Eva

M. Clark, M.A. CCHt Mindbasedhealing.com

(+1) 415.699.2574 eva@evamclark.com

SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT OF RAYNAUDS
USING NEUROLINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING

Eva M. Clark, MA CHt, MIND based Healing, Santa Cruz, California
e-mail: eva@evamclark.com

Raynauds is characterized by blood vessel constriction causing the skin to turn pale or patch red to blue, which is
usually precipitated by exposure to cold temperatures and/or emotional upset. There is no known cure for Raynauds.
This case report discusses a case in which the condition was successfully treated with neurolinguistic programming
(NLP). A 40-year old women presented primary Raynauds with recurrent whitening of her fingers after contact with
cold temperatures. One NLP session was administered in the spring of 2013 with no recurrent symptoms for 2 years.
Following a stressful incident while in cold weather, the client experienced partial Raynauds affecting only a few
patches of whiteness to her fingers. Partial Raynauds continued to be experienced when exposed to cold temperatures
until a second intervention in the spring of 2015. One year follow-up reveals no new incidence of Raynauds
phenomenon.

Keywords: Raynauds, Neuro-linguistic Programming, NLP, hypnotherapy, hypnosis

Raynaud's phenomenon, also called Raynaud's syndrome or disease, is a condition where blood vessels in the
fingers and toes narrow and cause the skin to turn pale or patchy red to blue. More rarely, Raynauds may affect
the earlobes, nose, lips and nipples. The affected body part may feel numb and cold. It is usually triggered by cold
temperatures or emotional stressi. Episodes come and go and may last minutes or hours. Women are 5 times
more likely to have Raynaud's than men. It usually happens between the ages of 20 to 40 in women and later in
life in men. The precise incident of Raynauds symptoms in the general population is unclear though recent
reviews site the prevalence at 3% to 5%.ii Although some cases may be severe, Raynaud's usually does not cause
permanent damage.
When it happens by itself, it's called primary Raynaud's. When it happens along with other conditions, such as
scleroderma, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis, it is called secondary Raynaud's.
At present, there is no cure for Raynauds. Existing treatment focuses on the client protecting him or herself
from cold, guarding against cuts and other injuries to the affected areas, avoiding caffeine and tobacco, avoiding
stress, and exercising to increase circulation. Several types of drugs are used to treat severe cases of Raynauds -
calcium-channels blockers, Alpha blockers and vasodilators. In several cases, clients may require surgery to cut
the nerves that open and close blood vessels.
Review of literature reveals studies focused on the use of hypnosis and self-hypnosis for voluntary control of
digital temperature. None of the articles treat the phenomenon as an overreactive response of the digits to
cold temperature.

CASE PRESENTATION

The client was a 40-year old women who had been experiencing Raynauds for over 10 years. The client was a
vegetarian, non-smoker, drunk only on special occasions and drank a single cup of coffee a day. The client is a
massage therapist and exercises several times a week.
The client began experiencing the symptoms of Raynauds following a ski trip when she was in her late 20s.
Upon further questioning, it was determined that the ski trip had been a traumatic event that caused the women
to fear for her life. The event resulted in severe frostbite. Since that event, mild to cold temperatures triggered
the Raynauds phenomenon.
The client described her symptoms as a gigantic overreaction to even moderately cold temperatures. Her
middle, ring and pinky fingers on both hands would go pasty yellowish white like a cadaver and she would loose
all sensation. Its as if they arent there. It would last about 5 to 10 minutes and only begin to subside once she
got out of the situation that was causing the phenomenon. It was not experienced during stress or holding cold
objects. The client had no other health conditions that she was aware of.

Eva M. Clark, M.A. CCHt Mindbasedhealing.com

(+1) 415.699.2574 eva@evamclark.com

The first NLP session was held early 2012. The client experienced no more symptoms of Raynauds for two
and a half years following the session. An incident of stress in cold temperature produced a partial bout of
Raynauds phenomenon. The client described it as patchy and not as intense and a sensation of creeping back.
This partial Raynauds continued to be experienced in cold temperatures until the second session was held in
March of 2015. One-year follow-up revealed no new bouts of Raynauds despite the unusually cold winter of
2015-2016 in the area where the client and author live.

