In my pain psychology clinics online, and in-person in Milton Keynes, it’s a question I often hear from people living with chronic/persistent pain, fatigue, or long-term health conditions: “How do I explain this to other people?” Whether it’s colleagues, friends, family — or even your own GP — putting your experience into words can feel like trying to explain colour to someone who’s only ever seen in black and white. And let’s face it: most of us don’t want to bang on about our symptoms. But neither do we want people to assume we’re fine because we’re smiling, upright, and wearing mascara. So today, let’s unpack that question together — gently, practically, and with a good dose of honesty. Why It’s So Hard to Explain...
In the third of our series on Behavioural Psychology in Hypnotherapy, we are going to look at integrating behavioural principles into hypnotic suggestions. As we have seen in the first two blogs on this subject (Behavioural Psychology in Hypnotherapy: Classical and Operant Conditioning and Habit Formation and Techniques for Breaking Bad Habits), conditioning—both classical and operant—forms much of our behaviour, and we can change that behaviour with certain hypnotherapeutic techniques. We are now going to examine these techniques in more detail. Suggestion is key here. We can associate a behaviour we wish to change with an unpleasant feeling or emotion. An experienced hypnotherapist will use metaphor to create strong sensory images. It is important that these are crafted for the individual client, using metaphors which evoke...
For many parents and caregivers, the school summer holidays bring a mix of joy, dread, and exhaustion. But if you're living with chronic/ persistent pain, that mix can lean heavily toward overwhelm. Let’s be honest – six (or more!) weeks of constant activity, noise, and broken routines can feel daunting even at the best of times. So how can you manage the summer break without breaking yourself in the process? The Summer Holiday Struggle is Real You love your children, of course you do. But the long summer holidays can stir up some uncomfortable realities: You're already running on limited energy, and now you're expected to be the entertainer, referee, chef, cleaner, and chauffeur – every single day. Your pain doesn’t take a summer break....
In the second of our series on Behavioural Psychology in Hypnotherapy, we are going to look at habits: how we form them and how we can break the ones we do not want. Rewiring Neural Pathways: How Hypnotherapy Affects the Brain Just as strength training can improve your body, targeted therapy delivered by a professional can help your brain work better for you. Hypnotherapy techniques such as those described below can help form new connections between neurons, making it easier to adopt positive behaviours. Brain scans have shown that hypnosis can alter activity and connectivity within the brain. This is especially useful for controlling emotional responses, changing habits, and reinforcing more constructive patterns of behaviour. MRI scans reveal that hypnosis can reduce activity in the...
Living with chronic/ persistent pain means you're constantly balancing energy, expectations, and your own limits. Some days, just getting out of bed is a victory. So when someone asks for a “quick favour” or suggests another task you could squeeze in, what happens? You smile. You nod. You say yes—even though every part of you is already running on empty. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Many people with long-term pain conditions struggle to say “no,” even when they need to. But here's the thing I often tell my clients: saying no isn't selfish—it's survival. Why Saying No Feels So Hard Most of us were brought up to be helpful, agreeable, and reliable. We're told to put others first, to be kind, to say yes if...
For the next three blogs we are going to look at how behavioural psychology is used in hypnotherapy. This time we are going to look at conditioning. What is it and how does it work? The fact that the outside world has an effect on our behaviours seems so obvious to us as to be unremarkable. Yet once we start to think about it, there is much to be learned. Conditioning involves identifying a consequence with a thing in the world. Something happens, or I notice something, and then something else happens and I identify the first thing with the second thing.. If the second follows the first on a regular basis I will begin to identify a pattern. This patten can then be used...
If you’re new here – welcome. And if you’ve been with me a while, thank you for sticking around. I’ve noticed quite a few new people have joined recently, so I thought it was a good time to reintroduce myself, say hello and share a bit about who I am and why I do what I do. I’m Dr Sue Peacock, a Consultant Health Psychologist. I specialise in helping people who live with chronic pain and long-term health conditions. If that’s you – if you’re navigating pain, exhaustion, poor sleep, or the emotional weight of it all – please know you’re not alone here. Over the years, I’ve worked with many people who’ve told me they feel dismissed, frustrated, or just plain tired of trying...
The way we process information during hypnosis differs from our everyday state. In this blog, we will explore this in more detail. We’ll examine how the brain processes information in a hypnotic state, what this reveals about our cognitive functions and brainwaves, and how our neural pathways are affected. Information Processing During Hypnosis Under hypnosis, our brains behave differently. We become less concerned with external matters, and our brains react less to stimuli from the outside world. Instead of taking practical action based on our surroundings, we focus inward, often developing vivid imagery. We may experience an altered state of awareness — for example, colours and sounds might seem clearer or more intense. With the guidance of an experienced hypnotherapist, we can begin to use...
Let’s be honest: living with chronic pain is hard enough. But what often doesn’t get talked about (at least not nearly enough) is the loneliness that comes along for the ride. You know the kind — when your friends stop inviting you out because you’ve said “no” so many times, or when it feels like no one really gets what you’re going through. If that’s you, first of all — big, gentle hugs. You are absolutely not alone in feeling this way, even if it sometimes seems like it. This topic is often discussed in my pain clinic in Milton Keynes and online clinics. Why Does Chronic Pain Feel So Lonely? Because it is. Chronic pain changes your life — your routines, your energy, your plans. Maybe you can’t walk...
In the last blog, we talked about focus and suggestibility. This latest post builds on that by exploring the concept of expectancy. What a client expects from a session will influence how responsive they are. And it works the other way too: the more responsive a client is, the higher their expectations of the experience are likely to be. In a hypnotherapy session if the client is aware they are directing their focus, they are in a different mental state and they are responsive to the hypnotherapist’s suggestions they will have heightened expectations for the success of the process. How can we define expectancy Expectancy is present throughout the hypnotherapy process. A good starting point is whether the client believes they are hypnotisable. Studies show...
