The Role of Hypnosis In Medicine

What Actually is Hypnosis?
Basically, it is an induced state of mind in which our normal critical, judgemental  biased and sceptical nature is bypassed, a state of relaxed highly focused attention, allowing for the acceptance of suggestion, induced with cooperation from the patient. It may be surprising to know that it is a natural state of mind, similar to being absorbed in a book, or lost in a movie, and daydreaming.

Hypnosis is a window into which the very powerful subconscious mind is rendered receptive to suggestion, where the conscious mind is distracted and dormant, and perhaps contrary to what many people perceive about hypnosis—an alert state of mind, not at all related to sleep or unconsciousness, and is in fact a waking state. Hypnosis is not merely a process of following instructions as you would see performed on stage entertaining an audience, it is an actual change in the perception of the brain exhibited by brain tests of people undergoing hypnosis.

For instance, volunteers were placed in a hypnotic state and evaluated using positron emission tomography (PET). When given the suggestion to see color, the color perception areas of the cerebral cortex were activated as they were looking at color or black-and-white color patterns. When given the suggestion to see black-and-white, the color perception areas of the brain showed decreased activity regardless of what the subjects were viewing, demonstrating hypnosis actually changes the brain’s perception.

How it Started
Hypnosis began with the Austrian physician Franz Anto Mesmer in France in 1778. In the 19th century, English surgeon John Elliotson and Scottish surgeon James Esdaile performed hundreds of surgical procedures using only hypnosis as the anesthesia. It was the same time that both ether and chloroform became popular, displacing hypnosis as anesthesia.

(more on the history of hypnosis here, here and here)

Hypnosis in Medicine
We all possess the power to heal ourselves as our bodies fight off illness every day. Hypnosis is a vehicle to tap into and enhance that power residing within the subconscious, managing illnesses with less medication or none. Unlike a procedure or medication, hypnosis is not something administered to you, rather, its healing power comes from within; the hypnotherapist being only a guide to reach it.

It seems hypnosis is an underutilized therapy in medicine—in 1958 the American Medical Association published and approved a report from a two-year study by the Council on Medical Health indicating there is “definite and proper uses of hypnosis in medical and dental practice,” recommending the establishment of “necessary training facilities” in the U.S. The American Psychiatric Association said, “hypnosis has definite application in the various fields of medicine,” and a panel from the National Institutes of Health issued the statement that there is “strong evidence for the use of hypnosis in alleviating pain associated with cancer.”

So, what are some of the potential applications hypnosis offers patients?

Pain……The fact that hypnosis has been successfully used as an anesthesia for surgery for over a century speaks volumes. Clinical trials showed significant pain relief in patients with burns and jaw pain. It also relieves pain caused by chronic headache and back pain.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)……In a 1984 study in England, thirty patients with IBS were randomly selected for seven individual hypnotherapy sessions, all of which showed significant improvements with no relapses at a three-month follow-up; and very good results with hypnosis for IBS have been confirmed in many other trials.

Peptic Ulcers……Thirty patients with recurring peptic ulcer disease were randomly treated with either ranitidine or hypnosis whereby they were all healed. After twelve-months of monitoring only 53% of the hypnosis group experienced relapse compared to 100% of the ranitidine group.

Obstetrics……As reported in the article Hypnosis in Contemporary Medicine by Dr. James H. Stewart of Mayo Clinic, “Hypnosis as anesthesia for childbirth has a long successful history supported by several trials.”

Oncology……The nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy has been lessened with hypnosis in children as compared to the control group.

Tinnitus (Ringing in the Ear)……Patients with chronic tinnitus improved significantly with hypnosis.

Asthma……A study of 55 asthmatic patients used bronchodilators less frequently and had less wheezing than control groups. One study showed that 21% had become symptom free and were able to discontinue medication.

Smoking……In 1992 an analysis of smoking cessation involving 633 studies and 72,000 participants, hypnosis was the most successful method.

Impotence……Many trials have shown impressive results for treating nonorganic impotence with hypnosis. One trial comparing hypnosis with a placebo group, showed an 80% improvement in sexual function to only 36% with the use of a placebo.

