Hypnosis for Headaches and Stress

In recent years, concerned physicians have been asking about and understanding the role of non-drug therapies in treating their patients. They have learned that when treating someone for headaches those therapies, whether used alone or in combination with medications, can have a significant impact.

Capable and compassionate physicians often struggle to assist a patient with headache relief by the use of conplimentary, traditional, or a combination of both methods. This is a trend that should be applauded. One helpful tool in the battle for headache relief is hypnosis.

Neurotransmitters

Understanding how the brain works and which compounds or “neurotransmitters” control our response to pain can be difficult at best. Those who have studied relaxation therapies have discovered that hypnosis may alter our brain chemistry in such a fundamental and positive way that it acts to relieve pain. Since monoamine oxidase is what metabolizes serotonin, in a study performed with patients who learned relaxation skills, researchers checked the subjects’ monoamine oxidase levels. The changes in those levels were found to be consistent with what one would expect with preventive drug therapy! So what does this study suggest?

By changing monoamine oxidase levels and consequently serotonin levels, we can actually learn -- via these relaxation therapies -- to turn on and off certain pain pathways in the nervous system.

What Is Hypnosis?

In this article let’s take a look at how hypnosis and self-hypnosis works as a modality of pain relief for patients who suffer from headache. What is hypnosis? Many people think that if they are hypnotized they’ll either start barking like a dog, clucking like a chicken, or be under the control of some “master!” In addition to having no side effects, hypnosis is effective, fun, and relaxing. Easily achieved by visiting a professional skilled in hypnosis, hypnosis is a focused state of attention or harmony. There are 2 fascinating and useful properties of hypnosis:

1) Profoundly relaxing, what could be more enjoyable than a few minutes of deep relaxation in the middle of a stressful day?

2) Unlike stereotypical ideas of hypnosis, no one can be forced or coerced into doing something they do not wish to do. Only suggestions given with your permission and for your own benefit are successful. Under a hypnotic state the mind becomes open to positive and therapeutic suggestions.

Three Elements Of Success

When it comes to using hypnosis to assist a patient’s headaches, there are 3 elements of success:

* First of all, in order to benefit from hypnosis, the patient must be motivated to want to use this form of treatment for his purposes, not someone else’s. In order to develop via hypnosis relaxation sufficient to impact on the pain chemicals in the brain, the patient must put aside 10 minutes a day.

* Secondly, since trust is an essential element of the hypnotic process, trust must be established between the professional and the patient. Without this rapport, hypnosis will not be effective.

* Third, the physician needs to make sure the patient has sufficient hypnotizability. Although most of us can experience hypnosis without difficulty, about 10% are unable to enjoy the process. Usually a patient who is creative, imaginative and intelligent is a good candidate for hypnosis.

A Case History

Let’s take a look at a case history:

Mr. Z is a hard driving chief financial officer for a high tech company. Known as the “hatchet man,” he is responsible for downsizing a company whose expenses exceed its revenues, and whose market share is declining. Although in the short term there will be many layoffs and suffering, in the long run his efforts may “turn the company around.” He is not well-liked by his co-workers and worries a lot about his health and finances. Since his chronic daily headache has not responded well to numerous medications, his neurologist referred him to a clinical hypnotist.

Somewhat arrogant and intense, he is a pleasant enough man who is willing to consider non-drug therapies to diminish his daily headache pain.

Like many patients, Mr. Z expected to be “put under.” However, prior to the hypnosis, it was explained to him that although in a state of deep relaxation he would still be “aware.” So, with a mixture of motivation and trust Mr. Z achieved initial success at relaxation using hypnosis and self-hypnosis. However, although he agreed to future sessions, because he was too busy at work he canceled them. He did continue however to set aside 10 minutes daily to listen to an audio cassette created especially for him to recapture the relaxed feeling and increased suggestibility that he experienced in the hypnotist’s office. He did report that both the initial hypnosis and later relaxation therapy helped him to relax and thus experience less headache pain.

Reinforcement

As in so many things, a principal of hypnosis is that all suggestions require reinforcement. When practice and repetition is added to the equation, the patient can produce both a biologically medicated pain relief (via altered brain chemicals) and a psychological harmony, enabling them to deal with their daily stress.

Complex Creatures

We human beings are complex creatures. Many of our headache “triggers” are psychological or stress mediated. By dealing with these “triggers” and appreciating the value of using non-drug therapies, we can lessen our pain.

Summary

Not only effective and fun, hypnosis provides a powerful complimentary or stand-alone therapy to headache sufferers. Relaxation and stress reduction techniques can play an important role in modern day medicine. In a recent paper, “New Treatment Options in Migraine” by neurologists Drs. Brandes, Edvinson, Marcus and Rapoport rates relaxation therapies as “effective” as a non-drug therapy for migraine.