When it comes to anxiety about having an MRI scan, some people choose the option of avoiding thinking about it at all. Not thinking about it can of course bring relief.
The problem with this is that while not thinking about the MRI scan may bring relief in the short term, it does little to help one cope with the anxiety one may develop on the day of the scan.
A different approach could be to gradually mentally “expose” oneself to the idea of going through an MRI scan. As I will explain, this can be done slowly and in small steps in your home. The human brain gets “bored” if it is repeatedly exposed to the same thing over and over again. So if one repeatedly, mentally goes through the process of having an MRI scan, eventually one’s brain will start getting used to the thought of having it. This will over time reduce one’s anxiety about having an MRI scan and one will be less stressed on the day.
It would be ideal if you could have an MRI scanner at home to practice on. However, I suppose you do not have one lying around in your home!
Luckily, there is a cheaper and more practical option of gradually getting used to the MRI scan. What I am suggesting is to use the power of your imagination. It is your negative imagination that is making you nervous about the MRI scan, you can turn that into a positive imagination to help you instead. Let me explain.
As you know, during your MRI scan, you will hear various sounds, you will need to lie still and very importantly, keep your mind occupied so that it does not have room to negatively think of the MRI scanner. Using a bit of your imagination, these can be practised at home.
The concept is that you can, in the days leading up to your scan, do small “practice sessions”. This will consist of you, perhaps on your bed, lying flat, being motionless, and keeping your eyes closed. To make your experience more realistic, in the next section, I have provided recordings of MRI sounds. During your practice sessions, you can play the MRI sounds to make them more realistic.
In my opinion, when preparing for an MRI scan, the crucial thing is to practice managing your mind, using techniques from the previous section ( “managing your mind”) or techniques that you may have come up with yourself. Just reading about how to manage your mind is much less useful than practising such methods. The human mind is not that easy to manage, but over time, with practice, you will be more and more successful in doing so.
Your home will provide a relatively stress-free space to practice keeping your mind busy. Initially, you will find your mind jumping all over the place and you may encounter waves of stress. But that is exactly the idea of practice, as over time, the waves of stress will lessen.
It is crucial that you progress at a gentle pace so that you do not get overwhelmed. For this purpose, I have made the MRI sound samples (available in the next section) of varying lengths. You can start with a short sound sample and gradually increase the time.
During your practice session, keep your mind busy using methods you learnt in the “managing your mind” section or perhaps your own methods. As you do this, you may find your chosen method not working well. When that happens, practice switching to another method. As you gain experience, you will find yourself able to use the methods more effectively and also find it easier to switch between them.
At this point, I must warn you that this way of preparing for your MRI scan may not be suitable for everyone. Some of us may have complex mental health issues and it is entirely possible that practicing this way will not suit your mind. I am not a mental health professional, so I cannot advise you on this. However, if you have a therapist, do tell him or her about this website. Perhaps you can practice using the information on this website along with the guidance of your therapist.
Like lots of things, the more you practice, the easier something becomes. The practice MRI sounds are in the next section.