EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
SELF PREPARATION:
I. Expand your Personal Belief System in the Powers of the Mind
1. Historical use of Healing with Words: Sleep Temples of ancient Egypt & Greece. "During fright, a particular image held in the mind will bring about a particular effect." -Hermes circa 100 BC.
"During periods of great stress, words that seem immaterial or are uttered in jest might become fixed in the mind and cause untold harm." Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons 1987 AD
2. We are constantly shifting our principal awareness from internal detection of chemical information like smell, taste, and emotion, to external, detection of electromagnetic vibrational signals such as sight, sound, and touch But we also shift back and forth between at least FIVE physically separate brain systems: ➀ The Body brain, ➁ The Action brain (the base, doing, or hind brain, called by some the Reptilian brain, or “R” system) ➂ The Emotional brain (the Limbic, mid, or Mammalian brain, or “M” system), ➃ The Creative brain usually functions in the right hemisphere of the Neocortex, or new brain, ➄ The Analytical brain usually functions from the left hemisphere of the Neocortex. We have the ability to Shift our awareness! Self- Hypnosis is automatic for most people in emergency situations. Body and vocal language can have powerful effects on these people, especially if their basic survival mechanisms are functioning below optimum capabilities. Images must be believed in if they are to be effective.
3. The Kansas City Experiment. In 1976 M. Erik Wright, M.D., Ph.D., knowing that trauma induces a deep trance state so no formal induction is necessary, prepared the following statement to be given by selected ambulance attendants to patients.
{NOTE: Start with first Name}
"The worst is over. We are taking you to the hospital. Everything is being made ready. Let your body concentrate on repairing itself and feeling secure. Let your heart, your blood vessels, everything bring themselves into a state of preserving your life. Bleed just enough to cleanse the wound, and let the blood vessels close down so that your life is preserved. Your body weight, your body heat, everything, is being maintained. Things are being made ready at the hospital for you. We're getting there as quickly and safely as possible. You are now in a safe position. The worst is over."
The results were spectacular! More patients survived the trip to the hospital, did better in surgery, and were released earlier than those brought in by other teams not using the statement! Unfortunately the hospital administration dropped the program when the funds were exhausted.
II. Learn how words influence Healing: Basic Assumptions:
1. Suggestions acted upon create less opposition to successive suggestions.
2. The greater the conscious effort, the less the subconscious response.
3. What is expected tends to be realized.
4. Imagination is more powerful than knowledge, so use IMAGES: With burns, suggest "the worst is over, cool, and comfortable." The FIRST GOAL IS VASO CONSTRICTION! Several hours later the time will come when suggestions for VASO DILATION will become appropriate.
5. Every thought or image can cause a physical reaction in the body. Learn to activate your own Image response centers. Get a pair of gloves and a selection of fresh fruit. Use all your senses to become acquainted with one item, then put on the gloves, close your eyes as you hold it, and re-create in your mind the tactile sensation you felt. Work at it until you can make any of them appear as real in your mind, with all of your senses. Then begin recreating vacation sites, and finally therapeutic sites for your clients, misty cold streams for heat prostration, snow banks for burn victims, or hot sunny, sandy beaches for hypothermia.
III. Learn what can be controlled. Virtually every cell in the body can be influenced by images held in the mind's eye, thereby controlling: sweating, blood pressure, blood vessel expansion & contraction, blood coagulation, blood flow to head or other specific sites, warts, flushing, goose pimples, selected area temperature increase or decrease, pain response, heart rate and force of contraction, lymphatic operation, respiratory rate and force, salivation or dryness of mouth, immune response, bowel motility, smooth muscle tension, glandular secretions, inflammatory response, allergic response, rate of healing, dermatitis, emotional reactions, and more!
