First, let me start with the simple answer: YES

What is ‘psychosomatic disorder’?

The term ‘psychosomatic disorder’ is used to express physical discomfort that is believed to be caused by psychological factors. In many of these cases, the doctors or specialists may not be able to find a valid physical cause related to the pain or may conclude that the treatment is finalized even though the pain is persuasive.

The most common examples of the psychosomatic disorder are eczema, high blood pressure, migraines, back pain, shingles, alopecia, irritable bowel syndrome as well as gastrointestinal problems.

These physical problems are experienced in various parts of the body, fed by repressed traumas and negative emotions. The common elements for many of these conditions are stress, anxiety, or unhealed traumas.

Most of the time stressors, anxieties, resentments, and negative experiences affecting the subconscious mind are repressed in the body when we have hard times releasing them.

The mind-body connection

The mind and body are connected, and they are one. ‘The feelings we can’t deal with, we transfer them to our mind. And when the mind can’t deal, it transfers it to the body’ said the famous hypnotist and psychotherapist Dr.Kappas about the mind-body connection.

It is not a coincidence that when we don’t feel good mentally, our immune system gets weaker and we become more vulnerable to physical problems. Sometimes we might experience small health issues such as catching a cold or a headache and other times it can get even more serious and manifest itself in the form of dangerous diseases such as cancer.

Psychosomatic disorders can also be caused by previous trauma such as adverse childhood events. Most of us have some energetically weak parts in our bodies. These weak parts tend to emerge when the emotional state is more vulnerable than normal.

That is the reason why some genetic diseases are seen only in some of the family members and not others.  Another example can be a child with early life chickenpox disease, experiences shingles later in his/her adult life easier when there is an emotional stressor that triggers it. Sometimes a number of friends eat the same food and only one of them experiences stomach pains or gets sick.

First things first and most importantly, if you are experiencing persistent pain in your body, make sure to check with your doctor FIRST! Many of the self-diagnoses are not accurate and may extend your physical healing time. Please check with your doctor and then you can confidently look for alternative methods.

How Can Hypnosis Help with Psychosomatic Disorders?

Hypnosis can help with the two most important common denominators of psychosomatic disorders:

The repressed emotional trauma and anxiety created by the physical pain.

Releasing the Emotional Distress

During hypnosis, the body and mind are completely relaxed. Usually, the goal is to release all the negative emotions in the body. Traumas and past experiences are released using various hypnotic techniques such as imagery journeys, EFT tapping, or hypnotic suggestions under hypnosis as well as during the conscious part of the therapy.

This therapeutic approach not only gives a chance to release all the negative feelings related to traumas and stressors but also helps to make peace with them.

Releasing the Anticipatory Anxiety Related to Pain

Another benefit of hypnosis is that it helps with the anticipatory anxiety created by the pain. The anticipatory anxiety is derived from the future expectations of the pain.

Most of the time when we have discomfort (in the form of pain or an ache), it feels like the pain will never go away or it will just get worse and worse. Eventually, some people start imagining how their lives will be when the pain gets even worse than now.  In other words, we tend to activate our imagination for predicting negative results.

During hypnotherapy, we create a positive foundation for the client and show the client that this pain does not have to be permanent. Hypnosis helps to create a daily reminder in the mind about positive aspects of life and helps to take positive steps to progress towards health.

In sum, with hypnosis, we turn the pattern of negative expectation into a positive hope. This positive thinking is followed by releasing all anxiety and stress related to the anticipation. By creating inner calmness and with the help of imagery techniques, we aim to relieve suppressed negative emotions and expectations in the mind and body.

Reducing the Pain and Symptoms

During hypnotherapy sessions, we also focus on the symptoms & pain points. We aim to release the pressure from those affected areas. The mind and body are connected, and the mind can take away the pain just the same way it can create it.

Under hypnosis, the hypnotherapist targets the subconscious mind; the part of the mind that initiates pain, discomfort, and anticipation. With various hypnotic techniques, it’s possible to reduce the pain gradually.

In psychosomatic disorders, the mind is usually trying to signal something that requires attention within. Once the reason is recognized and addressed, it is possible to receive long-term relief.

No Side Effects

When hypnosis is practiced by a well-trained hypnotherapist, not only does it create a great possibility for improvement in health but also it has no side effects. On the other hand, traditional methods often rely on pain medications. In addition to the possible side effects of certain medications, using medication for long periods of time can affect liver health and the body’s drug tolerance.

Hypnosis can help to eliminate or reduce the use of pain medicine merely by using the mind power.

Final words

Pain is felt in the body when nerve endings are stimulated. This is a signal for the human body to realize that something is not right within the body system.

Hypnosis can be very helpful in these cases because hypnosis works both on releasing the emotional stress and relieving the anticipatory anxiety related to the discomfort as well as reducing the pain. Your mind is much more stronger than you think!