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PAIN
MANAGEMENT
A Powerful Achievement
Recently a hypnotherapist
received a call from the wife of a friend he had not seen for more than
two years. He knew that the friend had been treated surgically for
cancer of the kidney, but he had heard that the operation had proved
successful and was well. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
The wife asked the
hypnotherapist if he would see her husband and try to relieve the
intense pain which he was suffering. The therapist requested
medical authority to enter into the case and was advised that the
situation was terminal, and that everything possible had been done - any
help in pain relief was more than welcome. The prognosis was for
about six months of life.
The situation was such that the
patient could not visit the office, so the hypnotherapist offered to
make a house call. He had some concern about the hypnotizability
of the patient, since hypnosis usually requires the ability to focus
attention as directed by the hypnotherapist in the fixation phase of
induction. It was possible that the sheer intensity of the pain
was so great that diversion of attention from it would be difficult or
impossible.
Anticipating that repeat visits
would be difficult in view of the medical and family situations, the
therapist made a tape dealing with relaxation, rest, and pain reduction,
taking it with him on the call. On arriving he learned that he was
ill-prepared to face the situation confronting him. His friend was
in bed, face contorted with agony, with a tube in his arm connected to a
button which released morphine on demand. The morphine now
provided minimal relief.
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