Hypnotherapy and Pain

Five ways hypnotherapy could help long term pain

By John Plester, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Norwich, Norfolk.

Individuals who are afflicted by long-term pain know just how demoralising and demotivating it can be. Mostly, long-term pain is centered around the spine and lower back and originates from the joints, and these are especially not easy to diagnose. If left untreated, the pain can become so severe that people have great difficulty with normal everyday activities at home and may avoid going outside. This tends to generate the environment where the patient feels lonely and cut off; this may affect work, relationships and the general everyday living.

One of which that is extremely useful is hypnotherapeutic processes for long-term pain difficulties. Hypnosis works in numerous ways, but there are five main areas where hypnotherapy will help constant pain and enable you to continue to have a healthy and comfortable lifestyle.

There is a lot of research out there that suggests that a lot of pain is emotional and increases the pain to highlight that there is a problem in the area. You may have already noticed how some days your pain is easier to manage and even less intense, depending upon your state of mind.

Firstly, a hypnotherapist will probably work with your subconscious, in order to calm down the mind and body; this in itself would decrease the feelings of pain. This is done by utilising various specialist techniques which are specifically designed to combat constant pain.

Subsequently, your hypnotherapist will identify how your long term pain affects your day to day living, and will begin to change the habits within your mind, helping you to lead a more active and healthy way of life. Hypnosis is a method to focus attention and can be useful when focused in new directions and other sensory sensations.

Thirdly, a hypnotherapist would target any detrimental feelings or beliefs in order to increase your confidence and feel more constructive. In other words, deal with any underlying negative emotions. There is alot of evidence about the mind-body connection and it's role in dis-ease.

Fourthly, a hypnotherapist will aim to help you stay more active by increasing social activity to keep a healthy frame of mind.

Last but not least, it may help you to contend with reoccurring pain through various conscious techniques, to prevent you from falling into a cycle of pain and suffering later in life. I teach my clients both a self hypnosis technique and a tapping Thought Field Therapy technique that are both particularly helpful.

Hypnotherapy has a good number of benefits, but ultimately works to boost your overall health and wellbeing, together with the specific nature of your persistent pain. So, hypnotherapy should help to relieve or significantly reduce any pain and help your quality of life all round.

John Plester is an expert clinical hypnotherapist, who works at Norwich Hypnotherapy Practice and is the Principal Tutor for the East Anglian Institute of Hypnotherapy.