Hypnotic pain control?
Hypnotic pain control — hypnoanalgesia (controlled feeling) and hypnoanesthesia (no feeling) — is well represented in the literature. Commonly reported are uses in dental procedures, surgical operations, and giving birth without any anesthesia other than hypnosis. Many people have gained control over chronic pain that did not respond to any other method.How Does Hypnosis Help Pain?Relaxation of the mind reduces the anticipation of the pain and relaxation of the body raises the pain threshold. Putting our attention on pain makes it worse. The reverse is true also. We can distract our mind away from pain. Have you ever been so busy that you didn’t feel a bruise or a toothache until things quieted down? Hypnosis can help the anxiety and depression that often accompany pain, making it easier to bear and less likely to interfere with life. Self-relaxation is a way of relaxing every muscle. When we are in pain, we tense, not consciously, but as a coping reflex against pain. But muscle tens
