The Therapy Technique that Allowed me to Leave the ER

A few years ago, I came down with a stomach bug that freaked me out. I had been in the bathroom so many times that I’d started to get dizzy and felt myself beginning to lose consciousness, and thinking that’s not how I wanted to be found, I dialed 911.

I recovered my senses after about five minutes and called the ambulance off, fearing embarrassment at them coming out to treat a mere tummy bug. I went to the ER the next day since I was severely dehydrated. I waited several hours before being taken back, throwing up a few times in the waiting room. When they finally got to me, I had a fever, which to me meant that I was constantly freezing because they wouldn’t allow me to cover up in a blanket.

They hooked me up to all of the monitoring devices and gave me fluids. After a couple of hours, I was better, but I wasn’t allowed to leave because of one remaining problem.

My heart rate was too high.

The monitor showed that I wasn’t going below 120 bpm, and they told me that they would have to keep me until it came down unless I wanted to leave against medical advice. I was frustrated, and so I asked my dad, who came to sit with me, to turn off the lights and to be quiet for a little while.

Experiencing a normal heart rate for the first time in her life

When I was in school for my masters in counseling, my favorite professor taught us a relaxation technique called autogenic relaxation, and it’s a process of going through various parts of your body and relaxing them by speaking to each part in your mind. I’d done this a few times with my clients and they found that they were able to fall asleep faster at night and to experience a deeper level of relaxation than before.

One young woman continues to pop up in my memory. I was seeing her regularly for chronic anxiety due to severe complex trauma. Because of what she’d gone through and also some health conditions she suffered from, her resting heart rate was 115. She told me that she’d never had a normal resting heart heart. It was always somewhere above 100.

After I walked her through the relaxation steps I checked her pulse. It was 75.

Hoping for the same results as my client, I used the technique on myself, and my heart rate fell from 120 bpm to 85. I said to my dad “go get them before it goes back up.” He brought a nurse in and they drew up my discharge papers.

Try it for yourself!

Autogenic relaxation is simple. To start, make sure you are sitting or laying in a comfortable position with your arms to your side and your legs uncrossed. Take a couple of deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth to prep your body for relaxation.

In your mind start talking to your body. My right arm feels heavy. Say it three to four times and then switch to your left arm. My left arm feels heavy. Do the same with both legs.

Switch back to your arms and say in your mind My right arm feels warm. Do it to your left arm and both legs then, My torso feels warm.

Then comes the part that slowed my heart, My heart beats steady. Speak to your breath. My breath breathes deep. Then the last bit is My forehead feels cool. This is important because when the head feels cooler than the body, it’s relaxation. When the body is cooler than the head, it’s uncomfortable.

That’s the induction. After you’re done you can stay as long as you want in this state of relaxation.

The induction steps in order

For a quick reference, here’s everything in order. Remember that every phrase is repeated 3-4 times.

Two deep breaths

My right arm feels heavy

My left arm feels heavy

My right leg feels heavy

My left leg feels heavy

My right arm feels warm

My left arm feels warm

My right leg feels warm

My left leg feels warm

My torso feels warm

My heart beats steady

My breath breaths deep

My forehead feels cool

I hope that this is a benefit for you! Feel free to comment any questions you have and let me know in the comments if this was helpful for you!