Hypnosis for pain control?

March 20, 2007

I was browsing web sites looking at the possibility of using hypnosis as an additional tool for pain control and getting ready for surgery. I found this article on the Web MD site and it looks like a feasible mechanism for pain management. Has anyone else used this method? Where is a good place to get tapes or CD for pain management and getting ready for surgery????

Thanks

Carol

http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/hypnosis-for-pain link for article.

Hypnosis for Pain

Can the power of suggestion really help you reduce pain, anxiety, and blood pressure? It just might.

WebMD Feature

Reviewed by D. Vogin, MD

For me, cramming in college wasn't about mastering material before an exam. It was about squeezing in my studies before a migraine knocked me flat. When the fuzziness started creeping into my head, I knew it was just a matter of time. Leaning over my chemistry book, I'd race to memorize before the thumping began. Learning chemical reactions was not an option in my darkened bedroom, hammers whacking the inside of my head for days at a time.

What freed me from those hammers was hypnosis, a practice that people have used for medical purposes for more than a century. In the last several decades, researchers have subjected hypnosis to the scrutiny of clinical trials -- and it has passed with flying colors. It's been successfully used to soothe acute and chronic pain stemming from surgery, cancer, kidney stones, back conditions, and invasive medical and dental procedures. Still, many people who might benefit from the technique don't explore it. For some, hypnosis carries a stigma, perhaps because of the "performer" hypnotists, who make people cluck or moo in front of large audiences.

Fortunately for me, these were not my only associations with the technique. A friend had told me about her success using hypnosis to control pain from Crohn's disease, and I went to see her hypnotherapist. We taped a 10-minute session, and I listened to it every morning and evening. Within a couple of months, my migraines were gone.

"If this were a drug, everyone would be using it," says Spiegel, MD, a psychiatrist at Stanford University. "Changing your mental set can change what's going on in your body."

"Most patients benefit from the use of hypnotic suggestion for pain relief," says Guy Montgomery, PhD, a behavioral scientist at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. (Montgomery published a meta-analysis on the subject in the April 2, 2000 issue of the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.)

Tapping the Power of Suggestion

During hypnosis, subjects enter a state of inner absorption, concentration, and focused attention, in which they pick up suggestions particularly well. In this condition, they can tap into normally unused mental powers to create new possibilities of experience. "Hypnosis is simply a refined form of applied imagination," says F. Lynch Jr., MD, a urological oncologist at the Eastern Virginia School of Medicine, who has used the technique to help patients alleviate the pain, anxiety, and depression associated with cancer.

Results from several papers have recently furnished compelling new evidence for the powers of hypnosis. The April 29, 2000, issue of the journal The Lancet reported that hypnosis reduced pain, anxiety, and blood pressure complications in patients undergoing invasive medical procedures. (Hypnosis was compared with standard care and supportive attention, such as encouragement and active listening.) In addition, the procedures took significantly less time in the hypnosis treatment group, probably because the healthcare workers didn't have to interrupt their activities to deal with the patients' pain or to stabilize blood pressure, says Spiegel. Patients in the hypnosis group also required less than half as much painkilling medication as those in the standard group.

Patients most commonly employ the technique in addition to other treatments, but it can also be used by itself. A. Levitan, MD, MPH, a medical oncologist in Minneapolis, has participated in numerous surgeries, including hysterectomies and tracheostomies, in which hypnosis was used as the sole agent for pain control.

Hypnosis for Pain

Can the power of suggestion really help you reduce pain, anxiety, and blood pressure? It just might. (continued)

How Does It Work?

No one knows exactly how hypnosis works, but scientists have several ideas. "Hypnosis changes your expectations about how intense the pain will be," says Montgomery. "That alters your experience of the subsequent pain."

Spiegel offers an alternative explanation. "You focus your attention on a competing image that blocks your perception of the pain," he says.

Researchers are currently testing these theories by way of various experimental approaches. Some studies, for example, are documenting the physiological changes that occur under hypnosis. The process activates certain parts of the brain, including the portion that focuses attention. "By concentrating elsewhere, a person inhibits the pain from coming to conscious awareness," says Helen Crawford, an experimental psychologist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

In a study by Spiegel and Harvard psychologist Kosslyn, PhD, published in the August 2000 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, subjects were hypnotized and told that the black-and-white pictures they were looking at were color. Blood flow increased in the part of the brain that processes color vision. In other words, although the subjects were viewing black-and-white photos, their brains behaved as if they were seeing colors.

