Living with ongoing physical symptoms and pain can be exhausting. You may spend a lot of time thinking about your body, planning your day around flare ups or worrying about when the next bad spell will hit. Tests may have come back clear or only partly explain what is going on, yet the symptoms are very real and they keep getting in the way of work, family life and the things you want to do.
Many people who contact us have already tried a lot of different routes. You may have spoken to your GP or a consultant, changed diet, adjusted routines and searched endlessly online, yet still feel as if you are guessing. You might even have been told that your symptoms are probably stress related without anyone really explaining what that means or how to change it.
This page is here to give you a clearer sense of how we work with physical symptoms and pain at The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy and the kinds of problems we can help with. You do not need a perfect label or diagnosis before you get in touch. What matters most is how you are feeling and how it is affecting everyday life.
How Physical Symptoms And Pain Show Up
Physical symptoms rarely appear in a neat, simple way. You might notice patterns over time such as headaches after stressful days, stomach problems before certain situations, or pain that flares when you feel trapped, judged or under pressure. Sometimes the timing seems random, which can make things feel even more frightening and out of control.
You may have been told that nothing serious is wrong or that the problem is functional, in other words your body is behaving as if there is a threat even when tests say you are safe. For many people this can feel invalidating, as if they are being told it is all in their head. In reality, the nervous system and the body are deeply connected, and long periods of stress, worry or fear can change how the body works.
Common patterns include digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic muscle pain or tension, raised blood pressure, skin flares, blushing or sweating and recurrent headaches or migraine. Each of these has a physical component, but they are also strongly influenced by emotional learning and the way the nervous system has learned to react.
Why Hypnotherapy Can Help With Physical Symptoms
Hypnotherapy is not about pretending that pain, dizziness or stomach problems are imaginary. It is about working with the part of your mind that controls automatic responses, such as muscle tension, blood flow, gut movement and the way your body scans for danger. When you are in a focused, relaxed state it becomes easier to update those patterns.
At The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy we use a mind and body approach. During sessions we may help you revisit key experiences or typical trigger situations in a safe way, while guiding your nervous system towards calmer responses. Over time, your body can learn that certain sensations do not always mean crisis and that it is safe to step back from constant alert.
Because we are working directly with emotional learning and expectation, hypnotherapy can often shift patterns that have felt stuck for years. For many clients, this means fewer flare ups, less severe symptoms, or feeling able to get on with life again instead of constantly scanning for the next problem.
How We Work With Physical Symptoms And Pain
When you come to see us about physical symptoms, our first priority is to understand your story. We will ask about medical assessments you have already had, how the symptoms began, what makes them better or worse and how they are affecting your life. We are interested in the bigger picture, not just one symptom in isolation.
Sessions are tailored to your situation and your temperament. Some people like clear explanations and a practical plan. Others prefer a more gentle, experiential approach. Either way, we will move at a pace that feels manageable and stay within your window of tolerance rather than pushing you into overwhelm.
- Listen carefully to how symptoms show up in your day to day life
- Explain how stress, emotion and the nervous system can influence the body
- Use hypnotherapy techniques to ease fear and reduce automatic tension patterns
- Give you simple tools to use between sessions so progress continues at home
We do not use anything dramatic or showy. The aim is for you to feel more in charge of your body and your reactions, not less.
Working Alongside Your Medical Team
We always recommend that physical symptoms are checked by your GP before beginning hypnotherapy. It is important to rule out conditions that need medical treatment and to understand any diagnosis or test results you already have.
Hypnotherapy sits alongside medical care rather than replacing it. We will never ask you to ignore medical advice or stop medication. Instead, we focus on reducing the stress, fear and emotional patterns that are known to aggravate many physical conditions. This combination often gives people the best chance of steady, lasting improvement.
Common Physical Symptoms And Pain Problems We Help With
Clients come to us with many different combinations of symptoms. Most people have more than one thing going on rather than a single tidy diagnosis. These are some of the most common physical symptom problems we help with at The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy.
IBS And Digestive Problems
IBS and other digestive problems often flare around stress, travel or feeling trapped. We work with the gut and brain connection so your system can settle and feel safer.
Chronic Pain And Tension
Long running pain can change how you move, think and feel. We help reduce the fear and tension that often sit around pain so your body has more space to recover.
High Blood Pressure
Stress and lifestyle are major contributors to raised blood pressure. Our Hypnotension based approach helps you tackle the emotional and practical factors you can actually change.
Skin Conditions And Itching
Many skin conditions are sensitive to stress and emotion. We help you calm the internal alarm system that can drive itching, scratching and flare ups.
Blushing And Excessive Sweating
Sudden blushing or sweating can feel humiliating and hard to control. We work with the social and emotional triggers so your body does not have to shout so loudly.
Headaches And Migraine
Recurrent headaches or migraine can take over your week. Hypnotherapy can help you respond differently to early warning signs and reduce the build up of tension around attacks.
In Person And Online Support
We see clients in person at our clinic in Wallington in Surrey. The space is calm and welcoming, with easy access from surrounding areas. For many people with physical symptoms, travelling can be difficult, so we also offer online hypnotherapy where this is a better fit.
Online work can be just as effective as in person sessions when it is set up properly. We will talk you through what is needed, such as a private space, headphones and a stable connection, and help you decide what feels right for you.
What Progress Can Look Like
Progress with physical symptoms and pain is often gradual, but it can be very meaningful. People may notice that intense flare ups become less frequent, that symptoms settle more quickly after stress, or that they feel less frightened by their own body. Family members sometimes notice that you have more energy, more patience or more capacity to join in again.
From your point of view, change might mean being able to travel more comfortably, feeling able to make plans without constant what if thinking, or being less preoccupied with every twinge and sensation. For some, it is about reducing pain or discomfort. For others, it is about shrinking the amount of life that the symptoms are allowed to control.
Hypnotherapy for physical symptoms and pain is not about creating a perfect, symptom free life. It is about helping your nervous system find a calmer, more flexible way of responding so that you can get on with living, not just coping.
Taking The Next Step
If you are reading this because physical symptoms or pain are taking over your life, you do not have to work it all out on your own. You are welcome to contact us and talk through what has been happening. We can help you decide whether hypnotherapy for physical symptoms and pain is likely to be a good fit, what sort of approach we would take and how many sessions might be needed.
If you are not sure where to start, you can also browse our wider overview on our Problems We Help With page.
You do not have to wait until you feel completely worn out or desperate. Many clients tell us they wish they had asked for help sooner. If something on this page has sounded familiar, that is usually a sign it is worth having a conversation.