4 steps of virtual gastric band hypnosis

My 4 session virtual gastric band weight loss program not only offers a unique option to traditional dieting, but also a very interesting hypnotic application that is as enjoyable as it is effective.

Session one focuses on releasing the past and preparing for healthy change. Nearly all of my weight loss clients have been wrestling with their problem for years. Hypnotic release therapy techniques can be extremely powerful, instantly changing ones perspective from struggle to the anticipation of success.

This session also prepares clients for imaginary surgery, which is session two. They are guided through imaginary pre-op testing such as lab work and x-rays; they also meet with a nutritionist as well as their surgeon. At the conclusion of this session most clients feel liberated and refreshed, as though they finally have a choice.

Session two is the surgery session which includes all the sounds of the operating room. With the benefit of Bose noise cancelling headphones and a digital sound system, clients are guided into deep hypnosis and are then transported through an imaginary procedure making it much easier to lose weight.

The imaginative subconscious mind fills in the details with vivid imagery and sensations of the real thing. In fact, a small percentage of individuals actually experience a slight abdominal twinge lending a sense of realism to the process.

Session three mirrors what occurs after real-life gastric band surgery; clients get their gastric band tightened.  This session offers another layer of
personal control which makes it easier for clients to succeed with their weight loss goals. Real-life gastric bands can easily be adjusted with a saline syringe, which is what clients are guided to imagine during hypnosis.

Session four supports enhanced confidence and eagerly seeking out healthy nutritional options. It helps clients become more aware of how they feel while eating so they can conclude mealtime when comfortable not full. It also suggests that mealtime be an uninterrupted endeavor; no texting, twitter, or television.

Most clients are pleasantly surprised by how they are easily able to establish healthy nutritional changes. After years of struggling with dieting, this program offers struggle-free, comfortable change. Clients feel as though they are trading-up to preferred options and activities that support what they want.

by: Paul Gustafson RN CH

888-290-3972 // info@burlingtonhypnosis.com

NBC News: For tummy troubles, hypnosis might be the answer

NBC News: For tummy troubles, hypnosis might be the answer

Sixty million Americans deal with this uncomfortable sensation at least once a month: heartburn. It’s not only painful, but can be life-altering, or even deadly if ignored. No wonder that heartburn and other gastrointestinal medications are among the most popular drugs on the market. But these “miracle drugs” are far from perfect; some patients report mixed results and long-term side effects.

For patients who don’t get relief from medication, their gastroenterologists are turning to psychologists for help. Hypnotherapy can be an effective treatment for heartburn and other stomach conditions. It’s a powerful alternative treatment, backed with plenty of scientific evidence, which is increasingly being offered at the nation’s leading medical centers.“

There’s a robust amount of literature behind hypnotherapy beginning in the 1980s,” said Laurie Keefer, Ph.D, director of psychosocial research at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “We’ve really taken to calling it brain-gut therapy.”

Hypnosis, which exploits the relationship between the mind and digestive system, can also help with conditions like GERD and the inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Untreated GERD has been linked to esophageal cancer.

Amber Ponticelli, 35, started having digestive problems in 2007. Initially, she only felt dizzy and weak in the morning, but soon developed severe abdominal pain. Unable to eat or drink for months, she lost 20 pounds and was ultimately left bedridden.

After seeing multiple gastroenterologists at leading medical institutions, she was eventually diagnosed with a genetic condition that is associated with many GI symptoms.
“I thought I was dying. I had to quit my job and ended up moving to the city with my boyfriend just to be closer to the doctors I was seeing in the city,” Ponticelli told NBC News.
After traditional treatment like medications and lifestyle changes, a wary Ponticelli was referred to Keefer for a hypnotherapy session.

Hypnosis uses progressive relaxation techniques through suggestions of calming imagery and sensations. Patients are able to concentrate on improving their symptoms which often range from abdominal pain and constipation to diarrhea and bloating.

For the therapy to be effective it takes a series of eight or more visits and some homework is required of the patient, like listening to tapes at home. The treatment is covered by most insurance plans and cost for each visit ranges between $100 and $150.

Contrary to many popular portrayals on television and in fiction, a clinical hypnotherapist does not have mind-control over the hypnotized patient. The patient is usually aware of what is happening and their surroundings, both during and after a hypnosis session. A session can be offered in-person and remotely, via a service called telemedicine.

“Telemedicine is critical because not every place in the country has somebody qualified or trained to provide this treatment, so it allows us to have a much broader reach for these very common disorders,” Keefer told NBC News.

Studies show more than three quarters of patients experience at least a 50 percent reduction in symptoms. Many are able to stop medication, including popular acid reducing drugs.
Hypnosis optimizes the brain depth function, but it’s not a fix for everyone.

Approximately 15-20 percent of people can’t be hypnotized, said Dr. Olaf Palsson, psychologist and professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. Fortunately, patients do not have to be highly hypnotizable to benefit from gut-directed hypnotherapy, so many could find relief.

According to gastroenterologist Dr. Rajeev Jain of the American Gastroenterological Association, gut-directed hypnosis therapy can treat functional disorders of the GI tract, such as irritable bowel syndrome, where there is often a large overlay of depression and anxiety disorders. He views hypnotherapy as one form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Lifestyle factors such as diet are also important and should be taken into account.

Today, Ponticelli, who lives outside of Chicago, is back to work as a Pilates instructor, and eating her favorite foods, an activity she had not enjoyed in years. She’s also eating for two. “I’m 17-and-a-half weeks along now and feel good,” said Ponticelli.

