At the end of last week, those of you that follow my twitter feed or are friends with me on Facebook will have seen that I am going to be competing in the 2014 Marathon Des Sables. It is a 151 mile race, over 6 days across the Sahara desert. I know it sounds crazy, but it is a challenge I am incredibly excited about and following next years Spring marathon race season, I’ll be training full-on for this ultra distance endurance race.

My hypnosis for running blog will chart my training and report on the event itself.

Anyhow, one of the biggest issues that a runner can face is of course illness or injury. Just yesterday, we all heard the very sad news that Paula Radcliffe cannot compete in the Olympic marathon here on home soil due to an ongoing problem with her foot and it is such a shame for her and those of us that are big fans of hers.

I have had plantar fasciitis in my left foot. I have had shin splints in both legs on a couple of occasions. I have had flu once or twice that hindered my training plans (you may have noticed this earlier this year!). Worst of all though, I once fractured a metatarsal in one of my feet.

I remember finishing a training run and finding my foot to be a bit sore, as I walked home, I got to the stage where I could not walk anymore, and as I showered, I could not even put any weight on it at all. The fractured bone was not something I could run off! I had to rest fully and let it repair… While also having my foot in plaster and wearing a specialist shoe over it that looked like one of Herman Munster’s hand-me-downs!

In coming weeks I am going to be looking at the subject of accelerated healing using hypnosis. There is a great deal of research demonstrating the efficacy of hypnosis being used in this way, in particular with it being used before and after surgery. However, first off, I thought I’d show how hypnosis can be used to enhance healing fractured bones!

In 1999, a study conducted by Ginandes, C. S. and Rosenthal, D. I entitled Using hypnosis to accelerate the healing of bone fractures: a randomized controlled pilot study, featured in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 5: 67-75.

The sample was only twelve patients who had fractured ankle bones. The group that had hypnosis sessions and used self-hypnosis audios during recovery all experienced significantly greater bone healing than the control group when checked (blind) by a radiologist 6 weeks later. So although not a massive study and despite not having more studies of this nature to support the use of hypnosis in this way, there are some reasons to be positive and encouraged.

Myself, in addition to the research findings, I can also state that my own fracture healed much faster and with far less pain than was anticipated by the medical professionals I dealt with at Bournemouth Hospital, and Katie kept telling me off for taking my plaster off before the recommended time.

So, for anyone wanting to use hypnosis to speed up any of their own fractures, and who want to feel that they are contributing to their own recovery with more than rest, then this process is for you.

Get yourself into a comfortable position, which may be easier said than done if you have a fractured bone of some kind. Ensure you’ll be undisturbed for the remainder of this process, then run through these steps:

6 Steps To Advance Healing Fractured Bones:

Step One: Induce Hypnosis.

You can do so by any means you desire or know of. You can use the process in my Science of self-hypnosis book, use the free audio we give away on this website to practice or have a look at the following articles as and when you need them; they are basic processes to help you simply open the door of your mind:

Heavy Arm Self-Hypnosis Induction Method
Using Eye Fixation for Self-Hypnosis
The Chiasson Self-Hypnosis Method
Hand to Face Self-Hypnosis Induction
Using Magnetic Hands for Self-Hypnosis
The Coin Drop Self-Hypnosis Induction

However, with this process, an induction is potentially too much activity, so I teach my clients how to adopt a hypnotic mindset and simply have a mindset that is positive and expectant. Again, to really understand the cognitive set of the hypnotic mindset, go grab a copy of my Science of self-hypnosis book where it is explained in simple but comprehensive terms.

Once you have induced hypnosis, move on to step two.

Step Two: Firstly, we want to create a good level of self-awareness and mindfulness of the body and breathing.

So begin by heightening your awareness of your entire of your body. Scan through it, over it, around it from the top of your head, all the way down into your fingers and your toes. Get really aware of your entire body as one. Notice and become mindful of your muscles as they relax and are still while you are in this position, notice your nerves becoming quiet. Just observe the experience of your body in this moment.

By being mindful, it means that you just watch your body, you don’t try to change anything; don’t try to stop anything from changing. There is every chance that things change while you are observing them, and just do that, observe.

