Hypnotherapy has gained significant attention as an effective, non-invasive method for pain relief, both in acute and chronic conditions. Scientific research supports its use for both acute and chronic pain, with applications in conditions such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, cancer pain, migraines, and postoperative recovery. Recent advances in evidence-based hypnotherapy focus on refining techniques to enhance therapeutic outcomes.
The earliest known reference to using hypnosis in Pain management comes from dentistry – The first documented application of hypnosis in dental extraction under hypnotic anaesthesia was reported in 1829*. By the time the World Wars came in, pain management became one of the primary and early uses of Hypnotherapy in modern times. Today, it continues to be used widely, even sceptics now vouch for its efficacy.
Many countries now have hypnotherapists assisting Hypno-Birthing and in surgical procedures. Learning Self Hypnosis, one can reduce opioid dependency in cases of Chronic Pain, Rehabilitation after injury, Cancer Pain and many other types of pain.
Hypnosis is increasingly recognized as an effective tool for pain management, It involves guiding a patient into a state of focused attention, heightened suggestibility, and deep relaxation. In this hypnotic state, the patient’s perception of pain can be altered, which can lead to significant reductions in pain intensity and improvements in quality of life.
Techniques in Hypnotherapy for Pain Relief
1. Cognitive Hypnotherapy for Pain Reframing: This technique focuses on altering the perception and emotional response to pain. By modifying thoughts and beliefs related to pain, it reduces suffering without changing the pain’s intensity.
Application: Patients are guided into hypnosis to explore how they interpret pain and replace negative cognitive patterns with neutral or positive associations.
Case Study: A 2018 study published in Pain Medicine investigated cognitive hypnotherapy on patients with fibromyalgia. – After 10 sessions, participants reported a 30% reduction in pain-related anxiety and better coping mechanisms, even though their pain scores remained the same. This demonstrates how cognitive hypnotherapy alters the psychological experience of chronic pain.
2. Hypnotic Analgesia (Pain Reduction through Imagery): Hypnotic analgesia uses visualization techniques to reduce pain perception by shifting attention away from painful sensations. In a trance state, the therapist guides the patient to imagine cooling, numbing, or soothing sensations in the affected area, such as picturing an ice pack on a throbbing joint.
Scientific Research: A 2020 systematic review published in the Journal of Pain Research analyzed 45 clinical trials on hypnotic analgesia for pain management. Hypnosis produced a 40% average reduction in reported pain intensity across studies, with particularly strong effects in cancer-related pain and postoperative recovery.
Chronic Pain and Cancer: Research shows that hypnotherapy offers significant pain relief, especially for cancer patients, and can reduce the need for medication. In several studies, patients undergoing medical procedures with hypnosis experienced less anxiety and reported large reductions in pain (effect sizes ranging from medium to large) compared to standard care.
3. Regression Hypnotherapy for Pain with Emotional Roots: Some chronic pain conditions are associated with unresolved emotional trauma or stress. Regression therapy in hypnosis helps patients access and release repressed emotions, reducing psychosomatic pain. It is effective in conditions like back pain, headaches, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), where emotional distress plays a role, respond well to this technique.
Case Example: A 2019 case study involving a patient with chronic tension headaches found that after uncovering and processing childhood trauma during hypnotherapy, the patient’s headaches reduced in frequency by 70% over six months.
4. Hypnosis-Integrated Pain Management Protocols: These protocols combine self-hypnosis training with regular therapy sessions, empowering patients to use hypnosis independently when needed. Patients practice self-hypnosis techniques to manage flare-ups and reduce dependence on pain medication.
Research Findings: A 2021 study in the Journal of Clinical Pain examined self-hypnosis as an adjunct to physical therapy in patients with chronic lower back pain.
Results: Participants trained in self-hypnosis reported faster recovery times and less need for opioid medication, compared to those who only received physical therapy.
5. Hypnotherapy for Neuropathic Pain Relief: Neuropathic pain, often resistant to standard treatments, responds well to focused hypnotherapy. The therapist uses direct suggestions to interrupt pain signals or rewire the brain’s perception of pain. This technique is commonly applied to conditions such as sciatica, diabetic neuropathy, and phantom limb pain.
Scientific Evidence: A 2022 study published in Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair focused on patients with diabetic neuropathy undergoing eight sessions of hypnotherapy.
Findings: Patients experienced a significant reduction in burning and tingling sensations, with 55% reporting long-term relief up to six months after treatment.
Case Study: Hypnotherapy for Post-Surgical Pain Management
In a 2021 trial at Stanford University, researchers investigated the impact of hypnotherapy on postoperative pain and opioid use among patients recovering from orthopedic surgery.
• Study Design: Patients were divided into two groups—one received standard postoperative care with medication, while the other underwent two sessions of preoperative hypnotherapy and regular self-hypnosis exercises post-surgery.
Results: The hypnotherapy group required 40% fewer opioids and reported higher pain tolerance and faster recovery times than the control group.
In short, Hypnotherapy not only provided effective pain relief but also mitigated the risk of opioid dependence, showcasing its potential as a complementary therapy.
