Hypnosis For Pain
Control
Along with your pain
medicine, your health care team may suggest you try other
methods to control your pain. However, unlike pain medicine,
some of these methods have not been tested in cancer pain
studies. But they may help improve your quality of life by
helping you with your pain, as well as stress, anxiety, and
coping with cancer. Some of these methods are called
complementary or integrative.
These treatments include everything from
cold packs, massage,
acupuncture,
hypnosis, and
imagery to
biofeedback,
meditation, and therapeutic touch. Once you learn how, you can
do some of them by yourself. For others, you may have to see a
specialist to receive these treatments. If you do, ask if they
are licensed experts.
Meditation is a form of mind-body
medicine used to help relax the body and quiet the mind. It may
help with pain, as well as with worry, stress, or
depression.
People who are meditating use certain techniques such as
focusing attention on something, like a word or phrase, an
object, or the breath. They may sit, lie down, walk, or be in
any other position that makes them feel comfortable. A goal
while meditating is to try to have an open attitude toward
distracting thoughts or emotions. When they occur, attention is
gently brought back to breathing or the silent repeating of
phrases.
Controlling Pain With
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is a trance-like state of relaxed and focused
attention. People describe it as a lot like the way they feel
when they first wake up in the morning. Their eyes are closed,
but they're aware of what's going on around them. In this
relaxed state, people's minds are usually more receptive or
open to suggestion. As a result, hypnosis can be used to block
the awareness of pain or to help you change the sensation of
pain to a more pleasant one.
You'll need to see a person who is trained in hypnosis,
often a psychologist or psychiatrist. He or she may also be
able to teach you how to place yourself in a trance-like state,
by making positive suggestions to yourself.
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