Dentistry……Hypnosis relieves pain, anxiety, speeds up the perceived time of the procedure, and minimizes bleeding and gagging.

Obesity……Obesity is a complex problem involving emotional behavior where hypnosis has had limited success. Several studies have shown that hypnosis enhanced the success of weight loss over other methods not using it, and also in conjunction with them. Certainly it would make sense to consider hypnosis before any type of surgery is considered.

Conclusion
One would think with all the data available regarding the efficacy of hypnosis, far more doctors would be working in conjunction with hypnotherapists as a first line of attack for many diseases in light of its noninvasive nature. It seems there still remains some stigma about hypnosis, much to the loss of the patient. As more people become aware of the potential it offers, it will empower them to explore that potential. According to Dr, Stewart, acceptance is increasing as a result of “careful, methodical, empirical work of many pioneer researchers,” but he also writes, “Nonetheless, skepticism may prevail and hypnosis may remain underused because of the tendency to doubt or fear of the unknown.”

Hypnosis is a testament to the mind-body connection, supporting the irrefutable fact that they both constitute one eloquent inextricable mechanism, and should be treated as such. At this moment the National Institute of Health (NIH) is funding clinical trials of complementary and alternative medicine, and hypnosis is one of its focuses. Because of this effort, hypnosis may become a greater part of mainstream medicine, and taken full advantage of by health care providers, as it affords a harmless, noninvasive and viable treatment option.

http://www.joearrigo.com/2013/02/27/what-is-the-role-of-hypnosis-in-medicine/

http://www.joearrigo.com/

The Altered State Hypnosis Debate

One of the many mysteries of hypnosis is where hypnosis comes from. Many researchers believe that hypnosis produces an altered state of consciousness while others believe that there is no altered state with hypnosis. Research has been conducted to try to fully understand what happens when people are hypnotized. One of the reasons why hypnosis eludes scientists is because there is still a lot to be learned about the human brain and how it functions.

The debate on whether hypnosis is a state or a non-state is known as the 'altered state debate.' People who believe that hypnosis does not involve an altered state of consciousness argue that the effects of hypnosis and suggestions can be achieved without a hypnotic induction (Whalley, 2009). One researcher (Spanos, 1986) believes that suggestions, including analgesia suggestions and amnesia suggestions, have a socio-cognitive link. Spanos believes that people who undergo hypnosis are able to convince themselves to believe a certain way and this occurs cognitively and not due to an altered state of consciousness.

An altered state of consciousness (ASC) is defined as, "any of various states of awareness (as dreaming sleep, a drug-induced hallucinogenic state, or a trance) that deviate from and are usually clearly demarcated from ordinary waking consciousness" (Meriam-Webster). An altered state is often compared to a baseline state which is a state where "the psychological sense of the self is at the center of one's perception" (Whalley, 2009).

A scientific aspect of this debate about where hypnosis comes from involves looking at brain functioning and brain images. When studying the brain, researchers are presented with an important question: How much different from the baseline state would hypnosis have to be in order to be classified as an altered state of consciousness?

Various methods are being used to determine how to measure hypnosis. Neuro-imaging is being used including PET and fMRI scans. These tests allow one to see activity in the brain during hypnosis and without hypnosis. Another method of measurement includes behavioral studies. Studies attempt to compare the behavior of hypnotized and non-hypnotized individuals (Whalley, 2009).

The debate on whether hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness continues to be argued. There are multiple studies that back up both sides of the argument. At this point in time, there is no clear answer. With time, as more behavioral studies are conducted and as researchers learn more about the human brain and its functioning, we will learn exactly how hypnosis occurs in the mind.


Source:: http://www.naturalnews.com/027103_hypnosis_debate_consciousness.html#ixzz28dAtFVL6
http://www.naturalnews.com/index.html

What is Hypnotherapy?

What is Hypnotherapy? How does hypnotherapy work? Will hypnosis work on me?