Why Hypnotherapy Is Effective for Pain Relief: The Science Behind It
1. Neuroplasticity and Rewiring Pain Pathways:
• Hypnosis affects the brain’s pain matrix, altering the way pain signals are processed. Studies using fMRI scans have shown that during hypnosis, activity in the anterior cingulate cortex—a region associated with pain perception—significantly decreases.
2. Reduction in Emotional Distress:
• Chronic pain is often accompanied by emotional suffering, which worsens the perception of pain. Hypnotherapy directly addresses the emotional components of pain, providing holistic relief.
3. Improvement in Autonomic Nervous System Regulation:
• Hypnosis promotes relaxation by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing inflammation, muscle tension, and stress-related pain responses.
Hypnosis has been applied in various contexts for pain relief:
- Chronic Pain: Hypnosis is effective in managing chronic pain conditions like arthritis, fibromyalgia, back pain, and migraines. It can help reduce the intensity of pain, improve sleep, and reduce the need for pain medications, especially in Palliative care.
- Surgical and Procedural Pain: Hypnosis has been used successfully to manage pain during and after surgical procedures, dental work, and other medical interventions. In some cases, it has been used as an adjunct to anaesthesia, reducing the amount of anaesthesia needed and helping with post-operative recovery.
- Cancer Pain: Hypnosis can be particularly beneficial for managing pain part of cancer and its treatments. It can also help with associated symptoms like nausea, anxiety, and fatigue.
- Labor and Childbirth: Hypnosis techniques, like hypnobirthing, are used to reduce pain and anxiety during labor. Women who use hypnosis during childbirth often report less pain and a more positive birthing experience.
Hypnotherapy offers a drug-free, non-invasive approach to managing pain, particularly in cases where traditional treatments fall short. From cognitive reframing and hypnotic analgesia to regression therapy and self-hypnosis protocols, these techniques provide relief and empower patients with long-term tools to manage their pain.
Hypnotherapy reduces pain intensity and emotional distress without the side effects of medication. It promotes neuroplasticity, reprogramming how the brain processes pain.
Hypnotherapy can help reduce opioid use, addressing one of the biggest challenges in pain management today.
With growing scientific support, evidence-based hypnotherapy is positioned to become a valuable component of modern pain management, offering patients effective relief and enhanced well-being.
A Hypnotherapist uses techniques like Deep Muscle Relaxation, Imagery and Metaphors, and Cognitive Reframing and finally helps you learn Self Hypnosis to ease your suffering in the long term.
What does Medical Research Say?
- Hypnotherapy for the Management of Chronic Pain, Gary Elkins,1 Mark P. Jensen, and David R. Patterson (National Library of Medicine, 2009)
- The Challenge of Fibromyalgia Efficacy of Hypnosis in Alleviating the Invisible Pain. (Giuseppe De Benedittis, 2023) -“Symptom-oriented hypnosis aims to reduce pain, fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety, and depression, while hypnotherapy focuses on resolving emotional conflicts and unresolved traumas associated with FMS.”
- Hypnosis and the Alleviation of Clinical Pain: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis – (International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 2021)
- Use of Hypnosis in the Treatment of Pain: Jin-Seong Lee, MD*, and Young Don Pyun, MD. 2012
- Delivery of a Group Hypnosis Protocol for Managing Chronic Pain in Outpatient Integrative Medicine. (The International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis 2022 Jul-Sep)
- Hypnosis, anesthesia, pain management, and preparation for medical procedures by Donald Moss, Eric Willmarth, Annals of Palliative Medicine 2019
- Just how effective is hypnosis at relieving pain? – (Medical Today, 2019)
- On Hypnosis for Pain by Afik Faerman, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University.
- * Allison N. Hypnosis in modern dentistry: Challenging misconceptions. FDJ 2015;6:172-5. [Crossref]
Read more: Scientific Research in Clinical Hypnotherapy
Holistic Approach in Healing
Every problem or aliment has a Karmic component just as it has a behavioural component besides many more. So we advise every new person who comes to us for healing to address this part as well.
There are two ways of handling this Karmic baggage, the first is the traditional method of Past life Regression Therapy or PLR, where you access your past lives in a meditative state through hypnosis and heal not just the karma but also the trauma imprints coming from there. Read more
The second is an easier method in which the healer accesses your past lives and heals them psychically. Read more.
We believe once the Karmic component of an ailment or issue is healed, we have better chances of success using any other modality of healing. Be it hypnotherapy, traditional allopathic medicine or even surgery. You would have seen that often, and we don’t have the right karma. It is so hard to find the right doctor and if it is your time to heal, you will heal through a simple herb. If we have the karma to heal we heal faster.
However, this approach remains optional as we understand that not everybody believes in past lives or the concept of karma.
Need Pain Relief?
Fee: Rs 7000 per session
Duration: 1 – 1 1/2 hours
Location: Online over Zoom app OR
at our Centres in Sector 57, Gurgaon or Navi Mumbai India
Facilitators: Abhishek Joshi & Priyanka Shukla
(Read more about our facilitators: here )
Contact: Abhishek: +91 981020 6203, Priyanka: +91 959428 0000.
Email: info@innerjourneys.life (innerjourneys11@gmail.com)
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