How to Overcome the Emotions that Lead to Physical Therapy Failure
by www.Sedona.com
For people with arthritis, sports injuries, or physical disabilities, as well as those who have been in car accidents or suffered a heart attack or stroke, physical therapy can be a lifesaver. Often it is physical therapy -- not surgery, not medications -- that ultimately gets you back on your feet and functioning the way you used to.
That is not to say that physical therapy is easy. It’s often grueling, painful and monotonous. People are expected to go in to a physical therapy center three, four or even five times a week -- sometimes even daily. And when you are not working with a physical therapist one-on-one, it’s expected that you’re devoting hours a day at home to various exercises and treatments, like ice packs or heating pads.
“It takes an educated, motivated patient” to recover, points out Bernadine Healy M.D. in her U.S. News & World Report article.
Russell Warren, team physician to the New York Giants and surgeon and chief emeritus at top-ranked Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, agrees.
"Patients can't be idle bystanders," he tells Healy.
Yet it’s estimated that more than half of those who need physical therapy do not stick with their programs, Healy says, with obvious detrimental effects on their recovery.
Physical Therapy’s Emotional Side
According to the American Physical Therapy Association, “When a physical therapist sees a patient for the first time, he or she examines that individual and develops a plan of care that promotes the ability to move, reduces pain, restores function, and prevents disability. The physical therapist and the patient then work side-by-side to make sure that the goals of the treatment plan are met.”
Notice the part about working “side-by-side”? This, of course, means that it’s up to you to do your part: to commit to pushing through the exercises, even when it’s painful, to continue the regimen, even when immediate gains are not apparent, and, perhaps most importantly, to keep a positive attitude about your recovery.
Otherwise, depression, frustration, anxiety, pain and any number of other negative feelings can sabotage your physical health.
“Belief in, or at least openness to, any treatment regimen can often mean the difference between failure and success,” says Hale Dwoskin, CEO and director of training of Sedona Training Associates. “If you are resisting doing a particular action to support yourself in your health and well-being you will often not do it, not do it often enough or not really give it the chance and support it needs to benefit you the most.”
Some telltale signs that you’re nearing burn-out when it comes to physical therapy:
- Overwhelming feelings of frustration
- Doubts that the regimen will help you
- Dreading the days you go to physical therapy
- Feeling that you’ve been put through enough
- Thoughts of just giving up
Getting Into the Emotional Mindset to Succeed
Whether you’re talking about physical therapy or any other challenge that comes about in your life, getting into the right emotional mindset is essential.
Science is revealing that your emotions have a direct impact on your physical health and your ability to heal.
A study in the Archives of General Psychiatry, for instance, found that compared to the most pessimistic people, the most optimistic people had a 71 percent lower risk of dying from all causes (even after factors such as age, gender and smoking status were accounted for).
Studies have also revealed that a positive mental attitude may lead to:
- Lower blood levels of fibrinogen, a chemical in your bloodstream that measures inflammation and heart health while under stress (the lower the fibrinogen, the better)
- Having an easier time persevering through failure
- Delaying the aging process (in terms of how quickly you become frail)
On the contrary, a negative attitude, such as believing that you will not overcome your injury, can actually manifest that reality in your life. This is why it’s so essential to treat your emotions, and not just your body, when going through physical therapy, and one of the best ways to do this is using The Sedona Method.
The Sedona Method works by directing your thoughts away from your anxieties, toward a more neutral or positive focus. More specifically, the Method shows you how to let go of the negative thoughts that are holding you back.
The Sedona Method can be learned in a matter of days, and it takes only an instant to release your negative thoughts and anxieties. Best of all, you can use The Method anywhere, even in the midst of physical therapy, to let go of any thought that troubles you.
“The best thing to do with any treatment regimen including physical therapy is to listen to all your options. Release so that you are clear within yourself about making a commitment to that particular approach and then once you are committed release all doubts and remaining resistance and follow through as best you can,” Dwoskin says. “The more you mix releasing with whatever you are doing to support your physical health and well-being, the better the outcome will be.”
To find out more about how The Sedona Method has helped people with their health and wellness challenges, read through these amazing testimonials. The ability to recover from an illness or injury is well within your reach when you master the simple art of letting go.
Sources
U.S. News & World Report July 10, 2008
American Physical Therapy Association
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