IV. Build EXPECTATIONS:
1. Focus on positives, 2. Focus on the future. 3. Build their belief in their own personal power.
V. Build RAPPORT: You can't get rapport: When victim is on drugs, intoxicated, or psychotic.
A. General Principles:1. Sincerity, 2. Balance of Power, a. Acknowledge patient's Capability, b. Say what you are going to do before doing it, c. Praise clients"good" responses. 3. Positive Realism.
B. Strategies: 1. Direct Contract, 2. Feedback, 3. Joining in, then Reframing, 4. Diversion.
C. Transfer Rapport to your replacements.
VI. Learn how to use DIRECTIVES: 1. Contingency Suggestions, 2. Double binds, 3. Guided Imagery, 4. Ideomotor Movements, 5. Elimination of Guilt and Anger, 1. Be descriptive, 2. Be simple (bright 10 year old level), 3. Use emotional & exciting words. 4. Use native language if possible. BE BELIEVABLE: 1. Use progressive form of present tense, 2. Be Wisely Accurate. 3. Make the suggestions relative to the patient, not to the environment, or to others. The subconscious is LITERAL, so 1. Avoid phrases that have more than one meaning. 2. Affirm ability, not activity. 3. Be positive. Avoid negative words and phrases. Use ENTHUSIASM: Be enthusiastic at an appropriate level. Be as positive as possible. Help them see the situation as a challenge rather than as a problem. Give them as much CONTROL and power as they are able to handle as they leave your care 1. Give them the needed relief directives 2. Give them control of the triggers.
VII. Learn to recognize the SIGNS OF Trance: (May occur in ANY order) A dazed disconnected appearance or rapt attention, absent-minded jiggling of a body part, mentally straying from the subject at hand, stretching, yawning, far away look, glittery or glazed eyes, tearing, fluttering of eyelids, body slouch, reduction of reality testing, eyes moving from side to side (REM), then later rolling up and down, or up into head so only the whites show, skin flush, may speak of feeling light or heavy, feeling hot or cold, prickly or tingly, numb, analgesia or anesthesia, deepening and slowing of speech, swallowing, slowing of breathing and heart beat, sluggish or jerky (or very smooth and graceful for athletes) movement, body slumping, face becoming smooth (the “hypnotic mask”), hypnotic sigh, “floating head,” limbs tend to become immobile, then limp, then a "waxy" mobility, amnesia, positive and/or negative hallucinations, a childlike voice quality.
VIII. Gain CONFIDENCE- There are eight areas that improve with continual attention and work:
1. Faith in Self. 2. Physical personal fitness, training, & equipment. 3. Conquer your Personal Fears. 4. Monitor your Emotional Reactions. 5. Control your Extra Verbal reactions. 6. Develop a good Relaxation Response. 7. Rehearse Your Technique. 8. Be in the NOW!
PART II. Develop your GENERAL EMERGENCY techniques
A. Practice Introducing yourself as someone that can help. 1. Build rapport: Empower the Injured Person (IP). Ask questions, have them assist, address IP by name, pace emotions and breathing, make realistic statements while showing respect and concern, congratulate them on their positive responses.
2. Be a keen observer. Anticipate IP's needs. Join in on complaints, then reframe.
3. Build expectations. The Second Rule of the mind states: “What is expected tends to be realized.” The future is hopeful. Use tactful humor.
4. Divert attention from their worst problem.
5. Recognize & utilize their trance phenomena. Waking suggestion, waking hypnosis, hypnoidal, catalepsy, somnambul, Esdaile, hypnosleep.
6. Hypnotic contract: “I’m sure there is some other place you would prefer to be.”
7. Distract with guided imagery or by focusing on other less serious concerns.
8. Practice your emergency techniques. Until transferred, information is only available when we are in the trance states we originally learned them in. This is called “State dependent learning.” Repetition on many levels assures automatic access to your techniques when you go into trance at the scene.
9. Continue to learn about the mind.
B. Confront and overcome your own actions (disgust, fainting, vomiting, etc.) by learning to control your own emotions: We all carry emotional baggage from the past such as Fear, Anger, Confusion, Disgust, Hate, Horror, Stress, & Sadness. That baggage stimulates behaviors that may have been appropriate at one time, but you need to respond to the PRESENT now. Ignoring or hiding from them has never worked. Face them and Get Rid of Them!
