When I used to experience migraines, one of my personal triggers was reading the word ‘headache’. I apologize to any readers with the same affliction. Simply bringing the idea of a headache into my consciousness was enough to initiate the cycle.
Unlike most external triggers such as red wine, loud noise or barometric pressure, the trigger of reading the word ‘headache’ had no physical substance. However my reaction to the trigger was unquestionable, and the headache that followed was very real as well. What had triggered the pain was no longer present, but it was too late. The headache was already at full force.
External triggers that instigate headaches are one of the key elements of the headache cycle. The truth of the connection is evident as there may be dozens or even hundreds of past episodes where the trigger caused the headache. Anyone who suffers from migraines can identify their triggers, even if they don’t cause headaches all the time. While much research has gone into the chemical components of ingested headache triggers, what about other triggers such as changing weather, laughing children or recurring noise?
What if I told you that triggers do not cause headaches? While exposure to a trigger may result in a headache, the reality is that triggers have been paired psychologically with headache pain through repetitive experience. What really causes the headache is a habitual reaction pattern that the trigger initiates. Once the button has been pushed you automatically go into a habitual headache creation cycle.
I am not implying that you do this intentionally. However, if you analyze each element of headache development, the trigger only plays a small role. While most triggers are seen as the cause of headaches, they are really just the initiator. Though avoidance of triggers may prevent some headaches, the true cure occurs when triggers no longer have influence. Unless you move to a different climate, you cannot change the weather or barometric pressure around you. What you can change is your reaction.
What this implies is that the route to eliminating headaches includes changing the way that you react to the trigger. Through behavioral modification you can retrain yourself so that when you are exposed to a trigger you simply remember that it used to instigate headaches. You know other people who do not get headaches when the barometric pressure rises or when music is loud. They may be aware of environmental stimulants but do not react with a headache. You can become one of them.
The key to understanding how a trigger initiates headaches is to raise awareness of your emotions as the headache develops. Fear and expectation are really what drive the headache cycle. As soon as we begin to feel a headache coming on, fear surfaces. We don’t want the headache to happen so we begin resisting the pain. We think about past headaches and set expectations that this one will follow the same pattern. It usually does. Once we expect a headache, the self-fulfilling prophecy tends to come true.
The key to overcoming triggers is to separate the trigger from the headache cycle and to begin re-training your reaction to the trigger. The psychological bonds that we form in relation to our health are quite strong. If we eat something that makes us sick we tend to avoid that food. However, initial assumptions may not always be true. There may have been other factors contributing to your illness on that occasion. Instead we pair the one factor with the other and are convinced of the truth.
Most of the work for improvement should be undertaken when a headache is not present. By understanding what happens to you during a headache session, it becomes possible to alter your habits. In the meantime, it is likely that headaches will continue according to your previous patterns. As this happens, do what you have to do to find relief. Try to shut down your internal ‘doubt machine’ by not focusing on why you haven’t done better. Instead, act as an observer and try to understand what is happening to you. Make each headache a learning experience and eventually you will have no headaches.
Each week the concepts introduced in these articles require you to look inside yourself. It is important to realize that your beliefs contribute to your headaches. There may be times throughout this workshop where information seems in conflict with what you know. I would suggest that rather than dismissing the information, consider the possibility that it might be true.
I don’t ask you to accept all statements as true, instead I ask that you bypass evaluation and consider the implications if new concepts are correct. From there you can measure your own responses based on a ‘what if’ scenario and see what happens.
A key breakthrough in the elimination of headaches is the acceptance of responsibility. A headache is not something that happens to you; it is something that you fully participate in. I am not saying that you create headaches on purpose. As your awareness of personal response grows you will notice moments where you can choose to add to the buildup of a headache or not. By influencing the areas where you do have power, it becomes possible to retrain your reactions and eliminate headaches.
Transformational Exercises
This week begin to understand your personal triggers. Make a list of all the different things that have triggered your headaches. Which of these triggers are easy to avoid? Which of these triggers cannot be avoided without changing location or lifestyle? Does the trigger cause headaches all of the time or only sometimes?
Write down in detail about the first time each trigger initiated a headache. Start keeping track of each headache and what has triggered it. Begin to look for your patterns and understand them.
Create a Positive Affirmation that helps you feel better during headaches. For example, tell yourself ‘I am learning how to not have headaches and this is just another lesson’ or ‘I am getting better every day’. Choose an affirmation that you can say with confidence.
Create a Positive Affirmation that addresses your triggers such as ‘I no longer get headaches from reading the word ‘headache” or ‘It is time to gain power over my triggers’.
See you next week!
Copyright 2008 Glenn Stewart Coles