What it is and how to manage it

How often throughout your life have you taken for granted, or not even given much thought to feeling physically well and fit?

If you find yourself suddenly experiencing prolonged periods of pain, you are no doubt feeling frustrated and may be finding the reverberating effect having an impact on many other aspects of your life.

  • Are you feeling angry as well as frustrated?
  • Are you becoming depressed and anxious that you are living with daily pain
  • Are you beginning to feel as though nothing will help?

Fortunately for you your mind is very clever!  It works on two different levels and can help with you manage your pain.

  • The conscious level of your mind – is where your everyday thoughts and daily decision making comes into play
  • The subconscious level of your mind – is where you store and file away all your memories (pain and injuries) and experiences, both good and bad

In simplistic terms this subconscious side of your brain is like a massive ‘filing cabinet’ that we are able to “tap” into when working with Counselling and Psychotherapy, NLP, Mindful Meditation, Hypnotherapy and relaxation.

Working in therapy to locate the ‘pain management file’, or pain ‘memory’, we aim to work with your body to find your own natural pain relief receptors, turning them on. This activates the release of your bodies’ own natural opioids, helping you with pain management long-term.

Counselling and Psychotherapy in combination with NLP, Hypnotherapy or Mindful Meditation, are medically proven to be beneficial therapies that work to ensure the lasting and long-term alleviation of pain.

Integrating further therapeutic techniques with the above therapies has also been shown to help when working with each person’s individual pain management requirements.

  • Suggestion Therapy
  • Positive Visualisation
  • Anchoring

Giving your mind a physical anchor to work with – for example rubbing two fingers together at any time during the day. This may act as a ‘trigger’ to kick start your bodies natural ability to switch on its own pain receptors, thereby activating the release of your own natural opioids as a from of pain relief.

  • Positive reframing
  • Using a relaxation recording or meditating and being mindful
  • Self-hypnosis

Teaching you to practice relaxation techniques so that once your therapy sessions have come to an end you will be able to continue using the skills your have learnt on a daily basis.

I have had great success at my clinic in West Sussex using these combined techniques as pain management tools.

That said if you are suffering from any form of pain, it is advisable to first visit your GP, because pain can be a warning signal of a more serious underlying medical condition, which first needs to be ruled out.