A Fresh Start for Migraine Sufferers: Developing True Hope

"Once you choose hope, anything's possible."
 -- Christopher ReeveHope is a limited emotional resource. There are a lot of migraine sufferers who have not had success with medical or alternative options for pain reduction. They have all but lost any hope that their quality of life will ever improve.The moment you can discover the inner resources which allow you to be in touch with hope again, you can start to climb a ladder which will help youA) to regain overall control of your life, andB) to reduce your migraine-related suffering.Individuals have varying levels of hopefulness. Dr. Jerome Groopman is a physician, an observer and a writer who has cared for advanced cancer patients throughout his long professional career. He responds authoritatively to these two concerns:1. Why are some patients able to find hope, but others cannot do so?2. Can hope help to modify the course of a disorder?Although Groopman's work is based on people in extreme circumstances, his findings are pertinent to those of us who suffer from migraines. Often it is difficult to cling to hope when confronted by unpredictable but frequent migraine symptoms. With the support of his research, I strongly believe that you can discover hope again.In his highly original book, "The Anatomy of Hope", Dr. Groopman presents a 3 part definition of True Hope:· It is an emotion which emerges if you both comprehend and really feel that you're going to have a better future.· True hope is more than optimism, because hope without knowing the whole picture may not be sustainable the moment that reversals arise. True hope is realistic optimism.· While true hope involves the possibility of failure and the potential complications ahead, it supplies us with the courage to cope with our circumstances as well as the resilience to rise above setbacks.Groopman's book is composed of a series of vignettes about his patients. He learned from his patients and who they were as individuals. He separates hope into two parts -- Belief and Expectation.To have hope, you've got to first believe that you've got some control over what will take place. When you're convinced you are a victim, it's hard to believe in a controllable future; but someone who feels they can still make a difference has access to hope. As a migraine sufferer, when you know about other migraineurs (this writer is one) who are living productive lives, and you also have the support of a migraine coach, you are on your way to regaining control.Hope even allows people to demonstrate remarkable behaviour in the face of seemingly impossible odds: as Groopman relates, even a tiny prospect of obtaining a cure for their illness will keep a cancer patient fighting to survive. Similarly, there are many stories of weary rescuers finding a child alive who was buried by an earthquake, after long days and nights spent searching. Human beings have a very powerful will to keep going, and to improve their lot in life. Do you want to continue being subject to the whim of your migraine disease for the rest of your life -- or would you rather seize an opportunity to ease your suffering?There is much scientific evidence that the expectation of improvement in health - whether via medicines, an operation or some other strategy - can by itself bring on that improvement. The relief comes from brain chemicals such as endorphins, enkephalins and dopamine. That is the reason placebos work (many scientific experiments have proved this!). Groopman explains how the initiation of hope releases these chemicals and begins to interrupt the cycle of pain.I urge you not to delay till near the end of your life before finding out whether you're a truly hopeful person! Together, let's discover the switch that will give you true hope once more, and work alongside one another from there to reduce your suffering from migraine pain.