Visualization techniques, according to a woman who suffered from crippling pain as a teenager, saved her life.
Maya Raichoora used to suffer from ulcerative colitis and take 65 pills per day.
She claimed that using visualization techniques had benefited her, and as a result, she co-founded Remap, a start-up that aims to assist others.
She said, "I just wouldn't be here if it weren't for visualization. It's been life-saving and life-changing.".
The 24-year-old claimed that visualizing is like "brain weightlifting" and can enhance one's "thinking, feeling, and performance.".
Remap was created by her and co-founder Ben Wainwright while they were both attending the University of Bristol's Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
"Many people told me that my life, the life I knew, was over; that I would need round-the-clock care for the rest of my life, surgery, and all kinds of things," said Miss Raichoora.
"The pain was unbearable and constant. Even the highest doses of morphine had no effect. It was occasionally too painful to cry.
"I can still clearly recall the day they told me that I couldn't physically attend university. Even for a 15-year-old, it was a lot. ".
At Bristol University's School of Physiology, Pharmacology, and Neuroscience, Dr. Robert Drake works as a research fellow.
"Visualizations probably provide a sense of control in what probably feels like an uncontrollable situation, and we know from fundamental research that perceived control supports successful coping and better health," he said. ".
Ms. Raichoora began visualizing while she was lying in yet another hospital bed and was unable to move for two weeks due to pain.
She started out slowly, imagining what it would be like to walk once more.
She claimed that although the mental pictures had given her a brief moment of hope, it would take several days of visualization before she finally took her first shaky steps.
I was just like, 'Oh my god,'" she remarked. "I carried on doing it after that. I would picture myself returning home, visiting my dog, and entering Bristol University. It gradually gave me the drive and stamina to continue.
After consulting with doctors, she said, "nine years later, I no longer take any medication.".
Every day, Ms. Raichoora meditates for an hour and spends an hour visualizing. The visualizations can range from the desired future to a successful outcome of a pitch meeting to simple images that make her feel good.
Positive imagery, according to Dr. Drake, activates "pain modulatory systems to tune down pain in anticipation of painful movement" and boosts mood and motivation.
Techniques that heighten a person's internal awareness and sensations, according to Dr. Drake, have been shown to "provide therapeutic benefits" for a range of pain, mood, and psychiatric disorders.
"The interaction between thoughts or beliefs and sensory processing is inherently difficult to study, whether in animals or humans," the author continued. "As a result, we currently lack the mechanistic neurophysiological understanding to make a compelling case to the public, who are, of course, a little sceptical. .
"However, we are beginning to see a change in the recommendations from specialized clinicians and the NHS that enhancing patients' lived experiences of pain through wellbeing, therapy, and other means produces positive results for them, frequently better than those offered by their current medications. ".
Both of the co-founders recently received funding from the university's start-up competition while still receiving mentoring from the staff of the University of Bristol's Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
In the same way that people can train their bodies to achieve their goals, they can also train their minds, according to Mr. Wainwright, 23, who experienced anxiety during his school years.
"My own mind was largely responsible for my anxiety. Realizing that if my mind was causing it, it could also stop it was a significant realization for me. ".
"We picture a world where being mentally fit is as common as being physically fit.
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