Hypnotherapy and Pain By Alex Howard

Hypnosis is the use of hypnosis for therapeutic purposes.  Hypnosis has been used for medical purposes since 1840 when a young surgeon James Braid noticed the benefits of the trance state.  Over the years since then, hypnosis has developed a rather negative reputation, mainly due to bizarre stage hypnosis shows and the misuse of the techniques in sales and television programmes.  Such uses have also fed certain misconceptions about hypnosis; including:
 
1.    Hypnosis is an abnormal and potentially dangerous state to be in - in reality, hypnosis is the same state people go into when relaxing, reading a book, driving on a motorway etc.  The difference with hypnosis is you are entering into this state deliberately and with a certain outcome in mind.

2.    Hypnosis is a state where the hypnotist has control over you - although there are a few hypnotists that are using it with questionable ethics, the way use hypnotherapy in the clinic is by telling people exactly what are doing and how it is going to work and in many ways teaching them how to do it for themselves. 

3.    Under hypnosis we can be made to do things we don't want to do - yes people are made more susceptible to suggestions, which is one of the reasons why hypnosis is so powerful.  But, people won't do things completely outside of their usual realms of behaviour - ethics will obviously kick in at some poin.

With a practitioner you trust, hypnotherapy is completely safe, and an extremely powerful therapy. 

 The real danger with hypnosis is it not being used consciously.  For example, we are all affected by suggestion, and what we are told by our doctor and specialists about our condition has a major impact.  This is especially true if we are already in a state of shock and so more susceptible.  If we are told, for example, that our condition is untreatable and we are unlikely to ever recover, this can be like a hypnotic command.
 
In fact, a study was carried out in 2008 with fibromyalgia patients using MRI scans to look at the activation of pain areas in patients.  Simply suggestion that the pain area would lower actually resulted in a decrease in pain both the pain and changes in the MRI.  It was also found that these suggestions given under hypnosis were even more effective at reducing pain sensation and the amount of stimulation of pain areas in the brain.
 
Therefore, apart from hypnotherapy being a potentially powerful tool to reduce pain and treat symptoms of M.E./C.F.S./Fibromyalgia, we also need to be very mindful of how much we listen to what others are telling us about our condition.  If we are taken on the belief for example that it isn't possible for us to recovery, or that our condition is untreatable, we really need to review whether such beliefs are actually true, or just the opinions of those that told us.

Additionally, becoming aware of how we are speaking to ourselves about our condition is a key area.  If our internal dialogue is one of constantly questioning and worrying about our situation, we are effectively hypnotising ourselves to continue to feel a certain way.  Changing this internal programming is just one reason why treatments such as The 90 Day Programme can be so immensely powerful.  You literally learn to change your internal thinking, and learn to think like a well person again.
 
References:
Fibromyalgia pain and its modulation by hypnotic and non-hypnotic suggestion: An fMRI analysis. Stuart W G Derbyshire, Matthew G Whalley, and David A Oakley. Eur J Pain, July 22, 2008; PMID: 18653363

Copyright 2009 Alex Howard, The Optimum Health Clinic (London W1)