Blog #10: Hypnosis for Pain Control
It is important to be selective with the use of hypnosis for pain relief, since
pain is a message from the nervous system. When discomfort is covered up,
a person can be at risk of further injury because warning signals about the
body’s vulnerabilities are diminished or re-interpreted. I strongly
recommend appropriate diagnostic tests, such as x-ray, MRI, blood work or
urinalysis, as well as a course of physical treatment, such as chiropractic,
massage, acupuncture, medication, or appropriate dietary changes before turning
to hypnosis for relief. Once it has been established that a person’s pain
sensations are no longer necessary or appropriate for feedback and healing,
hypnosis can help dramatically.
Some examples of the appropriate and safe use of hypnosis with pain are at the
dentist’s office, with phantom limb pain, with burns or abrasions that will be
protected from further irritation, to prevent discomfort in the course of a
normal childbirth, and to relieve muscle spasm arising from emotional distress.
Many of my patients and students have reduced or eliminated acute pain from
burns and other injuries, as well as chronic pain of unknown origin.
Several years ago, I helped a patient eliminate severe low back pain with
hypnosis. First, I sent her for x-rays and an MRI of her low back, both
of which appeared normal. She was an athletic woman who missed
long-distance running and playing on a volleyball team. She limped into
my office the first day of treatment, and could think of no injury that caused
her back problem. She received chiropractic and acupuncture for two
months. At the end of that time, her pain was reduced by 30 percent, but
no further improvement occurred.
She was highly hypnotizable and had a positive, expectant attitude about
therapy. A combination of progressive relaxation and glove anesthesia
proved effective for her. Progressive relaxation involves focusing on one
area of the body at a time, from the head down to the feet, or vice versa, and
allowing each area to relax. Learning glove anesthesia can be quite
challenging, but this woman learned the technique quickly and was pain-free by
her sixth hypnosis session. The glove technique involves temporarily
eliciting a cold, numb feeling in one hand, placing that hand over the area of
pain, and transferring numbness to that part of the body. This woman used
the two techniques at home several times each day. She resumed her
athletic activities and her low back remains pain-free.
This blog’s offer: contact me for a free consultation about your
pain. I will tell you if hypnosis could be effective and will tell you
what, if any, tests and therapies would be advisable prior to using hypnosis
and self-hypnosis for pain control.
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