Pain affects more people than any other health issue; 40% of people may suffer from chronic pain at some point in their life. Chronic or persistent pain is pain that carries on for longer than 12 weeks despite medication or treatment.
If you’re suffering from chronic pain, it may surprise you that your pain originally served a purpose. In fact, we need a neurological capacity for pain if we are to survive.
Pain is a signal that something is wrong – it screams at us to take immediate action. If you have cut yourself, it says do something to stop the bleeding, if you have burnt yourself it says cool the burn down, if you have broken something it brings that to your attention.
Pain is an alarm that something is wrong and needs immediate attention. Once the pain has been recognised and responded to, the alarm is no longer needed. Consequently, ongoing pain serves no useful purpose anymore.
Unfortunately, with chronic pain, the pain signal doesn’t go away once the pain has been recognised. Instead, chronic pain affects all areas of your life. It can negatively affect your mood, your thoughts, emotions, behaviour, your relationships, your ability to sleep, your health, your mobility, and other physiological factors. In addition, stress and anxiety can make the sensation of pain feel worse.
Hypnosis for pain relief can help reduce stress and change your perception of pain. It can help you to move your attention away from pain to something else more pleasant or comfortable. It is a natural therapy with no side effects. Different techniques can help you relax, sleep better, improve your mood, and regain your zest for life.
Helping to reduce and manage chronic pain was the reason I first looked into the power of hypnosis. Back in 2009, my husband was involved in a road traffic accident, which left him with a crushed spine in his neck. After failing to find the help he needed with conventional medicine, and lots of research on managing pain, I discovered hypnotherapy. I attend my first (of many) hypnotherapy training course and using the techniques I learned, I helped my husband to regain control and reduce his sensation of pain. For him the change was dramatic. Of course, everyone is different and will experience varying levels of success. This early success left us both amazed and fuelled a passion in me to learn more about how the mind works.
If you are suffering from chronic pain, hypnotherapy is something worth trying. Many of my clients have said that it is an effective tool in helping them to manage and reduce their pain and works well alongside their pain management plan.
Read more about my hypnosis programme for pain control.
Read my blog on 5 ways hypnosis helps with pain and discomfort.