Hypnosis for Pain Relief: How It Works, Examples, & Effectiveness

What Is Hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is the applied use of hypnotic trance to facilitate therapeutic change. Some of the central concepts of hypnotherapy include a person’s suggestibility and the connection between mind and body to produce hypnotic phenomena. It can be used as stand-alone treatment, or alongside other treatments and therapies, like cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain.

Suggestibility

Suggestibility is the natural capacity to respond to benign commands either received from a therapist or given to ourselves. Although suggestibility tests can indicate how well a person will respond to the hypnotic process, they are not the final word. Even those who “fail” suggestibility tests can still benefit from hypnosis. Therefore, it can be helpful to keep an open mind and test the process out for yourself.

Body/Mind Connection

Another important concept in hypnotherapy is that the mind and body can and do influence each other. Thoughts, ideas, and emotions are not only experienced mentally but also have physical effects. For example, simply thinking of a favorite food can cause the salivary glands to begin to activate. Likewise, sensations in the body can also affect a person’s mood and emotional state. A throbbing headache can make someone feel irritable or make it difficult or even impossible to enjoy activities that are normally pleasant.

Hypnotic Phenomena

Based upon the two concepts above, a wide variety of hypnotic phenomena can be created and observed. For example, while in trance a person can experience arm levitation, limb catalepsy, dissociation, and time distortion, as well as positive and negative hallucination (seeing things that either are or aren’t there). These phenomena are not induced for their own sake, but in order to facilitate therapeutic progress by calling attention to the mind’s ability to create tangible changes in the body.

Can Hypnosis Relieve Pain?

Physical pain is often accompanied by unpleasant emotions such as fear and anxiety. These emotions can exacerbate pain symptoms and create a kind of feedback loop of discomfort creating significant mental health problems for chronic pain patients. The purpose of hypnosis is to help the person suffering from pain to manage the fear and anxiety related to that pain.

By relaxing physically and mentally, it becomes easier to redirect the person’s attention away from the sensations of pain. In this relaxed state, indirect suggestions are then offered to help the person react differently to the pain in the future.

A typical suggestion may be something like, “Even when you feel this same sensation of pain, you will be much less distressed about it. You will feel calmer, much more at ease, and not worried about it at all.” By layering multiple suggestions such as this one while in the trance state, the subconscious mind becomes conditioned to remember the instructions whenever the person’s attention becomes focused on the painful sensation.

Who Can Benefit From Hypnosis for Pain Relief?

Pain can seriously affect a person’s quality of life. Therefore, it is important to explore all options available when attempting to manage pain. Mainstream medicine often relies heavily on medications to treat pain symptoms. As we have seen recently, this approach can lead to unexpected and unwanted consequences such as addiction, overdose, and even death.¹ Hypnosis is an alternative treatment to pain that does not rely on potentially addictive drugs.

People who could benefit from hypnosis for pain management include:

• Chronic pain patients
• Those prone to addiction
• Cancer patients
• Migraine sufferers
• People with arthritis or fibromyalgia

In addition, hypnosis is sometimes used as an alternative to chemical anesthesia in dental procedures, minor surgeries, and childbirth. It is also used to help people reduce and manage pain symptoms after major surgeries.

Sensitivity to Hypnotherapy Can Vary

Hypnotherapy effects can vary from person to person. It is important to understand that it may not work for some while working very well for others. There is still a lot to learn about the practice and who may be more sensitive to its positive effects. It is important to go into a session as open minded and emotionally grounded as possible.

How Does Hypnosis for Pain Relief Work?

Depending on the issue, a typical course of hypnosis for pain management will include two or more hypnosis sessions with a trained therapist over the course of a few weeks. In addition to treating the issue with the therapist, these sessions will include instruction on self-hypnosis techniques that the person will be able to use to manage their pain symptoms on their own.

During hypnosis sessions, the hypnotist will most likely begin with a guided, progressive relaxation exercise. This begins with focusing awareness on the breathing, noticing how the breath is deepening feelings of relaxation as it begins to slow.

Some of the techniques that a hypnotherapist my employ include:

Imagining a Pain Dial

In this technique, the person will be instructed to control the intensity of the pain by turning an imaginary dial or knob. First, the pain is increased. This helps the person recognize that they have some agency over how pain is experienced. It then follows logically that if the pain can be increased, then it can also be decreased.

Glove Anesthesia

While in the trance state, the hypnotist suggests a feeling of tingling numbness in the hand or another part of the body. This can provide adequate anesthesia for dental procedures and minor surgeries. Oftentimes, it is possible to suggest that the person imagine moving the painful sensation to different parts of the body. As in the pain dial technique, this reinforces the idea of agency.

Dissociation

Dissociation can be achieved using guided imagery and visualization. While in trance the person will be asked to imagine themselves in a calm, peaceful, and safe place. This process helps the person dissociate from the painful sensations and focus on more pleasant feelings.

Benefits of Hypnosis for Pain Management

There are many reasons to explore hypnosis as an alternative to other pain management strategies. Compared to other options it is all natural, effective, and safe. However, hypnosis is not for everyone.

Some of the pros of hypnosis for pain are:

• It’s drug free: One of the main benefits of hypnosis for pain is that there is no need for expensive and potentially addictive drugs.
• Self-hypnosis: Most hypnotherapists will teach several techniques for inducing self-hypnosis. This is especially effective as it empowers the person to manage pain when other methods may not be available.
• It’s safe: A 2016 review of 5 major meta-analyses concluded that hypnotherapy is a safe and effective treatment for a variety of presenting issues.⁷
• It’s quick: Because hypnotherapy is a solution-based treatment, the course of therapy is usually short. Many people successfully learn how to manage pain symptoms after one or two treatments.

