For many people pain is a constant companion. Whether from debilitating arthritic pain, other chronic pain conditions stemming from neurological, structural or muscular conditions, or short pain brought on by an injury or illness, pain will enter everyone’s life at some point. When it happens people deal with it as best they can. Often, doctors end up prescribing medicines that unfortunately have side effects that may result in additional aggravating conditions and symptoms to be managed. Fortunately, hypnosis can help manage and often eliminate one’s awareness of pain.

It is important to understand that pain is not an enemy; it is a biological defense mechanism within the body that indicates a problem which requires addressing. Pain often is what will force a person to slow down and allow the body to heal itself. Without it, many people would continue to push beyond their body’s limits. Once the problem is understood and diagnosed properly, the treatment for the pain is critical for quality of life and recovery.

Hypnosis is a powerful tool for managing pain, and—depending upon the condition and the individual’s personality—it can eliminate or diminish the pain greatly by rerouting a neural pathway in the brain, greatly altering the person’s response to pain. Awareness of pain is a matter of how often it is focused upon. Almost everyone has experienced pain from an injury and when life demands that we do something, we temporarily forget about the pain to get that task done. Once things settle back down we focus on the pain again and it returns. Hypnosis works upon the notion that if the sufferer’s focus can be redirected, then the pain will diminish.

Numerous neuroscience studies have proven the effectiveness of hypnosis on pain, from pre-surgery and post-surgery results where neuro-imaging shows the pain center impact and reduction of medicines needed to provide pain relief, to the results of studies on chronic pain. As science proves hypnosis’ effectiveness, more and more people are turning to competent hypnotists for relief of their suffering.

Additional benefits to using hypnosis for pain management include the reduction of stress and anxiety the pain has been creating an individual’s life. Stress and anxiety will cause the body to tense up, and tense muscles exacerbate pain, often intensifying the amount of pain being felt. Moreover, sleep deprivation often complicates matters. A body in pain creates elevated levels of cortisol which often causes light sleep and minimal restorative sleep. Hypnosis is highly effective at reducing the cortisol output resulting in better delta sleep, hence the replenishing of norepinephrine and serotonin production, two of the “happy” hormones. With more of these hormones and better rest, a person is able to handle pain better.

Anyone considering trying hypnotherapy for pain management should find a qualified hypnotherapist, call and speak to the hypnotist about their experience and approach with pain management, and make sure one feels comfortable with the person and their knowledge.

Rose Siple is a certified professional hypnotherapist, transformational life coach and the founder of Thought Alchemy’s Transformation Center, in Rehoboth, MA. For more information, call 774-991-0574 or visit ThoughtAlchemy.guru.