Chronic Pain
Acute pain is a natural human mechanism and fundamental to our survival. It is our body's way of telling us that we are being hurt and that we need to take action.
However, when pain serves no useful purpose – for example from a chronic condition, then we need some way of managing it. Chronic, persistent pain can make our lives feel almost unbearable resulting in poor sleep, fatigue, anxiety and depression.
The psychological component of chronic pain
While the source of the pain may be located somewhere in the body, signals have to reach the brain before we become aware of this. In fact, pain is both physical and psychological. The fact that people can continue to feel pain in an amputated body part clearly shows that the brain is capable not only of interpreting pain messages from the body, but that it can also initiate these messages independently of a physical cause. This pain can feel as real as pain coming from an injury.
How can hypnotherapy help you manage chronic pain?
When we experience chronic illness and pain it is understandable to focus on what we can't do anymore because of the pain and discomfort, it almost feels like we are protecting ourselves from further pain if we do this. Unfortunately, this can often worsen the pain, as evidence shows that stress, low mood and anxiety actually amplify chronic and persistent pain.
But - if we can find a way of reconnecting with a more helpful outlook and regaining control over the pain, then that can improve our day to day life significantly. Helping life to become more tolerable and even less painful by altering the brain's perception of the pain message; turning down its intensity and enabling the body's natural pain control mechanism to initiate.
We also work on techniques to be used outside of the sessions to self manage, helping you to feel more in control.
Further reading: