Meditation vs hypnosis
 

I've dabbled a little in each (mostly hypnosis recordings) but I'm interested in delving a bit deeper and learning more by taking a class or seeing a professional. I'm curious if any of you have done both and what you've found to be the more effective activity for pain control.

Yes, I use autohypnotic techniques for pain management.

I learned them many years ago while in art school (after my professional training)... to help me with imagery problems.

I didn't know at the time, but the same techniques also help
with pain management. I also do breathing exercises when I have my GI pain (this is a congenital defect I've had all my life), and the breathing also helps with PN pain.
(Take a deep breath, hold for a count of 8 (if you can't do that do what you can), then slowly let it out. This helps with the attendant anxiety that comes with pain.

The net is full of interesting ways to dissociate pain...this is one example I've tried, with some success:
http://www.openfocustraining.co.uk/exercise.html
This link was originally posted on our RSD forum.

Much of chronic pain research today is focusing on central (in the brain) management of pain perception. It is felt that this is a learned response, and can be to some extent "unlearned".

So yes, I do think meditation, or whatever other technique you use that is similar may be helpful. It is a good skill, in general for other issues in our lives as well.

For me it works (worked?) in a two step way: I often chronically hyperventilated, which brings on - or worsens - anxiety. That anxiety then makes the pain feel even worse. The combination felt like my body was on a roller coaster, and I had no control over it whatsoever.

Since learning a few breathing techniques - including deep relaxation - I have almost complete control over my breathing, learned to recognize the onset of hyperventilation, and act accordingly instead of just freaking out.

I was very skeptical when I started it, and was very surprised at how well it works. For me, less anxiety = less pain.

That's great!

When people hyperventilate (or hold their breath --which is my weakness).... the pH of the blood can change and this leads to
paresthesias. PN is very tied to the same feelings...so one really doesn't know at first if it is really the nerves, or the anxiety at times. Our blood is buffered in a very narrow range of pH....so
that being too acidic or basic, is not a very wide spread.

Therefore controlling that breathing any way you can (yoga, or meditation, or relaxation)....will help tremendously to keep the paresthesias to a minimum. Keeping the anxiety at bay also helps with blood pressure, which then helps with circulation.
So there are many bonuses to learning these techniques.

In my case, it opens the doors to creativity... which was my original goal...before my PN hit.. This creativity can serve you in many ways in your life. So it is worth exploring and I can't recommend it enough. It does take effort, but once you learn how to dissociate from the pain, it becomes easier.

Stress (extreme) is a factor in hyperventilating. I try and stay away from really stressful situations and caustic people who can bring this on. Just me.