Hypnotizing Yourself

For my antimigraine campaign, the idea was to create an experience of calm. At my appointment with the hypnotherapist, I listened to his voice saying that the muscles in my body might begin to lengthen, that I could discover just how comfortable I could become. "How pleasant it is to have a moment when doing nothing is the right thing to be doing," he said. He suggested that when I became completely conscious, I would discover that I could enjoy all of these comforts, even with my eyes open.

I suspect my sessions allowed me to incorporate a deepened sense of relaxation into my daily life, which alleviated the stress that was partly responsible for triggering my migraines. People often picture specific images to achieve a goal. To soften a headache, for example, I might have conjured up an ice pack on my head. For general pain relief, says Lynch, "you might focus on a part of the body as a control center. Then you turn down pain as you would turn down the volume of a radio."

Clinicians use a variety of tests to determine susceptibility to hypnosis, but chances are that if you can immerse yourself in your imagination -- if you easily get absorbed in novels, for example -- you can be hypnotized. The technique employs powers of attention similar to those involved in watching a film. "When you enter a theater, you're aware of the other 200 or 300 people," says Levitan. "But when the movie begins, you concentrate on it and lose track of the audience. You choose to switch your focus." Motivation plays a key role in hypnosis, and the best way to find out if it will help you is to try it. "My experience has been that most people who need hypnosis for pain control can use it successfully," he says.

It's possible to induce a hypnotic state in yourself and conduct your own session -- which is the goal for many people. A licensed practitioner can facilitate learning the technique, however. "Most people do better the first time with someone helping," says Lynch. But he stresses, "All hypnosis is really self-hypnosis. The hypnotherapist is guiding you to do something for yourself."

For me, that something was reclaiming my time. Finally, I could delve into my books without the fear that advancing hammers would chase me through the pages.

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WebMD Feature

March 22, 2007

Hi

Carol,

I just wanted to respond to your post about hypnosis…I’ve

used hypnosis and self-hypnosis for many years for a phobia I once had,

preparation for surgery, and for pain management. If you can ‘see’

pictures in your mind with your eyes closed then you can use hypnosis.

I first went to a hypnotherapist for my phobia about 18

years ago, and I’ve been to two others since then. Every therapist is a

little different, but basically, after evaluation, you’re taught to relax

more and more deeply. When you’re ready, the therapist gives instructions

(for example, “imagine the day of surgery”) and you follow them in

your mind using images you imagine.

The therapist then asks you to describe these images, how

you feel, etc. Then he/she asks you to see alternative, more positive and

healthy scenarios (for example, “imagine you do the day of surgery

differently – in a way that feels better to you. What does that look

like? What do you see?”). It’s amazing how creative the mind can be

when it doesn’t have to revert to language – when it can just play

with pictures.

Besides pursuing hypnotherapy with a therapist, I also like

to use a CD called “Self-Hypnosis” produced by New Harbinger Publications

(www.newharbinger.com) for about

$12 plus S & H. I see that they also offer a CD called “Hypnosis for

Coping Before and After Surgery”, although I’ve never personally

tried that one.

Please let me know if you have any

questions.

Best of luck,

Andy

Hypnosis

for pain control?

I was browsing web sites looking at the possibility of

using hypnosis as an additional tool for pain control and getting ready for

surgery. I found this article on the Web MD site and it looks like a feasible

mechanism for pain management. Has anyone else used this method? Where is

a good place to get tapes or CD for pain management and getting ready for

surgery????

Thanks

Carol

http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/hypnosis-for-pain

link for article.

Hypnosis for Pain

Can the power of suggestion really help you reduce

pain, anxiety, and blood pressure? It just might.

