Anyone who has frequent headaches or migraines knows the routine: painkillers, a dark room, a lost day. Medication helps many people, but it can bring side effects, and overuse can itself cause headaches. That is why drug-free options are worth knowing about, and hypnosis is one of the better supported.
What the evidence says
In 2007, the psychologist D. Corydon Hammond reviewed the research on hypnosis for headaches and migraines. He concluded that it meets the clinical psychology research criteria for a well-established and efficacious treatment. He also noted that it is virtually free of the side effects, risks and ongoing costs that come with medication.
The studies reviewed showed reductions in how often headaches occurred, how severe they were, and how long they lasted. Hypnosis generally did as well as other behavioural treatments such as relaxation training and biofeedback, which are themselves recommended for migraine prevention.
Two points of balance. Many of the trials are older and small. And hypnosis is a way of preventing and managing headaches, not a cure.
How it might work
- Lower stress. Stress is one of the most common triggers for both tension-type headache and migraine.
- Muscle relaxation. Easing tension in the neck, jaw, scalp and shoulders.
- Changed pain processing. Suggestion alters how the brain handles pain signals.
- A sense of control. Feeling helpless makes pain worse. Having something to do makes it better.
- Better sleep. Poor sleep is a trigger for many people.
The techniques
Hand warming. A classic for migraine. You imagine your hands growing warm, perhaps held near a fire or in warm water. The technique comes from biofeedback, where learning to raise hand temperature has been linked to fewer migraines.
Cooling the head. Imagining a cool cloth or a cool breeze across the forehead.
The dial. Picturing pain as a dial and slowly turning it down.
Changing the sensation. Giving the pain a colour, shape and size, then making it smaller, paler and softer.
Glove anaesthesia. Creating numbness in a hand and transferring it by touch to the head.
Early-warning cue. A post-hypnotic suggestion that the first sign of a headache is a signal to relax and breathe.
Daily relaxation. Regular practice to reduce background tension.
A ten-minute routine
Use this daily for prevention, and at the first sign of a headache.
- Sit or lie somewhere quiet and dim.
- Take five slow breaths, each out-breath longer than the in-breath.
- Let your jaw, forehead, neck and shoulders soften in turn.
- Imagine your hands resting in comfortably warm water. Feel the warmth spread through your palms and fingers.
- Imagine a cool, soothing sensation across your forehead and temples.
- Picture a dial showing your discomfort. Slowly turn it down by one or two numbers.
- Tell yourself: “At the first sign of a headache, I relax, and it eases.”
- Count from one to five and open your eyes.
Practise for a few weeks before judging it. Hypnosis works better for prevention than for stopping a full migraine once it has taken hold.
Combine it with the basics
- Keep a headache diary to spot triggers.
- Keep regular sleep and meal times.
- Drink enough water.
- Limit caffeine and alcohol.
- Take prescribed medication as directed.
- Avoid taking painkillers on more than two or three days a week, unless your doctor advises otherwise.
See a doctor first
Get any new or changed headache assessed before trying self-help. Seek urgent medical attention for:
- A sudden, severe headache, like being struck
- A headache with fever, stiff neck, rash, confusion, weakness, numbness, or trouble speaking or seeing
- A headache after a head injury
- A new headache if you are over 50
- Headaches that are steadily getting worse
Hypnosis is for diagnosed tension-type headache and migraine, alongside the treatment your doctor recommends.
The bottom line
For headaches and migraines, hypnosis is a safe, low-cost option with respectable evidence. It is most useful as a daily habit that makes headaches less frequent and less severe.
Next in the series: Hypnosis in Cancer Care: Easing the Side Effects of Treatment
This article is for general information and is not medical advice.