Hypnosis for the Management of Chronic Pain
Hypnosis for the Management of Chronic Pain
Does hypnosis help with chronic pain?
Hypnosis is an effective tool for pain management. Although widely practiced throughout history, hypnosis as a tool or technique that can bring about psychological healing by guiding a person to access positive life resources and harness the mental processes needed to rehearse healthy new behaviours; and physical healing, by helping or motivating the body to heal itself, is still not generally well understood and recognized as such by the general public. Hypnosis has been shown to produce positive results for a variety of chronic pain conditions, and this articles sheds some light how this is done across a selection of medical conditions including:
- Arthritis and joint pain
- cancer pain
- fibromyalgia
- migraine headaches
- pain in the lower back and legs
- temporomandibular joint issues
- disability related pain
Chronic pain explained
Chronic pain is a broad topic. To clarify, the WHO classifies chronic pain as persistent pain that you feel in a specific part of your body. In their new document (ICD-11), the agency even distinguishes between chronic primary and secondary pain. Mainly because the latter affects your bones, joints, spine, and muscles. Instead, the former is diffuse pain that is not restricted to a small area.
Chronic pain sufferers describe it as any pain that lasts for more than three months. Often, they do not have a clear understanding of the condition itself or how it started. But in some cases, the origin of the problem is known. For example, pain related to cancer or post-surgery side effects.
Understanding chronic pain is a challenge because it involves the mind-body connection. Usually, after an injury, the brain receives a message from the injured tissue. The brain processing such information is what we call pain. As a rule of thumb, the greater the harm, the more pain we feel. But after all that, we rest and recover as the injury heals.
Sadly, chronic pain does not follow this course of events. Instead, the painful sensation or sting remains even without any new injury present.
Assessing chronic pain is a complex matter. In fact, the pain mechanisms can be numerous. This is why a physician may prescribe drugs and even suggest hypnosis as a viable treatment for this condition.
What causes persistent pain?
Besides previous surgery or diseases, some of the more common causes include:
- bad posture
- negative emotions such as anger, grief, or jealousy
- low parental care (strict parents that cause emotional distress)
- stress
- weight gain and reduced physical activity
The vicious cycle of chronic pain manifests itself through constant worry. When a new day begins, and you are in pain, the first things you notice are all of the negative sensations that are going on. You might start thinking about dangers and threats to your well-being. As a result, you may avoid specific movements or become upset. So the stress level increases. And, of course, you worry even more by the hour.
Stress increases pain. Above all, as stress goes up, inflammation goes up, which causes more pain. Falling asleep might then become difficult. In that event, the lack of sleep staves off the body from reducing inflammation. So, the body sends more pain signals to the brain as well.
At times, the nerve endings go haywire. In this case, phantom pain appears. The brain can maintain the idea that a limb is still there even if it is not. Especially after amputation. The people who report such issues describe them as being very painful and hard to resolve. But other times, phantom pain may follow rapid cessation of opioid medications.
Lastly, even the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can lead to chronic pain. The causes of persistent pain are several and currently under study. But more importantly, more triggers and conditions may present themselves at the same time.
Why turn to hypnosis for chronic pain management?
The use of hypnosis for the management of chronic pain can make some transition periods easier. For instance, it can help deal with prescription drug withdrawal. In fact, when one takes medications like opioids, the brain stops or reduces the production of its own opioids.
When you miss a dose or end the treatment, your brain does not get the message right away. So, it does not start producing its natural painkillers yet. Pain may surface again as it can take a while for the brain to get back on schedule. But if you harness the power of self-hypnosis, dealing with such a nuisance becomes tolerable.
Chronic pain makes you feel that you are not the only one in control of your mind. But luckily, hypnotism can help you revert to standard self-control. More importantly, hypnosis opens the door to chronic pain management by letting you operate your mind in the way you want.
Hypnosis for relaxation and stress relief
Hypnosis is the perfect tool for stress management. Simply put, it is the key to master your feelings, thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and beliefs. For this reason, you can use hypnotic techniques to control chronic pain and change your perspective.
Chronic pain shows us that what you believe becomes your reality. So, if you focus only on negative stuff when you wake up in pain, constant worry worsens the situation.
You might think of the body and mind as separate objects, but in reality, they are one. Through self-hypnosis, you learn to restore the mind-body connection. This means using your mind to help the body heal by:
- implementing effective strategies during a hypnotic session
- improving the quality of sleep
- listening to positive hypnotic suggestions
- practicing self-hypnosis inductions
- regaining a positive attitude
- relaxing every muscle and fiber in your body
Using hypnosis for cancer pain management
Our thoughts, actions, emotions, and beliefs have an impact on the autonomic nervous system. In simple terms, how we feel and think influences all the automatic body functions like our heartbeat, immune and digestive system. This is why having a positive attitude is so critical while undergoing cancer treatments.
In a way, worrying is the equivalent self-hypnosis for getting negative results. If you want something negative to happen, worrying is the ideal solution. As soon as you worry, the heart starts racing, you feel moist under the arms, and your hands get clammy. Maybe, the stomach begins twisting as well while you sit comfortably on your sofa. All because of the wrong though at the wrong time.
