Hypnotize Yourself
Out of Pain Now, Second Edition By Bruce N. Eimer, Ph.D.,
ABPB
Crown
House Publishing, Ltd. 2008
Reviewed
by Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.
Once in a
while, I read a book on hypnosis that is to eloquent, so
well-organized, so understandable, and written with such
clarity and sensitivity that I wish I’d written it myself.
That’s how I felt about reading Hypnotize Yourself Out of
Pain Now (Second Edition) by Bruce Eimer, Ph.D. This is
the quintessential book on self-hypnosis for pain
management.
Eimer first
covers topics such as types of pain, the physiology of pain,
pain and neurology, and the pain gate control theory,
explaining how hypnosis can reduce chronic pain by closing
off the neurological transmission of sensation to the brain
from the site of previous injuries. He also discusses how
to evaluate pain and how to evaluate one’s coping
strategies.
The book
then moves into the topics of hypnosis and self-hypnosis.
Eimer acquaints the reader with basic information about
hypnosis and then teaches eight methods of inducing
self-hypnosis, such as eye fixation, arm drop, pencil drop,
and the eye-roll method. Each induction comes with a script
which the reader can record.
Next, the
author provides a primer on pain management, covering the
“six D’s” of pain management: Deep Relaxation,
Decatastrophizing, Direction, Distraction, Distortion, and
Dissociation. He tells the reader how to match the pain
management method to the type of pain, and gives
self-hypnosis processes and self-suggestions in each “D”
category. For example, with Decatastrophizing, Eimer
discusses how to dispute self-talk, reframe the meaning of
pain, conduct cognitive analysis of thought processes, and
use self-suggestions such as “I can still enjoy things.”
The pain management skills in this book include behavioral
coping strategies, cognitive interventions, and relaxation
methods.
This book
also covers ways to refine self-hypnosis, as well as
advanced self-hypnosis processes such as instant relaxation,
a self-healing ritual, mindfulness meditation, ideo-motor
signaling, and ego state therapy. I counted over 50
exercises for pain management in this book, so there is
surely at least one that will help any reader who is willing
to invest the time to learn and practice self-hypnosis. The
book comes with a companion CD covers what hypnosis is, pain
perception and hypnosis, relaxation with hypnosis, rating
and lowering discomfort, pain relief and imagery, healing
imagery, therapeutic touch and energy healing, comfort
transfer, and stress control.
Bruce Eimer
is a clinical psychologist practicing in Philadelphia, with
over 20 years of experience in treating chronic pain. He
writes from personal experience as a chronic pain survivor.
While this book is written for anyone with chronic pain, it
is also an excellent reference for hypnotherapists who work
with pain reduction. As a chronic pain survivor myself, I
believe this book holds great promise for improving the
lives of many.
Reviewed by:
Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D. is a licensed
psychotherapist, hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner
practicing in Springfield, VA. She has written The
Weight, Hypnotherapy and You Weight Reduction Program: An
NLP and Hypnotherapy Practitioners Manual (Crown House
Ltd.).
www.engagethepower.com
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