A couple of days ago I woke up early and rode my bike around the park. It was really cold; it was 50 degrees, and had been in the 70’s for the week previous. So I was cold at first, though nothing new. But halfway around the loop my pins and needles came on quickly and really strongly. Normally it only kicks in at the end of the first lap, and it goes away.
I pulled over to the side of the road. Took off my long sleeve jersey, and pulled up my undershirt. I almost took it off too. I waited for a bit to cool down. Me, standing in spandex biking shorts and a white t-shirt pulled up to my armpits. After a few minutes I realized I wasn’t going to get much cooler. I rode back in the t-shirt, with that awful pins and needles feeling, just trying to make it home.
tomorrow i’m going to go see a psychologist who specializes in visualization, with a focus on hypnosis and self-hypnosis. We are going to work on techniques for visualizing the freezing air conditioned server room at the studio, where I go when I overheat.
The idea of hypnosis freaks me out a bit, but the idea of what we are going to work on is fundamentally sound. I have started to try to think about that room when the overheating/pins and needles feeling is coming on, and it helps moderate the severity. I can’t quite make it *stop* right then and there, but I can make it better. So better visualization skills should help.
in other news my mouth is raw again. not as bad as the previous three(?) times, but the cycle feels like it is still waxing, and will get worse before it gets better.
my dad got into some sort of hypnosis when he was in medical school during the draft and actually trained himself to be able to control his heart rate– as a result they deemed him as having ‘non constant heart rhythms’ and he didnt have to go to war.
addwag, that’s an awesome story. Your dad’s a smart guy.