Hypnotherapy for Chronic Pain: How Hypnosis, Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy & RTT Can Empower Your Healing

You are not your pain. You can make that statement a reality by utilising the powerful tool of hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy harnesses your innate capacity to retrain neural pathways and develop new patterns in brain and body, helping you reclaim control and put pain in the back seat. Whether you choose Hypnosis, Hypnotherapy, Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy, or Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT), each modality offers a scientifically proven route to reduce chronic pain, ease stress, and restore your quality of life.

Over the past decade, clinical trial evidence confirms that hypnotherapy treatments are effective for reducing daily pain intensity levels in people with chronic pain (see References 1–4). If you’re ready to break free from persistent discomfort, read on to discover why hypnotherapy with Claire Russell MSc. BSc. Cl.Med. Hyp., Cl.Hyp, Certified Registered Clinical Hypnotherapist may be your best next step.

What Exactly Is Chronic Pain? – and Which Conditions Qualify for Hypnotherapy?

Pain becomes chronic when it persists most days of the week for longer than three months. Chronic pain includes:

  • Persistent pain after an injury has healed, with no ongoing tissue damage

  • Pain with identifiable medical causes, such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, TMJ dysfunction, diabetic neuropathy, shingles, multiple sclerosis, or cancer

  • Pain without any identifiable cause, yet every bit as real and debilitating

It is now estimated that 1 in 5 Irish, UK & Americans suffers from chronic pain (CDC, 2020). The burden of chronic pain extends beyond physical discomfort—impacting emotional well-being, family dynamics, work performance, and social engagement.

Chronic pain and illness is debilitating, isolating and extremely stressful.
There is no single approach or ‘magic bullet’ solution to treating and living with chronic pain. Rather, it’s a matter of being in charge of your health management and decisions, choosing the right combination of treatment strategies and health care professionals to help you improve your health outcomes and the quality of your life.

Chronic pain encompasses:

  • Musculoskeletal pain:

    • Chronic low back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, and joint pain from osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis

    • Sciatica, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, degenerative disc disease

  • Neuropathic pain:

    • Diabetic neuropathy, chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, post-herpetic neuralgia (shingles pain), trigeminal neuralgia, phantom limb pain

  • Widespread pain syndromes:

    • Fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)

  • Visceral and pelvic pain:

    • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Gut, Digestion Issues, endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, pelvic floor dysfunction

  • Headaches and facial pain:

    • Migraine, tension-type headache, cluster headache, TMJ dysfunction

  • Cancer and post-surgical pain

  • Post-traumatic pain from sports injuries, accidents, or surgery

But chronic pain isn’t the only issue hypnosis can address. Many people seek out hypnotherapy for:

  • Digestive disorders: IBS, Gut issues, Diverticulitis, IBD, acid reflux, functional dyspepsia

  • Psychological concerns: Addictions, anxiety, depression, anger, mood, PTSD, Trauma, phobias, exam or performance anxiety

  • Sleep disturbances: insomnia, restless legs syndrome, nightmares

  • Behavioral change: smoking cessation, weight loss, bed wetting, nail-biting, addiction recovery

  • Peak performance: sports performance, public speaking, exam preparation

Clinical Evidence: Hypnosis Really Reduces Pain & Improves Well-Being

Numerous brain-imaging studies and randomized controlled trials show that hypnosis and clinical hypnotherapy produce significant changes in both the perception and tolerance of pain (References 5–8):

  • Increased pain perception thresholds: Under hypnosis, people report feeling pain only at higher stimulus levels

  • Greater pain tolerance: Hypnotized participants endure painful stimuli longer than controls

  • Long-term reductions: Chronic pain patients maintain an average 30% decrease in pain intensity weeks after hypnotherapy

  • Secondary benefits: Improved sleep quality, reduced anxiety and depression, increased activity levels

A landmark 2019 meta-analysis concluded that hypnotherapy produced 29% greater pain relief compared to control interventions across multiple conditions, from arthritis to cancer pain (Reference 3). These findings underscore that clinical medical hypnotherapy is far more than relaxation—it’s a powerful, brain-based treatment.

Why Choose Hypnotherapy, Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy & RTT?

  1. Safe, drug-free relief — no side effects or dependency risks.

  2. Scientifically validated — backed by neuroimaging, clinical trials, and neuroplasticity research.

  3. Synergistic with other treatments — enhances the effectiveness of medications, physiotherapy, nutrition, and mindfulness practices.

  4. Holistic mind-body approach — addresses emotional, cognitive, and physiological dimensions simultaneously.

  5. Rapid results with RTT — uncover root causes in just a few sessions and install new, empowering mental scripts.

“Hypnotherapy harnesses your ability to retrain neural pathways and develop new patterns in the brain and body, helping you reclaim control and ‘put pain in the back seat.’”

Your thoughts, emotions, and physical movements generate chemical reactions—either calming your central nervous system or triggering a stress response. Hypnosis allows you to consciously shift those reactions, reduce cortisol and adrenaline, and boost natural analgesics like endorphins and serotonin.

