Relaxation for Headache Relief

Relaxation is effective in providing relief from headaches. This relaxation for headache relief script will describe ways to cope with and reduce headache pain.  

Relaxation can allow you to influence physical responses that are usually automatic – such as blood flow and muscle tension, the primary causes of migraine headaches and tension headaches. By reversing the physical causes of headaches, it is possible to achieve headache relief through relaxation.

Before you begin, take note of how you are feeling. Notice your headache. If you were to rate the severity of this headache, with zero being no pain at all and 10 being the worst imaginable pain, what rating would you assign right now? Rate your headache from zero to 10.  

Find a comfortable position – sitting in a supportive chair or lying down are ideal – and start to relax your body with some gentle stretches. During this headache relief script, stop or ease up if you experience pain or discomfort. Listen to your body and make sure to stretch gently and safely.   

Lower your left ear toward your left shoulder. Return to center. Lower your right ear toward your right shoulder. Return to center. Repeat, leaning left…. center…. right…. center…. left…. center…. right….. center.  

Now lower your chin toward your chest. Allow the weight of your head to stretch the back of your neck, with your muscles relaxed…. No force….. just allow your head to hang forward.  

Keeping your head forward, roll slightly to the left and upward, back to center… now slightly to the right and upward. Your head will move left to right, tracing a slight U shape. Left… forward…. right…..forward…. left…… forward….. right….. forward.  

Now return to a neutral position. Look up, gently leaning your head back to stretch the front of your neck. Return to neutral. Look up one more time, stretching…. relaxing…. and return to neutral.  

Bring your shoulders up toward your ears…. hold….. now lower your shoulders. Bring them even lower still…. Return to neutral. Repeat one more time, raising your shoulders up….. and then lowering them…. Now relax your shoulders into a low neutral position.  

Shake your shoulders front to back by bringing your left shoulder back a short distance while you move your right shoulder forward a small amount. Now move your right shoulder back and the left one forward. Repeat rapidly… shake….. shake….. shake. Relax your shoulders now. Feel the tension leaving your body as you relax. Notice the beginning of headache relief as your muscles relax and let go.  

Focus now on your breathing. Breathe in deeply. Feel the air you breathe in relax and sooth you. Exhale fully, breathing out all the air…. Relaxing as you breathe out.  

Take another deep breath in….. and out….. in…… out….  

Continue breathing deeply.  

Turn your attention now to your headache. Where is the rating right now, from zero to 10? Allow the headache relief to occur as you relax further.  

Notice specifically where the pain is located. When you breathe in, imagine that you are breathing relaxation into this area. When you breathe out, imagine exhaling away tension. In your mind, direct your breath to this area.  

Imagine now that your feet are warm, becoming even warmer. Feel the warmth increasing in your feet and in your legs.  

Notice your hands, and imagine that the palms of your hands are warming. Picture your hands becoming warm and heavy…. Your arms also becoming warm and relaxed.  

Your arms and legs are very heavy and very warm. Very relaxed. Allow the warmth in your arms and legs to increase. Warmer and warmer.  

Turn your attention to your forehead. Imagine that your forehead is smooth and cool. Feel the coolness on your forehead – as if a block of ice is a few inches away from your skin, and you can feel the cool air from the ice moving gently across the skin of your forehead. Your forehead feels quite cool – you can feel that the ice is very near, but it does not touch your skin.  

Allow the feeling of coolness to move along the surface of your face and head. Starting from your eyebrows, feel the cool air on your eyelids and cheeks. Feel the coolness spreading to the top of your head, the sides of your head, the back of your head. It is so pleasant and cool. The coolness provides headache relief.  

Imagine wrapping your head in a cool, wet cloth. Imagine the first strip of cloth laying across your forehead, and then above your left ear, around the back of your head, above your right ear, and over your forehead again. Imagine wrapping your head completely in comforting, soothing coolness. It is wrapped fairly tightly, and the pressure feels good. It pushes away the pain you were experiencing, leaving only a calming firm touch. It is very cool.  

Imagine that the cloth that wraps your head becomes slightly looser. Feel your body relaxing, just as the cloth is relaxing…..  

You can barely feel the cloth on your skin now, as it becomes looser still. You are feeling very comfortable and relaxed. Let a feeling of relaxation begin at the very top of your head. It might feel heavy… or light… it might feel tingly….. feel the relaxation at the top of your head.  

Allow the feeling of relaxation and to grow, expanding with each breath you take. The air you breathe in adds to the relaxation. The calm and relaxation you are experiencing allows you to experience headache relief. The relaxation is like a bubble of peace and calm, growing larger and larger as more relaxation is added each time you breathe in. The area around the relaxation gets smaller with each breath out as you exhale any feelings of tension.  

Let the relaxation grow, spreading to your eyebrows, eyelids, eyes, cheeks, nose, mouth, chin.  Feel the relaxation filling up the space inside your head. Relaxing the top of your head, the back of your head, the sides of your head, your ears.  

Feel the very top of your neck relaxing, and the tingly feeling of relaxation spreading down the back of your neck…. the sides of your neck….. the front of your neck…. Your shoulders.  

With each breath, imagine the relaxation filling your body more and more. Growing downward from your shoulders…. Reaching the level of your elbows and belly button. Relaxation growing, reaching the level of your hips….. knees…. All the way down to your feet.  

Your entire body is loose, comfortable, heavy, and relaxed.   

Feel any pain or discomfort dissipating, dissolving…. Becoming smaller and smaller as the relaxation grows.  

You can become even more deeply relaxed as you focus again on your breathing. Do not try to change anything, simply notice your breathing and focus your attention on each breath.  

For the next 2 minutes, repeat “I am” each time you inhale, and “relaxed” each time you exhale.  

I am…..  

Relaxed…..  

I am…..  

Relaxed…..  

Continue on your own for a few moments. As your thoughts wander, simply return your attention to the words you are repeating in this headache relief script.  

(pause)  

I am…..  

Relaxed…..  

I am…..  

Relaxed…..  

You are deeply relaxed. Let your thoughts drift now for a few moments as you simply enjoy the feeling of relaxation. Enjoy the feeling of headache relief. Complete and total relaxation, peace, and calm. Pleasant headache relief. Peaceful and relaxed.  

(pause)  

You have completed the relaxation for headache relief script. You can choose now to become alert and awake, or drift off to sleep.  

I will count from 5 to 1. If you choose to reawaken, become more alert with each number, until at 1 you are fully awake. If you decide to sleep, you can drift off as I count.  

5

4

3

2

1

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