Her 9 year old daughter came in and found her unconscious on the ground. Emergency services rushed her to hospital, noting that she had an empty bottle of painkillers their thoughts turning immediately to suicide. Once resuscitated it turned out that she was on one of the strongest painkilling medications available, she had taken two. Her brain was addled from a 4 year addiction to her meds, the pain she was experiencing was part of that addiction rather than actual, so how did it all start. She had a chronic pain issue after spinal surgery, the pain seemed to increase as her addiction kicked in. Doctors being what they are they kept increasing her dosage, while at the same time telling her, that she shouldn’t be experiencing pain to the degree she was reporting, that didn’t stop them upping her dosage and type of pain management. She could have died that day leaving a young family at the age of 38.

Stories like this are common. We have lost a host of celebrities including Michael Jackson, Prince and Heath ledger to painkillers. The doctor prescribing for MJ was found guilty of negligence because his family had enough money to take action, but this isn’t the norm. Painkillers are known to induce depression, a lack of feeling and motivation, withdrawing presents problems that are hard to separate from the dependency. An interesting effect of long term pain killer use, is constipation as chemicals released affect the stomach and digestive tract. Many who suffer long term constipation end up taking other medications and can be mistakenly diagnosed crone’s disease and irritable bowel.

“Long-term addiction is usually preceded by tolerance to the drug, which means you feel as though you need a regular supply of the drug. The reason isn’t usually to reduce the effects of pain, however. The reason is because you start to suffer from the effects of withdrawal when treatment is stopped. This manifests itself as pain and flu-like symptoms. It might include headaches, nausea, general soreness, and even random spasms. You may also find that your relationships with others are compromised as a result of the addiction. Generally, the definition of an addiction means you keep having to take the drug despite the negative effects of it.” ~Drug Abuse. Org

Regular use of over the counter pain relief meds has serious effects also, without a prescription your doctor won’t be aware of causes that range from stomach ulcers to heart disease. Hypnotherapy is a great alternative and can be used to address other issues that may induce pain in the body like tension and anxiety. I have had amazing results with Arthritic clients and those with nerve damage pain. Chronic pain sufferers are a doctor’s delight, they must keep returning for their meds, the stronger the prescription the more often one has to return.

“If you’re looking for a gentle way to reduce the pain that comes with chronic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or osteoarthritis (OA), hypnosis may just do the trick. Studies show that more than 75% of people with arthritis and related diseases experience significant pain relief using hypnosis.” Arthritis Foundation International

A few years back I spoke at an Arthritis foundation (NZ) seminar on pain. I wasn’t the only speaker, I was however the only one not advocating and selling drugs. It shows that alternatives are not high in the mind of the foundation, but I discovered that the foundation itself receives funds from banks and pharma companies, this hardly makes them objective or even prioritizing their clients. Some strong pain medications over years weaken bone structure so now the arthritis sufferer has more problems to contend with between liver damage and bone loss and painkiller addiction.
Demonstrating pain management techniques to 150 people by hypnotizing the room, turned out to be the best thing to do.

Afterwards I was flooded with queries and requests for a way to take the technique home, this lead to my first recordings of hypnotherapy. It was a response to the instant nature of the relief from something that even deadly painkillers could not resolve. These arthritis sufferers new something that many don’t understand. Even when taking their meds as prescribed they were in constant pain, (likely the addiction as much as anything). Over the next few years reports came back to me from the organizers of many reducing their medications significantly. Those just entering into the cycle found that they could eliminate meds, inflammation was reduced and they felt happier on a day to day basis. There is something special about being able to take your power back and use free choice to ensure the best long term decisions for your health and your mind.

If addiction is a concern, contact me and begin a cessation program while also experiencing relief. 

0,Pain Free