When I first started to study Hypnotherapy in 2007 I was very excited to learn that it can be used to control pain, mainly due to my previous experiences and training in the ambulance service. When I achieved my hypnotherapy diploma, I immediately booked myself on a specialist course in Pain Management where I learned many techniques that I have used and developed since that time. When I later started working with Palliative Care Clients, it was an obvious progression to adapt these skills to help alleviate the constant pain suffered by so many people, to help give them back some control and dignity in the time they have remaining.

This is a specialist area of hypnotherapy which merits a little explanation. Pain is basically a message from the brain to let you know that there is a problem somewhere in your body and as such should not be ignored. If you stub your toe or cut your finger it is obvious what is causing the pain and it can be easily dealt with, but if the cause is unknown, then it should always be properly diagnosed by a suitably qualified medical professional before any treatment can be determined.

With this understanding, the long-term pain associated with terminal illness seems to be an unnecessary burden, you are already acutely aware of the illness or disease, so why should you still need the pain as a reminder? Unfortunately, this is a flaw in the human make up. As long as the problem persists, the nervous system will still send signals to the brain and as the condition deteriorates the signals become stronger so the pain becomes worse. You may be interested to learn that it doesn’t have to be like that.

Within hypnotherapy, there are many tried and tested methods of reducing the amount of pain that is experienced and these can be particularly beneficial to long term and chronic sufferers. I can teach you simple self-hypnosis techniques so that you can do this for yourself, giving you a degree of control over the pain, which is very empowering and will help to enhance your quality of life, restoring your confidence to do the things that you need to do or had given up on.

Hypnotherapy is also very useful in coping with the anxiety of anticipated pain such as surgery or perhaps dental treatment. By learning how to control the level of pain through self-hypnosis the anxiety will be reduced, leaving you much more calm and relaxed and it is also proven to reduce recovery time after the procedure.