Pain Management Hypnosis Therapy

What is Pain Management?

If  you were to spend a moment thinking about a time when you were unfortunate to have an accident i.e. a trip or fall, cut yourself while chopping vegetables, sprain a muscle ect, what happens? You would probably feel an immediate pain which would then be followed by the longer lasting dull ache until it goes away.

So what is pain? Usually pain is one of the most common reasons why we go for medical treatment and can be very hard to define as it is what we call a Subjective Experience and as far as I am aware there is no machine that can measure the degree of pain a person is experiencing. The Web version of the Encyclopedia Britannica defines pain as –

“A complex experience consisting of a physiological (bodily) response to a noxious stimulus followed by an affective (emotional) response to that event. Pain is a warning mechanism that helps to protect an organism by influencing it to withdraw from harmful stimuli. It is primarily associated with injury or the threat of injury, to bodily tissues”.

Wow! That’s a fairly vague description. So to keep it simple pain is simply a warning signal to the brain that something is causing or may cause damage and you need to look into it. Pain perception is the way in which the painful stimulus is transmitted from the site of the stimulation (injury) to the central nervous system to the brain. This pain perception is termed nociception (from the Latin meaning “hurt”).

Acute pain

Doctors will classify pain as Acute Pain which is caused by some form of injury to the body warning the brain of potential damage and requires action. It can develop slowly or quickly and last for just a few minutes or months and will subside as the injury heals.

Chronic pain

Chronic Pain this is pain which will persist long after the trauma has healed, and sometimes can occur in the absence of trauma. This type of pain does not warn the body to respond and will usually last longer than six months.

Our perception of pain can sometimes be affected by what we are doing at the time. For instance a footballer who is so engrossed in his game may take many blows to his body but because his heightened state, any painful signals which would normally be sent to the brain are temporary cancelled out until the game has finished and he starts to calm down then suddenly the pain signals start their journey. For more about the process of how pain works look at Gate Control Theory by Ronald Melzack and Patrick Wall.

So how do we manage pain?

Many people visiting the doctor for pain relief will be prescribed drugs for the treatment of their pain and these could be in the form of Non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs: some of the side effects of these drugs are, gastritis, worsening of asthma and kidney damage.

Opioids: these are effective pain killers for all types of pain including neuropathic pain. Morphine is the original drug of this class; the others include codeine, propoxyphene and fentanyl. Some of the side effects of these drugs include addiction, respiratory depression and constipation.

Steroids: these are very potent anti inflammatory drugs and they have a wide use in medicine for both anti inflammatory and pain relieving effects. Most commonly taken by mouth for the relief of arthritis. And can be administered by injection along with local anaesthetics in arthritic joints and in the spinal canal to relieve back pain. In high doses given for more than a few days they can have various effects including diabetes, osteoporosis and other damage to the bones like avascular necrosis to the femoral head. So looking at what is on offer in the drug field, the side effects can sometimes be worse than the ailment being treated and that’s just three items.  What of the over counter drugs we purchase?

So what else can we do for managing pain?

There are many complimentary therapies which are very effective in the management of pain. As we stated earlier, pain always has a purpose. Its purpose is to serve as a warning signal that there is something wrong in the body. It is very important for you to find out exactly what is wrong with your body before using any techniques for pain control.

Any complimentary technique used in pain management is a supplement to medical treatment and it is not intended to take the place of any prescribed medication without the consent of a qualified doctor. The use of self hypnosis has been shown to be effective in management of many varied types of pain, including pain associated with childbirth, phantom limb pain and even chronic pain sufferers have had respite through the use of self hypnosis techniques, which release endorphins. Endorphins are the happy chemicals which are found in the brain that have pain-relieving properties similar to morphine.

There are three major types of endorphins: beta endorphins, found primarily in the pituitary gland; and enkephalins and dynorphin, both distributed throughout the nervous system. Endorphins interact with opiate receptor neurons to reduce the intensity of pain among individuals afflicted with chronic pain disorders.

Besides behaving as a pain regulator, endorphins are also thought to be connected to physiological processes including euphoric feelings and appetite modulation. Prolonged, continuous exercise contributes to an increased production and release of endorphins, resulting in a sense of euphoria that has been popularly labelled “runner’s high.”

Pain management through hypnosis

Hypnosis is not appropriate or effective for all sufferers of pain; this should be considered par-for-the-course, as no treatment, chemical, physical, or psychological, has ever been proven to be 100% effective. Whatever treatment undertaken if it can help a sizable number of people, it is then considered effective. Because hypnosis has been shown to be effective in pain management in many different studies in many different situations, it should be considered as effective as other modalities.
Clients suffering from pain can be taught self hypnosis to:

• Relax muscles, break the tension, pain, and fear cycle.
• Control their pain to a tolerable level
• Become aware of secondary gains.
• Reprogramming of negative attitudes.

Please note that before commencing any complimentary pain management it is recommended that you first discuss it with your own doctor as it is not a substitute for any medical treatment already being received.

Where can I find out more about pain management through hypnosis?

Our hypnosis expert at The Cenacle Treatment Centre, which is located at former St Mary’s Rectory, Stockport, next to Manchester and Cheshire, provides help and advice regarding pain management through hypnosis. The Cenacle Treatment Centre is located in peaceful relaxing grounds, adding to the healing and calming atmosphere of our clinic. The aim of our centre is to focus a number of alternative health therapies under one roof, thereby offering a comprehensive range of treatments for clients in the North West region.

For further information, call us on 0161 483 9005 or complete an enquiry form and one of our friendly staff will be happy to help with your enquiry.