How Hypnotherapy Rewires Your Brain: Neuroplasticity & Pain

Neuroplasticity is your brain’s capacity to change its structure and function through experience. Norman Doidge calls neurons “plastic,” meaning they can be rewired by thought, activity, and therapeutic intervention (Reference 18). Chronic pain sensitizes your nervous system, keeping your brain’s alarm system stuck on “red alert.” Hypnotherapy:

  1. Reduces stress hormones, creating an open, creative brain state

  2. Delivers targeted suggestions to restructure pain-processing pathways

  3. Installs new mental templates for comfort, resilience, and healing

In essence, hypnosis, combining clinical medical hypnotherapy and RTT tap into the brain’s natural healing potential—shifting your pain experience from “inescapable” to “manageable.”

 Attention, Distraction & Natural Analgesia

“How we focus our attention can have a significant impact on our experience of pain.”

Research shows that shifting attention away from pain—toward a task, a pleasant memory, or an immersive mental scenario—reduces both pain intensity and emotional distress (References 9–11). The fewer resources your brain devotes to pain signals, the less it strengthens those pathways over time. Hypnotherapy’s immersive, focused state delivers a powerful form of internal distraction, while simultaneously:

  • Boosting endorphin release for natural pain relief

  • Lowering inflammatory markers linked to chronic pain

  • Calming autonomic overreaction that worsens symptoms

A Multidisciplinary, Patient-Led Approach

There is no single “magic bullet” for chronic pain. Lasting healing requires you to captain your own pain-management team, which may include:

  • Medical specialists: rheumatologists, neurologists, pain physicians

  • Allied health providers: physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists

  • Nutritional & naturopathic support: restoring crucial biochemical balance (References 12–14)

  • Mind-body practitioners: hypnotherapists, psychologists, RTT therapists, yoga and mindfulness teachers

  • Exercise professionals: pain-informed personal trainers, Pilates or yoga instructors

Clinical trials and MRI studies confirm that integrating hypnotherapy into a multidisciplinary plan enhances outcomes across physical, emotional, and social domains (References 15–17).

Diving Deeper—Hypnotherapy for Specific Conditions

Hypnotherapy for Back Pain & Sciatica

Chronic low back pain and sciatica respond exceptionally well to hypnotic suggestion that encourages muscle relaxation, proper posture awareness, and pain-gating mechanisms in the spinal cord.

Hypnotherapy for Fibromyalgia

By targeting widespread pain sensitivity, sleep disturbance, and fatigue, hypnotherapy helps fibromyalgia patients experience fewer “pain flares” and deeper restorative sleep.

Hypnosis for Migraine & Headaches

Hypnosis scripts focus on dilating cranial blood vessels, reducing cortical spreading depression, and interrupting migraine cycles—leading to fewer attacks and shorter durations.

Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy for Arthritis & Joint Pain

Clinical protocols used in hospital settings have proven efficacy in easing osteoarthritis stiffness, rheumatoid arthritis inflammation, and post-surgical joint pain.

RTT for Neuropathic Pain & Post-Herpetic Neuralgia

RTT uncovers early emotional traumas or stressors that heighten nerve sensitivity, then reprograms the subconscious to calm nerve hyper-reactivity.

Hypnotherapy for IBS & Digestive Disorders

Gut-directed hypnotherapy trains patients to modulate gastrointestinal motility, reduce visceral hypersensitivity, and calm stress-related digestive pain.

Hypnosis for Anxiety, PTSD & Depression

Rapid, focused trance states enable clients to reframe traumatic memories, install resilience narratives, and boost GABA and serotonin pathways.

Hypnotherapy for Insomnia & Sleep Disorders

Sleep-focused hypnotherapy uses progressive relaxation, sleep-induction scripts, and circadian-rhythm re-entrainment to restore healthy sleep patterns.

Hypnosis for Smoking Cessation & Weight Loss

By addressing underlying triggers, reframing reward associations, and strengthening willpower, hypnotherapy yields quit-rates and sustained weight-loss far above control groups.

Performance Hypnosis for Sports & Exams

Mental rehearsal, confidence-boosting suggestions, and optimal arousal management help athletes, musicians, students, and executives perform at their peak.

How Do We Know Hypnosis Can Actually Make a Difference for Pain?

There is physical evidence that hypnosis works to alleviate chronic pain. Medical imaging studies demonstrate that hypnotic therapy influences all of the cortical and neuro-physiological processes that underlie pain perception (References 5–8). Current scientific research shows:

  • Increased pain perception thresholds under hypnosis

  • Greater pain tolerance levels during and after hypnotherapy sessions

  • Long-term reduction in daily average pain intensity for chronic pain sufferers

A 2018 meta-analysis found that patients receiving hypnotherapy reported an average of 29% greater pain reduction compared with control groups (Reference 3). These findings underscore that clinical hypnotherapy is far more than relaxation — it’s a potent, brain-based intervention.

Why Use Hypnotherapy to Treat Chronic Pain?