C. Learn to control your extra-verbal signals. People who have been traumatized go into a childlike trance state where they can recognize and have adverse reactions to minimal face and body language cues, that we adults do not even notice we are sending. The first rule of the mind states: “Every thought causes an action in the body.” Change your thoughts to appropriate ones!
PART III. TECHNIQUES FOR SPECIAL EMERGENCIES:
A. Stopping External bleeding: "Listen to me! The worst is over. Stop the bleeding. Don't waste your blood!" Internal bleeding: "Imagine you have sent a crew of workers into (NAME). Imagine it any way you wish, but see how quickly & efficiently they can stop the bleeding."
B. High blood pressure: "Lean back, close your eyes, let those thoughts go now, quiet your mind and imagine being at your favorite location, nothing to do but allow your muscles to let go so your blood vessels can dilate and allow comfort to soak into your body. That's right, you are doing great!"
C. Low blood pressure: "Is there something, maybe several things you should have done that you haven't done? Allow yourself to feel a little worry, a little concern, a little anxiety, and notice how your muscles tighten up and your blood pressure increases."
D. Shock: "(NAME), you've lost lots of fluid and it has been difficult for your heart to pump oxygenated blood to all the parts of your body. Just imagine a garden hose with a little water running through it. Notice how slowly the water drips out of the end. But if you narrow the size of the opening the water comes out faster. Your body can adjust the size of your blood vessels to compensate for the loss of water. Go ahead now and allow your body to make those adjustments so that oxygenated blood can be carried to all the parts of your body that need it, especially your brain, your heart, your lungs, and your kidneys. Just begin to feel how those organs are right now being given adequate amounts of oxygen rich blood."
E. Burns: First Goal = VASO-CONSTRICTION, Later goal = VASO-DILATION. "The worst is over, so allow yourself to let go, relax, and just think pleasant happy thoughts for a while. Imagine having your ____ in a snow bank. Just feel your ___ being cool and comfortable."
F. Heat stroke:
1. Permissive: "You can make your skin blood vessels larger or smaller, whenever you need to. Just imagine that your nervous system is directing just the right amount of dilation so your blood vessels can keep your body temperature at a safe level. In your own way, see or feel yourself responding positively to this need. Notice how your blood vessels are doing exactly what they need to do to keep you as cool and comfortable as possible."
2. Directive: "Listen to me! Help is on the way! For now it is important that you become as cool as possible. You can do this by seeing yourself in your mind's eye, plunging into a very cold lake. You are wearing a life preserver, and all you have to do is enjoy the cold refreshing sensation of the water. Notice how your body temperature is already beginning to lower. Good! Now maintain that temperature, and that feeling. You are doing fine!"
G. Cold exposure: "I'm here to help now, so you can relax and imagine yourself out on a beach with a very hot sun beating down, hot breeze blowing around you, blood warming and thinning, heart moving the heat to where it is most needed."
H. Breathing problems: Asthma- Join in with labored breathing to get rapport with the subconscious, then lead to calmer breathing. "It is really hard ---to get a breath,--- isn't it?-- but notice - how it is getting a little easier now. Good! That's better! You are going to be fine now." Hyperventilation- "Slow your breathing down NOW! Exhale on my count only! One thousand and one, one thousand and two, one thousand and three, that's better! You have been getting too much oxygen. If you breath into this bag you will begin feeling better. That's right!"
I. Vomiting: "The worst is over. Your stomach has done it's job of removing toxins from your body and can now relax. Any toxins remaining can be gathered by your blood and lymph systems for removal by normal means. Now adjust your breathing and allow your body to return to health. That's right, nice even breathing, and notice the feelings of comfort and well-being that develop. That's right, you are back in control, feeling calm and content."
