Q
My daughter is moving home, and she is having an attack of ulcerative colitis. She is taking medication which she uses whenever she has an attack. I would love to help her, having read your book, but I don’t really know quite where to begin. Can you help? The most important thing that would really help is if she could stop the diarrhoea.
A
It is admirable that you would like to help you daughter but resolution might take a little longer than you might wish – the programme works over months rather than just hours. However, if you begin now, then as time goes by, the attacks will become less and less frequent. The gaps between attacks will lengthen, and the intensity will reduce until it finally disappears altogether.
In the meantime, normal medication can continue, and any new symptoms must be discussed with your GP.
And so, to begin. Start by keeping a chart – email me for a pdf that you can print off. Keep it on the fridge or beside the bed. It is of paramount importance that you maintain the chart – how else would you notice if your symptoms were reducing my 10% with every attack? How else would you notice if the gaps between attacks were increasing by just one day?
- Read the first chapters of the book, so that you can understand all about the programme, but begin your own programme by working on your physical symptoms, as described starting on page 87. When you listen to ‘The Magic Carpet’ CD, it will ask you to go to a time when you had an unwanted feeling, so go to a time when you could feel that unwelcome IBS feeling beginning – in this case, a very physical feeling.
The Magic Carpet exercise then leads you right through the exercise, which only needs to be done once. You don’t have to remember anything from this exercise afterwards, so just enjoy following the instructions without trying to memorise them.
- Begin to do the active sessions as described in the book. Only work when symptoms are present, with ½ minute sessions every 1-2 hours. And then wait until the next attack! When the next attack begins, do the same again. This is the basic exercise.
- Once you are underway, add in Retrospective Rehearsals and Rehearsals.
- After a couple more weeks, begin to identify unwanted feelings – page 57. It is important that you work particularly on worrying, lack of confidence and self-consciousness. Read the book so that you can recognise other unwanted feelings, and work steadily until they disappear.
- Once you have tackled present-day feelings, begin to work in the area of past experiences. This is an extraordinary experience, but you may need a little help from a practitioner. All is explained in the book, so do have a go, you might find it easier than you think.
There will be ‘Changing the Effects of Past Experiences’ workshops which will help you to become familiar with these exercises. Past experiences that involved fear, pain or shock often have lasting effects, and work in this area can make dramatic differences to physical and psychological symptoms.