Hypnosis for Pain Management and Mitigation

I'm often asked why I became interested in hypnosis as a tool for health and well-being.  It's a straight-forward, one word answer:  basketball.

I have played "recreation intense" hoops three times a week for 20 years.  That's a whole lot of pounding on the knees and ankles.  Plus, I've managed through my fair share of nagging injuries (i.e. shoulder, back, fingers, etc.).

By the time I reached my mid-30s, my body began to revolt against the constant drum of such physical exertion.  I began popping three or four Advil prior to hitting the courts and I was often relegated to multiple ice packs after playing.

The practice of self-hypnosis helps me reset the expectation of physical pain and discomfort, and recover more quickly the next day.

Today, I came across this article entitled "Hypnosis for Chronic Pain Management" that does an excellent job addressing the physical healing affects associated with hypnosis.  The author, Mark Jensen of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington Medical Center, cites several recent studies that validate what I've known for a decade - you can play and compete longer and harder through the practice of hypnosis.

Here are a couple of quotes from the article:

"Hypnosis for decreases in the intensity of pain result not only in significant decreases in pain intensity, but also decreases in activity in the brain areas that underlie the experience of pain intensity."

"Hypnotic suggestions for reduced pain and improved healing have been shown to reduce the time needed for medical procedures, speed recovery time, and result in fewer analgesics needed — all of which not only result in more comfort for the patient, but save the patient and the patient’s insurance companies money."

"When people with chronic pain are taught how to use self-hypnosis for pain management and improved sleep, they experience pain relief and sleep better."