Some forms of useful hypnosis for cancer pain management include self-hypnosis training to learn deep relaxation. In detail, you can relax to shorten the time it takes you to fall asleep. Or to calm yourself down whenever you receive a piece of bad news. Of course, custom-made hypnotic sessions can help you use hypnosis for pain control as well.
Facing cancer affects you in many ways. More specifically, cancer presents many challenges that do not end with the last treatment. Both cancer survivors and caregivers may suffer a lot because of cancer recurrence. Or feel completely drained and exhausted every single day.
Hypnotism represents a tool for pain management as well as fighting fatigue. From the shock of receiving a cancer diagnosis to the treatment aftermath, hypnotic techniques can help you regain a positive mental attitude and manage your fears.
Filtering out the hurt of low-back pain
Chronic low-back pain can cause problems either before or after medical treatment. Especially when you can put your finger on the exact spot, and it shoots more pain. Usually, you need to identify how the muscles cause pain first. In fact, equal distribution of weight through both legs plays a crucial role in good posture.
Low-back pain can start as a twinge in your back. Soon, the pain can be so excruciating that you cannot even sit up or get off the couch without a sharp feeling of physical suffering. Sometimes, the pain involves the sciatic nerve. Other times, it feels like pain from the joints and ligaments. But in any case, it can last for months on end.
Whenever medications or other means for treating this issue do not work, you can try hypnosis. Hypnosis for the management of low-back pain works by teaching the sufferer techniques to change unhelpful behavior. For example, how to express your emotions and communicate better. Why? Mainly because chronic low-back pain can manifest itself as a way to avoid dealing with other problems.
Not everyone needs to relax to heal chronic low-back pain. Of course, such a curious notion may surprise you or boggle your mind. So you have to test it out to understand the whole process.
Relief from arthritis pain
Arthritis can lead to all sorts of stressful events. For some reason, the immune system starts working against the body. This is the usual scenario causing chronic pain in the joints. Sometimes, the issue is there every day when you wake up but goes off later in the day.
Swelling or stiffness are common signs of different types of arthritis. Often, the pain involves the hand and leg joints. But, contrary to popular belief, arthritis is not just an age-related problem.
Hypnosis for arthritis pain allows you to set a positive outlook on life. Most likely, your physician may recommend medications and physical therapy to treat arthritis pain. But the emotional toll can build up over time. Especially if you are young and have to deal with this problem for the rest of your life.
Self-hypnotic techniques are effective at reducing pain intensity. With practice, you can become more optimistic. If you need to lose weight to reduce the pressure on your knees, the hypnotist becomes a valuable ally. Thanks to custom hypnotic sessions, you can eliminate negative self-talk. You learn to set better goals and celebrate your achievements.
Often, with no movement, arthritis gets worse. But at the same time, it is also easy to feel frustrated, stuck, or discouraged. Hypnosis helps you as a tool for pain management and is a balm to the stressed mind for relief from mental tension.
Managing pain from sickle cell disease
Up to not a long time ago, kids with sickle cell disease had to worry about growing up. Mainly because even doctors were not so sure about how well the treatment would turn up. The advances in medical treatment got better results only in the last thirty years. So, right off the bat, we are dealing with a form of chronic pain that affects sufferers in many ways.
When the red blood cells change shape or sickle, pain can occur and last for days or months. Usually, people describe this chronic pain as an odious tightening of the muscles that never loosen up. Like a charley horse situation that lasts for months and takes you to the hospital.
The pain can be in the back, legs, arms, head, and feet. In short, anywhere where blood circulates because the pain starts as the blood vessels become blocked. But because each sufferer is different, treatments and complications become constant parts of their lives.
A thirty minutes hypnotic session can help you decrease pain intensity. Thanks to the skillful use of the hypnotist’s words, you can regain confidence in your ability to prevent the next crisis and control pain. As fatigue is also a common problem, you can use hypnosis to fix common sleep problems.
Hypnosis works well because you can use it any time. Plus, you can reach a hypnotist at any moment, thanks to online hypnosis.
Self-hypnosis for chronic pain in the ear, face, and jaw
Do your notice a popping sound while chewing? The cause may be the temporomandibular joint, which acts as a sliding hinge. In brief, it connects your jaw bone to your skull. Its function is to let you move your jaw up and down or side to side. Without it, no one can talk, chew, or yawn.
When you feel pain in your jaw joint and surrounding muscles, the discomfort can be temporary or persistent. Temporary pain goes away with self-managed care. But people who suffer from chronic pain in the jaw and neck often resort to surgery. Some common causes for persistent pain in the jaw are:
- arthritis
- blunt trauma
- bruxism
- clenching or excessive opening
Hypnotism can help before and after surgical procedures. For example, you can try hypnosis during the waitlist period to control the pain intensity. Thanks to simple techniques like guided imagery and positive suggestions, pain duration can decrease as well.
