[img]560|left|Nicholas D. Pollak||no_popup[/img]In my continUING quest to find new clients, I recently called a Beverly Hills physician to see if he had an interest in the benefits of hypnotherapy for any of his patients. He said yes, and we set an appointment.

At the end of our face-to-face meeting, he identified a patient for me who was suffering from fibromyalgia. She was not responding to the doctor’s treatments.

In addition, the patient was unemployed and finances were a big issue. If the woman responded to hypnotherapy, the doctor promised to send more patients.

Patient Sets Conditions

Once before I had seen a patient who was undergoing chemotherapy for throat cancer. He wanted our arrangement to be conditional. He said he would only pay me if I could restore his taste. Even though his taste was restored for the first time in weeks, the sensation quickly dissipated. He refused to pay me.

Needless to say, I was reluctant to accept the doctor’s offer, but the well-being of the client overrode my financial concerns.

It has always been my belief that treatment is of primary importance, finances are secondary.

Fibromyalgia is a hypersensitivity to stimuli not normally painful, including muscle pain, joint pain, headaches, insomnia and loss of energy, which create ongoing fatigue. Doctors believe the brain areas that normally detect pain are not receiving enough blood supply. As a result of this perceived reduced blood supply the brain, not functioning correctly, believes there is pain all the time.

Cymbalta and Flexeril are among medical suggestions for relieving the symptoms. Yoga, exercise and deep breathing also are recommended.

Keep pen and paper handy when you want to remember something because fibromyalgia can cloud your memory.

Maintain low-impact exercise. Warm water exercise is best or walking.

Warm baths or saunas are helpful. Heat relaxes the muscles.

Stay away from caffeine. Drink decaf. Involve yourself with a hobby. As you concentrate, your focus moves away from the pain.

In Pursuit of Results

Try to find what makes your symptoms worse. One symptom at a time. Reduce or eliminate the cause of your perceived stress.

Ensure good bed rest. Do not watch the news or heavy dramas. Limit yourself to a light comedy. Eat protein before going to bed to ensure adequate sugar levels, which assist the brain in relaxing. (Carbohydrates create hyper vigilance.) Wind down with relaxing music or a warm bath.

Keep a journal of symptoms, the times and what you were doing when the symptoms increased.

In the list, notice that hypnosis is suggested as a tool to feel better. Hypnosis is perfect for this kind of illness. The conscious mind is able to relax the body, but only as far as the conscious mind’s perception of relaxation. The subconscious has no limitations to its perception of relaxation. Therefore, when the body is in hypnosis, it relaxes far more dramatically than when not hypnotized.

And so the client responded extremely well to the suggestions given for her relaxation. After her first session, she felt her pain already had reduced by 50 percent. With training in self-hypnosis, her symptoms, although still apparent, have significantly shrunk.

To summarize, she is using less medication, suffering less pain, and her quality of life has been elevated.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me by telephone, 310.204.3321 or by email at nickpollak@hypnotherapy4you.net. See my website at www.hypnotherapy4you.net