Bruxism

Hello, all.

I would like to just make an interesting comment about how people problem-solve (people meaning me in this case) and process information from a variety of sources, sort through it and make changes.

Back when I was working on sleeping better, I tried lots of things. In fact, when I was at my tipping point (when I first decided to take ownership of my problem and do something about it), I made an explosion of changes! The result was an immediate change in my sleep pattern, increasing from 2-3 hours a night to 5. That significant change made a huge change in my health and overall mental state, which then allowed me to begin to make other changes. I experimented with a lot of things, and in various combinations, but all the time knowing somehow that I would find my way (perhaps the one most important belief that I have taken away from my experience over the last year is that I have many more resources in me to solve my problems than I ever realized). Eventually, I added one building block after another, sometimes chipping away at some things to make them fit, sometimes tossing some things away that just wouldn't fit, and sometimes completely adding things. The point that I guess I would like to make is that I believe that every one of those choices and experiences took part in leading me to the point where I reached my goal. There is no magic bullet to help me stop bruxing. It will not be any one approach--and I sure have looked at a lot of them! Someone recently asked me to make a list of all the things I've used, and so here goes:

Psychotherapy (don't wince too much)
Autogenics
Hypnosis/Ericksonian Therapy
MP3 File
Swish
Compulsion Blow Out
Self Hypnosis, and using a stress ball
EFT
MotivAider
Massage Therapy

I look at the above list and do not see a single thing that has not been useful in some way. Thank you to every person who guided me to those choices. No single thing has solved my problem. Some things have played larger parts in solving the problem than others, and my other half does say that I am improving--I just haven't eliminated it yet.

And, with sleep, I eventually found my seven hours of bliss a night--when I wanted it--and also discovered that I didn't always need it or want it (sometimes six hours of bliss was quite enough!). I am sure that I am moving closer towards a solution, and learning a lot about a lot of different things as I go. My resources of time and money are limited, so some options lay untested as a result. Nevertheless, I believe that I will find a solution, and that may be all I need in order to make it happen.


Make sense? I guess it doesn't really matter, as long as it makes sense to me. But, feel free to allow yourself to learn from my experience...

Phil

Hi Phil,

Thank You for your insight.

Sometimes things that don't make sense at first do make sense in a different setting or time frame. I believe that if you, me whoever is open minded to learning new ways of solving old concerns, only good can come of it. Our minds can be like open books if we allow it... Recources too can often be found without spending a penny and look after the pennies and the pounds will strangely enough look after themselves..

Violeta

The point that I guess I would like to make is that I believe that every one of those choices and experiences took part in leading me to the point where I reached my goal. There is no magic bullet to help me stop bruxing. It will not be any one approach--and I sure have looked at a lot of them!

Hey Phil,

Congratulations on the leaps you've already made .

I think taking multiple approaches to solving any problem is very wise. When my step-dad had cancer, me and my mum researched every treatment under the sun. He was offered surgery to remove two thirds of his stomach, and the doctors gave him three months to live even with the surgery (which he understandably refused!). As it turned out he lived two years, and may have lived even longer were it not for certain other complications.

I believe the multi-treatment approach we and several other practitioners used helped him tremendously. I was also aware that there were times when the sheer number of things he was doing and taking became overwhelming, and some treatments were not done as thoroughly as they should have been, or were dropped off and substituted with the next "magic bullet".

One of the lessons I drew from that time was that it makes sense to treat any illness or problem from multiple angles, and you need to ensure you can fully commit to a certain number of these treatments and give them time to take their full effect.

I find it interesting how Richard Bandler - the quick-change artist par excellence - is often heard to say "If what you're doing isn't working, try something else". But it's less widely known that he also counters this with "How many times did you try it? Once? I would have been the guy who did the pattern over and over, testing it in every way possible, until I got the result I wanted".

Now that isn't intended as a personal comment about you Phil, I don't think you've been doing anything just once, but the wider point I'm making is that choosing multiple approaches, going from plan A to plan B...

Going to plan D now...

...needs to be tempered with a willingness to commit to an approach for a sustained period, and to let the results grow more stable and consistent over time.

AND... I know you know this. By the sounds of it you're already doing a grand job, and I know you've been doing autogenics consistenly, you've been using the motivaider during the day, and you're adding in things like massage and testing the results. All great stuff methinks.

So my only direct comment to you is that maybe you don't need a plan D right now. Maybe you need to persist with plan C for a few weeks (say, three to six) and then decide if you want to try plan D .

All the best,

Joe

Joe,

Excellent advice, thank you. This is exactly what I have done. Things that show promise tend to stick in my repertoire--for instance, Autogenics has proven helpful in a lot of other ways in my life, so I simply shift the focus of the practice of it a little bit, and continue its use. The MotivAider provided instant results in regards to relaxation during the day, and I am shifting how I am using it to find the best way to help (changing the interval, and when I use it). Some things have a proven track record with lots of people for centuries (massage therapy and acupressure) so I am more likely to try them for longer, and see what the benefits are.

More later--off to the smiling children--with smiling ME!

...OK, back for a few minutes before I am off to teaching, with a thought...making the quest playful is of course a more productive approach, as I always believe in making learning fun--experience with my students tells me that they learn much more when they're having a good time!

So, for now, I will just stick with the things I know have worked or have been thoroughly tested by a lot of people for a long time (Autogenics, Acupressure & Massage, MotivAider) and see what happens.

Phil

I am happy to report that the Autogenics/MotivAider/Acupressure & Massage combination is working well. I have had two decent nights in a row, waking up feeling comfortable! Here is the current schedule I'm using:

1) Wear MotivAider around the clock, timed at 15 minute intervals

2) Autogenics at least 3x daily, with the longest session about 30-60 minutes before bedtime

3) Chinese Acupressure and massage technique in bed right before falling asleep, followed by another round of autogenics as I fall asleep

It's working!

I hope that some other people find this useful, and perhaps you can recommend this information to your clients and/or friends, or if you brux yourself, you can try it out and see if it helps.

Phil

I have a report on my current situation which you all may find interesting...

...last night, I had a very distinct feeling that for the first time I was in control of my behavior while I was sleeping. I don't know if I am beginning to experience lucid dreaming or what, but it's very different.

I don't think I'm bruxing much right now...if at all, it is certainly very little.

Anyone have any comments on what I'm experiencing?

Phil

Hi Phil,

I think the lucid dreaming could be that your unconcious mind is letting you know that everything is OK!

I get that different feeling now and I've interpreted it as peace of mind!

It's very relaxing to know that my unconcious mind is looking after me...

all the best,

Violeta