Hypnotherapy uses concentration, relaxation, and focused attention to attain a heightened state of awareness called a trance or hypnotic state. The person in the trance becomes able to block out outside stimuli and concentrate on specific tasks or thoughts. It is used to help people perceive stimuli differently, such as by blocking the perception of chronic pain. Hypnotherapy addresses both physical and mental causes of chronic pain. Therapists say that hypnotherapy helps people regulate the type, strength, and amount of pain signals that reach the brain. People can reprogram their bodies to lessen the amount of pain-inducing chemicals released. Conversely, people also can learn to regulate the amount of pain-relieving endorphins. The goal of hypnotherapy in relation to chronic pain is to produce deep relaxation to lower the fear, tension, and anxiety that usually accompany pain. This blog post is an excerpt from Pain Recovery – How to Find Balance and Reduce Suffering from Chronic Pain by Mel Pohl, MD, FASAM, Frank Szabo, LADC, Daniel Shiode, PhD, Robert Hunter, PhD; Published by Central Recovery Press (CRP).