Is a body scan meant to be difficult and exhausting?

[Sandstone]

This was the first time I've done a formal body scan, with a fairly new therapist. During it, as well as noticing my body, I was aware of my vision contracting and becoming red faded from the edge inwards. Afterwards I felt pressure inside my head, and that has stayed with me, along with being very tired. Is that right?

I'm not on very good terms with my body, and it was generally a hard session - either might account for the tiredness. I know this T uses hypnosis, and I wonder if I was heading in that direction. I'm not ready to trust her with that.

 

[somerandomguy]

If you have body issues, concentration issues, or both, I think doing a body scan could be difficult and bring up some unpleasant feelings.

I've encountered that contracting vision while meditating. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but it's nothing to worry about.

Meditation - which often uses body scanning - has sometimes been described as a kind of self-hypnosis in that you are relaxed and more aware of things than you might usually be. But it doesn't make you suggestible or anything, so it's pretty much not anything like traditional hypnosis. Just a different state of awareness.

 

[barefoot]

Yes, I find body scans very difficult. Though I have got better at them.

I don’t have much connection/positive relationship with my body...partly, I think, because my body hasn’t always felt safe, partly because I’d had years of chronic pain so had sort of cut that off and partly because my body just often feels like it’s nothing to do with me.

Body scans ie actually having to focus on my body and the feelings/sensations in my body have tended to freak me out. I didn’t like the thought of doing them so would avoid them. If I did try them I would feel panicky pretty quickly. And often I’d get spacey and sometimes would fully dissociate.

I could never have done it with my therapist - I don’t think I could do it now either, even though I can now tolerate body scans much better and even though I like my T a lot. The thought of doing it in front of her is just...no! Too excruciating to even think about...too intimate...I would feel far too self-conscious, which would be incredibly anxiety-making.

So, kudos to you for doing that!

The contracted vision...I get that sometimes when I start getting spacey before I get sucked into full-on dissociation. And that spaciness/dissociation makes me feel incredibly tired.

Would you like to give it another go or has this experience put you off?

 

[Justmehere]

I could never do hypnosis. But I’ve done body scans. It’s a common mindfulness technique. Used to be very uncomfortable. Now I can do them slowly.

 

[Nessa7]

I've experienced all kinds of strange things when starting with body scans and progressing into other meditation techniques. I think it would be helpful to talk to your therapist about what you experienced. Even if an attempt doesn't have the results you want, you can still learn something from it.

I think it would be really strange for a therapist to start doing hypnosis with a patient with PTSD quickly, espescially if they aren't comfortable with the idea.

 

[shimmerz]

I have never been able to do body scans or meditation. I have been using the Feldenkrais method in order to reattach to my body and I seem to be able to tolerate it. Feldenkrais was great at neuroplasticity long before it was a 'thing' and his exercises are simple and go back to the basics of how a baby attaches to their body. He also did a ton of work with children that had cerebral palsy (which is actually what it looks like I have when I start going into a state) where he literally taught them how to use their muscles again in fairly short time frames.

 

[shatter eyes]

I was aware of my vision contracting and becoming red faded from the edge inwards

I get the same red faded or glow. I wonder does have anything to do with our chakras...

Bodyscan and meditation has been difficult also for me. It seems to make my heart race.

 

[Rumors]

I feel like I am suffocating when I do one... I also feel like an idiot when that happens. I'm sorry I wish I had some advice but all I can say is keep chipping away. Best wishes

 

[Friday]

Not sure if it’s meant to be exhausting, but it’s such a common reaction that the sleep clinic I went to -and many bedtime meditations- use it as a final activity before sleep / as part of sleep hygiene.

I’d completely forgotten about it / what a useful trick that can be.

 

[msjanetxtreme]

I had difficulty doing a body scan as well. It could've been a warning for me that I wasn't "just" depressed but I hadn't experienced any sudden memory flooding at the time. My initial experience was anxiety-ridden at focusing on different body parts then later after my first triggered experience, I had flashbacks during the body scan.

Are you doing a mindfulness-based therapy? You might want to explore other forms of body/moving meditation and return to the body scan a little later when you're more comfortable with your body. I wish I had been more gentle with myself at the time instead of trying to "power through" like I usually do.

 

[Abstract]

Did a bit of autogenic training around the time my ptsd started spilling over the edge in a more pronounced way. What I realised was that I was very very cut off from my body and couldn't feel parts of it much. I think bringing attention to it like that strained my conscious mind, making it harder than ever to keep shoving things into the subconscious. Made its task harder. Made me feel like had been put through a meat tenderiser and all sorts was seeping out the cracks.

 

[Abstract]

Just me but I am very wary of hypnosis when there are question marks about what is in the conscious and subconscious mind. Memories etc. Its like a pressure valve and is there for a reason. Hypnoses essentially partially bypasses that valve. Happy if it works for others but not going there for me. Want to push through but shall do it consciously. Like @msjanetxtreme mentioned, even mindfulness can let things out when we may need to be more measured.