Hypnosis and Pain Relief

Hypnosis has long been understood to produce positive behavioral changes in its subjects. It is usually thought of as useful in weight loss and stop smoking but the medical community has approached the topic in a different vein. Many health care professionals are incorporating hypnosis directly into their patient care.

Hypnosis has undergone tremendous amounts of scientific testing in modern times. When used in an appropriate manner, hypnosis has proven itself to be an effective tool in the management of pain and pain perception.

It has been shown that hypnosis is capable, in some cases, of curing a patient's source of pain rather than only dealing with the pain itself.

Although hypnosis can eliminate or minimize pain, you should not ignore the body's warning mechanism. Pain is a symptom of a problem. You may be masking a broken bone or a tumor. Do not use self-hypnosis to eliminate or minimize pain without speaking to your doctor. Pain management responds well to hypnosis but you should seek a qualified professional to help you. Life Transformations asks that any individual desiring pain management bring a physician’s letter indicating that the client is being treated conventionally for the condition.

We then will be happy to help you learn deep relaxation and visualization strategies that will help you cope with chronic pain and enhance the quality of your life.

How Does Hypnosis and Coaching Work with Pain?

Life Transformations sees forms of pain control as an analgesic process. It is an easy-to-administer procedure which has no deep or long-lasting negative side effects. Also, lessening the amount of suffering experienced by a patient often shortens the duration of a disorder, so hypnosis used as an analgesic, can be very helpful.

The effectiveness of hypnosis to control pain depends, in large measure, upon the personality and the presenting condition of the client. In the utilization of hypnosis, the client's attitude is a major factor. If you're in pain, it's important that you accept that relief is possible. Clients suffering from pain can be taught to:

control, diminish or redirect pain to tolerable levels; or
turn their pain off completely, at will
reprogram negative attitudes
become aware of secondary gain issues
learn self hypnosis to reinforce pain management techniques
relax muscles, decrease stress levels and break the stress/pain cycle

Pain Control Objectives

Techniques for pain relief may include:

• direct or indirect suggestion
• interpersonal techniques through coaching
• hypno-anesthesia
• guided imagery both through coaching and hypnosis
• regression to cause

Often drugs are substituted for suggesting a change in life style. But there can be long-term consequences and side-effects of many drugs. In addition to hypnosis our LifeStyle coach will provide coaching in critical skills for assessing and changing behavior. Often illness and disease are functional, and provide benefits that outweigh the disadvantages. This implies that illness or disease is not random and chaotic, rather that disease depends on how it is perceived. Many diseases are diseases of lifestyle. Coaching for health can help people prevent disease, and deal with disease symptoms, and can provide emotional support during difficult times.

Stress and Pain
 
Stress and pain often feed on each other... they can become a vicious cycle. Pain causing stress... stress causing pain; more pain causes more stress, which causes more pain, and so on. Chronic stress can become chronic pain; chronic pain often causes chronic stress.
Poor self image, fear, stress, anxiety, guilt, anger and other powerful emotions or unresolved conflicts play a part in how a person experiences pain. Negative attitudes must be dealt with. Coping skills must be programmed into the client's mind.