Drawbacks & Limitations of Hypnosis for Pain Relief

Some of the cons of hypnosis for pain include:

• Unrealistic expectations: Some people may be under the impression that hypnosis can completely remove pain symptoms. Although it is possible that hypnosis can aid in speeding up the healing process, it should be acknowledged that hypnosis is not a magic cure.
• Out of pocket costs: Many insurance companies do not regularly cover hypnosis. Check with your insurance provider before committing to treatment.
• It may not work: Try as they might, some people may just not respond to hypnosis. In this case, consult with your doctor to learn about other options.

Effectiveness of Hypnosis for Pain Relief

Applications of hypnosis for pain management and anesthesia have been well-documented since the mid 1800’s. By 1846, James Esdaile, a Scottish surgeon stationed in India, documented nearly 300 major surgeries where he used hypnosis for anesthesia.² He also reported that these pain-free surgeries dramatically reduced death rates, especially from postoperative shock.

In more recent times, hypnosis for pain management has been studied extensively. Here are some results of recent studies:

• A 2016 study of women with multiple sclerosis, found that the participants who used self-hypnosis reported dramatically lower pain scale numbers.³
• An article for the Annals of Palliative Medicine published in 2019 details the effectiveness of hypnosis for a wide range of pain issues including acute back pain, chronic pain, and pain from surgery.⁴
• A 2002 meta-analysis of published controlled studies looked at hypnosis with surgical patients to determine whether hypnosis has a significant beneficial impact. The results revealed a significant effect size, indicating that surgical patients in hypnosis treatment groups had better outcomes than 89% of patients in control groups.⁵
• In 2007, a randomly selected group of 200 breast surgery patients were administered hypnosis prior to their operations. Participants reported less pain, nausea, fatigue, discomfort, and emotional upset than the control group at discharge.⁶
• A 2019 study of people with hemophilia suffering from joint deterioration and chronic pain found that hypnosis reduced pain and improved quality of life for a majority of the participants.⁷

Criticisms of Hypnosis for Pain

Some of the biggest criticism of hypnosis as an intervention is the lack of research to back up some of the claims. While there is research in support of the use of hypnosis, there is still a lot to be learned. Some compare hypnosis to a placebo effect as long-term effects of hypnosis are under-studied. It’s important to be aware that even if it works for pain control, hypnosis does not treat the underlying cause of the pain, which may require medical intervention as well.

How to Find a Hypnotherapist for Pain Relief

As hypnotherapy becomes more popular and accepted, the consumer has more choices available to them than ever before. Therefore it is helpful to begin looking for a hypnotherapist armed with as much information as possible.

Here are a few suggestions to guide your search:

Do Some Research

A little knowledge goes a long way when it comes to making decisions about your health and well-being. Before you begin to shop for a hypnotherapist, learn the basics of hypnosis. See some of the resources at the end of this article for more information including by articles, books, and YouTube videos.

Check Credentials

The requirements for practicing hypnosis vary from state to state and country to country. Check the credentials of any prospective therapist and make sure they are qualified to practice in your state or region. Credentials can include degrees in other fields, or the types of hypnosis training your prospective therapist has received.

Compare Therapist Services

Many hypnotherapists offer initial consultations for free. Take advantage of these to personally meet a number of different therapists and compare their services. You can also “get the feel” of the person through your conversation. Ask yourself:

• Do I feel comfortable sharing my issues with them?
• Do they seem to have empathy for me?
• Do I feel like I have good rapport with them?

Ask Questions

Since you are about to hire a person to perform a valuable service, treat your initial consultation like a job interview. Ask them about their experience with helping people with chronic pain:

• What kind of success have they had with your particular issue?
• Do they offer any additional support before and after your sessions?
• What kinds of clients and issues do they most want to work with?

There are also several professional organizations that maintain directories of hypnotists and hypnotherapists in your area. Some respected ones include:

• The National Guild of Hypnotists
• The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis
• The National Association of Transpersonal Hypnotherapists

Cost of Hypnosis for Chronic Pain

The cost of hypnosis for chronic pain depends on the type of provider you go to. If you go to a pain specialist who practices hypnosis, that provider may be covered under your insurance. If you go to a general hypnotherapist, that may not be covered. Average cost for hypnosis for pain can vary from $60-$200 per session without insurance.

How to Practice Self Hypnosis for Pain Management

There are a variety of at-home options for managing pain with hypnosis and hypnosis-related techniques.

Self Hypnosis

Similar to meditation, self-hypnosis is not that difficult to learn. Scripts for self-hypnosis routines that can be memorized or recorded. Once one has learned how to elicit a trance state for themselves, they can utilize the pain management techniques they have learned from a therapist.

Pain Meditation

A counterintuitive approach to pain management is pain meditation. With this technique, the person focuses their attention directly on the painful sensations. By doing this, one is able to experience the pain directly and begin to accept it as it is. With practice, this can change a person’s relationship to pain, making it more tolerable and less intrusive in their lives.

Progressive Relaxation

This mindfulness technique is easy to learn and apply at home. Simply find a quiet space, close your eyes, and bring your attention to each part of the body from the top of the head down to the feet. Spend some time noticing where there is tension or stress and do your best to let go and relax.

Final Thoughts on Hypnosis for Pain Relief

If you are struggling with pain, there are a lot of interventions you can use to supplement hypnosis for pain management. It is important to have an open mind about all treatment options and really focus on the ones that are most effective for you. Working with a doctor and therapist is a good way to get started in learning about your pain management options.