Hypnosis has been shown to be an effective treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in a number of clinical studies.
Hypnotherapy for IBS involves progressive relaxation, and then suggestions of soothing imagery and sensations focused on the individual’s symptoms.
Improvements in overall well-being, quality of life, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, and bloating have been noted.
Contrary to many portrayals in fiction, a clinical hypnotherapist has no power over the hypnotized person. The person is typically aware of what happens both during and after the hypnosis session.
The treatment is generally comfortable and also can be effective when people are treated in groups.
Research has found that hypnotherapy may help improve the primary symptoms of IBS. It may also help relieve other symptoms suffered by many people with IBS such as nausea, fatigue, backache, and urinary problems. Hypnotherapy appears to offer symptomatic, psychological, and physiological benefit.
However, hypnosis should not be regarded as a cure-all. Up to 25% of patients fail to respond. Even when people do improve, conventional approaches to treatment should not always be ignored.
It is still important that lifestyle factors such as diet are also taken into account. In addition, some people may find that an occasional loperamide or laxative, depending on the bowel habit abnormality, may be required.
Do the effects of hypnotherapy last once a course of treatment has been completed? Research on the long-term follow up of patients who have benefited shows that after a period of between 1 and 5 years, most remain well with many requiring no further medication at all.
Hypnotherapy can be a time-consuming and costly approach in the short term. However, as a result of the sustained benefits of treatment, it has been calculated that it becomes cost effective within 2 years when compared to conventional approaches.
How to select a hypnotherapist
Many individuals practice hypnosis that are not qualified to treat medical problems. Look for someone who treats medical problems with hypnosis.
Then get answers to the following three questions:
Is this person a licensed health professional? Be aware that hypnosis certificates and vanity letters after the person’s name such as C. Ht. (“certified hypnotherapist”) mean nothing in terms of clinical qualifications. Only state-licensed health professionals (such as doctors, psychologists, nurses, clinical social workers) should treat IBS.
Does this person have formal training and significant experience in clinical hypnosis? Using hypnosis with good success requires considerable skill and knowledge. In general, 50 hours or more of certified workshop training in hypnosis would be good, although less is sometimes adequate.
Does this person know the details of successful hypnosis treatment protocols for IBS? Hypnosis in itself is probably not sufficient to treat IBS effectively. Specific gut-directed suggestions and imagery need to be included.
Many major health insurance plans in the US reimburse for IBS treatment with hypnosis when it is billed as psychological treatment under the mental health portion of the plans.
Summary
Hypnosis is just one of many in the treatment options for IBS. Other psychological methods, cognitive therapy in particular, are also effective options.
Hypnosis may be especially suitable when severe chronic symptoms continue after standard medical management approaches have been tried. It has become clear that in such cases, hypnosis treatment can often produce major improvement that can last for years.
AboutIBS.org
This is a truly ground-breaking study. It’s the first one to study the effects of various areas of the brain before and after hypnosis in people with dental phobias. While it’s a relatively small sample size, it’s a push in the right direction. Out of the 24 people involved in the study, 12 were dental phobics and the other 12 were the control group.
This study illustrates the fact that anxiety-provoking stimuli can be reduced via hypnosis. This includes the actual dental surgery, endodontic treatments, and a low amount of anesthesia. It also shows that the fear centers of the brain changed as well. Using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) various fear structures of the brain were researched.The conclusion so far is hypnosis is a powerful method inhibiting reaction of fear circuitry structures in dental phobics. [more]
By: Hypnosis Training Academy
Hypnosis and meditation are both trance states that result in similar brain wave patterns. Hypnosis uses the guidance of a therapist, whereas meditation is usually done independently.
Hypnosis is a trance-like state of heightened awareness. Everyone goes in and out of natural trances many times a day.
If you’ve ever walked or driven somewhere while concentrating so deeply on something else that when you arrived, you couldn’t remember the actual process of driving or walking, then you’ll know what it is to be in a trance. Hypnosis is such a state brought about with the aid of a hypnotist or hypnotherapist.
Hypnotherapy is therapy conducted whilst the client is under Hypnosis. Hypnotherapy works by inducing a trance-like state within a client during which they are relaxed but fully aware of their surroundings and only concentrating on the hypnotherapist’s voice. It is different from sleep and closer to a relaxed state of wakefulness where breathing and heart-rate slows and brain-waves change.
The client is alert, always exercises choice and control, and is empowered by accessing their own inner resources and healing ability rather than simply obeying a command. Once in a state of hypnosis, under the guidance of the hypnotherapist, the client is able to take control over any involuntary thoughts, behavior or feelings taking place in the sub-conscious, thereby bringing about the changes they want, such as reducing unwanted behaviors or making changes they find hard to make.
As with all things, some people will enter a hypnotic trance more easily than others. But because trance is a natural state, anyone can be hypnotized providing a) 
they understand what is spoken to them, and b) they consent to the process.
If you feel uncertain or insecure you should spend time with your hypnotherapist first to establish trust and rapport. This will make the process smoother and more comfortable and increase the likelihood of successful therapy.
Although the hypnotherapist is offering suggestions to the unconscious mind, the client will not accept a suggestion that they choose not to.
In hypnotherapy, the client is not under the control of the hypnotherapist. Hypnosis is not something imposed on people, but something they do for themselves. A hypnotherapist simply serves as a facilitator to guide them.
Hypnotherapy is most effective when the client is highly motivated. This is why it is so important that you come to therapy because YOU want to, and not because someone else wants you to.
As with any therapeutic modality some clients will experience great benefits and other less. But there is now ample scientific evidence that Hypnotherapy can be highly effective in treating many conditions ranging from chronic pain and depression to weight loss.
