"I’ve retired from a high-stress job, but now when I listen to the cancer tape, it brings back everything about the job stress that I felt when I first began listening to it.." Dear BR,
Thanks for your work in guided imagery. I used several of your tapes to get through cancer treatments. But now I have a problem. I’ve thankfully retired from my high-stress job, but now when I listen to your cancer tape, it brings back all the images and feelings of the job and the stress that I felt when I first began listening to that tape. How do I get rid of that, so I can get the benefit of the cancer tape?

Patti.



Dear Patti,
Yes, that happens a lot, because the associations are so powerful, they get imprinted in your mind, especially during such a traumatic or high-stress period in your life, when you were newly diagnosed with cancer.

I would suggest you go to some different tapes, instead of trying to reprogram your mind to relax to my Cancer imagery. You could probably do it, but it would take too long, and this could add to your stress, not reduce it!

If you’re really attached to my imagery, you could try listening to the General Wellness or Relaxation and Wellness imagery, which has different music and different images. That might work.

Or you could just try someone else’s imagery - David Illig’s or Emmett Miller’s imagery for stress work really well, and they’re different enough from my work to not cause you this added aggravation.