Hypnotherapy

[Purple Banana]

As some of you CannaCom folks know, I've got fibromyalgia, a chronic widespread pain syndrome... I was on Lyrica for a while, didn't do much. My primary suggested Ultram, a non-opiate med which works on the same receptors. I took that for 3 months, and stopped because I was actually experiencing withdrawal about 5 hours after I had taken it. I quit immediately, and experienced a terrible withdrawal period of about 3 weeks. Long story short, I AM DONE WITH MEDICATION. I'm tired of the side effects, the costs, just everything.

Acupuncture isn't covered by my insurance for the treatment of fibromyalgia, so my rheumatologist suggested hypnotherapy. I was just curious to see if anyone had ever tried it for pain, anxiety, anything, really, and how effective it is?

[TeKNiQUE]

I was on Lyrica for a while, didn't do much.


My doctors have prescribed me Lyrica. I had surgery on my hip after my friend shot me in my hip. It did damage to my nerve. After removal of the object I have been in tremendous pain. Shooting down my leg and up my back. I have not gone and filled the prescription yet. Although i should. It's pretty exspensive.

Does Lyrica help at all?
What did it do for you?

Just get back to me.
Thanks :hippy::rasta:

[Purple Banana]

I literally had no reduction in any symptom I had with Lyrica. Some people with fibromyalgia claim it works very well, others not so much. It was like taking a placebo.

I'd love to chat about Lyrica, but I'm afraid the thread would take an undesired turn.

Anywho, I found a hypnotherapist who is supposedly reputable, and (yay) accepts my insurance :) I'm gonna call him on Monday to try and schedule an appt.

[Coelho]

Well... im not a doctor (nor anything remotely related), but i think the results of hypnotherapy depends heavily on how much you can give up control and allow yourself to be "controlled" by the hypnotist. As more influence you let they have upon you, more effective the results should be. There are even reports of people that underwent surgery without any actual anesthesia, but only under the hypnotists command to be free from any pain.

[Purple Banana]

Well... im not a doctor (nor anything remotely related), but i think the results of hypnotherapy depends heavily on how much you can give up control and allow yourself to be "controlled" by the hypnotist. As more influence you let they have upon you, more effective the results should be. There are even reports of people that underwent surgery without any actual anesthesia, but only under the hypnotists command to be free from any pain.

I know some of the things I've done before sort of mirror hypnosis in a way; if I start having shooting pains down my arms and legs, I just imagine a warm blanket being laid over those areas, and it momentarily stops. I think with a more experienced practitioner, it could possibly help with the frequency of stabbing pain, the constant headaches, and general crappy feeling and depression I have.

[MelT]

I write books on the use of hypnosis - I wouldn't recommend it, it's a long route of many sessions to use it effectively for pain relief. However, I may have something better, I was in pain for years with Fibro, really to a point where I was having to constantly fight against it using whatever methods I could. Plenty worked to reduce the pain, nothing to get rid of it - until I changed my diet. I found coming off dairy (and wheat too, though this may not be necessary for you) helped reduce 'attacks' within two days, now I hardly get bouts of it at all, maybe once or twice a year if I cheat with dairy-type foods. Well worth experimenting to see if it will work for you too.

Beware though, dairy is in just about everything (usually in the form of Lactic Acid, Lactose, Lactase, Whey powder, etc.) to make it thicker and creamier, so getting it out of your diet entirely takes a lot of label-reading. You can't cut it out in half-measures,it just won't work. Cold turkey or nothing. But the relief!!:)

MelT

[Purple Banana]

I write books on the use of hypnosis - I wouldn't recommend it, it's a long route of many sessions to use it effectively for pain relief. However, I may have something better, I was in pain for years with Fibro, really to a point where I was having to constantly fight against it using whatever methods I could. Plenty worked to reduce the pain, nothing to get rid of it - until I changed my diet. I found coming off dairy (and wheat too, though this may not be necessary for you) helped reduce 'attacks' within two days, now I hardly get bouts of it at all, maybe once or twice a year if I cheat with dairy-type foods. Well worth experimenting to see if it will work for you too.

