Submit an Article Submit an Event Register Your Practice

Enter your email address below to receive our monthly newsletter:

Hypnosis in the Treatment of Migraine Headaches
by John C. Hughes, D.C.

IMPORTANT: In the treatment of migraine, hypnotherapy should be used in cases that have been screened by a through physical examination to establish the diagnosis. Pain is often a warning signal, a symptom of an underlying disorder that needs to be treated. Therefore in all cases involving the management of pain -- chronic as well as acute pain -- get a medical referral. Hypnosis should be used only when there is certainty that there is no underlying organic disorder.

It is estimated that 8% - 10% of the population suffers from some form of migraine headache. Over $13 billion is spent annually on treatment costs and lost workdays as a result of debilitating pain. The cost of chronic pain to society is astronomical; to the sufferer, its effects can be devastating.

The most frequent cause of headache is muscular tension resulting in pain. The casue of migraine headache is contraction of blood vessels that go to the scalp and brain followed by dilation and inflammation that produces pain. Vision disturbances occur when blood vessels narrow. Headache begins when they widen again.

Migraine is an intense, incapacitating headache, accompanied by other symptoms, that occur repeatedly in some persons. The nature of attacks varies between persons and from time to time in the same person. Symptoms of a classic migraine attack appear in the following sequence: * Inability to see clearly, followed by seeing bright spots and zigzag patterns. Visual disturbances may last several minutes or several hours, but they dissappear once the headache begins. * Dull, boring pain in the temple that spreads to the entire side of the head. Pain becomes intense and throbbing. * Nausea and vomiting. In other types of migraine attacks these symptoms may not be present. Some persons become pale, with bloodshot eyes and a runny nose or eyes.

While overseeing experiments at the Menninger Clinic in biofeedback and autogenic training (a form of self-hypnosis), researchers Elmer and Alyce Green inadvertently made a discovery that has revolutionized the treatment of migraine. The Greens had combined an autogenic training technique (my hands-are-warm) with biofeedback, and were testing a group of volunteers. The slightest increase in hand warming would give the volunteers a signal. During the training session one of the volunteers, a housewife, began to have a migraine headache. Still hooked up to the equipment, the Greens allowed her to continue the experiment in a darkened room. The Greens were surprised to see the hand-temperature indicator increase by 10 degrees. The volunteer said that her headache vanished the moment her hands warmed with a surge of blood. During a migraine attack, the blood vessels in the head dilate, and the blood vessels in the hands contract. Normal hand temperature is about 90 degrees; migraine sufferers may have a hand temperature as low as 70 degrees.

Using self-hypnosis and visualization techniques, a number of subjects were able to increase their hand temperatures by fifteen to twenty degrees. This redistribution of the blood resulted in fewer migraine attacks and less severe headaches.

Crasilneck and Hall have reviewed the literature of hypnosis in the treatment of headache. The usual duration for treatment of recurrent headache by hypnosis is about 3 months (weekly visits), and the success rate seem comparable to that for smoking cessation.

The migraine sufferer is taught to use self-hypnosis as soon as there are indications of a pending headache. The client is instructed to use visualization and imagine the head become cooler and the hands becoming warmer. This will bring the resulting blood flow away from the head.

(This article is an excerpt from the NGH text "Scripts & Tips", by Charles Francis, M.A. and John C. Hughes, D.C.)

Disclaimer: Nothing in this document should be construed as medical advice. For long-lasting relief, consult your doctor or health practitioner.