Pain can also often be associated with distress and anxiety, and
sometimes with fear. People vary considerably in their pain threshold
– the level of discomfort that they can endure. Also a person’s
response to pain is modified by their past experience. Factors such
as insomnia, anxiety, and depression will equally lower tolerance
to pain.
Many descriptions are used to express the form of pain, such as throbbing, penetrating,
gnawing, aching, burning and gripping.
The standard medical treatment of pain is with drugs, with analgesics being
used for mild or moderate pain. Severe pain may require narcotic
drugs, such morphine or pethidine. Chronic or recurrent pain may
also be relieved by acupuncture or hypnosis.
Hypnosis has been used to alleviate pain for a very long time –
probably over thousands of years. More recently, there have been
several televised programmes of surgery where no anaesthesia was
used. The only means of blocking or reducing the pain had been hypnosis.
The patient was fully aware of the surgery, being awake throughout
the operation, yet in that lovely state of focused relaxation -
we call hypnosis - he experienced no discomfort. In fact, when asked
what it felt like when the surgeon made an incision, he replied
his only sensation was a slight tingling feeling!
Certainly, the surgeon was very impressed as the patient just walked
away immediately after the operation. There were no after-effects
from more conventional anaesthetics! So, hypnosis is a very powerful
and effective means of dulling major pain.
For those millions of people who suffer from chronic pain, there
is also no question that hypnosis can substantially ease suffering
and greatly improve their quality of life. A session with Alan will include instruction in self-hypnosis which can be used to dull pain wherever you are. |
