Pain that outlasted its reason.
When pain persists beyond injury, it has become a neurological pattern. MTP™ addresses the pattern — not just the sensation.
Chronic pain is not the same as acute pain. Acute pain is a signal from tissue damage — it has a clear function and resolves when the damage heals. Chronic pain has become its own condition, maintained by neurological sensitisation, psychological amplification, and a nervous system that has learned to generate pain signals independently of tissue damage. This is not imaginary pain. It is real pain with a different mechanism.
Pain that has lasted months or years beyond the original injury
Pain that varies with emotional state, stress, or sleep
Multiple diagnoses or no clear diagnosis
Medication that provides incomplete relief
A life progressively organised around the pain
Hopelessness about whether it will ever change
The evidence for cognitive hypnotherapy across chronic pain conditions — fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, IBS, sickle cell, back pain — is among the strongest in clinical hypnosis research. Hypnotherapy changes the neurological processing of pain signals, reduces the psychological amplification that chronic pain involves, and addresses the emotional dimensions that are now recognised as central to the chronic pain experience.
Peer-reviewed evidence supporting MTP-aligned interventions for Chronic Pain Management.
"Cognitive hypnotherapy showed evidence of efficacy in osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, IBS, sickle cell disease, temporomandibular disorder, and chronic back pain in a comprehensive clinical review."
Elkins et al., American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis"A 4-session standardised self-hypnosis protocol significantly reduced pain intensity and pain interference in chronic low back pain patients."
Jensen et al., pilot study, International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis"Hypnosis for pain relief showed significant effects across 85 controlled experimental trials in a 2019 meta-analysis — among the most comprehensive pain hypnotherapy evidence reviews published."
Thompson et al., Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2019MTP™ is a complementary intervention. It does not replace medical assessment or treatment. Dr. Maruti Sharma works collaboratively with medical professionals where appropriate.
Good fit
Chronic pain with a significant psychological or stress-related component
Pain that has persisted beyond medical explanation
Fibromyalgia, chronic back pain, tension headaches, IBS-related pain
Pain that varies with emotional state or stress level
Those seeking a non-pharmaceutical adjunct to medical treatment
Not the right fit
Pain with an unidentified medical cause requiring urgent investigation
Pain arising from active pathology requiring primary medical management
Does this mean my pain is not real? +
Absolutely not. Chronic pain is real pain — the neurological mechanism is different from acute pain, not imaginary. Hypnotherapy does not suggest pain is not real. It addresses the real neurological processes that maintain it.
Can this reduce or eliminate my pain medication? +
Some clients find medication reduction becomes possible over time, in consultation with their prescriber. This is not a stated goal of the work but a sometimes natural consequence of effective pain management.
Pain is a signal. When the signal has been running too long, it needs a different kind of attention.
Every engagement begins with a conversation. No commitment. No pressure. Just an honest exchange to understand whether this is right for you.
Dr. Maruti Sharma · RCI Reg. A100310 · Clinical Psychologist · 25+ years · 100+ countries