If after 10 sessions they haven't felt any difference and they are working with a good acupuncturist, there's only a slim chance that acupuncture will help. It takes about 20 sessions to get real relief. After that, most people can taper off. They have acupuncture once a week for a while, then once a month, then every other month, until they can get along without it. An inexperienced acupuncturist who doesn't place the needles in the right spots may still help some patients but not as many.
Acupuncture is much more difficult than dentistry.
Self-hypnosis can be help for almost any kind of disorder, including those that produce chronic pain. It is a form of deep relaxation combined with highly focused concentration and it's actually a normal state of mind that you slip in and out of every day. You pass through it naturally when you go into a deep sleep at night or come out of deep sleep. You also go into it when you're so focused on your thoughts that you lose track of your surroundings. I begin with three or four sessions of basic training.