If its in my head then surely hypnotherapy?

[ChristCornHell]

I am willing to try anything that's not another drug... I I caught a brief glimpse of a post mentioning this, and but can't find it... I Has anyone tried this, but whether it worked or not I would like to know

[Dazakella2010]

What’s all in your head?

[ChristCornHell in reply to Dazakella2010]

The neuropathic pain in my feet and lower legs mostly

[Hidden in reply to ChristCornHell]

If you have fibromyalgia, then it is most definitely not all in your head. I hope that a professional hasn’t told you this?

I can recommend yoga, meditation and relaxation. I can’t comment on hypnotherapy as I’ve not tried it as fibromyalgia is a central nervous system dysfunction and I can’t see how hypnosis could help with that really. I hope you get some relief soon.

[desquinn Partner Volunteer FMAUK Trustee in reply to Hidden]

It is all in your head in that your CNS is the source of pain perception, and some of our neurotransmitters are in more plentiful supply on the transmission of pain up the way and other elements are not great at blocking signals going down the way like they should.

Environment and social components can make a big difference. Pain is amplified in people with depression or under stress. Therefore if we have less stress or our environment is modified then we can be in a better place to deal with the pain.

not promoting hypnotherapy but it is conceivable for some that it could help in some limited ways. CBT / ACT can also help on the environmental and social side of things.

[Hidden in reply to desquinn]

Ah, I see and yes, CBT can help with anxiety/stress relief to subsequently relieve fibro pain so yes, hypnotherapy would probably do the same. I hadn’t thought of it in that way. Thank you.

However, phrases like ‘it’s all in your head’ are a pet peeve of mine as it sets chronic conditions, like FMS/CFS etc, back decades.

[desquinn Partner Volunteer FMAUK Trustee in reply to Hidden]

I agree and its normally a pejorative term and I will love the opportunity to correct someone with "and I have a brain scan to prove it" type response citing Clauw from 2002

[ChristCornHell in reply to Hidden]

Just to clarify that one or two G. P. 's insinuated it was just hypochondria at the start of my pains but this has not been the case for the last 4 years I have been taken seriously. It was most unhelpful at the time and not the kind of thing you want to hear. For ANYBODY to tell me what I feel is not real will NEVER stop me from seeking help again. It does get me angry when I think back so I try not to and just move forward

[Hidden in reply to ChristCornHell]

Good for you! That’s great to hear. Don’t let others affect your wellness. Early on in my fibro journey a GP told me that ‘pain and fatigue happen a lot, mostly to women’ and told me I’d have to get on with it. I’m sure it’s part of the reason that getting a diagnosis is so difficult. I hope you get some relief soon.

[lovelab in reply to ChristCornHell]

Suggest you get your folates, b12 and vitamin d tested if you haven't already. I had similar symptoms and they improved tremendously once being supplemented correctly. I have hashimoto hypothyroidism, which meant I wasn't absorbing nutrients well due to low stomach acid (despite chronic acid reflux) Google the link between these vitamins and pain

[Hazel_Angelstar Administrator FMA UK Staff]

I had a couple of hypnotherapy sessions many years ago, and don't remember them making any difference (if they helped in sure I would have continued with more sessions)

But like everything with fibro - only way you can find out if something will work for you personally is to try it xxx

[Makie-Uppie]

I have tried hypnotherapy and CBT and a few other things that were mind over body biofeed back therapies. Most of them though they did not effect the F-word directly, they did help with other things like mood and basically an interest in life so it was a good idea. A bit expensive though but worth it.

[Calliope62]

Hi there!

Please take a look at this: autogenic-therapy.org.uk/

Autogenics is hard to explain - it is a mixture of hypnotherapy and meditation. I completed a six week course at the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (available on the NHS) a couple of years ago and I can honestly say that it has changed the way I cope with fibromyalgia. It's an invaluable asset to have in your tool box. Practice can take as little as ten minutes a day. It helps with pain management, anxiety and sleep.

Good luck!

[ChristCornHell in reply to Calliope62]

Thanks, I appreciate the relief I often get from meditation and will watch the link you sent with an open mind.

[aytias]

I have tried hypnotherapy in the past when I was in the early stages (completely confused, in hyper alert mode and with no knowledge of fibromyalgia at that point). I have to say it really helped at that point but the effects didn't last. It felt like having the best massage ever (all muscular pain disappeared) but the next day it was back, which is what the hypnotherapist had explained me I should expect. I was fully aware the whole time.

After an initial warm up, we did 3 different "exercises".

The first one was about trying to visualize the muscular stiffness as an object (shape, material, color) and then slowly moving it very slowly (i.e. move the neck stiffness down the hands) until he comes and "picks it up". I have to say by the time he says it's out of your body, you realize you feel no pain anymore.

The second one was about being on a beach with pebbles. You try to associate every pebble with one of the problems in your mind and then you throw the pebble as far as you can into the sea.

The third one was very similar to the second. You're next to a tree with birds where every bird represents one of the problems in your mind. After you spend some time associating birds with worries, you scare all the birds away.

As you can see, all the exercises rely on how well you can associate things. There are similar exercises for people who are more kinesthetic or acoustic instead of visual.

My conclusions:

- It's not something that will fully resolve your problems once and for all. But it's another tool you can use to relax yourself.

- It works great the first time but your mind gets used the next few times so you need to find different exercises.

- My hypnotherapist explained there are generally 2 types of hypnotherapists. The most common one is when they just ask you to close your eyes and then read a script. They do that for 8-12 sessions. I personally believe that won't take you too far (see point above) and costs a lot. The second type tries to personalize it and it's slightly more interactive. Mine was in the second camp. He was actually offering a money back guarantee. I did one session with him.

- Another one I went to later on told me it'll take about 5 sessions and the fibromyalgia will get fully resolved because we'll get to the bottom of it. 3 years later and after psychotherapy, I highly doubt it would have ever worked! Unless you're one of these few unique cases where you manage to visualize your trauma so quickly. Assuming your fm is purely triggerd by psychological trauma...

- Meditation works in a similar way. You might want to invest on that. It takes more effort but it offers more consistent results.

[aytias in reply to aytias]

Also, you can find many resources online for free with hypnotherapy sessions you can do on your own.

[Jasharper]

Hi I’m a qualified hypnotherapist and yes to your question Hypnotherapy can help with the pain management but it’s not a cure.

[ChristCornHell in reply to Jasharper]

When the pain management team explained how neuropathic pain worked (and that it is probably for life) I have to accept it may never go and am willing to try anything that's not another drug. I am sure that there is a better way of dealing with the pain and it may be a combination of a few different things. I feel my 2 courses of CBT were wasted trying to deal with the memory loss (I still can't remember what they taught me)

[Jasharper]

Yes a combination of different therapy’s would be good contact your local hypnotherapist