Pain Awareness Month is observed in September each year. It’s designed to raise awareness about problems connected to chronic pain, which impacts hundreds of millions of people globally. The month aims to make the public aware of how prevalent general pain is, educate them on how to deal with pain, and inform them about the research into the causes and treatment of various forms of pain.
Now, let’s start with a few things about pain. What is chronic pain? Chronic means persisting for a long time. So, if you break your arm, yes it will hurt. But if it continues to hurt after it has healed, them that is chronic pain. Chronic pain is usually caused by some initial injury.
Is it normal to be in pain all the time? If you exert yourself then some aches are normal. Constant pain is not normal and needs addressing. It is thought more than eight million people in the UK alone suffer from some form of chronic pain. Many of these will be taking prescription pain killers and so suffer unwanted side effects and risk addiction. It’s thought globally that the figure may be as much as 1.5 billion people.
Chronic pain has more than just physical symptoms. It can cause depression, isolation, insomnia and many other issues. Saint Augustine (354 – 430. Theologian and philosopher) put it very well when he said, “The greatest evil is physical pain”.
I know from personal experience how debilitating chronic pain can be. A few years ago I hurt my back and was prescribed powerful pain killers and anti-depressants. Both of these carried a high risk of addiction and dependency. Thankfully, I was able to recover through physiotherapy and then finally reduced and eliminated these prescription drugs. But it was a long a difficult road filled with withdrawal symptoms and side effects. It’s not something I would wish on anybody.
I have been doing a lot of work recently with pain reduction and management. Clinical trials have shown that Hypnotherapy can eliminate, or at least reduce, pain and it does so without side-effects. Even better, you can learn to use these techniques yourself so you are self-reliant and in control.
And traditional clinical hypnotherapy is not the only way hypnosis can help with pain relief. I am qualified in the Arrow pain reduction technique developed by Freddy Jacquin. Also, as part of Introspective Hypnosis sessions the root cause of physical ailments can be revealed. I have made a short video, talking with a client, who experienced relief as a result of such a session. So if you are suffering and want help to manage the pain and associated symptoms then contact me.