Hypnotherapy for Chronic Pain: How It Works
Updated: Oct 23
Living with ongoing pain can be exhausting, especially when you've tried different treatments and still haven't found enough relief.
Maybe medication helps a little. Physiotherapy has made a difference, but the pain keeps coming back. Or perhaps you've been told that there's nothing more that can be done.
If you're considering hypnotherapy for chronic pain, you might be wondering how something that works with the mind could possibly help with a physical problem.
It's a fair question.
Can hypnosis actually help with physical pain?
Yes, it can. Hypnosis has been used to manage physical pain for much longer than most people realize.
Back in the 1840s, Scottish surgeon James Esdaile performed operations in India using mesmerism, an early precursor to modern hypnosis, to help patients experience less pain during surgery. This was before modern chemical anesthesia became widely available.
Today, hypnosis is still used to help manage pain, including during childbirth, dental procedures, and, in some specialized settings, surgery.
How is that possible?
Hypnosis can change how the brain processes pain, influencing both the intensity of the sensation and how distressing it feels.
To understand why, it helps to know a little about how pain works.
Pain isn't just about what's happening in your body. Your brain also plays a big role in how strongly you feel it.
For example, two people with the same injury might experience very different levels of pain. And sometimes, pain continues even after the original injury has healed.
This happens partly because your nervous system can become more sensitive over time, making pain feel stronger or last longer than expected. That doesn't mean the pain is imagined. It's very real.
But if your brain and nervous system can influence how you experience pain, it also means that experience can sometimes change.
And that's where hypnosis can help.
How does hypnotherapy for chronic pain work?
In my practice, I work with deep states of hypnosis, where some people may experience significant changes in physical sensations, including a reduction in pain.
But pain relief isn't the only thing we can work towards.
I also work with the deeper mind to address emotional responses, experiences, or patterns that may be contributing how someone experiences their symptoms, what you may call the "root causes".
Rather than assuming we know what's causing your pain, we allow your deeper mind during hypnosis to guide the work.
The aim is to support meaningful changes that can carry into everyday life, rather than focusing only on temporary relief.
My approach to working with physical symptoms
A whole-person approach to hypnosis
I take an advanced, whole-person approach to hypnosis. Rather than working mainly with the subconscious mind through suggestions, as many traditional hypnosis approaches do, I work with all parts of you together: your conscious mind, subconscious mind, body, nervous system, emotions, and everything else that makes you who you are.
Your body, emotions, memories, and nervous system are all interconnected. What happens in one can influence the others.
We're complex beings, and I don't make assumptions about what's causing your pain or physical symptoms. Instead, we work with what I call your deeper mind, trusting it to guide the process towards what you want to achieve, without either of us needing to figure everything out consciously.
Working in deep states of hypnosis
I work with several levels of deep states of hypnosis, such as what's known as the Esdaile state, traditionally associated with profound relaxation and reduced sensitivity to pain.
Many clients have experienced a significant reduction in physical symptoms, including pain, during their very first hypnosis session with me.
But the goal is not just about reducing the surface-symptoms.
We address what may be contributing to your condition, with the aim of supporting deeper, longer-lasting change rather than simply easing the symptoms temporarily.
What happens during a hypnosis session?
Getting comfortable
You can join the session online or in my office in Antwerp, Belgium.
For an online session, find somewhere comfortable where you can sit or lie down. Position your camera so I can see your face and both hands, as I use small finger movements to communicate with your deeper mind during the session.
You don't need a perfectly silent environment. Everyday background noises are fine.
Entering a deep state of hypnosis
I'll guide you into a deep state of hypnosis. You'll still be aware of what's happening, and you can speak, move, open your eyes, or stop whenever you want.
You can just let my voice flow through you like background music. You don't need to follow every word or understand everything I'm saying.
Working with your deeper mind
As your conscious mind becomes quieter, we begin working with a deeper part of your mind. In the approach I use, we call it the superconscious mind.
Don't get too caught up in the name. If you meditate, you might recognize it as the awareness that observes your thoughts. If not, you can simply think of it as your inner wisdom, a part of you that goes beyond what you consciously know or understand. You don't need to fully understand it for this to work.
The idea is that superconscious understands you as a whole and can coordinate all parts of you: your conscious, subconscious, and body.
Instead of trying to change each part separately, we work superconsious to help them work together towards what you want to achieve.
We communicate through small finger movements, so you don't have to consciously figure out the answers or understand everything happening during the session. If finger movements aren't possible for you, we can explore other ways to communicate.
I'm not the one deciding what needs to change. My role is to create the space, so that your superconscious mind can do the work for you.
Is hypnotherapy right for your pain?
With the approach I use, we don't focus on labels or diagnoses. We work with you as a whole person, exploring what may be holding you back and what could help you experience things differently.
If you are unsure, Book a free consultation and we can talk about your situation and what you're hoping to achieve.
About the Author, Rui Yu
Rui is a certified hypnotherapist who has extensive experience helping people to finally move forward, despite long-standing physical issue or a pattern they keep falling back into.
She works with clients in person in Antwerp, Belgium and online worldwide.
Rui has a background in advanced, client-centred hypnosis, deep-state hypnosis and ideomotor communication, drawing on well-established approaches in modern hypnosis, including the work of Elman, Erickson and Esdaile.
Her philosophy is simple: you don’t always need to try harder. Sometimes, you need a different way in, to work at a different level.
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