Beware though, dairy is in just about everything (usually in the form of Lactic Acid, Lactose, Lactase, Whey powder, etc.) to make it thicker and creamier, so getting it out of your diet entirely takes a lot of label-reading. You can't cut it out in half-measures,it just won't work. Cold turkey or nothing. But the relief!!:)

MelT

Thanks for the info :) I've tried several methods as far as eliminating possible triggers from my diet, from gluten-free to dairy-free to meat-free for extended periods of time... Just ask Breukelen Advocaat, he'll share all of my IBS woes :stoned: I apologize if I wasn't clear in my intentions; as you might've read in a later post (which I failed to mention here) I'm also suffering from severe anxiety and panic attacks for which I'm primarily seeing a psychotherapist.

For a non-organic cause of anxiety, how effective would hypnotherapy be in reducing incidences of panic attack and constant anxiety? I'm actually pretty much used to the fibro pain, but it seems the reason it's exacerbated these past few months is due to a rather sudden bout of this anxiety, which is more detailed in my anxiety post.

Since I was young enough to read, I've been absolutely fascinated with Milton Erickson- not only because of his contribution to psychology in general, but his eternally humorous and effective approaches to therapy. He reminds me so much of Richard Feynman in his attitude and methods, though they specialized in two completely different fields.

[MelT]

Thanks for the info :) I've tried several methods as far as eliminating possible triggers from my diet, from gluten-free to dairy-free to meat-free for extended periods of time... Just ask Breukelen Advocaat, he'll share all of my IBS woes :stoned: I apologize if I wasn't clear in my intentions; as you might've read in a later post (which I failed to mention here) I'm also suffering from severe anxiety and panic attacks for which I'm primarily seeing a psychotherapist.

For a non-organic cause of anxiety, how effective would hypnotherapy be in reducing incidences of panic attack and constant anxiety? I'm actually pretty much used to the fibro pain, but it seems the reason it's exacerbated these past few months is due to a rather sudden bout of this anxiety, which is more detailed in my anxiety post.

Since I was young enough to read, I've been absolutely fascinated with Milton Erickson- not only because of his contribution to psychology in general, but his eternally humorous and effective approaches to therapy. He reminds me so much of Richard Feynman in his attitude and methods, though they specialized in two completely different fields.

Just a thought: You know that your reaction to either of the above changes markedly depending how much stress you're under, and that in many people they 'feed' each other? For example if I have one slice of bread I'm plunged into depression and very irrational anxiety within two hours of eating it. If I'm already stressed the effect is much deeper.

I have to be honest about Erickson, he doesn't have complete approval within the hypnosis community, and many of the alleged successful therapies he carried out may be entirely fictional. He had as many stark failures as he did supposed successes and I'm not a fan.

Though hypnosis could help you develop positive responses instead of negative ones at the onset of a panic attack, it would take time, and knowing all of the causes of those attacks. A quicker way would be to use a form of anchoring (the sort used in cognitive therapy as a means to overcome phobias) to provide yourself with a quick boost of positivity when you felt such an attack coming on.

MelT

[LOC NAR on probation]

Hypnosis is like the force. It has a strong enfluence on the weak minded. You will not do or say or feel anything that you don't or would not do by yourself.

It's like mind over matter. If you don't mind it don't matter.

Church, the right one for you will do the same if and only if you believe.

I would seek out holistic remedies before taking any more meds with bad side effects. You could help it with your diet like said. You just have to try. It is easier to try than to prove it can't be done.

I suffer too and would like to try many things like Accu but they want to keep you on the money train of insurance. I would like to go to china, they have taken a 180 back to the days of herbals. A visit to the doctor and your herbal meds over there can cost only dollars. i just watched a documentory on one china doc who found the 800 year old formula for cancer and it has kept a few hundred from dieing and made thier life much better. But alas no china trip for me.

Hope you can find the peace you are looking for.

[Purple Banana]

Hypnosis is like the force. It has a strong enfluence on the weak minded. You will not do or say or feel anything that you don't or would not do by yourself.

It's like mind over matter. If you don't mind it don't matter.

Church, the right one for you will do the same if and only if you believe.

