Hypnosis has been used for centuries to control pain .[ 3 ] From major amputations to the resetting of broken limbs , hypnosis has been applied to achieve both analgesia ( the absence of pain ) and anaesthesia ( the absence of any sensation ).
In the latter part of the 20th century , surgeon and master hypnotist
Jack Gibson performed over 2,000 operations using hypnosis while working on an emergency ward in Southern Ireland . And he is but one example . Every day , hypnotherapists all over the world use the power of hypnosis to help reduce people ' s pain levels .
We never , of course , want to imply that " pain is all in your head !" Pain is all too real - but it is true that pain is felt with the brain . First and foremost , we need to take heed of pain and listen to it . Pain is a signal that something may need attending to , perhaps urgently .
I once hypnotized a friend who had begged me to help him diminish the searing pain of a tooth abscess . He achieved all-over numbness and felt calmer , but the pain in the tooth didn ' t stop completely . Why ? Well , perhaps because he needed the pain to get him to attend to a dental emergency .
So pain is a signal . But once we can say to ourselves , " Okay , we get it , the body needs to heal ", or get medical attention , then we can work to diminish pain that is serving little purpose as far as signalling to us to get help .
So we need to know what pain may be signalling , but also what it means to your client .
What does the pain mean to your client ? How your client views their pain can affect the way they experience it .
When helping clients overcome pain , we need to consider whether the pain is acute , that is to say that there is an expectation that it will recede at some point ( a stubbed toe hurts like hell but you know the pain won ' t be everlasting ) or chronic , meaning the person expects it to last indefinitely or even worsen .
So the first thing to check out is your client ' s understanding of their pain . Do they feel it is temporary ? Does it cause fear or anger in them ? One person ' s perception of the pain of healing after life-saving surgery may be worlds away from another ' s feelings about the pain suffered after a senseless assault such as a random street mugging . And for someone whose pain is a sign of deteriorating health , pain may be terrifying .