(WCVB.com) When you think of hypnotherapy you might imagine a swinging pendulum and a spooky trance. But hypnotherapy has been gaining popularity for problems like smoking cessation, anxiety and weight loss. Now some scientific evidence shows hypnosis can help medically, from managing headaches to aiding with chemotherapy to preparing for surgery. Those who’ve tried it say the proof is in the results.
Rebecca Johnson said hypnosis got her through four operations with less anxiety and quicker healing. “The hypnotic experience allowed me to relax in a very deep, peaceful, pleasant way on my command,” said Johnson. Working with a medical hypnotherapist, Johnson used hypnotic suggestions to take her to a calm place, on cue.
“Being in this gorgeous place on a beautiful day with all of my senses were involved. I could see the sky and feel the breeze and smell the flowers. My body was relaxing,” said Johnson.
After the operations, Johnson needed minimal pain medication.
“The capacity to go into this state that we can call meditation or self-hypnosis or trance is actually just our innate ability to shift our focus, if you will. It’s sort of like shifting the channel on the tuner internally,” said Carol Ginandes, an expert in mind-body therapy and hypnosis.
“You can not only create a state of mind where they can go somewhere else — they can go to Hawaii instead of being in gurney rolled into surgery — you can also help them with the physiological aspects they’ll need to deal with,” she said. Ginandes said hypnosis can actually help tissue, organs and bones heal. And there’s science to back that up.
In March, a Swedish study found one hour a week of hypnotherapy for 12 weeks eased symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome in 40 percent of patients, compared with 12 percent who didn’t have the treatment.
A Harvard medical school study found patients who had 15 minutes of hypnosis before surgery took less time in the operating room and needed less pain medication. “I was able to control aspects of physical function like blood pressure that I never though I’d control with my mind,” said Johnson. “The images themselves seemed to speak to my body.”
Resistance from mainstream medicine is strong, but Ginandes sees that changing.
“It’s such a wonderful resource for mind-body health as an adjunct to medical treatment,” said Ginandes.
Paul Gustafson, R.N., C.H. is an ‘A List’ Angie’s List provider. Check out his Surgical Success hypnosis program. Also available as cd .
Contact Paul for free consultation: 888-290-3972 or info@burlingtonhypnosis.com.
Children are often better candidates for hypnosis than adults, says one clinical psychologist, and the process can help resolve such problems as pain, anxiety, bed wetting, and asthma.
Robert Shacter of New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine talked about children and hypnosis on The Saturday Early Show. He says children tend to respond to hypnotic suggestion better than adults because they are more in touch with their imaginations.
Children can be hypnotized as early as age 3, he says, adding, “But in my personal experience, I have found that children ages 5 or older respond best to the treatment.”
Here is part of a pre-interview with Robert Shacter.
The easiest way to hypnotize a child is to have them focus on a point, he explains. They will do that until their eyes begin to feel heavy, and they become sleepy. You now have them in a trance-like state. Once they are in this state, you begin to tell the child stories that can alleviate whatever problems they may have.
What role, if any, does the parent play during a hypnosis session? As in any therapy, it is important for parents to know what is going on. But in the actual session the parent is either not there or in the background. So they really don’t play any part in the actual therapy.
How many times does a typical child visit a hypnotist? Most children attend 4 to 8 sessions with a qualified hypnotist. During that time, the hypnotist can teach a child how to hypnotize himself.
How do I know if my child if a candidate for hypnosis? Most children are good candidates. It just depends on whether the problems they are having can be helped by hypnosis.
Here are some of the problems that might be helped by hypnosis:
- Pain. Hypnosis is very effective at alleviating the pain of children undergoing cancer treatments. What we do is help the child go somewhere else, away from the pain. By accessing the unconscious, the child creates images that forces them to focus on something other than the pain they are feeling.
For example, if you squeezed your hand very tightly to the point that it hurt and then someone asked you to focus on something else, you would not be as aware of the pain in your hand.
- Anxiety. A child who is anxious often breathes more quickly and has a higher heart rate. With hypnosis, we can teach them to breathe more slowly, lower their heart rate and take them away from whatever is making them anxious.
- Bed Wetting. Many doctors prescribe medicine for children who have a bed-wetting problem. But now more physicians are turning to hypnosis, which has very positive results. Part of the reason that it works so well is that kids play an active role in their treatment rather than just taking a pill.
- Asthma. When children with asthma feel their throats constricting, they begin to feel anxious and breathe more heavily. With hypnosis, you teach the child to calm down and bring them to another place.
How effective is hypnosis in children? In the right child, hypnotism can be very successful. There are some children who have a harder time letting go, but for those who can, the results can be very positive. Another plus of hypnosis is that unlike drugs, the risk of harm is low.
Why aren’t more doctors using hypnotism? It’s just not taught that much in schools, and some people still don’t want to recognize it as a viable alternative. However, it is becoming more popular, and many insurers will cover it.
By: Ellen Crean
I have been a hypnotist since 2001 and continue to be amazed who quickly clients can shed the emotional burdens of their problems. They walk in my office looking as though their problems define who they are, and leave feeling refreshed and confident.
If you want to experience a rapidly dramatic retake on your perspective of a particular problem or struggle I recommend hypnosis. Clients certainly recall past problems but the overwhelming majority feel completely disconnected and free to move forward.
Once the positive shift is initiated then the process of repetition ensures that it lasts. My clients receive a CD or MP3 of each session for home reinforcement. For decades this aspect of the process was never mentioned in hopes individuals would keep coming back paying for sessions. My philosophy has always involved training clients to become self-practitioners, their success is greater, longer lasting and as a result they do my marketing for me. It’s a win-win situation.
Paul Gustafson RN CH
On May 6th 1954, Roger Bannister had thoughts of running a sub-four minute mile, which had never been done before. Not only did he succeed but he opened the door for 45 other runners to have the same dream and in tern, accomplished the same feat over the course of the next eighteen months. We follow the path of our most dominant thoughts. Hypnosis helps us to powerfully reshape our feelings and expectations which can lead to dramatic life change. I’m sure Roger would agree.
By: Paul Gustafson RN CH
In one study an average savings of $1,200 per patient resulted from this simple 5-minute intervention of hypnosis before surgery. (Western Journal of Medicine. 1993) Those who are mentally prepared for surgery consistently have fewer complications, require fewer medications, and heal more quickly.
The reason pre-surgical hypnosis is so effective is because it offers direct access to our most powerful level of thought, the subconscious mind. This enables individuals to powerfully fine tune and prepare body and mind for surgery.
Paul Gustafson, R.N., C.H. is an ‘A List’ provider on Angie’s List. Check out his Gastric Band weight loss program. Also available as cd or download. Contact info: 888-290-3972 or info@burlingtonhypnosis.com.