Hypnotherapy is one of the quickest and most powerful tools toward self-improvement. This is a subject commonly misunderstood with stage hypnosis, where members of an audience are hypnotised by a performer to take part in a stage show for entertainment purposes. This is of course a form of hypnosis, but Hypnotherapy is something very different and is instead centred around helping others improve themselves using the hypnotic state. There are many slightly different definitions of what Hypnotherapy actually is as there is no one ‘official’ universal agreement of the term. However, these are a selection of quotes from well renowned experts in the field’s history to help you get a general idea of what Hypnotherapy actually is and what purpose it serves.

‘The great discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind’
William James

‘…To put it succinctly, hypnosis is an altered state of attention which approaches peak concentration capacity.’
Herbert Spiegel

‘…An altered state within which suggestions have a peculiarly potent effect’
K. S. Bowers

‘…A state of intensified attention and receptiveness, and an increased responsiveness to an idea or to a set of ideas’
Milton H. Erickson

‘…Temporary condition of altered attention in the subject which may be induced by another person and in which a variety of phenomena may appear spontaneously or in response to verbal or other stimuli. These phenomena include alterations in consciousness and memory, increased suggestibility, and the production in the subject of response and ideas unfamiliar to him in his usual state of mind. Further, phenomena such as anaesthesia, paralysis, muscle rigidity and vasomotor changes can be produced and removed in the hypnotic state.’
American Medical Association

‘Hypnosis is largely a question of your willingness to be receptive and responsive to ideas, and to allow you these ideas to act upon you without interference. These ideas we call suggestions.’
Andre M. Weitzenhoffer and Ernest R. Hilgard

‘Hypnosis is a natural state of mind with special identifying characteristics:
1. An extraordinary quality of relaxation.
2. An emotionalised desire to satisfy the suggested behaviour; the person feels like doing what the hypnotist suggests, provided that what is suggested does not generate conflict with his belief system.
3. The organism becomes self-regulating. It produces normalisation of the nervous system (both voluntary and involuntary systems).
4. Heightened and selective sensitivity to stimuli being received by the five senses and four basic perceptions.
5. Immediate softening of psychic defences.’
Gil Boyne

‘It is a somewhat altered state of consciousness and altered awareness, although the conscious mind is still present. We might compare it to a teeter-totter. In the waking state the conscious mind is at the high end of the teeter-totter and the subconscious mind at the low end. Under hypnosis they reverse and the subconscious is at the high end and the conscious part at the low end, but it is still present. Thoughts rise from the inner mind into consciousness.’
Leslie M. LeCron

…To summarise then…

Hypnosis is essentially a process of relaxing the mind in such a way that very deep, subconscious thought processes are brought forward into the thinking, conscious part of the mind that might otherwise have remained hidden in normal circumstances. When we dream it is these subconscious thoughts that are being revealed to us in different forms, and through hypnosis we can delve into this aspect of our world and interact with it in a more controlled manner. It must certainly be understood that subconscious mind processes are the route and foundation of our behaviour and emotions, and like a control centre hidden somewhere in our minds, hypnosis can be used to reach inside and make changes where they are needed and thus ‘reprogram’ the subconscious.

Hypnosis is indeed very similar to that of dreaming or sleep, but it is certainly not the same thing. Hypnosis would fall somewhere in the middle on the sliding scale between being wide-awake and fast asleep, depending on how deep the state of hypnosis is. Very deep hypnosis would be physiologically almost identical to the sleeping state, however this is no easy feat to attain and most states of hypnosis are light to medium in depth. The person in question would feel very much awake and in control the whole time albeit in a very relaxed state of mind very similar to meditation. Under normal hypnosis  conditions a person most definitely CAN NOT be controlled or made to do something that they do not agree with, and can break out of hypnosis at any moment they so choose. Some false connotations fall back to old stories and myths made up in order to make a story all the more dramatic, but they have no founding.

