Pain control - Hypnosis?

[Willow11]

My daughter is now 15 years old and was first diagnosed with CFS at 11, this diagnosis was changed to ME/CFS at 13, when she also developed symptoms of Fibromyalgia. She has not attended school for more than 2 years and we currently have no support for her from outside sources.
Her pediatric consultant, has not been very supportive and my daughter finds her positively intimidating, we have asked for a change of consultant, but were referred back to the GP, the GP said that my daughter should 'confront' the consultant on her feelings. I find this utterly ridiculous, this is not something an ill child should have to do, in the meantime she has fallen through the cracks, and has not been seen by a medical expert for more than 10 months.
She currently takes 200mg of Gabapentin 3x a day, (which I asked the GP to prescribe, over the phone without her seeing my daughter) although this offers a certain degree of pain relief, it is not total, I was very interested to read earlier posts on the benefits of hypnosis, is this something that can be obtained on the NHS or will it have to be self funded? Are you able to recommend any hypnotherapists in the Norfolk area?
In the past she has tried Amytriptiline, and Pregabalin, both of which offered no relief and made her 'foggyness' worse.

[Adam Eason]

Whilst some doctors will maybe recommend good, evidence-based hypnotherapists, it is rarely offered on the NHS I am sorry to say. I receive numerous referrals from GPs in my locality, but they are not funded by the NHS.

A good quality hypnotherapist tends to be £60-100.00 per hour, so I can understand that a series of sessions may not be affordable for some. Therefore, one of things I think is beneficial, is to work with a hypnotherapist who can teach skills (self-hypnosis, mindfulness, mental imagery, cognitive strategies) that can be conducted in a self-directed fashion at home or with the aid of audio assistance (mp3 or CDs for example). This will lessen the need to continue seeing the therapist as often.

That said, I think a series of sessions with the therapist would yield more impressive results.

To source a good quality, experienced hypnotherapist, I'd suggest checking the website of the National Council of Hypnotherapists (www.hypnotherapists.org.uk) and looking for those based in your region. All members of the NCH have to hold a HPD (Hypnotherapy Practitioner DIploma) qualification which adheres to national occupational standards. Prior to engaging any hypnotherapist ask about relevant experience and about skills training as I have highlighted here.

Hypnotherapy is not something that is 'done to' an individual. Unlike popular misconception, hypnotherapy is a highly collaborative process which requires the individual to engage in, and practice. Therefore, it is worth getting this commitment from your daughter prior to embarking on this route and only work with a hypnotherapist who will teach skills and give your daughter tasks to practice at home (i.e. She will not gain from it if she feels as if she is being coerced into going, or if she is ill-informed about the process and level of responsibility she'll have to take). This will yield self-efficacy which in turn will greatly enhance the effectiveness of the treatment.

I hope that is useful for you.

Best wishes, Adam.