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| Photo courtesy of Microsoft/Bing |
Hypnotherapy
and therapeutic guided imagery are fabulous modalities to help manage pain.
There are two categories of pain: acute, which is characterized by sudden onset
(occurrence) and is the result of an event that has just happened. Conversely,
chronic pain has been present for some period of time after a causative event
(e.g., car crash), develops over time due to a causative factor (e.g.,
repetitive stress injury) or disease. Hypnosis and guided imagery are effective
tools in the following ways:
·
They enable your subconscious mind to release
from the physical sensations of chronic pain by changing the way your mind
perceives pain by shutting off pain receptors during hypnosis. (e.g., breathing
exercises, visualization);
·
They can help you learn to change your physical
reactions to painful sensations associated with your chronic pain (e.g, “glove
anesthesia”; “transfer of pain” to a more tolerable part of the body to
facilitate more control; remodel pain sensations to a more acceptable/tolerable
level);
·
They can help you reduce anxiety about
experiencing pain by permitting the physical body to relax (release muscle
tension) and the brain to release the body’s natural pain killers, serotonin
and endorphins (e.g., “special place” imagery)
·
They can help you re-establish your perception
of being able to control your pain through self-hypnosis (e.g.: “control room”;
“imaginative transformation” of the context of the pain).
California law
allows me to provide hypnotherapy as a complementary or alternative treatment
to help you manage/control pain as a way to achieve vocational and avocational
self-improvement goals (Business and Professions Code 2908). However, I must
receive a referral from a licensed medical doctor or mental-health professional
in order to work with you on this issue. I would also need a medical referral
if your pain gets worse or your condition changes during the therapy, or if
your wakes you from sleep.
For more
information about this topic, I invite you to read my previous blog titled What
You Can (and Cannot) Expect From Hypnotherapy.
© 2015