Be passive, a detached observer, just be contented to notice what you notice, feel what you feel.

Really tune into the sensations of your breathing. Notice the parts of your body that move when you breathe, be aware of the sensations of your breathing and really take some time to tune into your body and your breathing.

With that mindfulness developed, drifting deeper inside your mind, move on to the next step.

Step Three: Zone in on the area of your body where the fractured bone is. Tune into that general area where the fractured bone is. Get a sense of how that area feels.

Now move your awareness deeper and imagine the bone within that area. Perhaps you can imagine it suspended within your imagination. Move your awareness all over it and around it, notice where the fracture is, and notice how you imagine that fracture.

As you observe the fracture, start to imagine it healing and closing. Imagine it being sealed up powerfully and strongly. You might imagine a healing agent, or a sealant being applied to it that secures it, heals it and restructures it with strength.

Now imagine a healing colour flowing through the bone, a colour that you associate with health and well-being, strength and repair.

Now imagine a sound flowing through the bone, reinforcing it, healing and enhancing it.

Imagine a sensation flowing through the bone that is one of strength and healing and comfort.

Imagine that your thoughts are stimulating tissue growth and are creating a fusion at the site of the injury and that any inflammation and swelling is subsiding… As if it were cooling, soothing and becoming more comfortable.

Make sure you take all the time necessary to really generate the right kind of fusion imagery here.

When you have spent all the time needed to create a solid looking healed bone inside of your mind, then you move on to the next step.

Step Four: Now we want to enhance your belief in your body’s ability to do this and we do that by using healing cognitions.  You want to ensure that these cognitions are filled with belief. So as you affirm in your mind, make sure you do it with meaning and conviction.

Affirm to yourself, something along the lines of:
My bone is healing faster and faster.
My bone is healing more and more effectively.
I can feel it healing.
I imagine my bone healing and becoming stronger.

Use whatever words appeal to you the most and sit well with you the most agreeably.

Repeat this positive cognition inside your mind a number of times inside your mind in a way that you find to be undeniably convincing. Then move on to the next step.

Step Five: Sometimes a fractured bone can cause discomfort and associated anxiety that can get in the way of our recovery.

To round this process off then, we engage in some progressive relaxation while thinking about the bone (similar to desensitization). Engage in some progressive relaxation while you are continuing to imagine the bone healing:

You can do this in a number of ways…

1. You can simply breathe and say the word ‘soften’ to yourself as you think of the muscles of your body.
2. You can spread a colour through your body, one muscle at a time.
3. Imagine light and/or heat spreading through you, relaxing you deeply.
4. Imagine that you are a rag doll and that your muscles are loose, limp and dormant.

5. Imagine being close to the heat source that spreads throughout you.

There are many, many other ways to use progressive relaxation. Just use whatever process you know of to deeply relax and allow your body to be more and more relaxed.

Once you have relaxed your entire body, simply move on to the final step.

Step Six: Exit hypnosis. Take a couple of nice deep, energising breaths. Wiggle your toes and fingers and open your eyes.

With the research and with my own experience, as I seem to say often here on the blog, this process requires repetition and continued use.

It is important to be responsible and sensible whilst using this type of process. Do check that your bones have healed prior to heading out on strenuous activity. Don’t convince yourself of it having healed and then you go out and make it worse through rigourous activity when the healing has not fully happened.

… But for those of you that sadly experience such a thing as a fractured bone, I think you’ll love using this process and you’ll get wonderful results with its persistent application.

Have a great day, I’ll be back very soon.

Has this resonated with you in some way? Maybe one of these links may interest you?

1. Has an injury held you back and is it still doing so now?
Coaching with Adam Eason Or Hypnotherapy with Adam Eason
2. Would you like a satisfying and meaningful career as a hypnotherapist helping others overcome injuries and related issues?
Adam Eason’s Anglo European training college.

Likewise, if you’d like to learn more about self-hypnosis, understand the evidence based principles of it from a scientific perspective and learn how to apply it to many areas of your life while having fun and in a safe environment and have the opportunity to test everything you learn, then come and join me for my one day seminar which does all that and more, have a read here: The Science of Self-Hypnosis Seminar.