Meditation is also a state of heightened focus or awareness. It is a practice during which the mind’s mental activity may be slowed, and deep mental and physical relaxation may occur. The practice is simple but not easy. As with any newly learned skill, patience and persistence are necessary for lasting benefit.
Meditation taps into the innate potential for healing that we all have. It mobilizes and develops our ability for self-awareness and self-compassion as well as compassion for others, helping to improve self-esteem and providing a general feeling of relaxed well-being.
Mindfulness is the capacity to be completely present and attentive. A common definition used is “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally”.
Meditation is the formal practice that trains the brain to be focused and present. Meditation has been shown to help manage pain and anxiety, lessen mind-chatter and enhance the natural healing process of the body and mind.
Mindfulness is the moment to moment practice through the day that helps to maintain awareness of being present with all that occurs, good or bad, without judgement. This awareness is empowering and allows one to slow down and live one’s life fully, not just watch it speeding by.
By practicing non-judgment, we can learn to savor what is good in our lives and be more accepting of what isn’t. After all, judgment of a situation doesn’t change what it is. Mindfulness can open us up to the possibilities that exist in each moment of our lives, to experience the fullness and uniqueness of each moment. Practiced regularly, mindfulness can help us to work more productively and live more harmoniously.
By: Judith Lissing
Karen overcame her chronic fear of flying with hypnotherapy. [info]
Medical Hypnotherapy can be a powerful method to treat various mental health conditions. By creating a calm and controlled environment, it allows patients to focus on their deepest disruptions.
What is hypnosis treatment?
Medical hypnotherapy works through its ability to remove all distraction from the mind of the patient, and speak clearly and directly about personal habits that need their attention. It is often used to help change the behaviors of the patient, but does not rely on manipulation, coercion or compulsion to achieve a positive outcome.
Misconceptions about hypnosis treatment are commonplace, but its real utility as a treatment option comes from its clean approach (no drugs or chemicals are used) and its success in de-cluttering the mind of stresses and disruptions, thereby allowing the patient to focus completely on the task at hand.
Many patients benefit from hypnosis for anxiety and depression, while others use it to break free from phobias, eating disorders, burnout, or learned behaviors such as smoking. Sexual dysfunction and pain management are among the other frequent areas of focus for which hypnosis treatment can be useful.
Medical hypnotherapy is often used in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy – a treatment combination which has proven to be particularly effective in achieving improved patient health.
How does medical hypnotherapy work?
Medical hypnotherapy allows the patient to imagine in detail a source of anxiety while in a controlled setting. The patient is then encouraged to enter a state of deep 
relaxation, rather than allowing the anxiety to grow. This paired activity helps the brain to associate the potential anxiety trigger together with a calmer state of mind, allowing the brain to begin building new and healthier pathways of behavior and emotional response.
At the same time, the hypnotherapist provides calming suggestions for the patient under hypnosis, in an effort to show him or her a path toward healthier living. Included in these messages is an invitation to view the world in a more positive light, by embracing a generous outlook toward the surrounding environment.
During each hypnotherapy session, the patient remains awake and lucid, and in full control of every decision regarding whether or not to act upon the suggestions made by the hypnotherapist. The duration of treatment varies according to the condition being treated, as well as the mental state of the patient.
The treatment process
Hypnosis treatment begins in earnest when the hypnotherapist helps the patient achieve a trance-like state, in which external distractions are removed and the voice of the hypnotherapist is placed at the center of the patient’s consciousness.
Once in this state, the patient is encouraged to explore inner thoughts and feelings, which he or she is able to see with the type of rare clarity that is commonly associated with meditation. This newfound concentration lets patients use all of their inner resources to contemplate the issues that otherwise trouble them – whether alcohol, cigarettes or other drugs; traumatic events; or conditions which ordinarily cause stress for the patient.
The hypnotherapist acts as a guide for the patient during this period of exploration, suggesting a calm and observational approach to each distressing phenomenon, rather than an instinctive emotional reaction. After a period of contemplation, including mental encounters with the provocative stimuli, the hypnotherapist encourages the patient to enter a state of deep relaxation.
Through each successive treatment, the patient learns to cope with the reality of the thing feared, or the object of obsession – and then observe it from a detached space, before moving past it and into a state of tranquility. The lesson of detachment and balance becomes a learned skill, empowering the patient to deal with stressors in a healthier way in everyday life.
Key benefits of hypnosis for anxiety and depression
Hypnosis has a broad range of applications, due to its general ability to improve the power of concentration and suggestion. Common benefits of medical hypnotherapy include:
• Increased ability to focus on stressful objects and ideas while remaining emotionally balanced
• Increased ability to detach from obsessive behaviors and habits, including smoking
• Increased tolerance for pain under certain conditions
• A more positively oriented worldview
• Renewed feelings of self-control
• Reduced feelings of depression or anxiety, and recovery from burnout
By creating new conditions for personal empowerment, hypnosis gives patients the internal tools needed to overcome the unhelpful group of emotions and behaviors that caused them to seek treatment.
How successful is hypnosis treatment?
Natural human variability means that some people are more open to suggestibility and hypnosis than others. In general, however, it is effective to use hypnosis for anxiety and depression as part of a larger course of treatment.
In particular, studies show that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) provides an effective complement to hypnosis treatment for conditions such as acute stress disorder.
A more general meta-analysis reveals widespread improvement in many areas due to the combination of hypnosis with CBT. The study also found sustained improvements after measuring patient outcomes long after the period of treatment had ended.
Though it does not promise a complete cure in all cases, it is clear that hypnosis, with its ability to clear away the noise of day-to-day life during therapy sessions, can have a significant, positive, and long-lasting effect on behavior modification.
If you or someone you know experiences mental health issues, it is important to seek help from a qualified professional.
By: Chris Jansen
