Pain is something we all suffer from and we deal with it in our own way, some less able to cope than others.
But pain is unavoidable – such as in surgery or giving birth. Pain relief medication, like anaesthetic, is used to ease the discomfort we might feel at this time. 
Modern women are often surrounded by negative messages about birth and grow up expecting birth to be painful and traumatic, says the National Council for Hypnotherapy. Often, these messages come through stories in the media or on television. Women are conditioned to believe that birth is perilous and fraught with danger.
It is precisely this expectation of fear that creates the tension in a birthing mother, which in turn creates pain. Similarly, when being told you have to face surgery, you expect pain – even after the event as your body has been ‘invaded’.
Deal with pain effectively
Hypnosis has been used as a technique to deal with pain and support birthing labour for many years, with the written records dating back to the mid 1800s.
Over the past 15 years, more and more people have realised the link between body and mind during labour may have a bearing on the outcome of the birth.
Hypnobirthing, as it is referred to in the UK, can help the mother overcome fear and anxiety around conception, parenting or birth itself. It can also help the mother deal with pain more effectively.
It can reduce stress and anxiety – not only for the mother but the baby too – boost confidence to be a parent and give mothers a feeling of control so the birth experience is the best it can be. The use of hypnosis during labour has been shown to reduce the length of labour, the use of pain relief, the risk of intervention and of postnatal depression.
Hypnosis works at a subconscious level, changing instinctive perceptions of birth so that it is seen as a positive experience, enabling birthing mothers to trust their body. It also gives mothers awareness of how they can be in control and manage their environment, keeping it free of threats.
A recent example of hypnotherapy helping during surgery was reported in the Daily Telegraph, citing the case of a French singer who had to have a parathyroid gland tumour removed during surgery to save her career.
Instead of an anaesthetic, she was accompanied by a hypnotherapist and put into a trance, even though she knew what was going on around her. As a result of her awareness during the process, she was able to sing so the surgeon knew to cut. She was still singing when the tumour was cut out. This not a modern method either, hypnotherapy was used in the late 19th century before the advent of anaesthetics.
If you’re about to have a baby or fear pain, why not speak to a National Council of Hypnotherapy (NCH) therapist? You can find one near you by using their online directory.
As hypnotherapy is largely hands-off and non-invasive, it is one of the most relaxing, enjoyable and safest therapies to use.