I would seek out holistic remedies before taking any more meds with bad side effects. You could help it with your diet like said. You just have to try. It is easier to try than to prove it can't be done.

I suffer too and would like to try many things like Accu but they want to keep you on the money train of insurance. I would like to go to china, they have taken a 180 back to the days of herbals. A visit to the doctor and your herbal meds over there can cost only dollars. i just watched a documentory on one china doc who found the 800 year old formula for cancer and it has kept a few hundred from dieing and made thier life much better. But alas no china trip for me.

Hope you can find the peace you are looking for.

I've tried loads of alternative medicines, from diluted formulas, chiropractic, aromatherapy, acupuncture, and reflexology. I removed all doubt from my mind before trying these therapies. To me, they were all a supreme waste of money. All of the "science" the practitioners explained was grossly incorrect (i.e. the whole "toxins" theory, with severely diluted homeopathic tinctures the "memory imprint" of a molecule can affect your body profoundly, and one practitioner incorrectly said that EEGs can read stress)

I was raised in a very scientific household; to question everything I am told, and to me, I'm not surprised that these methods failed to work. Yes, they were relaxing, but I did not feel any changes during or after each procedure. You can claim that healers in China or India have used these methods for thousands of years, but unless there is solid, repeated evidence of truth, it's just another scam to me.

Also, church is not the answer for me... I'm a secularist.

[desertwoman]

one thing that has helped me a WHOLE LOT is to eat clean - stay away from food additives and eat as natural as possible. a brilliant doctor turned me on to this. she told me and i found it was true tht the chemicals in the foods and processing and growing built up in my body and caused all sorts of medical problems things like restless leg syndrome, insomnia, fibro ... once i reduced the amount of chemicals my body had to deal with it started to heal itself and most of the medical problems went away. dairy was definitely not good as was processed food and artificial anything. lots of the medical problems i was taking medication for went away...it is truly amazing. :thumbsup: honestly it REALLY works.

[Purple Banana]

So I convinced my therapist to try hypnotherapy for my anxiety and panic. I went in, somewhat anxious, which he noticed. His chair is one of those nice leather ones from Brookstone, with the heating pad. He reclined back my chair, and held up my hand by the wrist, and let it stay suspended while I focused on a spot on my hand, as he brought it closer to my face; when my hand touched my face, I instantly relaxed, and he talked me through progressive muscle relaxation.

I don't remember much after that, I heard him, but I was just suspended in this absolutely blissful relaxed state, it felt amazing... So far, it's definitely helped with my anxiety control, and I haven't had any panic attacks lately. I'm very impressed... I thought the more intelligent one was, the more difficult it was to have them go under hypnosis. I was wrong. I'm so happy :)

[Coelho]

I thought the more intelligent one was, the more difficult it was to have them go under hypnosis. I was wrong. I'm so happy :)

Well... as you already noticed, intelligence doesnt have anything to do with the difficulty of being hypnotised... what really matters is how much one is willing to be hypnotised. Anyone who fights the hypnotizer is hard to be hypnotised, and anyone who cooperates is easy to be hypnotised.
And now that you had a very good experience, im pretty sure it will be even easier for you to reach again that blissfull depths of relaxation... and they are blissfull indeed...

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[Purple Banana]

I was reading through my old posts, and this one struck up a chord with me. I've completed my therapy, and after several more sessions of hypnosis, there was not only a change in my level of anxiety immediately after the session, but the more I practiced in addition to hypnosis in his office, the better I was able to deal with the anxiety. In addition to cognitive-behavioral, hypnosis was the icing on the cure cake, if I may be so metaphorical.

Apparently I was an excellent subject; after the first few sessions, I was able to go into a somnambulistic state; so deep I have no memory of the session. He knew about my cannabis use, and encouraged me to smoke before a session if it helped relax me; that made a WORLD of difference. Things seemed so much more fluid and natural when entering trance. He kept requesting if I ever was to have surgery, he would really like to do some work with me prior to surgery to see how it affected my healing time, as he had already worked on a study report of me and a few other patients who had been relieved of anxiety through hypnosis.