You can use self-hypnosis for chronic pain management and get your confidence back. Especially after you had to go through painful surgery. In fact, chronic pain does not show up on an x-ray. If you just have pain, you can turn to hypnosis for relaxation, pain control, and stress relief.
Easing the pain of fibromyalgia
Combining conventional therapy with hypnosis may alleviate many symptoms of fibromyalgia. As fibromyalgia symptoms may create a wide range of problems, hypnotic techniques help you deal with the stress and lifestyle changes.
Struggling with fibromyalgia can make you miserable, hurting, and exhausted. Perhaps, you sleep terribly and experience brain fog. Some people cannot even accept such a diagnosis. Mainly because they heard negative things about it from their family or friends. After all, current research describes it as an incurable illness that causes pain and suffering.
If you keep looking for another cause by seeing yet another specialist, give hypnosis a try. Thanks to hypnosis, you can focus your attention and deal with your fears. Above all, you can set better goals and improve sleep quality to reduce pain and fatigue.
A personal note about using hypnosis to deal with fibromyalgia pain
As a hypnotist, I believe that people suffering from fibromyalgia need full support. Plus, I know their pain to be real and affecting their lives in many ways.
Research is helping to understand what might be causing the pain. But until a clear solution is available, I think that if you suffer from this condition, you deserve an effective way to feel better. And hypnosis can be the perfect tool for fibromyalgia pain relief.
Some people may want to use hypnosis to address their spiritual needs. This is fine. From a holistic point of view, inner peace needs are as relevant as physical ones. Hypnosis knows no bounds and can adapt to any belief system.
Managing pain associated with a physical disability
Hypnotic analgesia is an example of hypnosis for the management of chronic pain. In brief, the hypnotist uses words to generate a sense of lack of sensation. Experiencing numbness on command allows for several applications. Especially when we are dealing with disability-related pain.
As you probably know, chronic pain affects a large number of people with disabilities. Think of veterans and workers. Often, they experience horrible accidents while in service and on the job.
Functional impairment can lead to chronic pain and emotional distress. Sometimes, it can lead to substance abuse and secondary disabilities. In this case, hypnotic suggestions can help the sufferer. Mainly by promoting well-being and resilience.
The resourceful state known as hypnosis is a surprising place. As you continue to relax during a hypnotic session, the hypnotist can teach you self-help techniques. Or suggest ideas to overcome any reason that keeps you from stepping into the life you want to achieve. When you combine hypnosis for chronic pain management and traditional hypnosis for life success, you can even turn problems into inspiration.
Posthypnotic suggestions can also help youth with physical disabilities transition to adulthood. All in all, hypnosis becomes a lifelong tool you can use at any time to focus better and improve the quality of your life.
Recorded hypnotic inductions for mixed chronic-pain issues
Sometimes, hypnosis is the last hope. Perhaps, you are undergoing other therapies or training because you want results. The good news is that integrating hypnosis may lead to better outcomes and pain decrease.
In a study, adding a hypnotic induction to the overall therapy improved treatment efficacy. Of course, much other research echoes these findings. Researchers cannot pin down how much hypnosis is effective. So, they deem it safe but also a palliative solution.
The medical view on chronic pain will change and bring new solutions. But in the meantime, hypnosis lets you control chronic pain on your terms. Living with chronic pain from nerve damage or old accidents change your life. But you do not have to give up on it.
The Internet allows you to experience online hypnosis anywhere you are. Plus, you can record the hypnotic session for repeating the positive experience and learning self-hypnosis.
When you enter the self-hypnotic state on your own, you communicate with the deepest part of your mind. You improve your attitude, ability to control pain, and how you respond to it.
How to use hypnosis for the relief and control of chronic pain
The first step is to contact a consulting hypnotist to find out how to use hypnosis for chronic pain control. By all means, a free consultation is an ideal way to discover what you can expect to achieve. Plus, the hypnotist will open the doors to safe utilization of the correct technique.
At first, the presence of a hypnotist is recommendable for a couple of reasons. During a hypnotic session, painful memories can surface or come to mind. The hypnotist helps you deal with unpleasant sensations.
As you become more experienced, the hypnotist can teach you self-hypnotic patterns and inductions. In this way, you begin to move forward into a more comfortable, confident realization of what you can achieve.
But if the person does not respond to the meaning of a specific hypnotic technique, the hypnotist can suggest other strategies. Hypnosis for the management of chronic pain is in no way hard to achieve. But it can be tricky to master. Especially when you are in constant, persistent pain.
Online Hypnosis for Pain Relief & Management: Affordable, Effective and Digitally Optimised to meet the demands for the Modern Era using Zoom and SKYPE technologies.
Hypnosis is a medically and scientifically recognized technique that uses the mind’s natural abilities to effectively reduce physical pain and promote wellbeing. Learn how it can help you.
Legal Disclaimer
As a consulting hypnotist, Luis’ role is help you resolve ordinary, everyday problems using hypnosis. He is not a medically trained doctor or a licensed mental health practitioner that can diagnose, prescribe, treat, cure, or heal any physical, mental, or emotional illness. The hypnosis services rendered are not to be considered in any way, a form of health care, psychotherapy, or counseling.