Hypnotherapy and Managing Pain

Can Hypnotherapy Help People In Pain? 

If you are coping with chronic pain you have my sympathy and our aim is for our sessions to be useful to you and empathetic. 

Let’s look at some of the Science of Hypnotherapy and the management of pain. Several studies have explored how hypnosis alleviates pain. One hypothesis suggests that hypnosis doesn't merely induce relaxation but triggers a distinct mental state that enhances pain tolerance. Kramer et al. (2014) conducted tests on 23 individuals using mechanical, vibration, and hot/cold pain assessments under different conditions: control, relaxation, and hypnosis. They found that hypnosis significantly increased participants' ability to endure hot and cold water and mechanical pain compared to the control, whereas relaxation showed no effect. This suggests that hypnosis alters pain perception independently of relaxation.

Further research by Squintani et al. (2018) examined whether hypnosis works through distraction or distinct neural mechanisms. They studied chronic pain sufferers under control, hypnosis, and distraction conditions, finding that hypnosis notably reduced activity in pain-processing brain areas compared to both control and distraction conditions. This indicates that hypnosis operates through unique mechanisms beyond simple distraction, offering a promising approach for pain management.

Hypnosis may be an effective treatment for managing chronic pain caused by various factors, including injuries and degenerative conditions. Research consistently shows that hypnosis not only reduces pain but also improves sleep, emotional well-being, and psychological health without negative side effects.

The success of hypnosis lies in its holistic approach, emphasising the client-therapist relationship and enhancing the patient’s sense of control. While pain-management research often focuses on cognitive factors like attention and coping strategies, hypnosis empowers patients by shifting control to them, contrasting with medication-based treatments. Despite common misconceptions about the power dynamics in hypnosis, it actually redistributes power to the patient, helping them manage pain more effectively.