An anonymised client case study by Darren Stamford
Cognitive Hypnotherapist | The Clerkenwell Group – City of London Hypnotherapy | Established 2005
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Hypnotherapy for Back Pain: Why Can Pain Continue When Nothing Shows on a Scan?
Lower back pain is one of the most common reasons people visit their GP in the UK. While many cases improve within weeks, millions of people continue to experience persistent pain despite scans, investigations and medical reassurance that there is no serious underlying structural problem. This case study explores how Cognitive Hypnotherapy was used with one client experiencing chronic lower back pain after appropriate medical investigations had found no significant structural cause requiring further treatment.
Research suggests that around one in four adults in England lives with chronic pain, with many people finding that it affects work, sleep, exercise, relationships and emotional wellbeing. Modern pain science has also shown that, in some people, pain can continue even after tissues have healed. This may be influenced by changes within the nervous system – a process associated with neuroplasticity – where pain responses can become more readily triggered even when there is no ongoing tissue damage.
This does not mean the pain is imaginary. The pain is real. However, for some people, the way the brain and nervous system respond over time may become part of what maintains the experience of pain. This is one reason some people explore approaches such as hypnotherapy for back pain alongside appropriate medical care.
Client Case Study
Presenting Problem
Client A came to see me with persistent lower back pain that had continued despite extensive medical investigations.
The client had been assessed by their GP, undergone MRI imaging and attended hospital appointments. All investigations concluded that there was no significant structural pathology requiring further medical treatment. Despite this reassurance, the pain remained severe and continued to interfere with everyday life.
The client had also tried acupuncture, which provided only temporary relief before the pain returned.
The Impact
The effects reached far beyond physical discomfort.
As a professional builder, the client relied on strength, movement and confidence in their body every day. Persistent pain affected work performance, energy levels and overall quality of life.
Outside work, the client was also a Master of Jujitsu. Training had become increasingly difficult, limiting participation in a sport that had been an important part of life for many years.
Like many people living with persistent pain, the client had begun to feel frustrated that no one could explain why the pain continued despite normal investigations.
The Therapeutic Approach
Using Cognitive Hypnotherapy for back pain, we did not simply focus on trying to reduce the symptom. Instead, we explored the client’s unique experience of the pain, the situations in which it appeared, and the meaning it had acquired over time.
Every person experiences the world differently. Cognitive Hypnotherapy works with the individual’s own model of the world rather than applying a one-size-fits-all technique. In this case, the therapeutic work was shaped around the client’s own language, responses, experiences and goals.
Together we explored:
- how the pain was being experienced
- what the brain might be trying to achieve by maintaining the pain response
- how the client wanted to feel instead
- existing strengths, resources and imagination that could be used to encourage different responses
Drawing on ideas associated with neuroplasticity, we worked towards developing new associations around safety, confidence and comfortable movement rather than automatically responding through protection and pain.
Throughout the process, therapeutic suggestions and reframing techniques were tailored specifically to the client’s own language, experiences and goals.
To reinforce the work between sessions, the client listened daily to a personalised 20-minute hypnosis recording designed to support the therapeutic work and the new responses explored during sessions.
The Outcome
After three sessions, the client’s lower back pain had resolved completely.
The client returned to normal work as a builder and resumed martial arts training without the debilitating pain that had previously dominated daily life.
At the time this case study was written, the pain had not returned.
What This Case Demonstrates
Persistent pain is complex. Sometimes it reflects ongoing physical injury, while at other times the nervous system may continue producing pain long after healing has occurred.
For carefully selected clients – particularly those who have already received appropriate medical assessment – Cognitive Hypnotherapy for chronic pain may offer a way of exploring the experience of pain differently, reducing fear around movement, changing unhelpful patterns and rebuilding confidence.
Every client is different, and therapy is always tailored to the individual rather than following a fixed protocol.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can back pain continue even when an MRI is normal?
Yes. Many people continue to experience persistent pain despite normal scans. Modern pain science suggests that the nervous system itself can become more sensitive over time, meaning pain continues even when there is no ongoing tissue damage.
Is the pain real?
Absolutely. Persistent pain is genuine pain. The aim of therapy is not to suggest the pain is “all in the mind,” but to help the brain and nervous system learn new, healthier responses where appropriate.
Can hypnotherapy help with back pain or chronic pain?
Some people find Cognitive Hypnotherapy helpful in reducing the impact of persistent pain, particularly when appropriate medical investigations have ruled out serious pathology. Hypnotherapy for back pain does not treat an underlying physical injury; instead, the therapeutic focus may include the individual’s experience of pain, beliefs, emotions, learned responses and behaviour around movement.
Looking for Help?
If you have been living with persistent or chronic back pain, have received appropriate medical assessment, and feel that pain is continuing to control your life despite reassuring investigations, Cognitive Hypnotherapy may offer a different perspective. For some people, exploring hypnotherapy for back pain can form part of a wider approach to understanding and responding to persistent pain.
If you would like to explore whether this approach could be appropriate for you, I would be happy to discuss your situation in an initial consultation.
Disclaimer
| This case study describes the experience of one individual client and is shared with permission. Identifying details have been removed or changed to protect confidentiality. The outcome described reflects this client’s individual experience and should not be taken as a guarantee that others will experience the same result. Cognitive Hypnotherapy is not a substitute for medical diagnosis, treatment or advice. Anyone experiencing new, persistent or worsening pain should seek appropriate medical assessment. Where serious structural or medical causes have been excluded, Cognitive Hypnotherapy may be considered as a complementary therapeutic approach to help some people explore the psychological, emotional and behavioural factors that may be associated with persistent pain. |
