As a hypnotist and hypnotherapist I am regularly asked the question does hypnosis work? I have a series of simple hypnotic demonstrations I always use when people ask: making someone fall backwards just with the sound of my voice, preventing them from being able to lift up a light object, preventing someone from being able to move and making someone's face go numb. They are neat tricks that can be done in almost any environment and are a far cry from large scale demonstration of making people comply to more outrageous instructions.
There have been many scientific studies conducted to investigate the effectiveness of smoking hypnosis. The evidence is positive that it does help people quit smoking.In 2007, Science Daily published a study that determined that hospital patients who were given hypnosis sessions for quitting smoking were more likely to quit smoking than people who used other methods. Dr. Faysal Hasan, who conducted the study, said "hypnotherapy appears to be quite effective and a good modality to incorporate into a smoking cessation program after hospital discharge." The study included the use of self hypnosis tapes as part of the follow-on treatment.
Is Relaxation Hypnosis Effective? Yes, hypnotherapy does help with increasing relaxation.Several scientific studies have investigated relaxation hypnosis, and have found it to be effective.In summary, the British Medical Journal's article "Does Hypnosis Work for Relaxation?" states that there is good evidence that hypnosis can help promote relaxation and reduce anxiety.Can Hypnotherapy be Used to Treat Depression? Maybe, but more research is needed.In a 1998 study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry to research the effectiveness of complementary therapies for depression, researchers found no conclusive evidence that hypnotherapy helps with depression. Those researchers did note that there was limited evidence that relaxation therapies (which include hypnosis) can help with depression, but more research is needed for conclusive results.
How does the body and mind work together to achieve the remarkable effects we hear stories about? Just what magic occurs in our bodies and minds when we heal or accomplish seemingly miraculous feats? Scientists are still puzzling over these questions, yet they have shown that hypnosis, guided imagery, meditation/prayer and what we eat affects our immune systems, our resistance to cancer and our recovery from surgery. Other research shows how hypnosis activates the same brain centers that block our perception of pain. It is well known that hypnosis helps people change unwanted behaviors and establish new habits. How should we explain the placebo effect when inert ingredients and the power of suggestion cause recovery and cures? What about its opposite, the nocebo effect, when pessimistic expectations and pronouncements by professionals can result in ill health?
Well first of all I have to tell you that for most people the effects of hypnosis are about as permanent as eating. Sure it does fill you up at the time, but it does not last and you do have to repeat it. That does not necessarily mean having regular hypnosis sessions. Let us take the example of a smoker trying to use hypnosis to quit. They might feel incredibly positive about no longer being a smoker immediately after a hypnosis or self-hypnosis session but they have to carry on this positive energy beyond the session.
Powerful Emotions.Naturally we all want to minimize harm and maximize health and vitality. Let's consider our emotions. Our emotions have both a biological and psychological basis. We can change our emotions by changing what we think about. Our emotions change as our bodies change during adolescence. Clearly our minds and bodies are part of the same system and what affects one inevitably affects the other. Any separation is artificial. So worry, fear, certain harmful automatic thoughts and habits will affect your health negatively. Also happiness, mental flexibility and variety along with helpful automatic thoughts and habits will improve your health.
Suppose that the mind and body are one system, and that what happens in the mind has a corresponding result in the body and vice versa. We can easily notice that what happens with the body affects the mind when we consider that our experience of the world is conducted through the five senses of the body. Our emotions and thoughts can change when we experience pleasurable or painful sensations.
Now this is just my personal experience with people who have come to me for help. For this next section I'm going to look at articles and studies that have been conducted on the effectiveness of hypnosis. On the topic of smoking, there was a 2010 study(2010 Jan;52(3):177-81) looking at the effectiveness of previous hypnosis studies for the cessation of smoking. They strongly critiqued the claim of many hypnotherapists that hypnosis was the most effective method for quitting smoking. They did however conclude that hypnosis was just as effective as any number of methods smokers could use to quit.
