Operation Heal – Rapid Recovery from Surgery, Procedures & Treatments
A Program to Promote Healing, Increase Comfort, and Reduce Pain Medication
Healing from surgery, clinical procedures, and medical treatments is a cooperative effort between you and your doctor. However, responsibility for successful and rapid healing lies within you. There is a mind-body connection that we often neglect to consider when preparing for surgery. We believe that all we need do is follow the surgeon’s prescriptions, after the fact, and we will be healed. This may or may not be the case. In fact, the physician, as a qualified expert attuned to your needs, is a primary participant, along with you, in the healing process.
You may believe that healing is a natural physiological process, and it is for many. However, this process is often inhibited by stress and anxiety, which reduces necessary blood flow for healing and increases pain. By using your mind power, you can improve your comfort level and decrease the use of potentially addictive medication.
There is another natural component to healing, which is the mind-body connection, where your body responds to what the mind is telling it to do. For example, your body knows how to heal naturally. Think of when you get a cut on your finger or a scrape on your knee, and you are bleeding. The wound will close up with a little pressure and heal on its own, many times without stitches.
But did you ever think about the healing process itself and how it will be facilitated or hindered by what the mind is telling the body and what you are thinking and feeling at the time? Have you ever heard of cases where the surgeon believes that patients should have healed, but for some unknown reason, they have not? Or, in contrast, the patient healed much faster from the surgery than expected? This is because there is a mind-body connection.
By the late 19th century and early 20th century, psychiatrists, in the burgeoning field of mental health, began to explore the mind and body as one. Today, there has been much research in the field of Psychoneuroimmunology that provides evidence that the mind-body duo is powerful, and learning how to use it to your advantage can promote healing and assist you on your way to a healthy recovery.
Prescription for Healing
At The Summit Center for Ideal Performance, you can learn how to access the extraordinary power of your mind, to visualize the results you desire. Of course, the program, Operation Heal, can be used for any surgical procedure or to improve any health issue, including the administration of treatments and drugs, such as chemotherapy. But can you imagine NOW how rapid healing from complex surgery and the minimal use of postoperative pain medication could make you more alert and energized and give you a boost to your physical and emotional well-being and health?
Focus on Healing During the Perioperative Period
By maintaining a focused positive mental attitude pre-operatively, during the surgery, and post-operatively, you will reduce the time it takes to recover.
Here are some of the basic components of this proven program that you will learn to help you get into the Healing Zone:
- Hypnotic relaxation techniques and coping skills to reduce anxiety
- Goal setting for health that suits your specific needs
- Pre-op mental rehearsal to prepare for surgery, procedure or treatment
- Imagery and visualization to proactively see yourself achieve your goals
- How to talk to your body to heal
- Positive self-talk for healing that supports you from beginning to end
- Control of physical comfort levels by reducing pain and the need for medication
These simple, easy-to-learn-skills are already within you and can be released for your benefit through self- hypnosis, taught by your coach, Dr. Silverstein.
Who are Prime Candidates for Operation Heal?
Those who:
- Have an upcoming operation or medical procedure scheduled
- Are undergoing treatments such as chemotherapy, dialysis, or physical therapy
- Feel anxious about the upcoming event
- Have a fear of needles and anesthesia
- Are worried about the outcome of the surgery
- Have had negative experiences with surgery in the past and think it will happen again
- Have doubts that their body will heal naturally and completely
- Seek new avenues of healing holistically in mind, body, and spirit
- Want to participate with the surgeon to promote rapid healing
- Wish to feel relaxed and at ease before, during, and after the surgery, procedure or treatment
You can work with your personal performance coach, Dr. Christine Silverstein, to prepare physically and psychologically for surgery, procedures, and treatments. It is easy to connect with your own body’s natural healing power, when you know how to mentally prepare to relax through the experience.
Additional Information
This article appeared in Quality Times magazine. It describes the mind-body connection and the effect on human performance.