Hypnotherapy is safe, drug-free, and works synergistically with other medical and alternative therapies.
My own experience of utilizing a range of health options to holistically manage chronic pain is a valuable resource I bring to every session. I guide you through:

  • Hypnosis: Inducing a deep, focused relaxation state to reframe your pain experience

  • Hypnotherapy: Combining hypnosis with therapeutic suggestion to rewire negative pain associations

  • Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy: A medically integrated Clinical Hypnotherapy approach used alongside standard healthcare

  • RTT (Rapid Transformational Therapy): A hybrid of hypnosis, CBT, and NLP designed to uncover root causes and deliver rapid change

Science has discovered that thoughts, emotions, and physical movement create chemical reactions in our body, either calming our central nervous system or turning the alarm volume up. By changing your response to pain and the way you think about pain, you can in fact change your pain state.

How We Focus Our Attention Matters

How we focus our attention can have a significant impact on our experience of pain. Research shows that being able to focus attention on a task, activity, or pleasant experience — or to distract yourself — reduces pain and distress in chronic pain patients (References 9–11). The mechanism:

  1. Attention Shift: Diverts brain resources away from pain pathways.

  2. Reduced Signaling: Less neural “noise” means fewer pain receptors sprouting.

  3. Natural Analgesia: Enjoyable experiences boost endorphin releases, calming pain further.

Hypnotherapy fundamentally leverages this principle. In a hypnotic state, your brain fixates on positive, healing imagery and suggestions — giving pain signals far less “air time.”

Pain and the Brain: Central Nervous System Sensitization

Pain is an output our brain makes to defend us. It alerts us to danger, making us stop and take care of ourselves. Our brain decides if something is painful or not. When pain persists, the body’s danger response becomes over-sensitized, keeping the alarm stuck on red. This is called Central Nervous System Sensitization.

At this stage, fears, thoughts, and beliefs contribute heavily to the chronic pain state. Many sufferers feel trapped in a prison of pain, helpless and hopeless. The good news is that hypnotherapy can change that — letting in a chink of light and possibility for new perspectives.

A Multidisciplinary Approach: You as Team Captain

A multidisciplinary approach is required to address the different facets of physical and emotional health involved in chronic pain treatment. Once you decide to captain your own healing team, you’ll want:

  • Medical Professionals: Doctors, rheumatologists, neurologists

  • Allied Health Therapists: Physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists

  • Nutritional & Naturopathic Support: Restoring biochemical balance (References 12–14)

  • Mind-Body Practitioners: Hypnotherapists, psychologists, RTT therapists

  • Movement & Exercise Experts: Personal trainers specializing in chronic pain

Clinical trial findings and MRI studies repeatedly support that hypnotherapy enhances outcomes when integrated into a holistic plan (References 15–17). You decide which tools — including Hypnosis, Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy, and RTT — best suit your goals for real, lasting improvement.

What the Research Tells Us About Neuroplasticity

The brain is flexible! Neuroplasticity means your brain is not fixed — it can change how it works through thought and activity. “Neuro is for ‘neuron’… Plastic is for ‘changeable… modifiable.’” — Norman Doidge, The Brain That Changes Itself (Reference 18).

Hypnotherapy reduces stress, opening the brain to creative change. In a calm, focused state, your mind lays down new neural templates for experiencing the world — and for interpreting pain signals differently.

Thoughts Shape Your Pain Experience

Thoughts are one of the most powerful influences on your mood and emotions. Negative thinking spikes adrenaline and stress hormones, heightening pain sensitivity. Positive, constructive thinking triggers “feel-good” neurotransmitters like endorphins, naturally dulling pain.

Hypnotherapy teaches you how to:

  1. Interrupt negative thought loops

  2. Install empowering beliefs

  3. Strengthen emotional resilience

  4. Enhance overall well-being

Every session builds on the last, turning small mindset shifts into profound, lasting change in how you perceive and process pain.

Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) & Root-Cause Healing

RTT combines hypnosis, CBT, and NLP to rapidly uncover and resolve the root causes of chronic pain. Rather than merely addressing symptoms, RTT:

  • Identifies the emotional or traumatic triggers

  • Reframes subconscious beliefs that perpetuate pain

  • Installs positive new scripts for health and vitality

Most clients notice significant breakthroughs in just 2–4 sessions, making RTT one of the fastest, most effective hypnotherapy forms for chronic pain relief (References 19, 20).

Getting Started: Your First Hypnotherapy Session

  1. Free Consultation: We discuss your pain history, goals, and preferred modality (Hypnosis vs. RTT vs. Clinical Hypnotherapy).

  2. Customised Plan: Craft a session series combining precise suggestions, imagery, and therapeutic techniques.

  3. Guided Sessions: Through gentle guidance, you enter the hypnotic state and begin reprogramming your neural pathways.

  4. Self-Hypnosis Training: You learn practical exercises to reinforce changes between sessions.

  5. Ongoing Support: Email check-ins, booster sessions, and integration into your broader pain-management team.

References

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  3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27697731/

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  20. https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n528

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