She still takes some medications, but adding hypnotherapy to her regimen has been life-changing. “I’m extremely grateful that I’m actually doing this and I don’t think I would have been able to do anything without this treatment. That’s the real truth of it.”

By: Parminder Deo 

ABC News: mom uses hypnosis as a parenting tool

ABC News: mom uses hypnosis as a parenting tool

Hypnosis is a clinical technique typically used to treat conditions like anxiety and pain but some say it could also help as a parenting tool. “Hypnosis and parenting is a natural solution,” Lisa Machenberg, a hypnotherapist and mother of three, told ABC News. “You naturally influence your child anyway, let’s learn how to do it with intention.”

Machenberg began hypnotizing her own children to help them get through the night without wetting the bed. She now uses it as a tool to help her kids deal with everything from performance anxiety to difficulties focusing.

“My children are able to use logic and reason,” she explained. “They have a form of diligence or perseverance that you don’t see in other children.”There is no science to support the idea that hypnosis is an effective parenting tool. The method, experts say, should only be done by trained clinicians.

Machenberg charges $125 per hour for her sessions and said she has worked with more than 1,000 kids in her years of practice. She also works with parents on strategies they can try at home and teaches kids self-hypnosis strategies.

Machenberg’s 17-year-old daughter, Rayna, said she has “always known” that her mom used hypnosis on her and said it has had a positive impact on her life. “Being able to push back on stress and think about it deeply and do self-reflecting was a skill that I’m really grateful that my mom taught me,” she said. “I think it still influences me a lot today and helped me develop into the person I am right now.”

ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser, whose parents are both clinical hypnotists, said hypnosis works for shaping behavior but the evidence is still out on whether or not it is a good tool for children.

“The evidence on the clinical use is really, really strong,” Besser said. “I haven’t seen that kind of evidence for parenting and that bothers me a little bit.”
Besser said other strategies parents can use to help their kids perform better include offering praise for good behaviors, using a star chart for school-age kids to track achievements and staying consistent on discipline and expectations. “Not idle threats,” Besser said, adding again that hypnosis should only be done by a trained professional.

By: ABC News

Healthday News: Hypnosis eases pain of breast cancer surgery

Healthday News: Hypnosis eases pain of breast cancer surgery

Instead of pills and needles, hypnosis may ease the pain of surgery — both during and after the procedure. According to a new study, women who received hypnosis before breast cancer surgery needed less anesthesia during the procedure, reported less pain afterward, needed less time in the operating room and had reduced costs.

“This helps women at a time when they could use help, and it has no side effects. It really only has side benefits,” said Guy Montgomery, lead author of the report and associate professor in the department of oncological sciences at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

Montgomery hopes that the study, published online in the Aug. 28 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, will promote greater use of hypnosis in medical treatments. Side effects such as pain, nausea and fatigue — both during and after breast cancer surgery — are commonplace. Previous research has suggested that hypnosis, a simple and inexpensive procedure, can help ease these problems. One small clinical study indicated that hypnosis was also effective for breast cancer patients about to undergo surgery.

For the new study, 200 women set for breast cancer surgery were randomly assigned to receive either 15 minutes of hypnosis with a psychologist or assigned to a group that simply spoke with a psychologist.

During the hypnosis session, the patients received suggestions for relaxation and pleasant imagery as well as advice on how to reduce pain, nausea and fatigue. They also received instructions on how to use hypnosis on their own.

The researchers found that women in the hypnosis group required less anesthesia and sedatives than patients in the control group, and also reported less pain, nausea, fatigue, discomfort and emotional upset after the surgery.

Those who received hypnosis also spent almost 11 minutes less time in surgery and had their surgical costs reduced by about $773, mainly as a result of the shorter time.
Although people think that hypnosis strips a person of control, it actually does just the opposite, said Dr. David Spiegel, author of an accompanying editorial in the journal and Willson professor and associate chairman of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine.

“This is something that empowers patients,” Spiegel explained. “If you’re fighting, you think you’re protecting yourself, but, actually, you’re losing control, because you’re getting into a struggle with your own body. You can teach people to float instead of fighting. You get the body comfortable and think more clearly. The weird thing is it actually works. If thoughts can make the body worse, it follows that thoughts could actually make the body feel better.”

But will hypnosis catch on with health-care providers?
“We have this in-built skepticism of what goes on in the brain and the mind, and the idea is that the only real intervention is a physical one. Yet what supposedly distinguishes us is this huge brain on top of our bodies,” Spiegel said. “It seems more scientific and desirable to give drugs than it does to talk to people and have them reorganize the way they’re managing their bodies.”
There are other obstacles. Many doctors find it more expedient to write a prescription than learn to perform hypnosis.

Also, there’s no industry pushing the technique as there is with drugs, Spiegel said. On the positive side, little investment is needed to get a hypnosis program going, Montgomery said. “A psychologist or nurse could get training in a short period of time,” he said. “It’s not that involved.”

Dr. Darlene Miltenburg, assistant professor of surgery at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, called the new study “superb.” “Anybody who has an open mind would realize that this treatment works and is scientifically proven. It’s not black magic,” Miltenburg said. “It’s real, and we do use it here. It’s very time consuming, that’s part of the problem, taking a pill is much easier. But just like many things in life, we want a quick fix rather than something that takes longer.”

To learn more, visit the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
SOURCES: Guy Montgomery, Ph.D., associate professor of oncological sciences, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City; David Spiegel, M.D., Willson professor and associate chairman of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif.; Darlene Miltenburg, M.D., assistant professor of surgery, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, and chief, Section of Breast Surgery, Scott & White, Temple; Aug. 28, 2007, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, online

By: Amanda Gardner