Hypnosis and Self Hypnosis to Manage Chronic Pain

Hypnosis and self hypnosis have been highly effective  in helping clients to manage chronic pain (Gibbons & Woods, 2016; Patterson, Jensen, & Montgomery, 2010). . For example, I recently had a client who suffered from severe pain and post-traumatic stress disorder from a near-fatal automobile accident. He had been prescribed several pain medications, which were not always effective. I saw him weekly at his home for three months, because the accident had left him totally disabled. I used a traditional hypnotic induction (Gibbons &amp Lynn, 2010), with suggestions of deep-muscle relaxation, followed by repeated deepening combined with suggestions of anesthesia and well-being, with post-hypnotic suggestions that the effects would continue. I also taught him self-hypnosis in order to continue these suggestions after his formal treatment was completed.. He reported that these procedures were highly effective when used in combination with his prescribed medication.

The client and his wife have remained in occasional contact. In our most recent telephone conversation, two years after the hypnotic suggestions were incorporated into his pain management  program,  He reported that although some pain sensations remained after taking his medication, the combination of prescribed medication plus hypnotic suggestions provided a considerable amount of relief, and he was able to resume most of his daily activities without discomfort.

 References

Gibbons, D. E., &; Lynn, S. J. (2010). Hypnotic inductions: A primer. in S. J. Lynn, J. W. Rhue, & I. Kirsch (Eds.) Handbook of clinical hypnosis, 2nd ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, pp. 267-291.

Gibbons, D. E., &; Woods, K. T. Virtual reality hypnosis.  Amazon Books, 2016. 

Patterson, D. R., Jensen, M. P., & Montgomery, G.H. (2010). Hypnosis for pain control. in S. J. Lynn, J. W. Rhue, &; I. Kirsch (Eds.) Handbook of clinical hypnosis, 2nd ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, pp. 521-550.

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