Lady Ga Ga's Pain?

I saw today that a new Netflix documentary is about to be released on the topic of Lady Ga Ga's personal ordeal with fibromyalgia (FM)

FM is a disabling condition marked by diffuse pain, fatigue and cognitive difficulties. Currently there isn't a definitive and consistently effective medical treatment for FM and patients frequently suffer for years.

You will often see different self-care measures such as yoga, massage and mind/body healing methods like meditation and hypnosis mentioned as being potentially helpful and with good reason.

The experience of pain is greatly magnified when the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) is continually activated, this is also quite exhausting and interferes with healing. So anything that puts you into a deeply relaxed state can help.

There is also many who believe that unresolved traumatic events can have a hand in the development of FM and other chronic pain situations. There are specific hypnotic techniques that enhance the healing process from past upsets such as the Rewind Technique that I was trained in.

If you would like to learn more, I am here to help. Give me a call at (732) 714-7040 for a free and confidential phone consultation or connect at my website at https://www.njhypno.com

The Hidden Observer and Suffering

What can a blind psychology student tell you about the way hypnosis may help you to reduce the suffering associated with life-changing health problems such as chronic pain or tinnitus?

Many years ago a respected psychological researcher named Dr. Ernest Hilgard was conducting experimental hypnosis sessions with his students. As described the book he co-authored with his wife, Hypnosis in the Relief of Pain (1994, Brunner-Mazel, 2nd edition) Hilgard stumbled across a phenomena he dubbed the "hidden observer."

"My subject was a blind student, experienced in hypnosis... Once hypnotized, he received the suggestion that, at the count of three, he would become completely deaf. His hearing would be restored when I placed my hand on his right shoulder.

An associate and I then banged some large wooden blocks together, close to the subject's head, but he did not react to the sound. He was completely indifferent to our questions.

One student asked whether some part of the subject might be aware of what was going on. After all, there was nothing wrong with his ears. I agreed to test this and said to the subject, "Although you are hypnotically deaf, perhaps some part of you is hearing my voice and processing the information. If there is, I should like the index finger of your right hand to rise as a sign that this is the case."

The finger rose! The subject immediately said, "Please restore my hearing so you can tell me what you did. I felt my finger rise in a way that was not a spontaneous twitch."

His curiosity piqued, Hilgard said he would explain later. He told the student, who was still hypnotized, that there was a hidden part of his mind which knew everything which had happened. Hilgard then gave the suggestion that when the student's arm was touched, the hidden part would become conscious.

"Sure enough, when I placed my hand on his arm, he could report exactly how many loud sounds had been made, what questions the class had asked, and what I had said that caused his finger to rise."

Further investigations led Hilgard to conclude that there was a part of a mind that observed experience but did not respond to it.

For example, after hypnotic suggestions are successfully delivered for pain relief the hidden observer is still aware of and processes the pain stimuli at some level, but the experience is blocked from conscious awareness which reduces the suffering.

This hidden observer phenomena is also theorized to be the reason why hypnosis cannot make someone do something that is against his or her moral code.

In conjunction with appropriate medical care, hypnosis can help relieve the suffering of life-changing health challenges. If you would like to learn more, a free, confidential phone consultation is available by calling (732) 714-7040.

Sleep it Off? Central Sensitization Syndrome

Most of us don't need research studies and reams of statistics from the hallowed halls of academia to convince us that sleep is important to your physical and emotional well being.

Poor sleep quality is known to be a factor in the weakening of the immune system, the onset of obesity and a host of other ills.

Recently I have been hearing more about a lack of sleep playing a role in chronic pain by what is called Central Sensitization Syndrome (C.S.S.).

When sleep deprived you can actually become more sensitive to pain. Being depressed, anxious or pessimistic is also thought to increase C.S.S.

Quite often chronic pain cases are puzzling to medical professionals because the level of suffering seems way out of proportion to any detectable physical injury or trauma.

Theories about C.S.S. suggest that it is taking place in the brain and central nervous system rather than where the pain or discomfort is perceived. It is known that the central nervous system has a kind of "gatekeeper" function that blocks or allows stimuli into your consciousness. With C.S.S. that gate seems to open wider and stays open.

I would not be surprised if C.S.S. also plays a role in tinnitus, i.e. "is it actually louder today or does it just seem that way?" Many of my hypnosis clients have reported a definite link between stress, fatigue and the perceived volume of the tinnitus.

What this tells us is that in addition to your standard medical care, its very important for you to RELAX intentionally and often if you have an ongoing health challenge such as chronic pain, tinnitus or irritable bowel syndrome.

I recently put together an audio program that utilizes hypnotic suggestion, ambient music and binaural ocean sounds to improve sleep quality. It is an mp3 file that you can listen to on your computer, upload to your mobile device or make a CD copy from it. Use the secure link below to download your copy.

You: Better Sleep mp3 $2.97

P.S. - Below is a link to a really good article that makes a case for using a very gentle approach with physical interventions such as massage, stretching, etc, if you are struggling with chronic pain.

https://www.painscience.com/articles/central-sensitization.php