Hypnotherapy: Chronic Pain Management

Hypnotherapy: Chronic Pain Management

May 18, 2015 by belindayhughes Leave a comment

Chronic pain sufferers have many options today when it comes to managing their pain.  Clinical Hypnotherapy is quickly gaining ground as an effective way to manage chronic pain. Pain that lasts for more than three months is considered chronic.  This pain can stem from a plethora of reasons such as cancer, back pain, fibromyalgia, injury, and so forth.  Clinical Hypnotherapy is becoming more and more popular as people seek out alternative modalities that work.  Simply speaking, Clinical Hypnotherapy is a shift in consciousness that can facilitate healing on a physical level, a mental level and even a spiritual level. Hypnosis allows the client to remain in total control while in this relaxed state, because the subconscious is in alignment with their values, morals and judgment.

“Hypnosis is the epitome of mind-body medicine. It can enable the mind to tell the body how to react, and modify the messages that the body sends to the mind.” – New York Times

In 1996 a panel at the National Institutes of Health found medical or clinical hypnosis to be effective at relieving cancer pain.  More recently the California Pacific Medical Research Institute has revealed evidence that Clinical Hypnotherapy is indeed beneficial for pain management.  Additionally, its use prior to surgery can significantly reduce postoperative pain and shorten the recovery time.  Brain scans of patients in a hypnotic state have shown a significant reduction of activity in the part of the brain responsible for the experience of pain.  This means that even though your brain knows the pain exists, it doesn’t have to relay that message to your body.

Here are three basic points you need to know about using Clinical Hypnotherapy in conjunction with chronic pain:

• Hypnotherapy does not treat the underlying cause of the pain. However, it can be extremely helpful in managing and reducing pain.

• Make sure that you choose a professional hypnotherapist who has experience working with chronic pain. Hypnotherapists often have areas of specialty just as a medical doctor would.

• After having your initial hypnotherapy session, you will want to schedule followup sessions as needed to measure and maintain your success.

“Hypnotherapy is accepted as an evidence-based intervention.”

– The Ultimate Guide to Clinical Hypnotherapy Techniques

Good hypnotherapists will teach you complimentary tools and protocols that you can implement at home to help mitigate the pain if needed.  These tools may include things such as aromatherapy, meditation, visualization or any number of complementary modalities tailored to your particular needs.
Although it’s true there are a few people who cannot be hypnotized, it is possible to overcome with a skilled professional.   Should you fall into this category, don’t get discouraged.  There are additional techniques, such as meditation, guided visualizations and other modalities, which can help reduce pain and increase your chances of success with hypnotherapy later on.
Resource –
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

Jan Floyd HWP, RM, CHt is a Holistic Wellness Practitioner, Reiki Master and Certified  Hypnotherapist based in the Baton Rouge, LA area. She is a Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) alumna with certificates of excellence in Holistic Nutrition, Transpersonal Hypnotherapy and Holistic Life Coaching. Additional areas of concentration include Homeopathy, Aromatherapy, and Flower Essences. Jan is available for private consultations, guest posts, interviews and networking opportunities.
Contact/Follow Jan at:
Blog
Facebook
G+
Instagram
LinkedIN
NSP
Twitter
Weebly
EDITOR’S NOTE: Please disregard both notations of Author – Belinda Y. Hughes. The above, Hypnotherapy: Chronic Pain Management, is a guest post written by Jan Floyd at my invitation. I changed my position on this post to Administrator in WordPress’ Users menu, but it didn’t publish correctly. – BYH