Fibromyalgia is one of most challenging conditions I’ve seen in clients. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, it’s a syndrome in which the brain over-processes pain signals, leaving people in deeper pain for longer periods of time.
People can develop fibromyalgia after a physical trauma, infection, or significantly stressful event; others notice it developing over a period of time. Some people with fibromyalgia also have other painful conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, temporomandibular joint (TMJ), tension headaches, anxiety, and depression.
If you think you might have fibromyalgia or one of more its co-conditions, please consult with a physician and get a referral before you undertake hypnotherapy with me or another practitioner.
Fibromyalgia Clients Face Unique Challenges
I work with clients who have been living with pain, including pain from fibromyalgia and other conditions.
With a condition like fibromyalgia, it’s easy for a life to spin out of control. Few things can be more depressing than living with constant pain, and many clients do suffer with anxiety and depression. Sleep can be difficult to achieve or maintain, thus aggravating the other conditions. Normal life stresses – coping with death, divorce, employment challenges – can aggravate the condition even more.
Addressing Fibromyalgia’s Challenges With Cognitive Hypnotherapy
I developed a five-phase program for my clients that we use to help them develop control over their minds and/or bodies. These phases are:
- Mindfulness: Connecting and Focusing
- Suggestions for Change
- Resolving Inner Conflict
- Clearing Root Cause
- Processing for Resolution
You can read more about this on my Services page.
Clinical hypnotherapy is an effective way to identify, address, and control emotions and behaviors that can intensify pain and other harmful conditions associated with fibromyalgia. With most fibromyalgia clients, I first work to help them identify any negative emotions and beliefs.
Stress is often the culprit. Stress releases a hormone called cortisol, and too much of it can cause havoc throughout the body and create even more discomfort. During hypnosis your body enters a state of deep relaxation, which in turn eases its pain and increases its comfort. Studies show hypnosis and meditation lower cortisol levels. Hypnosis is also excellent for helping to lower chronic pain levels and improving one’s mood.
Stress can also cause weight gain and heart disease and increase depression. Learning what raises stress and cortisol levels is an important part of controlling fibromyalgia-related pain.
Hypnotherapy and Helping You Sleep Better
Not much can be accomplished on a poor night’s sleep. With hypnotherapy I can help turn your toss-and-turn nights into blissful periods of soothing rest. Research shows even just a short session of hypnosis can lead to a better night of sleep, and that kind of complete body and brain refreshment yields many perks in your waking hours.
Clinical Hypnotherapy for Pain
The next step is teaching clients pain management skills. Clinical hypnotherapy uses guided imagery and visualization which has been used for centuries to help with pain; in fact it was used for surgery before modern anesthesia. I use its technique with clients living with chronic pain. It introduces new concepts to the subconscious mind to encourage it to reduce the pain signals the brain is sending out.
Quite simply, hypnotherapy works. I have helped my clients refocus their minds to make smart choices about eating, quit smoking, function better at work, and reduce anxiety, sleep problems, and other conditions that unnecessarily complicate their lives. Here are a few from my Testimonials page:
- “In a relatively short period of time, Hillary gave me the tools to stop an old script from running in my life that creates negative outcomes. In her lovely, calm voice, she programmed sessions for me to listen to that replace these old and unwanted scripts with something new and profound.”
- “Hillary provided a safe, welcoming and judgement-free environment to discover the emotional causes of my [sugar] addiction.”
- “I feel better equipped to deal with stresses in this life in a more healthy and productive way after working with (Hillary).
- [Hillary] created a guided meditation and hypnosis recording that I played nightly to help me alleviate the fear that I would die during surgery. The doctor had told me there was a very possible chance of just that. Because of Hillary, I went in relaxed and all was fine.”
Whether you schedule a consultation at my office in downtown Charleston or arrange for a session via phone or Skype, the benefits of hypnotherapy are waiting to be discovered. Call 843-252-0573 or contact me at www.truehypnosis.com to start today.
