Hypnosis for Pain Relief
Hypnosis is a set of techniques designed to enhance concentration, minimize your usual distractions, and heighten responsiveness to suggestions that positively alter your thoughts, feelings, behavior, or emotions.
Hypnosis is a helpful nondrug therapy to reduce pain. Studies show that more than 75% of people with painful injuries and related diseases experience significant pain relief using hypnosis. Hypnosis isn’t about convincing you that you don’t feel pain; it’s about helping you manage the fear and anxiety you feel related to that pain. It relaxes you, and redirects your attention from the sensation of pain.
According to the American Psychological Association, hypnosis is associated with significant reductions in: ratings of pain, need for analgesics or sedation, nausea and vomiting, and length of stay in hospitals. Hypnosis has also been associated with better overall outcome after medical treatment and greater physiological stability. Surgeons and other health providers have reported significantly higher degrees of satisfaction with their patients treated with hypnosis than with their other patients.
Dr. Sharon Livingston is a certified hypnotherapist and hypnosis trainer.
In a hypnosis session, which usually lasts 10-20 minutes, you will likely start by focusing on your breathing to help you relax. You then refocus your attention from something that triggers negative thoughts to something that will activate positive emotions.