INTERVENTION

Neurolinguistic programming (NLP) was conducted by the author of this paper, who is trained in clinical
hypnosis, medical hypnotherapy, and NLP for Health. The NLP sessions where conducted at the authors office in
Santa Cruz, California.
The Reynauds phenomenon was treated in the first session as an over-reaction of the nervous system to
cold temperatures. With the use of the Allergy Process, also known as the Counterexample Process, the body is
taught to not react to the element by association to a second element that is similar but does not produce the
over-reaction.iii
During the interview part of the session, the client commented that cold beverages did not produce the
Raynauds phenomenon. In fact, drinking cold beverages was a positive experience for the client. This positive
experienced was anchored into the clients physiology by having the client imagine herself re-experiencing a
positive moment of holding a cold drink. The anchor, a slight pressing of the upper arm of the client, was
maintained throughout the process. The Process involved the client seeing herself as if on a screen successfully
drinking a cold beverage while their body reacts appropriately to the cold in that beverage. She was then
guided to see herself experience that same appropriate reaction while being in cold temperatures. Once the
client could envision that successful response to the cold temperature, the client imagined bringing it into her
body. The client practiced this association a number of times before the session was complete. The session
lasted 45 minutes.
After completion of the session, the client commented that the session had been amusing but would
probably not produce any effects to her Raynauds. As the session had been held early spring, there were no
cold-temperature incidents to test the process. 6-months later, in early fall of 2012, the client called the
hypnotherapist to share her success. The client had been out in very cold weather without a jacket, hat or gloves
and had not experienced the Raynauds phenomenon. She continued to have no further Raynauds phenomenon
for 2 years.
The second session treated the traumatic ski event that occurred just prior to the first Raynauds syndrome.
The author applied the Fast-Phobia Process. Upon completion of the process, the underlying belief about needing
to be crazy and spontaneous was revealed to have gotten her into this ski incident as well as other dangerous
and life-threatening situations in her life. The belief was changed to fearless and skilled through the 4-Step
Belief Process. This new belief would eliminate the need to put herself in danger while allowing her to have more
sustainable adventures in life. The second session lasted one and a half hours.
A follow-up interview a year after the second session revealed no further Raynauds phenomena.

MEASURES

Results were measured by the clients observations of coloring and sensations in her hands in cold
temperatures. No other measurements where used.

DISCUSSION

Although Raynauds is not life-threatening and, in most cases, does not lead to tissue scaring, the
phenomenon is stressful and impairs the use of the digits effected in cold temperatures.
Since this is the first case report regarding the use of NLP to treat Raynauds, more research is
needed to determine whether NLP indeed assists in resolving the phenomenon by treating the association
of trauma and cold. Future research should include a large enough group of participants to determine
similarities in both traumatic / stressful life events as well as core beliefs.
Based on this case report, perhaps other physical symptoms in which stress along with certain
environmental components trigger the symptoms and onset could be studied.

Eva M. Clark, M.A. CCHt Mindbasedhealing.com

(+1) 415.699.2574 eva@evamclark.com

Although this case is based on a single client, there is increased credibility given that the client
experienced no further Raynauds phenomenon. Existing treatments only claim to reduce severity and
number of attacks.
This case report is not without its limitations. First, NLP was conducted with a long space of time in
between sessions. If the sessions had been administered in sequence, the partial bout might not have
occurred. Secondly, more time lapse after the second session will determine if the second session clearly
resolved the Raynauds. Also it is not clear if the second session alone focusing just on the traumatic event
and not on re-educating the body to respond appropriately to cold temperatures would have produced the
resolution of the Raynauds phenomenon. Thirdly, it is possible that the prior relationship of client and
author the client had received positive reviews of the authors work by a mutual acquaintance could
have a positive influence in the results experienced. Lastly, this case is based solely on the report of one
client. Studies with more clients will lead to a stronger conclusion on the efficacy of NLP in treating
Raynauds.

CONCLUSIONS

This case report highlights the possible benefits of NLP in the treatment of Raynauds. The link between
physical symptoms and traumatic events prior to onset should be taken into consideration. Suitable
interventions such as NLP and hypnosis as well as psychotherapy may desensitize the traumatic event and
decrease and even eliminate the physical over-reaction to cold temperatures.

ETHICAL STATEMENT AND DISCLAIMER

The client studied in this article has provided consent to be included. The hypnotherapist, Eva M. Clark,
utilizes neurolinguistic programming, induction of hypnosis, and methods and principles of hypnotherapy to
help clients discover their inner creative abilities to transform undesirable habits and behavior patterns of the
body/mind. Eva M. Clarks service does not include the practice of medicine, as a hypnotherapist is not a licensed
physician. The services provided to clients are non-diagnostic, and are complementary to the healing arts
services that are licensed by the state of California.

REFERENCES

i Brown KM, Middaugh SJ, Haythornthwaite JA, Bielory L. The effects of stress, anxiety, and outdoor temperature on the frequency
and severity of Raynaud's attacks: the Raynaud's Treatment Study. J Behav Med. 2001;24:137-153.

ii Wigley FM. Raynaud's phenomenon. N Engl J Med. 2002;347:1001-1008.

iii Swack, J.A., "A Study of Initial Response and Reversion Rates of Subjects Treated With The Allergy technique", in Anchor Point,
Vol 6, No2, Feb 1992

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