HOW IT WORKS
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Pain serves as a warning signal to alert us when we have harmed our bodies. Typically, when we sustain an injury, our body sends signals to the brain to indicate tissue damage, leading to the sensation of pain.
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1. Initial Injury or Trauma: Chronic pain often begins with a legitimate injury or trauma to the body, such as a sprain, strain, or surgery. When tissues are damaged, nerve fibers send signals to the brain to alert it of the injury, resulting in the sensation of pain. This acute pain serves a protective function, signaling the body to rest and heal.
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2. Pain Processing in the Brain: When pain signals reach the brain, they are processed by various regions involved in pain perception, such as the thalamus and the somatosensory cortex. The brain interprets these signals and generates the subjective experience of pain.
3. Central Sensitization: In some cases, particularly with persistent or severe pain, the brain undergoes neuroplastic changes in response to prolonged pain signals. This can lead to a phenomenon known as central sensitization, where the nervous system becomes hypersensitive to pain stimuli. Essentially, the brain becomes "rewired" to perceive pain more intensely, amplifying pain signals and prolonging the sensation of pain even after the initial injury has healed.
4. Learning and Memory: The brain's ability to learn from past experiences plays a significant role in chronic pain. Just as we learn to associate certain smells or sounds with specific memories, the brain can also learn to associate pain with certain movements, activities, or environments. This learned association can contribute to the persistence of pain even when there is no ongoing tissue damage.
5. Psychological Factors: Chronic pain is also influenced by psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, depression, and emotional trauma. These factors can further amplify pain signals and contribute to the development of maladaptive pain behaviors and coping mechanisms.
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In summary, chronic pain can persist after an injury due to complex interactions between the nervous system, the brain's processing of pain signals, and psychological factors. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for understanding the effectiveness of hypnotherapy for chronic pain.​
6. Neuroplastic pain: There are instances when the brain misinterprets emotional stressors as if they were threatening for the body, resulting in neuroplastic pain. In simpler terms, neuroplastic pain is a false alarm. This is when we experience pain without any structural damage. Chronic pain arises from the activation of neural pathways in the brain, leading to the ongoing triggering of the fight-or-flight response, our natural reaction to perceived danger. Just imagine how much energy rushes through your body when your life is in danger. We have the strengths to run twice as fast and take on 4 people at the same time. All this energy needs to go somewhere. In this case your body redirects it into pain.
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EVERY PAIN IS REAL
Important to mention is that the pain is NOT imaginary, recent studies using brain imaging have confirmed that the pain is indeed real. Although addressing the pain psychologically, these studies have revealed that pain often arises from established neural pathways in the brain that have been learned over time. Just as pain can be learned, it can also be UNlearned.
THERAPY
I am specialized in the effective treatment of chronic pain. The therapy focuses on rewiring neural pathways in the brain with the goal to turn off pain signals. It identifies root causes that unintentionally keep pain signals activated. We will work through current or sometimes past danger challenges that trigger our danger signals. The treatment aims to teach the brain to respond appropriately to signals from the body, ultimately breaking the cycle of chronic pain. The therapy aims for relief through retraining the brain's response to these signals. By accessing the subconscious mind during hypnosis, we can learn to modify our perceptions of pain, reduce stress and anxiety levels, and promote relaxation, which can lead to significant pain relief. Its success lies in its ability to tap into the mind-body connection, addressing not only the physical symptoms but also the emotional and psychological aspects of pain.