J. Impending death of someone close: "You are real scared, but we are going to take really good care of her. I need you to help with your mother. I need you to calm yourself, that's right, another deep breath, and go out to the street and flag down the ambulance."
K. Hysteria at the Loss of a loved one: "STOP! Take control of your breathing! Become aware of that breath moving in and out of your body. That's right. It’s time to cry now. Your ____ has passed away. We can do nothing for him but remember him and cry. Let everyone do their job, I'll stay with you and help you. The worst is over now, and you must remember how important it is for you to take care of (significant others).”
L. Heart problems: [Squeezing radiating pain] "I know how frightening this can seem, but the worst is over. Your body is now trying to obtain balance. You can help it by taking calm deep breaths, and imagining that pure oxygen going directly to the areas where it is needed, allowing those straining heart muscles to relax and regain their composure and beginning to work smoothly again. Imagine a team leader directing the uninjured muscles to work in an efficient coordinated way, easily compensating for the injured tissues.'
[Cardiac Arrest] "It looks like this fellow is going to be all right, doesn't it! Yes, it looks like he is going to make it! (NAME), you are going to be ok, but we need you to take a breath on your own. Great, now make that heart beat regularly. That's the way!" [Stroke] "You have had a blood vessel injury in your head. If you can hear what I am saying, just lift this finger. Good! While your brain figures out how to compensate, you can begin using the uninjured portions of your brain to help your breathing and swallow reflex. Just close your eyes and imagine being in some favorite resting place of yours. Lift that finger to let me know when you are there. Great!"
M. Allergies: [Bee sting] "Have you ever gotten goose pimples while thinking about something scary? Did they get worse when you stopped thinking about it, or did they go away when you stopped thinking about it? Well, your reaction to the bee sting is something like that. The bee sting has been taken care of, but your body hasn't realized that yet. Imagine that all those parts that have been called out are now being called back, and being put off duty. Thank them for helping, and send them back home. Just begin to feel your blood vessels constricting again, and your body becoming cool and comfortable. Notice that your face and throat are beginning to feel cool and comfortable already."
N. Grief & Guilt: "I may be wrong, but I sense you are blaming yourself just a little bit for this. Even if you could have done something to prevent this, don't you think what happened is punishment enough? Ok! Lift this finger to let me know when it is gone."
O. Overdose Suicide attempts: "If you had any guilt feelings about anything that is leaving you now. If you had any anger that is leaving as well! With each breath you take, your body will cleanse itself of the chemicals you took to gain relief from your grief. As those chemicals clear out, you will feel your health returning. Notice the new feeling of harmony with friends and family. Feel yourself being reborn into a new life."
P. Violent behavior: Join in! (I'm gonna kill Fred) "What's your name?” (None of your damned business) “It is hot tonight, and you probably think that your name is none of my damned business, but I'm sure angry at Fred!" (That louse stole my wife!) “Well, we aren’t going to let him control us, are we!”
PART IV. Understanding Pain.
A. Definitions:
● Pain Management: The use of hypnosis to reduce the amount of pain the client is experiencing. The discomfort may still be present but the severity of the pain will be decreased. Self hypnosis is very effective for pain management.
● Pain Control: The use of hypnosis to block or remove the sensation of pain to the mind. The client's body may still be sending the message, but the mind is no longer registering the sensation as pain.
Acute- Having a sudden onset, sharp rise, and a short course.
Benign- Not of a terminal nature.
Control- to reduce the incident or severity to innocuous levels.
Chronic-Marked by long durations, or frequent recurrence. Always present, constantly vexing, weakening, or troubling.
Iatrogenic- Induced inadvertently by a physician, or his treatment.
Innocuous- Harmless, producing no injury.
Noxious- Physically harmful or destructive to living beings.
Pain- A basic bodily function induced by a noxious stimulus to nerve endings, characterized by physical discomfort (as pricking, throbbing, or aching) and typically leading to evasive action.
