Hypnosis and Chronic Pain Relief
Hypnosis as an effective therapy to relieve or eliminate chronic pain is one of the most researched areas in psychotherapy. It has been found to be incredibly effective in helping people who suffer from chronic pain. Until the discovery of chloroform, in many parts of the world hypnosis or some form of trance was used to carry out dentistry, amputations, and other surgical procedures.
How effective is hypnosis for chronic pain?
Hypnotherapy used by someone trained in the techniques for pain control or pain elimination is highly effective in overcoming chronic pain. We know that under certain circumstances such as when our life is under immediate threat, we can completely ignore pain. We have seen in battle situations soldiers carrying on fighting having suffered horrendous injuries.
Hypnosis used in the correct way can utilise this natural ability to completely, eliminate, chronic pain.
How do you deal with severe chronic pain?
Using hypnosis/trance the skilled hypnotist can help the client to dissociate from their physical body, and with the use of indirect and direct suggestions, instruct the mind to ignore any useless, unnecessary, physical, or emotional pain. We know that as with our emotions, all pain exists in the mind, not in the body. If someone were to sever the spinal cord at their neck, they could have a limb amputated and experience zero pain. Dissociation plays a major role in our ability to overcome pain. As an example, if you think of a pleasant memory and focus on the minute details of that memory you can dissociate from the here and now and the pain, you are suffering. Self-hypnosis if taught to the client properly can be used to eliminate reoccurring pain such as migraines and menstrual pain
Can hypnotherapy help with nerve pain?
All pain including nerve and emotional pain does not exist outside of your brain and mind. Therefore, all pain can be treated in the same way once you understand this. Hypnosis deals with the mind, utilising the client’s imagination and their own natural ability to ignore or switch off any useless, unnecessary physical pain.
When should hypnosis not be used?
Hypnosis should not be used on any client if the cause of the pain that they are experiencing has not been diagnosed by a medical doctor.
If after examination the doctor deems the pain to have outlived its purpose and is therefore useless, unnecessary, chronic pain and all the doctor is prescribing is opiates or other chemical pain relief, hypnosis is a much better alternative.
It should not be used by someone who has not had the appropriate level of psychological or hypnotherapy training.
It should not be used to keep a client in therapy by making them believe that the pain relief is generated by the hypnotherapist and not their own natural ability.
It should not be used by a therapist who is suffering from a ‘God complex.’