Holly Wincote - Professional, Qualified Hypnotherapist and Hypnotherapy & Training in Sheffield, Chesterfield, London, Doncaster, Oxford, Birmingham

HYPNOTHERAPY FOR PAIN RELIEF

There are numerous different definitions of pain, for example :-

• An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience arising from actual or potential tissue damage
• A warning mechanism that helps to protect - primarily associated with injury or the threat of injury
• Whatever the experiencing person says it is, existing whenever he says it does
• A pattern of responses which operate to protect the organism from harm
• A perception, not really a sensation - whether or not harm has occurred or is occurring

Pain is our mind's way of making us react to certain situations, whether it be mobilising us to respond to a threat, or immobilising us for recuperation from an injury. We may 'feel' pain if we think there is damage, even when there is none. We may also 'feel' no pain when there is actual damage, if our attention is completely taken with something else. Because pain is a perception coming from our mind, hypnosis for pain relief can change your perception, to effectively relieve and manage pain.

IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING ANY TYPE OF PAIN YOU SHOULD ALWAYS CONTACT YOUR GP IN THE FIRST INSTANCE.

Acute pain has a sudden onset, lasting for hours to days or weeks and goes once the underlying cause is treated or healed. It can result from illness, trauma, surgery or some medical procedures and signals that help or care is needed. The cause of pain is treated by the appropriate practitioner (GP, hospital, pain clinic) and then hypnotherapy for pain relief can be used throughout recovery and healing.

Chronic pain starts as acute pain but continues after the cause is treated or healed and has no therapeutic benefit. Hypnosis for chronic pain focuses on giving pain relief and providing pain management techniques.

Hypnotherapy can also be effective for helping with healing and helping the body to heal quicker.

In my hypnotherapy for pain relief sessions, I work with clients to effectively reduce, relieve and manage many different pain conditions. Here are a few examples :-

• back pain
• cluster headaches
• migraines
• tension headaches
• labour pain
• menstrual pain
• pain from injury
• pain caused by disease or illness
• post-operative pain
• shingles
• burns
• pain at the dentist
• phantom limb pain (see below)

THE BRITISH SOCIETY OF PAIN INCLUDE HYPNOTHERAPY AND SELF HYPNOSIS AS EFFECTIVE METHODS OF PAIN RELIEF AND PAIN MANAGEMENT.

Always see your Doctor first, to get a medical diagnosis for the pain.

• Hypnosis for chronic pain and hypnosis for specific pain treatment can enable you to reduce the amount of pain you are feeling, shrink the pain to a smaller area, move the pain to a more tolerable part of the body, move yourself away from the pain, distract your attention away from the pain, numb the pain or become insensitive to it, or even reinterpret the meaning of pain.

• In my Sheffield Hypnotherapy clinic, I teach clients effective pain management techniques, which can be used whenever and wherever needed.

• With hypnosis for pain management you can greatly reduce the affects of pain, reduce physical tension and even accelerate the healing process.

Phantom limb pain is feeling pain in a limb that is not there and can occur when people have had a limb amputated, when limbs have been paralysed and in people born with missing limbs. The pain is often described as crushing, burning, shooting or stabbing, or a contraction such as a clenched fist. Many people find it excruciating and this ongoing pain can have a very distressing effect on everyday life.

Parts of the brain behave as though the limb is there and working correctly, however, signals sent from the brain are not returned, which can cause confusion and increased nerve activity, resulting in pain. The brain can also retain memory of pain experienced prior to surgery, which isn't updated with pain free information because the limb is no longer there.

THE LIMBLESS ASSOCIATION RECOMMENDS HYPNOTHERAPY AS TREATMENT FOR PHANTOM LIMB PAIN.

An article published by them, with results from questionnaires sent out 6 months after hypnosis, showed pain completely gone or significantly less in 96% of patients, with almost half reporting all pain gone.

With hypnosis for phantom limb pain, I work with you to change and update your brain's perception of the pain, your body map and your body memory (home visits can also be arranged):-

• Update your brain's perception with the correct pain-free information
• techniques to provide your brain with missing visual stimulation
• enable the pain to leave your body
• make use of your phantom limb to aid use of your artificial limb
• build confidence and restore your self-esteem
• Learn relaxation and self-hypnosis

If you would like more information on Hypnotherapy for Phantom limb Pain in Sheffield, please contact me.

Timeframe: Usually 2 - 6 sessions tailored to your specific circumstances, using some or all of the techniques below

Consultation :determine the nature and sensation of your pain and how it impacts on your daily life

Between session assignments: document the frequency and severity of pain

Hypnosis: at a deep and lasting level to relax muscles (particularly around the painful area), change and choose the sensation you feel (e.g. from pain to a warm or cool sensation), numb the pain sensation, dissociate yourself from pain, change emotional associations with pain (fear, guilt, frustration, etc.)

Visualisation: imagery to distract yourself from feeling the pain

Regression: under hypnosis to safely revisit a past event which initiated the pain and reduce or change associated emotion, so reducing or eliminating current non-beneficial pain

NLP: techniques to change how you perceive the pain and directly reduce the pain you feel

Self hypnosis: learn self hypnosis to remain calm and relaxed in any situation

If you would like more information on Sheffield Hypnotherapy for Pain Relief or Sheffield Hypnotherapy for Phantom Limb Pain, or you would like to book an appointment, please contact me.

Holly Wincote Hypnotherapy Sheffield
Tel: 07986 539747
Email: holly@atherapy.co.uk