(This blog was originally posted on July 12,
2016)
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| Photo by Rick Hustead |
You may recall one of the scenes in Glory, in which a
young soldier runs away from Confederate gunfire despite having had one of his
legs shot off. Presumably he is in considerable physical pain at that moment,
but his subconscious and conscious mind are completely focused on fleeing the
danger/surviving the battle and living.
He doesn’t even seem to even notice his injuries. Conversely, in Dances
with Wolves, Union Army lieutenant John Dunbar (Kevin Costner) runs
toward enemy fire in a bid to commit suicide rather than have Union doctors
amputate his badly wounded leg. In this case, Lt. Dunbar was likely more afraid
of living the rest of his life as an amputee—a totally unknown way of life,
compared to the one he knows as a decorated soldier—than the prospect of death,
which he faced every time he went to battle.
Even though at least one million sensations are going on in the body at
any one time, we typically only perceive a few of them at once. So, at this
point in reading my blog I want you to focus attention to your feet and how
they feel in the shoes you have on. Until I gave you that suggestion, had you
even noticed your feet or shoes? This
kind of selective attention is very fortunate; otherwise, we would be in a
state of sensory overload every minute—every second—of the day.
This kind of selective attention is also what facilitates
hypno-anesthesia. Consider Dr. John
Kappas’s definition of hypnosis: “Hypnosis is created by an overload of
message units disorganizing our inhibitory process (critical mind), triggering
our fight/flight mechanism and ultimately resulting in a hyper-suggestible
state, providing access to the subconscious mind.” When you are in this state,
the level of awareness is actually heightened. However, the message in the hypnotic
script has you focus on a specific issue(s) or sensation(s) while
disregarding or reforming the significance of conflicting messages/perceptions.
For example, when preparing a pregnant client to manage the discomfort of the contractions in labor,
I would suggest that she imagine/perceive the contractions as the gentle
massage that is helping to bring her child into the world. By changing the meaning or association of the sensation
from something uncomfortable to a process that is bringing joy into her life,
she can also change the perception of that sensation.
Hypnosis is to manage/control pain is one of the most common
requests/uses/applications of this modality. The body naturally produces its
own analgesics (pain-control enzymes) when the subconscious mind is overloaded
(distracted) or when you are comfortable and relaxed, such as during hypnosis/hypnotherapy/therapeutic
guided imagery. Therefore, when you are relaxed and calm in hypnosis, you are
more likely to feel greater comfort and be better able to manage or control
physical pain. However, the anxiety and fear that often accompany pain typically
increase this perception. Since hypnosis helps a person relax and reduces
anxiety and stress, being in this state, alone, is a natural analgesic.
Unlike medically-induced anesthesia—which can induce physiological
complications from medication-induced side effects—hypnosis is a safe, natural,
drug-free state of awareness. In addition to helping create pain-free
labor/delivery, it is useful to control pain/discomfort during dentistry
procedures, low-back pain, headaches, arthritis and more.*
*California law allows access by California residents to
complementary and alternative health care practitioners who are not providing
services that require medical training and credentials. The purpose of a
program of hypnotherapy is for vocational and avocational self-improvement (Business
and Professions Code 2908)
and as an alternative or complementary treatment to healing arts services
licensed by the state. A hypnotherapist is not a licensed physician or
psychologist, and hypnotherapy services are not licensed by the state of
California. Services are non-diagnostic and do not include the practice of
medicine, neither should they be considered a substitute for licensed medical
or psychological services or procedures.
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist
based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation
Institute in 2005. For more
information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an
appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2017
