Hypnosis in medical setting

• Gastrointestinal disorders: ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, crohn’s disease
• Dermatologic disorders: eczema, herpes, neurodermatitis, pruritus, psoriasis and warts
• Surgery/anesthesiology: when hypnosis is the sole anesthetic and when patient needs to be able to respond to questions from surgeon
• Acute and chronic pain: back, dental and cancer pain, headaches or arthritis
• Burns: when hypnotic anesthesia and feelings of coolness can reduce inflammation and promote healing.
• Nausea/vomiting: chemotherapy and pregnancy
• Childbirth: eliminates risks that medications can pose to both the mother and child
• Hemophilia: control vascular flow and keep from requiring a blood transfusion
• Allergies/asthma
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Raynaud’s disease
(Courtesy of www.asch.net)

Top 10 hypnosis factoids

1- We all experience hypnosis at daily in the form  daydreaming, zoning out.
2- Hypnosis is not sleep, but a rather moment of meditative thought.
3- The earliest examples of hypnosis are found in tribal ceremonies of early humans.
4- One of the earliest descriptions of hypnosis was in Egyptian hieroglyphics in 1500 BC.
5- Egyptians, Greeks and Romans used hypnosis for medical and religious purposes.
6- British Medical Association (BMA) formally recognized hypnosis in 1892.
7- Sigmund Freud used hypnosis with his patients while developing his theories on psychoanalysis.
8- Hypnosis was used in 1st and 2nd world wars to treat combat neuroses.
9- American Medical Association (AMA) approved a report on the medical uses of hypnosis in 1958.
10- Catholic Church recognized hypnosis as a natural part of our own ability in 1847.

By: Paul Gustafson RN CH