Pain Management

Hypnosis: A Mind-Body Solution to Managing Chronic Pain

The way human beings experience pain is not an automatic process. Signals travel through the nervous system and the spinal cord and into the brain, where they are interpreted as “pain”. These signals pass through an area at the back of the spinal cord called the "dorsal horn," which serves as a gateway.

Clinical research shows that psychological factors may expand this gateway, or contract it partially or close it totally. Stress, depression and anxiety can make pain feel even worse, while a calm, focused and positive outlook can help close the gateway to pain, keeping the pain signals from being felt.

Managing pain in conjunction with or without pain medication

Thanks to the verifiable results of hypnosis, many doctors and clinicians consider the relaxed, focused concentration of hypnosis a viable tool to combat chronic pain.

Scientific research has shown that guided hypnosis for those who suffer chronic pain can have significant & measurable benefits.  In a study of migraine sufferers who were treated with hypnosis, the frequency, duration and overall intensity of their daily migraines dropped by about 30% (1992 research).

A 2005 study suggests that hypnosis can actually change the way the brain processes pain signals.  It reduces brain activity, devoted to feelings of distress even while the pain sensations continue to be received (Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, 2004).

According to an anesthesiologist at the University of Iowa, hypnosis is approximately 65-70% effective against pain.

Surgical teams now prepare patients for surgery with hypnosis to reduce the required amount of anesthetic, simplify the procedure, reduce pain, and speed healing (Time, 2006).

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