Hypnotherapy can help in pain treatment plan
DEAR DR. K: I am in near- constant pain because of arthritis. My doctor suggested that I try hypnotherapy. My first reaction was that it sounds like hokum, but now I’m wondering if it could help. What do you think?
DEAR READER: Hypnotherapy may in fact help with pain management. These days it is used to treat many men - tal and physical health problems . Hypnotherapy is most effective in treating problems that require stronger control over the body’s responses. Pain is a good example; insomnia is another.
Hypnotherapy turns your attention inward. A hypnotherapist helps you enter a trancelike state. In that state, your attention is highly focused, so you’re more responsive to suggestions. With the guidance of a hypnotherapist, you can start to control or alter your thoughts, feelings and physical state. A hypnotic trance empowers you to activate neural circuits that are otherwise inactive. When activated, this circuitry can reduce pain, among other things.
The success rate for hypnotherapy in treating pain is complicated. That may be because the source and nature of pain
can vary so widely. Some people experience quick and long- lasting relief; others find it more challenging.
In part, a successful outcome depends on how committed you are. In order for hypnotherapy to work, you will need to put the lessons learned at each session into practice at home.
Hypnotherapy is typically a complementary therapy. That means it should be part of a broader treatment plan that may include more traditional pain relief techniques and medications, if needed.
We know that the brain experiences symptoms — like pain — and that the brain has its own natural ways of relieving those symptoms. However, those “natural” ways often lie dormant and need to be activated. Hypnosis is a way of activating the brain’s ability to quiet bothersome symptoms.
A physician colleague of mine tried hypnosis after no traditional treatments were able to adequately relieve his pain. The treatment was so successful that he now uses hypnosis in his practice. There’s nothing like getting your own suffering relieved to make a believer out of you.