Hypnotherapy, Managing Pain!
All pain is not equal or necessary!
The Purpose of Pain & How to Manage it!
Is there any point in pain; without a point?
If you are experiencing pain that you would like to manage, then hypnosis may well be able to help you. However, there are important things to consider before you choose this option. Below is some information to help you better understand the what, why when and how of pain management.
It is important to know that pain almost always has a purpose, which is to serve as a warning that something is wrong in the body. It's the brain's way of saying, "I think there's a problem, proceed with caution!" Once you know its reason (because sometimes it is not obvious), you may discover if your particular pain is or is not a necessary one! That can be a little confusing, how can pain serve no purpose? Probably the best example of necessary pain is the type you get from a broken bone or a cut. An example of unnecessary pain is from nerve damage or arthritis etc. Another type is phantom limb pain, the excruciating pain in a foot that has been amputated but the nerve endings are still at the site of amputation. They're just no longer in the right place? However, there or not, the pain can still be experienced as if it was in the foot, even if it's no longer there!
Naturally, if you have real and valid pain, it's important that you find out what is wrong before using any techniques or methods for pain control. Someone may have had headaches for some time and while relieving the pain, through hypnosis, is possible it's just not wise! I see this in churches that do spiritual healing, where a headache that's been there for some time is seemingly healed. It is true, that the pain may disappear following a session of prayer healing but that does not always equate to healing; so, be careful what you ask for! Hypnosis can help to relieve pain but it will not necessarily cure a problem that is causing the pain and why the hypnotist should be aware of it!
Hypnosis, as well as self-hypnosis, can be an efficient supplement to medical treatment. However, it is not intended to take the place of medicine. There is a significant body of professional literature that has investigated whether hypnosis can reduce pain sensitivity, which has been overwhelmingly supportive. The various investigations into the use of hypnosis for managing pain, seem to indicate that it is universally successful in the management of unnecessary pain. Unnecessary pain can be described as pain that is not a consequence of any organic abnormality. Meaning, that removing the pain will not place the person at risk of increasing a medical/physiological issue!
So, if you'd like to explore your options, you'll be pleased to know hypnosis is effective in managing many types of pain. These include pain associated with childbirth, angioplasty, phantom limb pain and even headaches or back pain. Pain control through hypnosis can be very useful for sportspersons or athletes who have had a medical assurance that they can perform/play through the pain without additional injury.
Important note: If you are feeling unwell in any way, you should always visit your GP or Medical Adviser in the first instance.
