The #1 Reason Why Hypnotherapy Can Help Fight Your Chronic Pain
Take control of your chronic pain when the doctors are letting you down.
Claudia Barbosa via Pexels Do you suffer from chronic pain? Has your physician tried everything and told you there is nothing more they can do to help you and that you should learn to live with your pain? If so, you should know this, you can control your pain better with self hypnosis, a form of hypnotherapy.
Often, when someone is suffering from chronic pain, their doctors try all the procedures and medications they can, only to tell their clients that they cannot help them. They suggest that they need to learn to cope with the pain. Sometimes they refer them to clinics for chronic pain, but even they cannot help. Unfortunately, many physicians do not know that hypnosis can help. Here's a brief overview of how and why it can be worth pursuing...
The benefits of hypnosis are not well understood in this country. Stage hypnosis and Woody Allen movies have given it a undeserved bad reputation. Stage theatrics make it look as if people will do silly or even illegal things while in trance.
It also keeps the myth alive that the hypnotist is controling the person who is in the trance. In actuality, no one will do anything that they do not feel comfortable doing while they are hypnotized. Stage hypnotists choose people who volunteer and want to put on a show.
They take several volunteers in case not all of them are actually ready to be a clown on stage. Often only one or two people comply. In reality, the person in trance is in charge of the session.
Real hypnosis can have many benefits for people with chronic pain; here's why:
It gives you more self-control
Clinical hypnosis allows people to reach a higher level of self control, making it possible to overcome issues with which they are struggling. That is why it can help people stop smoking, relax, overcome insomnia, heal from operations and manage pain, to name just a few of the medical uses of hypnosis.
In brief, the reason hypnosis works is that it allows you to access parts of your brain that are normally automatic which are controlled by unconscious mechanisms in your brain. An example of this kind of mechanism is the uncanny ability people can have to lift a car following an accident or to feel no pain until help arrives on the scene of an accident.
If you suffer from chronic pain like migraine headaches or backaches, learning how to use self hypnosis can help you take control of these unconscious mechanisms. If you are not getting enough relief from medications or are concerned about becoming addicted to pain medications, consult with a clinical psychologist who has been trained in the use of clinical hypnosis.
Chronic pain can be devastating, especially if your doctor is giving you no hope. Trying alternative methods of pain reduction can greatly increase your chances of managing your pain. By taking the time to learn self hypnosis, or hire someone to teach you, you can take back control of your life and your health.
Dr. Barbara Lavi, PsyD is a licensed clinical psychologist, founder of ACT Now (Active, Creative, Time-sensitive) Psychotherapy & author of the bestselling book, The Wake Up and Dream Challenge. You can learn more about Dr. Lavi and her hypnotherapy services on her website, ACTNowPsychotherapy.com.