Chronic pain

Hypnotherapy for pain management in Bristol

Living with chronic or persistent pain can be exhausting, affecting every aspect of your life. Whether it's an ongoing condition or pain following an injury, it can limit mobility, disrupt sleep, impact mood, and make even simple daily tasks feel overwhelming. Persistent pain is complex, involving both physical and emotional factors, but the good news is that hypnotherapy offers a powerful, evidence-based approach to managing pain and improving quality of life.

Hypnosis has been widely studied for pain relief, with research showing it can significantly reduce pain intensity and improve coping mechanisms. Clinical studies have demonstrated that hypnosis can lower pain perception in conditions such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, and neuropathic pain. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 85 controlled experimental trials found hypnosis to be significantly effective at reducing pain (Thompson et al., 2019). Neuroscientific studies using brain scans have shown that hypnosis changes activity in areas involved in pain processing, helping to reduce pain perception and change how pain is experienced.

Hypnotherapy works by engaging multiple pathways in pain management. It promotes deep relaxation, which reduces muscle tension and stress-related inflammation, both of which can exacerbate pain. Hypnosis also influences attention and focus, allowing individuals to shift their awareness away from pain sensations, making them feel less intense. Additionally, hypnotic suggestions can activate the body’s natural pain-relief mechanisms, such as the release of endorphins, while also increasing feelings of control over discomfort.

I have worked extensively with pain management, including supporting amputees experiencing phantom limb pain. My interest in this area began as a personal one—I had chronic back pain for many years before discovering hypnotherapy, which transformed my ability to manage and reduce pain. Now, I help others regain control and experience relief, just as I did.

By integrating hypnotherapy with evidence-based approaches such as mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), we can create a tailored approach that helps you shift your relationship with pain, reduce its intensity, and reclaim your life.

How Hypnotherapy Can Help You Manage Pain

Hypnotherapy can support a wide range of chronic and persistent pain conditions, including fibromyalgia, arthritis, back and neck pain, sciatica, and neuropathic pain conditions like complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and phantom limb pain. It can also help with migraines, TMJ (jaw pain), and hormonal pain including endometriosis. Additionally, hypnosis has been shown to aid post-surgical recovery, reducing pain and improving healing times.

Each person's experience of pain is unique, influenced by physical sensations, emotions, thoughts, and lifestyle factors. This is why our hypnotherapy sessions will take a tailored approach, helping you explore what increases or eases your pain and equipping you with practical strategies to improve your daily experience. Here are some key areas we may focus on:

🔸 Rewiring Pain Perception & Redirecting Focus
Pain is regulated by both the brain and nervous system. Over time, pain pathways can become overactive, amplifying pain signals even when no new injury is present (known as central sensitization). Hypnosis helps retrain these pathways, reducing pain sensitivity and shifting focus away from pain sensations, making discomfort less intense.

🔸 Understanding & Managing Thoughts About Pain
Your beliefs and expectations about pain play a significant role in how you experience it. If you believe pain is uncontrollable or permanent, your nervous system reinforces that expectation. Hypnotherapy helps you challenge unhelpful pain beliefs, reduce catastrophising, and build a more balanced mindset, fostering resilience and improving your experience.

🔸 Overcoming Fear & Regaining Control
Many people with chronic pain develop a fear of movement, worrying that activity will make things worse. However, avoiding movement leads to deconditioning, stiffness, and even more pain. Hypnosis helps reduce fear and anxiety around movement, allowing you to safely reintroduce activity at your own pace. It also fosters a sense of control, empowering you to take an active role in managing your pain.

🔸 Managing Stress & Developing Acceptance
Pain doesn’t just affect the body - it affects emotions too. Frustration, anxiety, and low mood can heighten pain sensitivity, creating a cycle that feels difficult to break. Hypnosis, along with ACT- and CFT-based techniques, helps you develop emotional resilience, reduce distress, and find ways to live well, even with pain. By shifting your relationship with pain and reducing the struggle against it, you can free up energy to focus on what truly supports your well-being.

🔸 Practical Strategies for Daily Comfort & Pain Management
Overexertion, poor pacing, and muscle tension can worsen pain, while saying “yes” too often can lead to burnout. Hypnotherapy can help you develop healthier boundaries, establish an effective pacing routine, and ease physical discomfort by promoting deep relaxation and reducing muscle tension.

🔸 Learning Self-Hypnosis for Long-Term Relief
Hypnosis for pain reduction is not a magic wand - it’s a skill that takes time, effort, and consistent practice. The more you engage with self-hypnosis, the more effective it becomes. In our sessions, you’ll learn practical self-hypnosis techniques tailored to your needs, helping you build greater independence and long-term relief. Regular practice is key to making lasting changes, and I’ll guide you in developing a routine that fits into your life.

How Many Sessions Will You Need?

The number of hypnotherapy sessions needed varies depending on the nature and severity of your pain. Typically:

🔸 Mild to moderate pain conditions – Many clients experience significant improvements within 4-6 sessions, plus an initial consultation.

🔸 Severe or long-standing pain conditions – A longer course of treatment (6-12 sessions or more) may be beneficial.

Throughout our sessions, we will regularly review your progress and adapt your treatment plan as needed. You may choose to continue occasional follow-up sessions for ongoing support, or you might feel ready to take the techniques you've learned and apply them independently.

Ready to take control of your pain?

If you're ready to make a change, I'm here to help. Get in touch to discuss how hypnotherapy can work for you.
Email: info@bristolhypnotherapy.co.uk
Call or text: 07851 307 062
Book a free 15-minute chat: Click here

References:
Thompson, T., Terhune, D. B., Oram, C., Sharangparni, J., Rouf, R., Solmi, M., Veronese, N., & Stubbs, B. (2019). The effectiveness of hypnosis for pain relief: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 85 controlled experimental trials. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 99, 298-310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.02.013