Pain is the use of hypnosis with the strongest research behind it, and self-hypnosis practised daily was part of almost every successful trial. This script puts the main techniques from that research into about twelve minutes.
Read this first
- Get the pain diagnosed. Pain is a warning. Do not use hypnosis on pain that has not been assessed, or on pain that is new, changing or severe.
- Keep your treatment. This is an addition to medical care, not a replacement. Do not change medication without your doctor’s agreement.
- Aim for less, not none. A drop of one or two points is a good result, and it adds up with practice.
- Do not use it to push through an injury.
Before you record
- Speak slowly, with pauses of three to five seconds at the dots and ten at each (pause).
- Get comfortable and well supported before you start. Lying down is fine.
- Change any image that does not suit you. Some people prefer coolness to warmth.
The script
I settle into a position that is as comfortable as I can make it… and I let whatever is supporting me take my weight.
I let my eyes close… and I breathe in gently… and out slowly… And again… in… and slowly out… With each breath out, my body softens a little more. (pause)
I do not need to fight anything right now… For these few minutes, I can simply rest.
I let my attention move to a part of my body that feels comfortable… or neutral… perhaps a hand… an earlobe… the tip of my nose… I rest my attention there… and notice that this part of me is at ease. (pause)
I imagine that ease as a gentle warmth… or a soft light… and with each breath out, it spreads a little further… flowing slowly outward… through one part of my body… and then the next… (pause)
Wherever it reaches, muscles loosen… and let go.
Now I count from ten down to one… and with each number I drift deeper into comfort… Ten… Nine… Eight… drifting… Seven… Six… Five… deeper… Four… Three… Two… One. (pause)
I imagine myself in a place where my body feels well… warm water… or a soft bed… or lying in the sun… I feel supported… and safe… (pause)
Here, my body remembers how to be comfortable.
Now I picture a dial… or a slider… numbered from zero to ten… It shows the level of discomfort I have been feeling… I notice the number it shows… without judging it. (pause)
I reach out… and slowly… gently… turn the dial down… just one number… I watch it move… and I feel the sensation ease as it does… (pause)
And if it feels right… I turn it down one more… slowly… noticing the change… (pause)
I leave the dial at its new setting… knowing I can come back and adjust it whenever I need to.
I notice the sensation that remains… and I let it change… If it has been sharp, it becomes dull… if hot, it cools… if tight, it loosens… It becomes smaller… softer… further away… (pause)
My attention is free to move… I can place it wherever I choose… on my breathing… on this comfortable place… on something I enjoy.
My body knows how to ease pain… It has its own ways of producing comfort… and each time I practise, they work more readily. (pause)
This comfort stays with me after I open my eyes… It lasts longer each time.
And whenever I need it… I can take one slow breath in… hold it for a moment… and as I let it go… this comfort returns. (pause)
In a moment I will count from one to five… and at five I will open my eyes… feeling rested… comfortable… and calm.
One… Two… feeling the surface beneath me… Three… taking a deeper breath… Four… gently moving my fingers and toes… Five… eyes open… rested and at ease.
How to use it
Daily. Once a day for at least three weeks, at a time when the pain is manageable. Learning is easier then than in the middle of a flare.
Short top-ups. Three or four times a day: one slow breath in, hold, release, and recall the comfort. It takes under a minute.
For flares. Use the breath cue first. If you can, lie down and play the recording. Expect it to take the edge off, not remove the pain.
At bedtime. Leave off the final count and let yourself drift into sleep.
Keep a simple record. Rate your pain from zero to ten before and after for the first few weeks. Small shifts are easy to miss otherwise.
Why it is written this way
- Starting with a comfortable part. It is easier to spread comfort than to argue with pain.
- “I do not need to fight.” Struggling against pain increases tension and distress.
- The dial moves one number at a time. A small change is believable, and belief matters.
- Changing the quality of the sensation. Research shows suggestions can alter how pain feels and how much it bothers you.
- Freeing attention. Pain needs attention to be felt.
- A post-hypnotic suggestion that comfort lasts and returns with a cue. This was a feature of the programmes tested in trials.
Adjust it
- For nerve pain that burns or shoots, use coolness in place of warmth, and suggest the sensation becoming a gentle tingling or a dull pressure.
- For headaches, add cool air across the forehead and warmth in the hands.
- For gut pain, rest a hand on your abdomen and imagine warmth beneath it.
- If the dial does not work for you, try a dimmer switch, a volume control, or the pain as a colour that fades.
- If imagery is hard, stay with the breathing and the comfortable body part.
What to expect
Research on self-hypnosis for chronic pain finds that responses vary. Some people get a lasting reduction in everyday pain. Some get relief mainly during and just after practice. Most report other gains: better sleep, less stress, a greater sense of control. Very few find it does nothing at all.
Alongside the script
- Keep gently active, and pace yourself.
- Protect your sleep.
- Learn about how pain works. Understanding it reduces fear.
- Stay connected with people.
- Ask about a pain management programme.
See a doctor promptly
- New, severe or rapidly worsening pain
- Pain with fever, unexplained weight loss, weakness, numbness, or loss of bladder or bowel control
- Chest pain
- Pain after an injury
The bottom line
Record it slowly, practise daily, and turn the dial down one number at a time. It will not remove chronic pain, but for many people it lowers it and restores some sense of being in charge.
Next in the series: A Self-Hypnosis Script for Confidence
This article is for general information and is not medical advice.