Pain Management with Hypnotherapy: Does Hypnosis Work?
Hypnosis has been found to potentially help with many psychosomatic disorders. But what is the main benefit that people get with hypnotherapy when dealing with a physical phenomenon?
‘Worry is my worst enemy… an enemy I unleash upon myself’ ~ Terri Guillemets.
Whether we experience it as immune disorders, problems with fertility, or even fears & phobias; many of us suffer from ‘worrying’ too much. This is also known as ‘anxiety’ in the modern day. When we worry, unconsciously, the mind activates the ‘Fight/Flight mechanism’.
In the ancient days, when a human encountered a big bear, he tended to act dead. When a human was against a rival tribe, the body activated the fight system which is essential for survival. Just like in the ancient days, we are still equipped with this intelligent primitive mind. However, in the modern world, our triggers for these primitive responses are different.
Today, when we are anxious or worrying too much, the mind takes it as a survival issue and activates the fight-flight-freeze response. So, what happens in our body when this natural defense is activated?
What happens during the Fight-or-Flight response?
When we are up against a stressor, the sympathetic nervous system is activated. The sympathetic nervous system triggers the adrenal glands which result in an increased heart rate, along with increased blood pressure and breathing, pale skin, dilated pupils, and sweating. Sounds familiar?
These days some of us experience these symptoms right before giving a public speech, before getting on a plane, going into surgery, dealing with the loss of a significant one, or in hundreds of other different situations.
In other words, this great system that helped humankind to survive for hundreds of years, now, unfortunately, can be inaccurate sometimes and be alerted even when our life is not in danger.
Anxiety in different forms
During a physical pain-related issue it is easier to fall into the laps of worry, fear, and anticipating the future. When in pain, our stance tends to be on the negative side, and we tend to see the dark side of the medallion which usually results in “anticipatory anxiety”. This state of mind creates distortion and makes us see limited options which may lead to hopelessness and depression.
What is anticipatory anxiety?
Anticipatory anxiety happens when a person experiences high levels of anxiety by thinking about possible negative futures. It’s almost a negative projection and living in that projection as if it’s the reality.
For example, take someone who is scared that he/she will die during a surgery or someone who is worried about being left alone as a senior. These are all examples of projecting the future in a way that is worrying and scary
When anticipatory anxiety adds to the experienced physical pain, it extends the healing time and creates additional stress on the body. When we are under fight-or-flight response, the physical body gives priority to survive and the muscles tense up to protect the body.
While the muscles are all tense, clearly they cannot be relaxed and comfortable at the same time which is necessary to heal the body. This is the reason why some treatments take longer or become more painful. It is simply the mind working against the body.
Hypnosis can help with pain management.
How can hypnosis help?
We cannot be anxious and relaxed at the same time. Hypnosis is a very focused state of relaxation which means that the mind and body are able to be relaxed.
Being able to experience a state like this shows the person that the relaxed state can be created anytime, anywhere, easily and effortlessly. With this discovery, one can relax whenever they need to in their daily life instead of being anxious and tense up.
When we are relaxed, we are more in control
Have you ever broken someone’s heart when you were angry? Have you ever made a wrong decision when you were anxious? Have you ever said things that you didn’t actually mean when you were under stress?
When we are in the fight-flight-freeze response, we easily lose control of our actions, thoughts, and words. As a result, we also lose control of the situations in which we are trying to fix or change.
On the contrary, when we are relaxed, we are more in control of the body and mind. We are, in fact, our best selves and we can express ourselves as best as we can. The quality of the communication increases, distortions cannot survive, and everything becomes clearer.
Stress and anxiety release
The hypnotic state is also a release opportunity for the subconscious mind. With several hypnotic techniques, we work on releasing anxiety and negative anticipation related to the issue.
Between new self-discoveries, imagery journeys, and hypnotic suggestions, the mind gets a chance to realize the unreal distortion that has been created by anticipatory anxiety. Once the awareness begins, the distortion loses its power and diminishes in time.
Lastly, once all the stressors are cleared around the issue, we turn the focus on the positive results again in hypnosis. During hypnosis, it is easier to experience the positive results in almost a real way.
In the hypnotic state, the subconscious mind usually cannot tell the difference between real life and imagination. In hypnosis, we start focusing on healing, being healthy again, and doing everyday routines just like before.
Wrapping Up
These are the reasons why hypnosis has been found to be helpful in child labor, fertility treatments, psychosomatic problems, TMS, immune disorders, and many other discomforts.
Let’s take infertility cases. Many mothers get stressed about not being able to become a mom ever, afraid that their husband will be disappointed in them or they will have a miscarriage. This powerful anticipatory anxiety gives the mind the wrong message of ‘it is not time to have a baby, our life is in danger’.
As a result, the mind activates the fight-flight-freeze mechanism. This triggers negative results automatically and the more negative results come the more stressful the whole process gets. When a future mom comes for hypnotherapy sessions, the first thing we work with is anticipatory anxiety. When the anxiety is diminished, the body finally can go back to normal and perform at its normal levels. If the latter occurs, it is not a coincidence that the couple can have a baby right after.
Have you ever worked on something so much that it stressed you? Did it also seem to take forever in order for your hard work to finally pay off? And right when you give up, it suddenly happens by itself…
We all experienced a similar scenario. Whether it was a work-related issue, a relationship problem, or a physical health-related issue, when there is ‘too much’ worry involved, the results will be delayed or maybe won’t even show up.