Stuart Mconie who is looking after Chris Evan’s slot on radio 2’s drive time; was looking at hypnosis and pain relief yesterday (June 4th). I was asked to make some comments. Here are a few thoughts.

The very topic takes me back many years to a Sarah Jane, a twenty eight year old lady who was in great pain because of advanced cancer, she did not want to increase her drugs because she said they robbed her of mental clarity. So even before, I learnt about hypnosis I had recognized the power of telling stories and helping people relax. So she had me tell her stories of my camping holidays and of walks in the mountains.

Closing her eyes, she would drift off, as I too got lost in the recollection of those innocent adventures in the hills. Getting lost in the dark, ranting farmers, even more angry cows and the beautiful smell of coffee and a cooked breakfast in the open air.

Always believing there was something outside of the allopathic model to relieve pain; it was Sarah, David, Chrissie, Nick, Nic’s and many others whom I worked with. Who are responsible for my journey into acupuncture and hypnosis.

Today there are countless studies that show the amazing power of the mind to lessen or banish pain, so how do people do this ?

Well we know that when a person is in a hypnotic state they are in a similar brain wave pattern to the REM (rapid eye movement) state. More commonly associated with sleep; we drift in and out of this pattern twenty-four seven.

The REM state seems to be a brain wave function that is associated with the ability to create a dream like reality and deep relaxation. This natural human ability enables you to enhance your concentration, bypass worrying thoughts and create a focus that can change your brains interpretation of your present reality.

Let me now answer a few questions that come up time and again.

So can everyone go into hypnosis? well yes. But there are a few people for whom it may be difficult. Some who have taken lots of drugs, or who are on the autistic scale may find it harder. For the rest of us practice makes perfect. Remember you are just harnessing and using a perfectly natural function of your brain, nothing weird about that.

Who can benefit? We all can benefit from relaxing deeply, our immune system and digestion can work unhindered by the robust voice of stress when in a hypnotic state. Natural pain killers, endorphins are also produced when relaxing. So our own pain killing chemicals, extra energy and a clear mind are just some of the benefits of hypnosis; but changing our reality is the second part of the equation when looking at pain control with hypnosis.

Our brain does not feel pain but sends signals to the various parts of the body to say that something is wrong. So in the case of long term chronic pain or childbirth, a person can keep an image of something that convinces the body that all is well and they do not have to respond to those messages.

So for instance birthing women who relax will have a body full of endorphins; they can add to this ability to diminish pain, by thinking of the ‘contractions’ (see Marks article on language that makes us ill) as waves of energy like the sea. Or they might focus on their baby getting nearer to being in their arms. Their brain acts like some reality simulator and bypasses the normal pain response.

What is realistic to expect? A Meta analysis of clinical and experimental studies in 2000 revealed that a staggering seventy-five percent of participants with various types of pain, obtained substantial relief through hypnosis.

One trial of people having the invasive heart treatment angioplasty, showed that patients found the sedatative effects of hypnosis better than diazepam (valium).

So from the banishment of pain to it’s reduction, hypnosis is a winner. Even if it means that you take less medication, that alone will be of benefit in the long term.

To learn how to do it

And for an article on pain relief using hypnosis with phantom limb pain