Was diagnosed with ppms in 2012 after years of being mis-diagnosed the problem i have, and i’m sure many of you will agree, is that none of the medication for pain and spasticity works ( my MS nurse says i have a very low tolerance to the medication ) and the side effects can be a lot worse than the symptoms so trying to find anything that helps becomes increasingly difficult. I have just finished a course of acupuncture which has not helped at all and i was wondering if anyone has tried hypnosis for pain relief and if so does it help. Thanks.
Hi Mike, it’s very tricky trying to deal with pain without meds. I too tried acupuncuture but didn’t help me either.
I did see something on TV a year or so ago about using CBT (that’s cognitive behaviour therapy) to learn to live with pain. I know that sounds impossible but they interviewed two people who had tried it and said it turned their lives around. The man said he was now off all of his pain meds and felt good after years of suffering. The woman had been unable to walk properly after years of pain but could now run!
Of course neither of these people had MS which as you know is a whole different ball game…but might be worth a try.
Your GP would be able to refer you. Unlike traditional therapies, you do not spend years talking about your childhood. It’s normally about 6 sessions (might be a bit more, can’t remember) and they teach you ways of coping and overcoming pain.
Hope you can find something that works…and yes I would think giving hypnosis a go is worth it, providing they don’t charge you a fortune.
Sorry I have not tried acupuncture myself, but my Son did in the past, for a totally different reason, but he always commented on how it relaxed him, so it maybe worth a try just to see if it helped you.
l think it is well worth trying hypnosis. Look for a practitioner in your area. Speak to them - and see if they can offer help - and make sure it is someone who you feel you would get on with.
My mother used to suffer with horrendous psoriasis. Nothing seemed to help it. She was involved in a car accident. Someone drove out of a car park straight into the side of her car - pushing it into oncoming traffic. We think it was the shock that caused her problem. The GP, suggested that hypnotherapy might help and it did. She had 4 sessions - and it cured her. That was about 8yrs ago - and she has been OK ever since.
Thanks for your views, will be seeing my MS nurse in 3 weeks and will discuss it with her then. I have just finished 6 sessions of CBT and it has helped me put things into perspective and i need to try and be more assertive. Thanks once again.
I try Lidocaine patches when my back is playing up (not MS) but multiple sclerosis is a beast! Co-codamols more pregabalin all of which work but your brain will be somewhere else. It is survivable we just to have think of something elsenot very helpful really so x