TL;DR
Blog on hypnosis and its history of pain management
Pain is one of the most universal human experiences—and one of the most misunderstood. For centuries, people have searched for ways to reduce suffering without relying solely on drugs or invasive procedures. Long before modern anesthetics, hypnosis was already being used to alter pain perception, sometimes with astonishing results. Today, neuroscience and pain science are finally catching up to what early hypnotists observed: pain is not just a signal from the body—it is an experience created and regulated by the brain.
This article explores the history of hypnosis in pain management, from its dramatic early medical use to its modern role in treating acute injuries, medical and dental procedures, and chronic nociplastic and neuropathic pain.
A Brief History: Hypnosis Before Modern Anesthesia
The medical use of hypnosis for pain relief dates back far earlier than many people realize. In the early 19th century, surgeons were already experimenting with altered states of consciousness to perform procedures without chemical anesthesia.
One of the most important figures in this history is Dr. James Braid, a Scottish surgeon often regarded as the father of modern hypnosis. In the 1840s, Braid coined the term hypnotism after observing patients enter a focused, trance-like state through sustained attention and suggestion.
During this era—before ether and chloroform were widely available—hypnosis was used during surgical procedures, including amputations. Patients under hypnosis reportedly experienced little to no pain, maintained calm breathing, and recovered with fewer complications. These were not theatrical demonstrations; they were medical necessities in a time when surgery was otherwise excruciating and traumatic.
Although chemical anesthesia eventually overshadowed hypnosis in mainstream medicine, the effectiveness of hypnotic analgesia was well documented. Rather than disappearing, hypnosis quietly continued in medical and psychological practice—and is now re-emerging with strong scientific backing.
How Hypnosis Works With Pain
Pain is not a direct readout of tissue damage. Instead, it is constructed by the brain based on sensory input, memory, expectation, emotion, and meaning.
Hypnosis works by:
Altering attention and focus
Reducing threat perception in the nervous system
Changing how the brain interprets sensory signals
Engaging top-down brain processes that regulate pain intensity
Brain imaging studies show that hypnosis can reduce activity in pain-processing regions such as the anterior cingulate cortex and somatosensory cortex—without numbing the body itself. In other words, the pain signal may still exist, but the experience of pain changes.
This makes hypnosis uniquely adaptable for different types of pain.
Acute Pain: Injuries, Dental Work, and Medical Procedures
Hypnosis is particularly effective for acute pain, such as:
Sports or activity-related injuries
Post-surgical discomfort
Dental procedures
Medical tests or minor procedures
For acute injuries, hypnosis helps by calming the nervous system and reducing muscle tension and inflammatory stress responses. This can shorten recovery time and reduce reliance on pain medication.
In dental and medical settings, hypnosis is often used to:
Reduce pain perception
Minimize anxiety (which amplifies pain)
Decrease gag reflex and muscle guarding
Improve healing outcomes
Many people are surprised to learn that hypnosis is still used today as a form of hypnotic anesthesia, especially for individuals who cannot tolerate medications or who want to avoid them.
Chronic Pain: When the Nervous System Gets Stuck
Chronic pain is different from acute pain. In many cases, tissue damage has healed—but the pain persists. Modern pain science recognizes that long-term pain often involves changes in the nervous system itself.
Nociplastic Pain
Nociplastic pain occurs when the nervous system becomes overly sensitive and reactive, even in the absence of clear tissue damage. Conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic back pain, migraines, and some forms of pelvic pain fall into this category.
In nociplastic pain, the brain learns pain.
Hypnosis helps by:
Reducing neural hypervigilance
Re-training the brain’s pain response
Shifting expectations and fear patterns
Restoring a sense of safety in the body
Rather than "blocking" pain, hypnosis teaches the nervous system that it no longer needs to protect the body with constant pain signals.
Neuropathic Pain
Neuropathic pain originates from nerve irritation or damage. Examples include sciatica, post-herpetic neuralgia, phantom limb pain, and some forms of diabetic neuropathy.
While hypnosis cannot repair damaged nerves, it can significantly reduce suffering by:
Modulating how nerve signals are interpreted by the brain
Reducing secondary muscle tension and stress responses
Helping the brain remap distorted sensory signals
Phantom limb pain is a particularly striking example. Even when a limb is no longer present, pain can persist because the brain’s map has not updated. Hypnosis can help reorganize these maps and reduce or eliminate pain sensations.
Hypnosis as a Skill, Not a Passive Treatment
One of the most empowering aspects of hypnosis for pain management is that it can be learned.
Clients are often taught self-hypnosis techniques to:
Regulate pain flare-ups
Improve sleep (which strongly affects pain)
Reduce fear-avoidance patterns
Restore a sense of control over their body
This is especially important for chronic pain sufferers who feel trapped in cycles of medication, frustration, and helplessness.
A Bridge Between Old Wisdom and Modern Science
From Dr. James Braid’s hypnotic amputations to modern brain imaging studies, hypnosis has consistently demonstrated one powerful truth: pain is flexible.
Hypnosis does not deny pain. It works with the brain systems that create it.
As medicine increasingly embraces neuroplasticity and mind-body approaches, hypnosis stands as one of the oldest—and most evidence-supported—tools for pain management. It is not an alternative to medical care, but a powerful complement that addresses pain at its source: the brain and nervous system.
For many people, hypnosis offers something pain medications cannot—relief paired with understanding, agency, and hope.