Do you remember the movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray? Weatherman Bill seems doomed to repeat his coverage of that pivotal seasonal moment, because he keeps waking up on February 2nd - the calendar refuses to change for him!
A few nights ago I had a dream which verged on a nightmare. I was trying to get in the house, but I couldn't do it; so I simply went back to the start and repeated the process, again and again and again. I could never get the key to work; I remained outside in frustration.
"Groundhog Day" was a critical success and Murray is one of my favorite comic actors -- so I have always wondered why I really, really disliked the movie. And now I've finally figured it out...it's all connected to my dream and to my migraines.
For many years I simply reacted whenever I got a migraine. What is a reaction? It's something which is automatic, a habit which is hard-wired into our brains. As I recall, my migraine thought pattern would always be something like: "Oh, no...I'm in trouble...everything's going to get harder now...have to hide this from everyone...", and a downward spiral would ensue.
And then one day someone showed me how to respond instead of reacting, to think for a moment or two before I took action. It was only then that I began to find other mental strategies to counteract the negative patterns that had held me back for so long.
Now, many years later, I avoid downward spirals when I get migraines. It is only in my dreams that the old automatic reactions hold sway.
A few nights ago I had a dream which verged on a nightmare. I was trying to get in the house, but I couldn't do it; so I simply went back to the start and repeated the process, again and again and again. I could never get the key to work; I remained outside in frustration.
"Groundhog Day" was a critical success and Murray is one of my favorite comic actors -- so I have always wondered why I really, really disliked the movie. And now I've finally figured it out...it's all connected to my dream and to my migraines.
For many years I simply reacted whenever I got a migraine. What is a reaction? It's something which is automatic, a habit which is hard-wired into our brains. As I recall, my migraine thought pattern would always be something like: "Oh, no...I'm in trouble...everything's going to get harder now...have to hide this from everyone...", and a downward spiral would ensue.
And then one day someone showed me how to respond instead of reacting, to think for a moment or two before I took action. It was only then that I began to find other mental strategies to counteract the negative patterns that had held me back for so long.
Now, many years later, I avoid downward spirals when I get migraines. It is only in my dreams that the old automatic reactions hold sway.
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