How To Deal With Claustrophobia In An MRI: 11 Tips
For many people, having to have an MRI procedure at some stage during their lifetime is a strong possibility. Magnetic Resonance imaging (an MRI scan) is used where an x-ray would not provide enough information to your doctor. I have been in an MRI scanner three times in my life and I’ve been cool, calm and collected on two of those occasions. On the third occasion, I had quite a significant post-nasal drip which I thought was going to cause me to choke. Because of this, I thought it would be a good idea to share with you some tips on how to deal with claustrophobia in an MRI room.
If you’ve had a history of having problems in a confined space, this article is for you. If you have an MRI appointment fast approaching and you are getting severe anxiety even at the thought of your scan, I’ll show you some ways you can reduce your anxiety in the lead-up to your appointment, how to stay in the moment during the scan, and how to change your mindset about MRI examinations forevermore.
Understanding MRI Claustrophobia
Most human beings don’t particularly love tight spaces. When we enter an MRI exam room and we see the MRI tube for the first time, we immediately tend to think “Oh that’s quite a tight space!”. Typically there is only just enough room in the tunnel scanner to fit a normal human body with our arms tucked in neatly by our sides. While in the scanner, it is typically quite difficult to move your arms if, for instance, you want to itch your face.
If you are broader in the shoulders or if you are overweight or obese, your claustrophobic reactions can be stronger as your sense of confinement is greater. Basically, there isn’t much room at all in that tube-shaped machine and it is quite common to feel as if you are jammed tightly into this small space. This, of course, triggers our fight or flight response and makes this type of scan seem impossible to MRI patients who suffer from this type of anxiety disorder.
MRI Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Anxiety about MRI scans can be broken down into different steps
- Anticipatory Anxiety: This is where you are well in advance of your scan and you are feeling dreadfully anxious already. This is simply a problem of not being in the present moment because, in that present moment, there is no MRI room, no scan happening and you are perfectly safe.
- Anxiety Attack: Normally, if you are going to get an anxiety attack, it’ll be when you arrive at the imaging center, or at that part of the scanning process when you have to lie down and are just about to be slid into the machine.
- Panic Attack During Scan: Even though it is standard practice for your MRI technologist to give you an emergency call bell to ring if you really need to, even this is not reassurance enough for some people who will have an actual panic attack during a scan.
Self-Hypnosis Audio For Reducing Anxiety Symptoms
Self-hypnosis can be a great tool to reduce anxiety and feel calmer every day for the rest of your life.
Preparing To Be In A Small Space: 11 Tips
- YouTube: Watch videos about MRI scans. Obviously do not watch ones where people talk about their fear. Instead, watch videos made by medical organizations simply describing MRIs. Keep watching every day until you normalise to it and it seems like a perfectly normal thing to do.
- Length Of Scan: Ask your qualified healthcare provider how long the scan will be. Knowing the facts long in advance can calm you and prepare you.
- Wider Machine: Communicate with the imaging center and let them know your measurements and also, tell them about your claustrophobia. Ask if they have wide-bore MRI machines. In other words, machines that have wider openings to accommodate larger or wider bodies. Remember, these machines are not just for obese patients but also can enhance patient comfort in the case of someone who is anxious.
- Communication With Staff: When you arrive at the imaging center, communicate with every staff member who will interact with you, about your claustrophobia. Most staff members are well-used to dealing with people who have MRI anxiety and will give you extra time if needed, or reassure you in other ways.
- Positive Movie: Run a positive movie in your mind where you imagine lying perfectly comfortably in the MRI machine for twenty minutes, being relaxed all the way through, even when it starts making loud noises. Keep on doing this over and over again before your scan.
- Breathing Exercises: Practice breathing exercises that are designed to lower anxiety and panic. It’s a good idea to do these once or twice a day for a month in advance of your scan, so that, on the day of the scan, you know exactly what to do.
- Comfort Items: If you have a particular thing that gives you comfort (nothing metal obviously because there are strong magnets in an MRI machine), then bring it with you. Examples are a comfort blanket, fluffy socks, etc.