B. Pain has two possible Origins: Physical, or Mental. Which is your type of pain?
You can probably discover this by answering these questions:
1. When did the pain first begin? 2. Are there days when you are pain free?
3. Is there a time of day when it's greater? 4. What has reduced it in the past?
5. What is your doctor's prognosis? 6. Who's been the most supportive of you with this?
7. Do you believe you'll be free of this? 8. Are there activities that cause the pain to increase?
9. Activities that cause it to decrease? 10. What has this pain prevented you from doing?
C. What is the purpose of this pain? Pain is a signal that something is wrong! Pain always has a purpose! Clearly receive, understand, and acknowledge the Full message before proceeding.
D. Pain Sensations:
1. Surface tissue: fast path = prickling and/or stinging; slow path = burning.
2. Deep tissue: Steady ache, throbbing, waves, radiating, or intermittent.
E. Pain dysfunction:
1. Self Punishment mechanism
2. Error messages: Cross talk, short circuits, open circuits.
3. Habitual pain (a holding circuit jammed by a strong emotion)
F. Intensity: Maximum = 3 X threshold value (7, raises as you focus on the area, lowers as you focus away), Consistent 21 increments from the minimum that can be felt to the maximum.
G. Register, Interpret, React: This is morale dependant, so it varies with individuals and situations.
H. Components and Functions of Pain: We can make interventions in any of the following areas.
✰ 1. Current (Physical) Pain: a) Damage Alarm, b) Stress Location Alarm, c) Local Area Awareness (hyperalgesia) alarm, d) Physical escape mechanism, e) Escape from duty.
✰ 2 Remembered Pain: a) Danger Alarm, b) to hold off Guilt
✰ 3. Imagined (amplified) Pain: a) Danger Alarm, b) to hold off Guilt
✰ 4. Emotional Pain of FEAR, anger, betrayal, or despair. a) Demand for personal attention, b) Allows a request for external support, c) Provide a sense of being real, d) An Emotional escape mechanism (if it is a substitute for mental anguish, THAT must be solved FIRST!!)
V. Working with Pain.
A. The FOUR DANGERS OF PAIN MANAGEMENT:
1: ______________________________________________________________________________
2: ______________________________________________________________________________
3: ______________________________________________________________________________
4: ______________________________________________________________________________
B. Purpose? Discover ALL the purposes this pain has!
C. Scaling or Rating the pain- Scale of 1-10, or 1- 100, yard stick 1-36, to measure change as it occurs. "Imagine a yardstick numbered from 1 to 36. Rather than inches, these numbers relate to the discomfort you may feel, 1 being the lowest and 36 the highest level. In a moment you are going to notice one of the numbers changing in some way, getting bolder or lighter, larger or smaller, slanting or spinning, in some way changing from the other numbers. The number that changes is the level of discomfort that you are experiencing right now. As soon as you notice which number is changing, nod your head yes." Check several times per session to verify shifts.
D. STRATEGIES: Select one of the following. If no results after several hours test, try another.
In preparation for surgery, train your client in more interventions than can be used!!
1. Reframe: Phantom limb pain proves that phantom limb pleasure is also possible!)
2. Utilize Memory & Imagination of numbness, cold, drugs, Glove Anesthesia, or Action Imagery (fishing, hiking, swimming, running, eating, etc.) that will grip the attention.
3. Block: Amnesia, Switch off, closing pipe valves, stopping messengers, etc.
4. Convert to another sensation; warmth, cool, pleasant tingle, vibration, music.
5. Dissociation: view from elsewhere.
6. Focus attention elsewhere. 1. Acknowledge, address, then ignore. 2. Re-evaluate the situation. 3. Focus on another, but minor injury.
7. Transfer 1. Point of origin to another location. 2. point of reception to another location (dead letter office, wrong message decoding dept. 3. Both of above.
8. Transform: regulating intensity, or changing nature (transformer, dimmer, rheostat)
9. Train to use Esdaile, Hypnosleep, or other endorphin producing measures.
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