When seeking to control pain, it is useful to understand exactly how physical pain is sensed.  Imagine this:  You are clearing a new garden of rocks.  While lifting one particularly large one, you drop it on your big toe.  Chemical substances located in the nerve endings are released and the pain message is transmitted from the toe to the brain. These chemicals increase circulation to the injured area, causing swelling and redness.  (A natural process that fights off bacteria.)  The pain message travels to the spinal cord, to the sensory center of the brain, and on to the cortex where the location of the pain is deciphered.  At this point, you might be apt to scream.  Then, within moments, chemicals are released to provide pain relief and your toe seems to hurt less. The pain I asked you to imagine results from an injury, but the basic pain process is the same, regardless of the stimulus.

Painful sensations come from a wide range of causes but the path pain takes remains the same and so do your reactions to it. Four factors that must be considered in the impact and intensity of pain are: 

• your emotions
• your previous experiences or associations with pain
• your personality characteristics, and... 
• what pain signifies to you

• chronic pain
• pain due to surgery
• pain due to injury, illness or disease

Pain Management, A Glowing Achievement of Hypnosis
The effectiveness of hypnotism to control pain depends, in large measure, upon the personality and the presenting condition of the client.

In the utilization of hypnosis, the client's attitude is a major factor.  If you're in pain, it's important that you accept that relief is possible.

People who are in pain must be approached with empathy; and with an understanding the unconscious value of pain.  Nevertheless, pain indicates that something is wrong. If you're experiencing symptoms of pain, your hypnotist must be in communication with your physician to gain written referral.

Pain Control Objectives
To reduce or elimination your pain.  Hypnotism utilizes three fundamental procedures:

• To transform, alter or displace your pain.
• To directly address your pain and suggest that it decrease
• To direct your attention away from pain to experience the benefits of peaceful imagery       

Stress and Pain
Stress and pain often feed on each other... they can become a vicious cycle.  Pain causing stress... stress causing pain; more pain causes more stress, which causes more pain, and so cycle continues.  Chronic stress becomes chronic pain; chronic pain causes chronic stress.

Hypnosis Can Help
Clients suffering from pain can be taught to:

• control, diminish or redirect pain to tolerable levels; or
• turn their pain off completely, at will
• reprogram negative attitudes
• become aware of secondary gain issues
• learn self hypnosis to reinforce pain management techniques
• relax muscles, decrease stress levels and break the stress/pain cycle

CAROL DENICKER, MEMBER BOARD CERTIFIED HYPNOTIST NGH INSTRUCTOR, ADJUNCT FACULTY MEMBER CERTIFIED HYPNOBIRTHING® EDUCATOR PRESIDENT, LI-NGH

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