Aiming

Back in the 90s, I had a dentist in Ringwood.  She had taken over the practice when the former dentist there retired.  It felt natural to just go to the same place with the new dentist rather than shop around for another.

This was back in the days when I was petrified of dentists and would literally have a meltdown just walking in the door.  They used to give me valium and sit me in the waiting room until it took effect because nobody could get near me otherwise. 

This dentist promised “gentle dental care”.  She made a deal with you.  You wouldn’t proceed if you were in pain so she gave pain killers up front to numb the area of the mouth she’d be working on.  If you were in pain at any time, you could raise your hand and she’d stop, give more pain meds and not proceed until they took effect.  You would her noise and feel pressure and vibration, but not pain.  That’s my kind of approach.

I ended up having to fin another dentist.  It was necessity.  She was petite and lovely but she was also Chinese and must have come from a loud, noisy family because she couldn’t utter a word unless she was virtually shouting it.   And I mean, shouting.  She had no clue how to speak at a level I would deem conversational and her voice was absolutely shrill.

I’d be in the chair and she’d be right next to me and I swear they could hear her in the street.  She was so loud that my ears physically hurt after every visit.  I just couldn’t handle it.  These days, I’m far more sensitive to loud noise but even back then, I’d shrink from people who decided the entire planet needed to hear their every word.  Worse if they did it at a pitch that could shatter glass.

It wasn’t easy to find another dentist because if the volume was right, I’d be in pain during the procedure.  And believe me, I was still hysterical just entering the building so I was their worst idea of a patient.

That’s one of the reasons I got interested in hypnotherapy and why I did my qualification in it.  I wanted to be able to manage my anxiety in an effective way.  And it worked.

I found a dentist that used hypnotherapy to help his patients and while he talked me under, I did a bit of self hypnotherapy on top to change any pain or anxiety into bubbles off joy.  Not giggles, because that would have been a bit counter productive during a procedure, but happiness and light heartedness.  It worked. I was not only find for that visit but ever since.

These days I turn up at the dentist without the slightest qualm and no drugs are involved.  I happily jump into the chair, put on my iPod and sunglasses (that light they use is too bright for me) and I tell him to tap me on the wrist if he needs to talk to me.  He does his thing and I tune out. 

I’ve not shed so much as one tear since I did that hypnotherapy on myself.  Not one.  Considering I used to be crying in the car on the way there, that’s some kind of miracle.  He tells me I’m one of his easiest patients to work with.  I’d believe it.

For me, he’s one of the easiest I’ve ever been to.  He’s not shill and my ears don’t ache for the rest of the day afterwards.

I’d really like to explore my hypno as a means of pain management, alas, I find myself blocked because I need to be in a trance state to do it and that’s a little hard to maintain when the pain bites in across the top of it.  I’ve not yet thought of a viable solution just yet but I will.

Knowing how one inner session changed my whole outlook and handling of dentistry, it’s entirely possible I could enjoy similar success with pain.  I’d really be onto something if I could pull it off.

People go to hypnotherapists for multiple visits thinking it takes repetition to instill a set of behaviors in order to bring about change.  It doesn’t.  I did it for myself in under 3 minutes and that was over 20 years ago.  I’ve never needed a refresher.  However, it does depend on the patient and the subject and the amount of success that can be achieved is entirely up to the susceptibility of the individual.

For example, my father tried hypnotherapy when he found out he had emphysema and was dying.  Yes, I know.  By then, quitting his 4 pack a day chain smoking wouldn’t have reversed anything but it might have bought him more time.  They couldn’t put him into trance.  He was uncomfortable being out of control and fought the induction every step of the way.  Resistant patient does not make for great outcomes. 

However, I have bona fide success treating myself and others so there has to be a way I can pull this off.  It’s simply a question of finding it.  While hypnotherapy will never make pain go away, and I’m not suggesting that it would, it may certainly make it more bearable for the sufferer and that’s a goal worth aiming for.