During the last two sessions, the patient was hypnotized in preparation for surgery. Acute pain is associated with the sudden outset of pain such as a broken arm, a cut finger, a burn on the hand and is generally more intense than chronic pain. Chronic pain is usually of an ongoing nature such as back pain or arthritis and intensity may vary. The experience of pain is a combination of the type of pain, tension, fear and anxiety. Often tension, fear and anxiety can intensify the experience of pain.
Pain causes tension and tightening up of the affected area of the body.
Our normal response to pain is to resist the pain by tightening up even more, becoming even more tense. This increases the severity of the pain experience. Focusing on the pain also intensifies the experience of a pain. I visited a 16 year old boy who had knee surgery. He was giving the nurses and his grandmother a lot of trouble complaining and crying about the pain he was experiencing.