Megan, I am really sorry you had that experience. I have found that paying any attention to the process leads to my focusing on and anticipating each insertion and zap, which makes things much worse.
Now what I do is a form of mindful meditation. I pay attention to my breathing. Breath in. Hold 5 seconds, counting in my head. Breathe out through pursed lips. Hold a second. Repeat. I focus on the pressure of the chair supporting me, holding me.
I also listen to music. Calm, rythmic music works best. My worst session was when my electrolyst had loud, jarring music playing, which made it hard to get into that meditative state. We agreed not to use that music any more! Focusing on the music can also help, much like the breathing meditation.
Liz, for electrolysis at the South Pole I put on a coat of EMLA and the plastic wrap, in several pieces for each area to be worked, about an hour before treatment. That was a 40 minute drive with everything wrapped up.
