How big of a problem is Chronic Pain?
How big a problem is chronic pain?
Chronic pain has been linked to numerous physical and mental conditions, and contributes to high health care costs and lost productivity. (1)
Chronic pain, one of the most common reasons adults seek medical care. (2)
It is estimated that between at least 20% and in some sub-groups 40% of people are experiencing chronic pain at any given time.
This is linked to:
- restrictions in mobility and daily activities (3,4),
- dependence on opioids (5),
- anxiety and depression (3),
- and poor perceived health or reduced quality of life
Chronic pain is a huge problem. In the USA alone chronic pain contributes to an estimated $560 billion each year in direct medical costs, lost productivity, and disability programs.
Despite an abundance of pain killers on the market, and a wide variety of physical therapies, chronic pain continues to be the experience for hundreds of millions of people. Plus, it's incidence is on the rise. (6)
Is there...
What is the difference between useful and useless pain?
Understanding Pain
One of the things hypnotherapy can help with is to reduce or eliminate useless and unnecessary chronic pain. We teach all of our students how to do this. It is something many of our hypnotherapy clients seek our help with.
Of course appropriate and competent medical and physical evaluation should always be undertaken, before trying to eliminate pain, because pain can be a signal that something is wrong.
Before attempting to relieve your own, or others pain, ask if that pain is of any use to you? Ask, if you were free of the pain, would that be detrimental to you in any way?
If the answer to these questions is "no", then you may wish to engage in strategies that help relieve or eliminate pain.
That process begins by better understanding pain. Here we highlight the key difference between acute and chronic pain. In other blog posts from us you will learn how it is possible to change our experience of pain, and gain a sense of control over it.
The...
"There is really no such thing as a hypnotist." Dave Elman. Findings in hypnosis. 1964
Dave Elman (May 6, 1900 – 5 December 1967) was a noted American radio host, comedian, and songwriter, and important figure in the field of hypnosis. He is most known today as the author of Findings in Hypnosis (1964).
On page one of his famous book he states, "There is really no such thing as a hypnotist."
But what did he mean?
It strikes me that this notion was an important one to Elman, given that it is stated so early on. Yet, when I have discussed it's meaning with other hypnotists, there is little consensus about what it means.
Some suggest it means 'all hypnosis is self-hypnosis', that the subject essentially hypnotises themselves, even if a hypnotist is present. Other's have suggested that it means 'everyone is a hypnotist', that the skill is already in our hands.
While both points have some merit, if we consider the quote in the context of other comments on the page, it becomes clear that Elman sees the hypnotist as more of a guide, or what he...
UK Hypnosis Convention - Keynote Address
UK Hypnosis Convention 2019 - Last night I had the honour of delivering the keynote address at the gala dinner to 230 guests.
It was a go deep or go home situation. In what was a lovely surprise my friend and chief howler Tim A. Cummins wrote an introduction to my work which Adam Eason read out.
In summary my message was encouragement..
- To assist those in our community, who wish to assist people in theirs.
- To create a practice, that is accepting enough that it can say 'yes to everything' that your client brings into it. Spacious enough to accommodate their pain, their discomfort, their self-doubt, and do so without judgement.
- To study. Not because we seek certainty. But because you wish to be in service to deeper levels of human flourishing.
- To be bold. Engage in self-hypnosis every day.
- To be curious. Test your assertions in the laboratory of your own life.
- To be hypnosis. Reveal your will to act and to shine a light on the possibility of a better future for...
UK Hypnosis Convention - The Self Hypnosis Laboratory
Today I gave my lecture at The UK Hypnosis Convention. Around 135 attended.
The topic was self-hypnosis.
In short the science suggests that we do not need to do an induction to respond to suggestion. And that we are in fact always 'on' and responsive to suggestion.
We can get better as subjects by modelling highly hypnotisable people.
Some of the references I shared with those who attended are below - including one of my favourite books 'The Psychology of Consciousness' by William Farthing, which you can find online for free.
References from my talk.
Creative Imagination Scale - This is useful to self-assess your current skill as a subject.
https://hypnosisandsuggestion.org/assets/files/Creative_Imagination_Scale.pdf
The Psychology of Consciousness by William Farthing PDF - Read it all, especially the chapter on Altered States.
https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~jfkihlstrom/ConsciousnessWeb/Farthing/Farthing.htm
Read this for a great summary of psychosomatic phenomena.
Barber, T. X. (1978)....
UK Hypnosis Convention - one day to go!
Actually it has started already, with pre-conference workshops.
Today Freddy Jacquin is running a new, practical workshop about hypnosis skills that anyone can use in everyday life.
Then tomorrow things really kick off properly, with three days of lectures. There are three tracks of lectures running simultaneously, so like a music festival, you have to make some hard decisions about which to attend.
I am on Friday at 10.45 with my new lecture 'The Self-Hypnosis Laboratory.'
Then on Saturday evening at the gala dinner I am giving a keynote address. Excited about that!
Jacquin Hypnosis Academy Online has just gone live!
Monday, 5 November, 2019.
Welcome to our new home. Jacquin Hypnosis Academy has a new website and new online hypnosis training platform.
Please let us know your first impressions, and a little about your interest in hypnosis?
https://www.jacquinhypnosisacademy.com/