WebMD Feature

Reviewed by D. Vogin, MD

For me, cramming in college wasn't about mastering

material before an exam. It was about squeezing in my studies before a migraine

knocked me flat. When the fuzziness started creeping into my head, I knew it

was just a matter of time. Leaning over my chemistry book, I'd race to memorize

before the thumping began. Learning chemical reactions was not an option in my

darkened bedroom, hammers whacking the inside of my head for days at a time.

What freed me from those hammers was hypnosis, a

practice that people have used for medical purposes for more than a century. In

the last several decades, researchers have subjected hypnosis to the scrutiny

of clinical trials -- and it has passed with flying colors. It's been

successfully used to soothe acute and chronic pain stemming from surgery,

cancer, kidney stones, back conditions, and invasive medical and dental

procedures. Still, many people who might benefit from the technique don't

explore it. For some, hypnosis carries a stigma, perhaps because of the

" performer " hypnotists, who make people cluck or moo in front of

large audiences.

Fortunately for me, these were not my only

associations with the technique. A friend had told me about her success using

hypnosis to control pain from Crohn's disease, and I went to see her

hypnotherapist. We taped a 10-minute session, and I listened to it every

morning and evening. Within a couple of months, my migraines were gone.

" If this were a drug, everyone would be using

it, " says Spiegel, MD, a psychiatrist at Stanford University.

" Changing your mental set can change what's going on in your body. "

" Most patients benefit from the use of hypnotic

suggestion for pain relief, " says Guy Montgomery, PhD, a behavioral scientist

at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. (Montgomery published a

meta-analysis on the subject in the April 2, 2000 issue of the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental

Hypnosis.)

Tapping the Power of Suggestion

During hypnosis, subjects enter a state of inner

absorption, concentration, and focused attention, in which they pick up

suggestions particularly well. In this condition, they can tap into normally

unused mental powers to create new possibilities of experience. " Hypnosis

is simply a refined form of applied imagination, " says F.

Lynch Jr., MD, a urological oncologist at the Eastern Virginia School of

Medicine, who has used the technique to help patients alleviate the pain,

anxiety, and depression associated with cancer.

Results from several papers have recently furnished

compelling new evidence for the powers of hypnosis. The April 29, 2000, issue

of the journal The Lancet

reported that hypnosis reduced pain, anxiety, and blood pressure complications

in patients undergoing invasive medical procedures. (Hypnosis was compared with

standard care and supportive attention, such as encouragement and active

listening.) In addition, the procedures took significantly less time in the

hypnosis treatment group, probably because the healthcare workers didn't have

to interrupt their activities to deal with the patients' pain or to stabilize

blood pressure, says Spiegel. Patients in the hypnosis group also required less

than half as much painkilling medication as those in the standard group.

Patients most commonly employ the technique in

addition to other treatments, but it can also be used by itself. A.

Levitan, MD, MPH, a medical oncologist in Minneapolis, has participated in

numerous surgeries, including hysterectomies and tracheostomies, in which

hypnosis was used as the sole agent for pain control.

Hypnosis for Pain

Can the power of suggestion really help you reduce

pain, anxiety, and blood pressure? It just might.

(continued)

How Does It Work?

No one knows exactly how hypnosis works, but

scientists have several ideas. " Hypnosis changes your expectations about

how intense the pain will be, " says Montgomery. " That alters your

experience of the subsequent pain. "

Spiegel offers an alternative explanation. " You

focus your attention on a competing image that blocks your perception of the

pain, " he says.

Researchers are currently testing these theories by

way of various experimental approaches. Some studies, for example, are

documenting the physiological changes that occur under hypnosis. The process

activates certain parts of the brain, including the portion that focuses

attention. " By concentrating elsewhere, a person inhibits the pain from

coming to conscious awareness, " says Helen Crawford, an experimental

psychologist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

In a study by Spiegel and Harvard psychologist

Kosslyn, PhD, published in the August 2000 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, subjects

were hypnotized and told that the black-and-white pictures they were looking at

were color. Blood flow increased in the part of the brain that processes color

vision. In other words, although the subjects were viewing black-and-white

photos, their brains behaved as if they were seeing colors.

Hypnotizing Yourself

For my antimigraine campaign, the idea was to create

an experience of calm. At my appointment with the hypnotherapist, I listened to

his voice saying that the muscles in my body might begin to lengthen, that I

could discover just how comfortable I could become. " How pleasant it is to

have a moment when doing nothing is the right thing to be doing, " he said.

