward to hay-fever season in London so that I can test the Resolution technique against it.
In general I found Olivia to be very knowledgeable and helpful. She is a very able therapists and not only helped me to get rid of headaches but helped me to work out the initial reasons for developing migraine and hay-fever when I was a child. She then recorded a special CD session for me to address and release suppressed negative feelings that contributed to my migraine. I am extremely pleased with the results and would most certainly recommend Resolution to other migraine sufferers.