Pain Relief

The experience of pain is generated in the brain by a combination of information from our nervous system, other senses, our existing knowledge, previous experiences and general context. Studies have shown that pain and emotions are processed in the same part of the brain so there is close relationship with how you feel emotionally and your pain experience.

When we talk about the brain in relation to pain, some may worry that professionals or others around them are inferring that the pain is “all in your head”. The brain is involved in the experience of pain because the body and brain are connected. All nerves from the body send messages to the brain including signals about potential threat; the brain processes all the information and ‘decides’ on what you need to know or feel or do. There are no pain nerves, pain centres or separate pain pathway.

As well as the nervous system, the brain takes in information from other senses (touch, smell etc.) previous memories, fears and beliefs about the sensations experienced and the current situation. This guides how you respond to this experience and could result in an output of pain. It is important to note that your experience of pain is very much real however it can be beneficial to consider additional factors that impact your experience of pain.

When we experience pain, it takes up some part of our awareness and can affect our mood. If the pain is serious enough or becomes chronic (long-term in duration), it can make you feel irritable and depressed. Chronic pain can even weaken your immune system, making you susceptible to other health problems.

Hypnosis and pain management

For most people, seeking relief from pain means taking some form of pain killer medication. Whilst not to deny the effectiveness of some modern medicines, what most people overlook is their own natural ability to moderate the way in which we experience pain. Hypnotherapy can be an effective route to managing pain, reducing and even eliminating the sensations to put you in a place of comfort.

You can understand something of the power hypnosis has in enabling us to control pain when knowing that hypnosis was the original form of anaesthetic before the advent of modern chemical anaesthesia, at which point ancient knowledge became largely lost, but is thankfully being rediscovered with the growing awareness and popularity of hypnotherapy.

The mind perceives pain subjectively. If you are distracted from your pain, you are less likely to focus on it and less likely to register it. For example, you have probably had the experience of suffering some minor injury, like a bruise or a paper cut, without realising it and then, suddenly, when you see it, only then do you begin to feel it. So pain does not necessarily cause suffering. How you perceive pain plays a large part in how you experience it.

Doctors cannot help you to have greater control over your perception of pain. Interestingly, hypnosis can. Your unconscious mind, however, has the power to alter your experience of pain. Hypnosis can help you manage a variety of pain including headaches, muscular pains, dental operations, and childbirth.

Types of pain

• Acute pain: Pain that is severe but lasts for a relatively short period of time.

• Chronic pain: Pain that ranges from mild to severe and is present for more than three months.

Both acute and chronic pain can involve periods where the sufferer is pain free.

Simply put, pain is your body’s warning system that protects you from hurt or provides a warning that something is wrong somewhere in your body. We all react differently to pain. No two individuals are likely to have the same response to a similar pain-inducing event. The experience of pain can be put into two broad components:

• Sensory pain: This tells you the location of the pain and it’s sensory quality – whether the pain is an aching, burning, cold, stabbing, or tingling sensation

• Affective pain: This refers to your personal, subjective experience of pain – how much it bothers you.

How hypnotherapy helps with pain relief

During hypnosis, you relax and your mind focuses on something other than pain, possibly even something pleasurable. The combination of these two events – lowering your anxiety through relaxation and moving your focus away from the pain – lets your nervous system register less pain, or no pain at all. It is mainly through relaxation and removing fear that hypnosis pain reduction has its greatest advantages. To talk with me about your personal circumstances, book an initial consultation call.

Please note - If you have pain that inhibits you from pursuing normal, everyday activities, the first step is to consult your doctor for a physical examination. It is important to eliminate any medical issues before seeking a psychological cure, such as hypnosis.

Sources: (Bryant M, Mabbutt P). Hypnotherapy, Wiley & Sons, 2006  / www.royalcornwall.nhs.uk