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Self Help Tips

Whether you are considering established medical or complementary treatments, as a general rule of thumb go by personal recommendations, use the most qualified and experienced person you can find, trust your gut instincts and your head, watch how much it is costing. Be clear about your aims - some methods keep you going and are pleasurable but do not necessarily cure; some take away symptoms before you are ready to lose them or before you have learnt from their message. Ask yourself what you want to gain from your crash experience:

Warning

Whenever you engage in any kind of therapeutic process, from EMDR, CBT to Ayurvedic remedies, you will need to accept that you may have to face unexpected ideas and feelings that may be uncomfortable to face. A good practitioner will warn you off this and help build up your ability to cope before starting. If you want change, even at a surface level, there is usually something that has to change. If you really don't want anything to change, don't start the process, but you may have to take the consequences of not having anything sorted out or not living fully because all your energy is taken up with trying to forget. Those who do have time and energy to risk change and stick with the ups and downs of the process often come out wishing they'd done it earlier and go on to do things they never believed possible. Some people go a little way then have a break and return later, often exploring different methods on the way.

Osteopathy and Cranial Osteopathy

MIB are paying the fees of quite a few survivors from Newbury to have this treatment and some GPs are very in favour of it. Many do not realise that it can be useful for many things. It cured my son's repeated tonsilitis after a bereavement and he has never had it again in 12 years. A registered CO is trained in general osteopathy and more recently all are now trained in cranial osteopathy as well - they  use whatever suits your case. [Check that osteopaths trained some time ago also do CO]. People who don't find talking helpful like this gentle approach to trauma. But remember it can't cure everything. The fact that trauma is a very physical experience means that many stresses stay 'locked up' in the body & they can work gently to release this. If anyone wants to read up about trauma and the body, look up Bessel van der Kolk's web-site and his article, 'The Body Keeps the Score' - he is Director of the Boston Trauma Centre and a leader in the trauma field. There are several practitioners in the Newbury area. Tim Dennis and his colleagues (Richard & Sheila) at the Fairbourne Clinic, 17 Wendan Road (01635 44200) are used by quite a few members and they are willing to wait to be paid directly by MIB. They will tell you if it is suitable for you and will refer you elsewhere if they can't help. Others in the south west have also used cranial osteopathy.

For general information a Cranial Osteopath has graduated from a four year course and must be state registered to practice and must complete annual update training to continue registration.  A  Cranial Sacral Therapist has attended a number of weekend courses over two years and is not state registered.

A networker writes: 
Have recently started a course of Shiatsu.   It is quite remarkable that my meridians found to be out of balance due to shock exactly match the symptoms I still feel.  I am looking forward to an improvement in my energy level.

TIPS NEEDED:
Someone has asked for tips from anyone in the Network who has travelled on a ferry since the crash.She is OK in a car but has not been on a train yet. She is worried about a bad reaction if crash memories (such as swaying) get re-triggered. She wants to prepare herself as much as she can.

One Networker replies:
As a bit of background, I have been on a  slow train  once for a short journey, I am also OK in a car (better when driving myself), but much more fearful of flying than I was (I have never enjoyed it but went on planes as a means to an end).  I went on a short crossing to the Ilse of Wight.  The sea was calm, but I think I would probably have changed my mind about going if it had looked rough.  As usual I thought about whether the bow doors were closed as we set off.  I was with my husband and three of my children.  My twelve-year-old daughter looked nervous so I asked her if she was worried and she said yes.  I knew that a year ago I would have said that nothing will go wrong, but that now that won't do.  So I told her to listen to the safety announcement so that we would know where to go in an emergency.  I found myself telling her what my father used to tell me was the reason he joined the Navy rather than either of the other forces, that if there is an emergency on a ship you have much more time to save yourself than in other forms of transport.  I think it helped also that we were in sight of land all the time, between the mainland and the island.  I enjoyed the crossing.  As I said the calm sea was important as there was no swaying, and unlike trains, planes and automobiles there are no jolts or sudden movements.  And there is so much to look at that I didn't think about danger after I had talked to my daughter, I focused on the views and the other ships and yachts.  I realise this would be different on a longer journey but there is always something to look at on the sea.  I definitely felt better on deck than I would have done inside. I hope this helps, and good luck.

FGW Train Simulator
A few Networkers took up FGW's invitation to have a go on the simulator in Reading used for training drivers. We were met by Elaine Wild of FGW Swindon, Brian the Simulator Manager from Plymouth and Richard, a Driver Instructor from Swindon. As well as having a go at 'driving' a train they answered a lot of questions about safety etc. I shall leave it to one of the people who went to tell you more about it, but it was a useful exercise for both parties as the FGW people could hear first hand accounts of what it was like for survivors. They were interested in how people made decisions about what they did once the train had crashed.

Just as kind were the train conductors who fed and watered us free of charge when we discovered that some Plymouth trains do not stop at Newbury. We got home 3 hours late via Taunton and a journey through lovely countryside. For one person, this was their first trip on a FGW train since the crash. We discovered that the new Adelante trains rocked and rolled far more than the older trains. At least what they had just learnt about driving a train helped.

The offer is open to other survivors to use the Simulators in Reading, Exeter or Plymouth. If you need more details about how to fix a visit and what to expect, please e-mail Liz.

A survivor's tips for flying

  1. Think of people in your private life that you admire as strong .
  2. Breathing exercise: in through the nose for a count of 7 and out through the mouth slowly for a count of 11
  3. Observing fellow travellers who are happy to be travelling and looking forward to their journey
  4. Items that help you feel lucky and confident (charms, colourful clothing, jewellery, mascots etc.
  5. Lavender aromatherapy oil to relax
  6. If a smoker - nicotine chewing gums
  7. Travel with someone you're comfortable with, and who is supportive and understanding
  8. If travelling alone, communicate with others and enjoy their enthusiasm
  9. Keep in mind that these incidents are very rare .

These methods were tested out by Katie back in March when she flew to Cyprus and back and overcame all her fears.

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