Hypnosis is not dangerous or a risk to experiment with and has no side effects. It is rather a naturally occurring state of mind that we fall under every single day of our lives, particularly just before falling asleep, after waking up, when daydreaming or becoming engrossed in the TV or the computer. Have you ever driven your car along a familiar route and suddenly realised you have somehow jumped in time and paid no attention to the past few minutes? That is the subconscious taking over your body and is also a form of hypnosis, just like finding ‘the zone’ in sports performance. The method of Hypnotherapy merely taps this ability of mind and uses it to alter attitudes and behaviour to make improvements in lifestyle. Various forms of hypnosis bring about decreased stress, improved memory, enhanced self-confidence and academic performance as well as psychological health and happiness. The uses are almost endless.

Keep reading this blog as it unfolds to acquaint yourself further with Hypnotherapy and how it can be used to improve people’s lives…

One source of further reading/information http://www.general-hypnotherapy-register.com/HypnotherapyExplained.htm

Hypnotherapy Guide: An Introduction to Hypnosis

Hello and welcome to my blog that talks about everything concerned with the mind and in particular Hypnotherapy. My aim is to create a free information source that is user friendly both to the seasoned expert in the field as well as the complete novice. Most of all I hope this blog will be genuinely useful for those who choose to read it and will in turn bring about a certain level of enjoyment in doing so...

I grew up with a great interest in how things worked - not cars or electronics but instead people. What fascinated me most were the reasons behind why people chose to behave as they did, and I began a marathon journey from a young age in attempt to ‘work out’ every person around me. This natural inclination toward human behaviour lead me to study Psychology at university and sometime afterwards to certify as a Hypnotherapist, both schools of thought advancing my knowledge greatly. I am still of course on a great learning curve as I am sure I will be for a very long time yet, but I thought the time was right to share some of what I know and hopefully learn some things for myself in the process.

Right, now that’s out of the way shall we get on with it?

Many of us strive to control our lives but end up frustrated after continual episodes of failure. We fail because we are going about things the wrong way, often repeating ourselves and making the same mistakes over and over as if going around in circles and facing the same brick walls, the same disappointments. We fail to break habits and we fail to make the positive changes in our lives that we had hoped to achieve. Why can we not simply decide to change and then simply change?

Our surrounding environment remains virtually as a constant that does not alter, so if we do not concentrate on changing ourselves first and foremost then change will never take effect in our lives. How often do we hope for outside influences to intervene in order for us to improve? ‘If only people did not smoke around me’ ‘If only I didn’t have to work so often I could...’. The blame is so often directed toward the outside, something we can do little to alter, the very first step toward complete change must be the realisation that we are in control of our own decisions and for change to occur we must first do what we can to change ourselves. We must take responsibility for everything we do.

But just how to initiate this change for the better? How do we become what we envisage? If it was that easy why has it not been achieved already and why do so many suffer the same recurring fate? To control our lives effectively in the way we want to do we must learn and master certain methodology of how to master our own minds and harness our body’s natural energies. Once this is achieved we can begin to construct our lifestyles the way we truly want them to be.

This blog is going to show you exactly how this is done in easy to use steps.

Behaviour, emotion and personality are formed in the ‘muscles’ of the brain. In the same method a person might strengthen his legs in order to run faster, the brain ‘muscle’ can also be trained to improve itself in ways that can greatly enhance the mental aspect of our lives. Negative behaviours and those recurring personal problems that blight us can be removed simply by focusing our brain in a different angle and utilising it’s energy in a more focused way. Where bodily muscles can be worked and trained in a gym the brain ‘muscles’ can be adjusted with different techniques in their own domain, and given due time and consideration results will follow with a staggering frequency actually far quicker than bodily muscle could ever grow.

The road to improvement is not one without difficulties on its route and will present many obstacles and problems along the way. However, this must be seen as a great opportunity to face our inabilities head on and improve ourselves for the better. The goal at stake with controlling the mind can only be to make your own life a better experience to live, one that will enrich not only yourself but also those around you, particularly our most loved ones. Can there be a more worthwhile journey to undertake?

Our body and mind are simply one combined vehicle that we experience our lives through. We can work together to make that vehicle run all the more smoother and in turn make our own lives, and the lives of others around us, all the more enjoyable an experience. Are you ready to learn how to become a stronger person and show others how to do the same?

A further source of reading material: http://www.hypnotherapysydney.com.au/Whatishyp.htm