I'm having a lot of financial problems right now, and before, I would have completely shut down and not been able to deal with the pressure. Now I use proactive measures to head off the anxiety, and I practice self-hypnosis daily. It's so easy for me now to just slip into trance, and stay in the same mindset for an hour at a time; it really is wonderful, and it's helped tremendously with my pain levels as well. Socially, I've become so much more relaxed and at ease; my eye contact levels have improved beyond what I ever thought they'd be.

I completely recommend hypnosis, it was certainly an unforgettable experience. I can't stop thinking about how positively it's helped my life, in conjunction with cannabis.

[DreadedHermie]

I remember reading some of your posts from awhile back. Always enjoyed your insights.

You have support you don't know about. We're behind ya, hang in there. :thumbsup:

Best, Hermie

[jakester]

Having only read the OP I have an experience to relate.

We had both our kids naturally, no meds, the second one at home in a tub, no screams, no blood, no pain. We used hypno-therapy for pain. It worked amazingly. I am not the mother but I was there holding her hand, listening to Nick Drake and having a beautiful experience. The first birth took 17 hours. I watched her go from screaming for medication to looking fast asleep 10 minutes after we put her tape on. We had a prerecorded tape of our therapist guiding a meditation with some sort of introduction to a control panel in the mind sort of mumbo jumbo. I rolled my eyes through three weeks of sessions and then had my mind blown. The doctor came in to the room and asked who authorized the epidural. The staff were all completely humbled.

I will testify to the strength of hypnosis when done seriously. I could never pull it off, give me medication.

[Purple Banana]

I tend to think of many practitioners who have intensive psychological training and a degree as more valid than those who simply make CDs and videos and books for the lay public, and charge enormous fees. It is a very personal experience, and one should find a practitioner who understands not only how to tailor each experience to the individual patient, but how the actual psychological process works.

People who perform hypnosis and make dubious claims for weight loss, cigarette cessation, and even worse, past-life regression and repressed memories should NOT be taken seriously. Hypnosis can help with cigarettes and weight loss, but it takes a lot of time, effort, and skill from both parties. These mass-marketed CDs give false hope and expectations to those who want to be successfully treated, and the hypnotists claim dubious and immediate results, riding on the coattails of rigorous scientific and psychological theory which they neglect to practice.

For me, it took a lot of hard work from MY part, and several different methods before I really started to notice a change in the way I reacted to situations and my pain. The therapist I worked with was very patient, understanding, and very quick to tailor the session to what I needed the most. That's far more than any $20 CD could ever offer. Don't go to the people who dig into your wallet and charge upwards of $350 PER SESSION, find a psychologist who knows the ins and outs of hypnosis, who can help you much more than any guy with a certificate from a weekend course at the local Hilton can.

[jakester]

I tend to think of many practitioners who have intensive psychological training and a degree as more valid than those who simply make CDs and videos and books for the lay public, and charge enormous fees. It is a very personal experience, and one should find a practitioner who understands not only how to tailor each experience to the individual patient, but how the actual psychological process works.

People who perform hypnosis and make dubious claims for weight loss, cigarette cessation, and even worse, past-life regression and repressed memories should NOT be taken seriously. Hypnosis can help with cigarettes and weight loss, but it takes a lot of time, effort, and skill from both parties. These mass-marketed CDs give false hope and expectations to those who want to be successfully treated, and the hypnotists claim dubious and immediate results, riding on the coattails of rigorous scientific and psychological theory which they neglect to practice.

For me, it took a lot of hard work from MY part, and several different methods before I really started to notice a change in the way I reacted to situations and my pain. The therapist I worked with was very patient, understanding, and very quick to tailor the session to what I needed the most. That's far more than any $20 CD could ever offer. Don't go to the people who dig into your wallet and charge upwards of $350 PER SESSION, find a psychologist who knows the ins and outs of hypnosis, who can help you much more than any guy with a certificate from a weekend course at the local Hilton can.Very true. It's a process of placing suggestions in a very custom assembly and using very custom tailored symbols...hell, I dunno, it was about three weeks of sessions twice a week.

But yeah, I don't think you can just buy a tape and get to the controls of your brain.