Hypnosis and pain relief – can it work for me?

Pain is something we all experience, on some level throughout our lives. Sporting injuries, headaches, soft-tissue injuries, dental pain are all relatively common; but there are also those who suffer ongoing pain because of surgical procedures, debilitating or terminal illnesses.

Pain falls іntо twо categories: (1) acute pain, whісh іѕ of short duration and (2) chronic pain, whісh continues for weeks, months or even years.

Most people respond to pain (whether acute or chronic) by taking a form of medication but this is often only a temporary solution. From 1 February 2018, patients using medicines containing codeine will no longer be able to access them without a prescription. Codeine can be harmful to you and can lead to dependency and in some cases even death. The side effects of long term use of combination codeine medicines are also potentially life threatening.

If you suffer from chronic pain and are looking for a long-term effective treatment option, consider hypnosis. This has been proven to be an effective tool for pain management; providing a safe, effective form of treatment for reducing sensitivities to all types of pain. It can be used in the management of pain related to headaches and acute injuries; and for more chronic conditions such as back pain and arthritis. In fact it has been suggested that hypnosis may be the most effective psychological treatment for patients suffering from chronic pain.

As a treatment for acute pain, hypnosis is most effective through suggestions that focus on reducing anxiety and minimising an individual’s sensitivity to pain. For chronic pain, it is more effective to confront the pain directly while the patient is under hypnosis, helping to deal with both the physical and psychological effects of the pain.

So now for the ultimate question; does hypnosis work for everyone? The answer is yes, everyone can be helped to some degree.  There are five categories into which the effects of hypnosis can fall:

  1. Total, permanent relief;
  2. A decrease in the severity of pain;
  3. Initial pain relief, but occasional reinforcement is needed;
  4. Intermittent relief; and
  5. Pain is still being felt but is significantly less than before.

These differences in relief are related to the patient’s susceptibility to hypnosis, or the level of relaxation they reach during their sessions; the more relaxed you are, the more effective the pain reduction is. If you would like to find out more about how hypnosis can help you manage pain, contact us today and book your initial consultation.

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