Managing Pain With Hypnotherapy

Hypnotize Yourself Out of Pain Now is a fantastic self-help manual for anyone suffering from the kinds of persistent pain that cannot be alleviated medically. We have previously mentioned it in one of our articles and it is now available in bookshops.

With so many self-hypnosis books currently on the market, this excellent account distinguishes itself by being clearly focused on a particular problem. It is also written by someone who is not only a clinical psychologist, but who has himself suffered from chronic pain.

Bruce Eimer was injured in a major road accident in 1993, giving him first-hand experience of what his patients had been going through. As a result he pledged that he ‘would do anything within his power to help other chronic pain sufferers cope’.

This experience gives the book a degree of commitment, focus and personal investment that should serve in itself to inspire and encourage fellow sufferers, as well as convince them of the benefits of hypnosis.

Because pain has both a sensory and an emotional content, Dr Eimer believes it is ideally suited to the kinds of relaxation, cognitive and imaginative techniques employed in the therapeutic use of hypnosis.

Self-Help Exercises

The book is absolutely bursting with practical self-help exercises which avoid overwhelming the reader by being contained within the framework of a clearly structured programme of self-treatment.

Having first offered information to assist in understanding ‘the puzzle of pain’, Dr Eimor provides comprehensive questionnaires which allow the reader to evaluate their own experience of pain.

A clear explanation is given of the basics of hypnosis followed by an account of the benefits of self-hypnosis and how this in itself can help to alleviate discomfort.

The reader is then able to select from the huge range of coping strategies that form the core of the book. These are brought together in a step-by-step approach combining self-hypnosis, coping exercises and the use of self-suggestion.

Underlying Causes

The book culminates by offering detailed scripts that can be used to probe more deeply into the underlying causes of pain.

This is both an accessible and exceptionally thorough guide which is not just a very good aid to pain-relief, but also one of the most lucid introductions around to the therapeutic uses of hypnosis in the treatment of everyday problems.

My only concern about its function as a self-help manual is that the suffer could be overwhelmed by the wealth of techniques offered in this book. This book is basically teaching you how to become your own hypnotherapist and might be better approached with the help of an actual therapist.