Mind-Body Approaches to Decrease Post-Surgery Inflammation

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An important but little discussed area is how the mind guides our immune system.

I worked as a nurse at Children’s Hospital to pay my way through medical school. When I was getting ready to be assigned to the burn unit, I asked my psychiatry professor to train me in hypnosis, so I could use that technique to decrease the children’s pain during their dressing changes.

As an aside, he mentioned something that that has stuck with me. That the blister that happens after a burn is the immune system’s response to a perceived attack, but if you go into a simple hypnotic state right after the burn and tell your immune system “heal quickly, no injury,” then you won’t blister.

There are good reasons that I am not a surgeon. For example, being a “butter fingers,” I tend to drop things, and I frequently burn myself. But since I began using this technique, I no longer blister after getting a burn. I have also found that if I have surgery, including dental surgery (like molar extractions and dental implants or root canals), I can simply go into a quick hypnotic state a few minutes before the procedure and let my psyche know that what’s about to happen is friendly and will help us heal (I picture the surgical area in my mind). I have my mind accept that it is OK to welcome it as part of ourselves, and simply let it be.

When I do this, I have virtually no post-op pain or swelling. The benefits are quite remarkable. You can go into similar states through quiet prayer, meditation, music, or even nature—ways that bypass the conscious mind—while simply giving yourself that suggestion repeatedly a few times a little bit before going into the procedure.

I would also point out that our immune system is sensitive to whether we feel safe or under threat. The current mantra for some in the media seems to be “Fear and Divisiveness Sells.” I think it is no coincidence that we are also seeing a rise in autoimmune illness, with that mantra one of several factors.

This fear mongering likely contributes to autoimmune problems as well.

My recommendation? When what you’re paying attention to in the media leaves you feeling badly, turn it off. You won’t become uninformed. You’ll more likely become less misinformed. You’ll also become much healthier and happier 😉