Manage Pain With Hypnosis

PAIN MANAGEMENT
Powerful Achievement of Hypnotism


GENERAL CLASSIFICATIONS OF PAIN
Acute pain is associated with the sudden outset of pain such as a broken arm, a cut finger, a burn on the hand and is generally more intense than chronic pain.
Chronic pain is usually of an ongoing nature such as back pain, arthritis, and intensity may vary.

THE PAIN EXPERIENCE VARIES BECAUSE
“The experience of pain is a combination of the type of pain, tension, fear, and anxiety. Often tension, fear and anxiety can intensify the experience of pain. Pain causes tension and tightening up of the affected area of the body. Our normal response to pain is to resist the pain by tightening up even more and becoming tenser. This increases the severity of the pain experience. By relaxation of the body there is a natural reduction of pain. By proper suggestion in the hypnotic state, the experience of pain can be reduced or eliminated for periods of time.” — Dr. Paul Durbin
My clients learn self-hypnosis and imagery and that way a person can ease their pain with it when necessary.

HYPNOSIS AS A HELPING TOOL
In the current climate of skyrocketing health care costs, hypnosis is proving invaluable as an aid in speeding recovery from physical and mental problems. Thousands of psychologists, dentists, and physicians in various specialties now have thorough training in hypnotic methods within their specialty areas. Professional organizations in clinical hypnosis provide extensive training and continuing education in hypnosis, and provide their members with specific ethical guidelines for the professional use of hypnosis.

APPLICATIONS AND TECHNIQUES
Hypnosis methods for achieving pain relief are numerous. Effectiveness can vary and the choice may depend on the condition and personality of the client. Suggestions may be direct or indirect, intersperal, or may utilize anesthesia, guided imagery, hypnoanalysis or other procedures.
As is so important in hypnotism, attitude is a major factor. It is important that the client accept that relief is possible. Constant pain needs to be approached on a different basis from interim pain. Constant pain is not to be relinquished completely even for a few minutes, since it is identified with the life force. The client likes to feel it is there, however reduced, even during times of sleep.
Physical pain is seldom constant. The hypnotist will determine if the client has experienced periods, however briefly, which were free of pain. It the client claims the pain is constant; it is more likely to be psychological in origin and may indicate a constant pain syndrome. Treatment will likely involve the establishment of rapport with empathy and appreciation of the value of pain. Hypnotic regression to the cause of the problem can lead to understanding and relief.
A hypnotist will not work with physical pain without being in communication with an appropriate physician, for the simple reason that pain is more a symptom than a condition. Pain indicates that something is wrong, somewhere, and that it is true whether the pain I physical or mental. It would be the height of folly to treat migraine headache only to have it turn out to have been a brain cancer. It is important to remember that some clients value t heir pains highly, just as a hypochondriac can be said to “enjoy poor health.” Through hypnosis clients frequently can be shown that they can control their pain and being able to do so they can diminish pain to tolerable levels or turn it off completely at will.
Seemingly endless periods of tests which prove inconclusive, often accompanied by conflicting diagnoses, can instill levels of fear which may be dealt with through hypnotism. Guilt, anger or other emotional problems often enter into the picture when accidents are involved as source conditions.
Negative attitudes must be dealt with, and again the capability of hypnosis to modify trends of thought becomes important. In difficult cases the power to cope can be programmed into the client’s mind, possibly together with cues to make the process more or less automatic.
In dealing with pain situations, teaching the client the use of self-hypnosis techniques can be highly beneficial, reinforcing the programming that has been done in the case.