He suggested that when I became completely conscious, I would discover that I

could enjoy all of these comforts, even with my eyes open.

I suspect my sessions allowed me to incorporate a

deepened sense of relaxation into my daily life, which alleviated the stress

that was partly responsible for triggering my migraines. People often picture

specific images to achieve a goal. To soften a headache, for example, I might

have conjured up an ice pack on my head. For general pain relief, says Lynch,

" you might focus on a part of the body as a control center. Then you turn

down pain as you would turn down the volume of a radio. "

Clinicians use a variety of tests to determine

susceptibility to hypnosis, but chances are that if you can immerse yourself in

your imagination -- if you easily get absorbed in novels, for example -- you

can be hypnotized. The technique employs powers of attention similar to those

involved in watching a film. " When you enter a theater, you're aware of

the other 200 or 300 people, " says Levitan. " But when the movie

begins, you concentrate on it and lose track of the audience. You choose to

switch your focus. " Motivation plays a key role in hypnosis, and the best

way to find out if it will help you is to try it. " My experience has been

that most people who need hypnosis for pain control can use it successfully, "

he says.

It's possible to induce a hypnotic state in yourself

and conduct your own session -- which is the goal for many people. A licensed

practitioner can facilitate learning the technique, however. " Most people

do better the first time with someone helping, " says Lynch. But he

stresses, " All hypnosis is really self-hypnosis. The hypnotherapist is

guiding you to do something for yourself. "

For me, that something was reclaiming my time.

Finally, I could delve into my books without the fear that advancing hammers

would chase me through the pages.

< Previous Page

1 |

2

WebMD Feature

March 22, 2007

Hi Andy,

Thanks for the tape web site. I will definitely look into it.

I always say that I have to get my mind right before subjecting myself to

revision surgery. It is so hard though. All I have right now is pictures

in my mind of the pain and horrors I went through during my first

scoliosis surgery when I was 17. I just can't seem to oust those

memories. I figure maybe with hypnosis tapes will help take the edge off

of those bad memories. That is the only thing holding me back right

now. But it is a real obstacle.

Thanks again for the web site info. I will be looking into it directly.

Carol

March 22, 2007

Hi

Carol,

I hope you like the self-hypnosis tape.

There are also good relaxation tapes based on body scanning and usually

referred to as Progressive Muscle Relaxation. If you want more info about

those, please let me know.

I can completely understand your reluctance

to have more surgery. I had my first procedure at 18 and it was horrific. That’s

such a vulnerable time in your life – adolescence. I remember being so

embarrassed at having so many people look at my naked body – I mean, I didn’t

relish it 3 years ago, at 48, when I had my revision, but I didn’t feel

quite so mortified. I also remember missing my friends and – worst of all

– having to wear a 25 pound plaster cast for 9 months. It was all so

horrible.

I too dreaded revision surgery – in fact,

I asked Dr. Boachie if I could put it off for a couple of years. Thank goodness

he said no – he made it clear that my Flatback would worsen – and fast.

So I felt I had ‘no choice’ and was forced to do it.

The good news is that it wasn’t

nearly as bad as I had anticipated. Yes, the first few days were

extraordinarily painful, confusing and scary (because of my reactions to IV

morphine), and being in the hospital was worse than unpleasant – being awakened

a million times for tests, not being able to shower, being dependent on others

for everything, nasty food, etc. But as an adult I was better able to cope,

overall, with all of those things. Of course it helped tremendously that my

husband was there with me and that we had hired an overnight nurse to sponge-bathe

me daily, change my sheets daily, and make sure I got pain meds right away. But

I just didn’t feel as vulnerable – or miserable – as I did

when I was 18.

I truly hope your revision experience

surprises you – that it’s not as awful as you’re imagining it

right now. I’m sure the hypnosis or relaxation tapes will help. You might

also want to consider starting a low-dose anti-depressant – for the

anti-anxiety effects, not necessarily for depression – if you can find

one you can tolerate well. You can easily discontinue them whenever you want –

you just do it slowly rather than all at once. It would take away some or most