Women are affected more than men in suffering fibromyalgia symptoms and is usually found in adults aged mid 20s to mid 50s. The back and neck are common points of pain in sufferers, which can be brought on by cold, lifting heavy items or by strenuous exercise. Other clients say that the pain is just always there.
What are Fibromyalgia Symptoms Like?
Fibromyalgia pain affects ligaments and tendons or other fibrous tissue, rather than joints. Sufferers describe the pain as an aching, burning, throbbing or stabbing sensation. Fibromyalgia symptoms also include sleep issue for many people, as well as fatigue. Pain killers, gentle exercise, meditation and hypnosis are often suggested by the GP or health practitioner as a way to manage the pain.
How Can Hypnosis Help?
When hypnosis is done on a fibromyalgia sufferer, the activity of the pain networks in the brain reduce while the patient is in trance, as found by a research study from the University of Iowa. This demonstrates that hypnosis can have a physical affect on the brain. Of course we cannot always remain in trance, however positive suggestions through hypnosis can have an ongoing affect. So too can controlled breathing exercises that calm the nervous system. In these ways we can manage symptoms, even without drugs. In fact, The US based National Institute of Health found that fibromyalgia sufferers who use hypnosis reported 80% fewer painful fibromyalgia symptoms, over to those who did not use hypnosis.
The onset of fibromyalgia symptoms is often connected with emotional trauma, and so working on the emotional level with hypnosis also can have deeply healing impacts as we work through to the cause, and release its impact from the body.
Charmayne’s Fibromyalgia
With a history of child sexual abuse, Charmayne had been through severe anxiety, depression and trauma for much of her life. Now at almost 50 years of age, she had a full time job in attending to her health. Her diary was choked with health appointments. She cam to see me to help her get rid of the fibromyalgia symptoms.
In the first session we focused upon her anxiety, which was pronounced. Her anxiety dropped considerably after week1. In the second session we attempted pain management. Charmayne was responding extremely well under hypnosis, using a technique where we move the pain around the body and eventually, out of the body. As we approached the pelvic region, Charmayne lost control of that pain and the session fell flat. We discussed what had occurred and she said that thoughts of the abuse came flooding back as we moved the pain to this region.
In session 3, we focused upon the emotional trauma of the abuse and then revisited the pain management, and this time, we were able to eliminate the pain. Sometimes you have to start at the core and work outwards, rather than peel away the layers from the outside. I was able to teach Charmayne the pain management technique for her own personal use.
If you have physical pain that you have already seen a GP about, to rule out an underlying condition, then perhaps hypnotherapy can help you. Horizons Clinical Hypnotherapy Sunshine Coast.