- Self Hypnosis Recording: Download and listen to a self-hypnosis recording for anxiety for 30 days in advance of your scan. A good choice would be “Overcome Anxiety” which you can download right now if you’d like.
- Favorite Music: If you have a particular favorite album that reminds you, for instance, of a time when you went to see that band in a concert and all of the fun you had that day, it would be great if you could listen to that over the headphones while in the scanning machine.
- Audiobook: If you have a particular audiobook that really grabs your attention, this would also be a great option.
- Positive Affirmations: Write two or three positive affirmations such as “I am perfectly safe”, “This is fun and enjoyable” or “These twenty minutes are flying by”. You can even incorporate these affirmations into your positive movies as mentioned in No. 5 (above)
Is Anti-Anxiety Medication A Good Option?
There are some pros and cons with anti-anxiety medications which I have listed below.
The Pros Of Anti-Anxiety Medication:
- SSRIs can be used to manage anxiety disorders and typically do a pretty good job. It can take four to six weeks for these to work, so if you are a couple of months away from your scan, these might be an option. Consult your doctor for proper medical advice.
- Immediate Relief: there are some medications that can offer immediate relief
- Quick Relief: Medications such as Xanax or Abilify are probably the most well-known anti-anxiety medications and work pretty well for most people. These can take a couple of days to reach peak effectiveness.
The Cons Of Anti-Anxiety Medications:
- Time: With some of the medications, they can take quite a while before they have an anxiety-reducing effect.
- Unpleasant Side Effects: There have been many reports over the years of nausea, dizziness, or other unpleasant side effects.
- Getting Hooked: Some of these medications have a risk of becoming addicted to them
- Brain Fog: Some people have reported a sort of brain fog where their ability to think clearly is impaired.
Whether you take an anti-anxiety medication is ultimately your decision. They work well for some people while for others, the unpleasant side effects are too big a price to pay. It is always best to get professional medical advice before taking any medications.
Breathing Exercises FREE PDF Download
You can download this PDF right now which you can keep on your phone to show you how to do deep breathing to reduce anxiety.
Relaxation Techniques For Anxious Patients
Here are some relaxation techniques you can practice that will help you to reduce your level of anxiety.
- Deep Breathing: Download my helpful PDF (above). It’s completely free and I don’t need you to give me your email address or anything like that. Just click on the Download Right Now button and you can open it up immediately and start practicing.
- Move The Feeling: Wherever you feel the anxious feeling most in your body, just close your eyes and imagine that on the count of three, you are going to send it right down through your body down to the tips of your toes. Now count to three and imagine the uncomfortable, anxious feeling is actually dropping down through your body.
- Self-Hypnosis: If your scan center can facilitate this, you can ask them to play your self-hypnosis recording through the headphones they give you.
Should You Wear An Eye Mask?
This is really up to you. If you regularly wear an eye mask and find it comfortable, then this might work for you. If you don’t wear an eye mask regularly, this may just feel a bit weird and add to your anxious feelings.
Self-Hypnosis Audio For Reducing Anxiety Symptoms
Self-hypnosis can be a great tool to reduce anxiety and feel calmer every day for the rest of your life.
Favorite Music As A Distraction For Claustrophobic Patients
One of my favorite albums of all time is “Bad” by Michael Jackson. I was in the audience at a Michael Jackson concert which was part of the “Bad” tour and, even though up until that point I have been more of a heavy metal fan, I walked out after that concert being a lifelong Jackson fan. If you have an album that connects you with a pleasant experience you once had, you can allow your imagination to transport you there for the duration of the scan and relive that fun or pleasant experience.
Open MRI Options For Severe Claustrophobia
Finally, there are a number of other options which you may not be aware of. There is a variation of traditional MRI machines where either the side or the top of the machine is open. This, of course, puts a claustrophobics mind at ease because it no longer seems like they are trapped. There are some trade-offs with these machines. The main one is that the image quality is less than in the traditional machine.
Author: Paul Hunter
Although thousands of people read his blog every month, Paul's path to success was not an easy one. Click here to read his amazing story "From Unwanted Baby And Adopted To A Respected Self Help Blogger". If you want to send Paul a quick message, then visit his contact page here
