The Pain Reliever

Here's a technique you can use to relieve chronic pain, as from arthritis or a troublesome back, or pain from an injury that is healing. It works for headaches, too. Remember, don't use self-hypnosis for pain unless you have a medical diagnosis for the cause of the pain. Use the technique the way you would an aspirin or other pain reliver.

Imagine a gauge that looks like a clock face with one hand, which is the pointer. There are numbers from one to ten around the clock face. Decide where your pain is on the scale right now, with one being hardly any and ten being the most pain you can imagine, and set the pointer there. Then take a deep breath and relax.

Concentrate on the imaginary gauge and breathe deliberately. Breathe out the pain with each exhalation. As you do this, imagine moving the pointer on the gauge down a point, or even half a point, wait for your pain to subside, then move it down again. This may not completely relieve the pain (the aspirin may not either), but if you can reduce it from, say, seven to four, you will feel much better--and not have any side effects.

Instead of the clock gauge, you can imagine a thermometer, digital clock, or anything similar that works for you.

You can also get pain relief from distracting yourself and concentrating on something else. This technique is for those cases when it keeps nagging at you. Confront the pain, draw it up and breathe it out, and force it down by lowering the pointer on the pain gauge.