Your pain is decreasing…
Your comfort is increasing…
You can move easier…
You’re becoming more relaxed…
I often use suggestions such as these of more comfort when I teach patients relaxation and guided imagery exercises. But would these suggestions achieve a better effect during hypnosis instead?
A recent study says yes.
Researchers worked with patients with fibromyalgia and looked at the effect of suggestions when used both with or without hypnosis. These suggestions were to both increase and decrease the feelings of pain. The study found that both with and without hypnosis, subjects could change their experience of pain with suggestions. However, the effect of suggestions was more when subjects were hypnotized.
The study also used f-MRI, an imaging test that looks at brain function. Activity in certain brain areas changed along with increases and decreases in pain – both with and without hypnosis. But, again, the changes were greater when suggestions were made under hypnosis.
While hypnosis isn’t right for everyone, you might consider adding this skill to your options for helping with pain. Readers, have you used hypnosis? Was it more beneficial than other relaxation skills to decrease your pain?
The original article is “Fibromyalgia pain and its modulation by hypnotic and non-hypnotic suggestion: An fMRI analysis,” in the European Journal of Pain, 5/09.
7 responses so far ↓
carolyn murray // Jul 9, 2009 at 12:14 pm
It sounds promising, I have fibromyalgia. I would like to know more about this and also where to find a certified hypnotist.
carolyn murray // Jul 9, 2009 at 12:15 pm
How can I learn more about hypnosis and how it can help with pain.
How to Cope with Pain // Jul 9, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Hi Carolyn,
The best bet is to start with your medical team and ask about a referral. Many doctors working in the area of pain know a psychologist/psychiatrist, who may know hypnosis. Another option is to ask your primary care doctor. You could also look at the provider area of websites of national hypnosis organizations such as the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. (I got my training thru this organization.) It’s important to be sure a provider is 1) trained in hypnosis, and 2) has experience working with patients with pain.
Good luck!
Louise // Jul 10, 2009 at 7:39 am
Your blog is the best I have ever seen and have sent many people to read it and receive it.
Relaxation, self-hypnosis, visualization and all of these techniques are to be learned, tested, mastered, adapted to each person’s needs and likings. There is hope. I am cured of debilitating neuropathic pain and I know a big part of that is hanging on to a healthy body image, to visualizing the life I wanted to lead again, the feeling of being pain-free… I had special places in my thoughts where I went to to take a break from pain and learn. What I have learned will be with me for the rest of my life, anytime I need to retreat inside my head, relax and get away or heal.
This blog offers solutions for pain, methods that are safe and powerful on the road less travelled to dealing with pain in a personalized way.
Keep up the good work. You are helping thousands of people all over the world.
Louise
How to Cope with Pain // Jul 10, 2009 at 8:39 am
Louise, thanks for your kind words. Getting such positive feedback – that the blog is helping people – is one of the things that keeps me motivated!
Mary Kathryn // Jul 11, 2009 at 11:14 pm
One of the many things that has helped me with acute and chronic pain is hypnosis. I work each week with a life coach who specializes in helping people cope with chronic health problems, and she has used hypnosis with me, and EFT techniques. Visualization, relaxation, anything that is practiced in a safe way can be extremely helpful. Stress almost always increases my pain level. I really depend on my visualization and meditation cd’s for relief. I am always looking for new suggestions to stay motivated. Thank you for your blog. I would encourage folks to try hypnosis, they might be surprised.
Dr. Connelly // Jul 28, 2009 at 4:23 pm
The frontal lobe (pre-frontal cortex) is the general area of brain that has been found to play a role in the “executive functions” of the entire nervous system. The centers for judgment, speech, emotions, complex thought, language, memory, motor function, socialization, planning, personality, sensory functions and behavior are all located in the frontal lobe. This area has the ability to override and suppress or stimulate other areas of the nervous and endocrine systems. There is also a rich neuronal input from the alert centers of the brain-stem, and limbic regions. So this is the central command center for the whole body.
Consciously or subconsciously anything that affects this area can override or block the pain.
Mind over matter is, to a certain degree, a neurological process.
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