Hypnosis for Back Pain

An estimated one-fourth of American adults suffer from lower back pain. The pain can be due to any number of causes, including strained muscles and ligaments, disk injury or degeneration or a narrowing of the space around the spinal cord (spinal stenosis). Hypnosis is emerging as an effective treatment for lower back and other types of chronic pain, providing hope for people who have tried numerous traditional treatments---from pain relievers and cold/heat therapy to physical therapy and even surgery---without success.

Method

• Hypnotists help patients achieve a deep state of concentration known as a trance. A trance is not sleep, but rather an altered state of consciousness similar to daydreaming where external things become unimportant. During a trance, you feel everything you're asked to visualize more vividly and intensely than in ordinary situations. Hypnosis, though, doesn't overpower your own sense of self. A hypnotist cannot make you do anything you don't want to do. Most sessions last 30 to 60 minutes.

Treatment

• Hypnosis has been used successfully for pain control during medical and dental procedures. Researchers are now looking at its use for chronic pain. One type of hypnosis for back problems involves helping patients learn to ignore the pain by imagining themselves in an environment---on a tropical beach, by a beautiful lake---where they feel relaxed and happy. In a 1995 Virginia Tech study, researchers used hypnosis to teach back pain sufferers (including 71 percent with damaged disks) to ignore the pain of ice water, then asked them to practice the technique they learned at home. Most were able to reduce or end their pain medication and reported less depression and improved sleep quality.

Effects

• Whether hypnosis works by actually preventing pain signals from reaching the brain is uncertain. More likely, it works by giving patients psychological tools they can use to distract themselves from pain. A 2005 University of Iowa study showed that hypnotized people have reduced activity in the areas of the brain that perceive pain. Hypnosis may also provide relief by reducing stress, which exacerbates pain.

Considerations

• Although many people believe they can't be hypnotized, only about 15 to 20 percent of people are hard to hypnotize. And those people can become very suggestible if taught more about the process. Among the most highly suggestible people are those prone to anxiety, phobias and panic: If you imagine the worst-case scenario, chances are you have good visualization skills required for hypnosis.

Experts

• Look for a hypnotist who specializes in pain management. Many "certified" lay hypnotists can handle simple problems very well, but it's hard to tell how much training they have had. The most reputable certification comes from the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.