Long standing health conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, hypertension, fibromyalgia, autoimmune conditions like psoriasis/eczema etc and many others come under the description of Psychosomatic Conditions.
“Psycho” means relating to the mind and Somatic means “relating to the body.”
They are known to be worsened by stress and anxiety and in many cases stress ( both emotional & physical ) can also be the triggering factor for the condition.
MBM interventions are evidence-based approaches that have a high success rate in improving the quality of life and providing tools for symptom management in various psychosomatic conditions.
Chronic Pain Management
Pain is essential to human survival and recovery. Pain is an indicator of underlying pathology or infection that needs attention and often warns us against over-exerting ourselves beyond safe limits. Before any therapy is advised to manage pain, a proper diagnosis of the underlying cause needs to be made and addressed medically.
Chronic pain, lasting for more than 3 months, causes disruption not only at physical but emotional and psychological levels too. Also psychological attitudes, beliefs, expectations and wellbeing have direct effects on the way pain is experienced. The intensity of physical pain is influenced by mental states like depression, anxiety, relaxation and self compassion.
Hypnosis and Mindfulness can be used to influence both psychological reference to the pain and physical experience of it.
Hypnosis is useful in managing the intensity and bothersomeness of pain. Self hypnosis and other techniques once learnt, assist patients to work independently and manage the level of pain experienced. Using the mind-body connection, which is at the heart of all hypnotherapeutic interventions, patients learn to be in control rather than be victims of their painful experience.
Pain has a very hypnotic quality about it, in the sense that it is very self-absorbing and distracting. Patients tend to ruminate and lose the ability to be present in the moment, and therefore Mindfulness brings in that shift in pain perception, management and the experience of it.