Hypnosis has actually been studied in great detail for at least 300 years. One of the major things people have tried to use hypnosis for is pain management. In a randomized trial on hypnosis to control the side effects on breast surgery patients(2007 Sep 5;99(17):1304-12) not only did "patients in the hypnosis group [require] less [pain medication]" but also "cost the institution $772.71 less per patient than those in the control group... mainly due to reduced surgical time."A study on the brain state of those under hypnosis(2002 Aug 15;14 (6):887-901) showed that hypnosis does effect the areas of the brain that regulate consciousness. This contributes to the idea that being under a hypnotic trance is a separate state the brain can be in.
There have been many scientific studies conducted to investigate the effectiveness of smoking hypnosis. The evidence is positive that it does help people quit smoking.In 2007, Science Daily published a study that determined that hospital patients who were given hypnosis sessions for quitting smoking were more likely to quit smoking than people who used other methods. Dr. Faysal Hasan, who conducted the study, said "hypnotherapy appears to be quite effective and a good modality to incorporate into a smoking cessation program after hospital discharge." The study included the use of self hypnosis tapes as part of the follow-on treatment.
Is Relaxation Hypnosis Effective? Yes, hypnotherapy does help with increasing relaxation.Several scientific studies have investigated relaxation hypnosis, and have found it to be effective.In summary, the British Medical Journal's article "Does Hypnosis Work for Relaxation?" states that there is good evidence that hypnosis can help promote relaxation and reduce anxiety.Can Hypnotherapy be Used to Treat Depression? Maybe, but more research is needed.In a 1998 study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry to research the effectiveness of complementary therapies for depression, researchers found no conclusive evidence that hypnotherapy helps with depression. Those researchers did note that there was limited evidence that relaxation therapies (which include hypnosis) can help with depression, but more research is needed for conclusive results.
How does the body and mind work together to achieve the remarkable effects we hear stories about? Just what magic occurs in our bodies and minds when we heal or accomplish seemingly miraculous feats? Scientists are still puzzling over these questions, yet they have shown that hypnosis, guided imagery, meditation/prayer and what we eat affects our immune systems, our resistance to cancer and our recovery from surgery. Other research shows how hypnosis activates the same brain centers that block our perception of pain. It is well known that hypnosis helps people change unwanted behaviors and establish new habits. How should we explain the placebo effect when inert ingredients and the power of suggestion cause recovery and cures? What about its opposite, the nocebo effect, when pessimistic expectations and pronouncements by professionals can result in ill health?
Well first of all I have to tell you that for most people the effects of hypnosis are about as permanent as eating. Sure it does fill you up at the time, but it does not last and you do have to repeat it. That does not necessarily mean having regular hypnosis sessions. Let us take the example of a smoker trying to use hypnosis to quit. They might feel incredibly positive about no longer being a smoker immediately after a hypnosis or self-hypnosis session but they have to carry on this positive energy beyond the session.
Powerful Emotions.Naturally we all want to minimize harm and maximize health and vitality. Let's consider our emotions. Our emotions have both a biological and psychological basis. We can change our emotions by changing what we think about. Our emotions change as our bodies change during adolescence. Clearly our minds and bodies are part of the same system and what affects one inevitably affects the other. Any separation is artificial. So worry, fear, certain harmful automatic thoughts and habits will affect your health negatively. Also happiness, mental flexibility and variety along with helpful automatic thoughts and habits will improve your health.
Suppose that the mind and body are one system, and that what happens in the mind has a corresponding result in the body and vice versa. We can easily notice that what happens with the body affects the mind when we consider that our experience of the world is conducted through the five senses of the body. Our emotions and thoughts can change when we experience pleasurable or painful sensations.
Now this is just my personal experience with people who have come to me for help. For this next section I'm going to look at articles and studies that have been conducted on the effectiveness of hypnosis. On the topic of smoking, there was a 2010 study(2010 Jan;52(3):177-81) looking at the effectiveness of previous hypnosis studies for the cessation of smoking. They strongly critiqued the claim of many hypnotherapists that hypnosis was the most effective method for quitting smoking. They did however conclude that hypnosis was just as effective as any number of methods smokers could use to quit.
Hypnosis has actually been studied in great detail for at least 300 years. One of the major things people have tried to use hypnosis for is pain management. In a randomized trial on hypnosis to control the side effects on breast surgery patients(2007 Sep 5;99(17):1304-12) not only did "patients in the hypnosis group [require] less [pain medication]" but also "cost the institution $772.71 less per patient than those in the control group... mainly due to reduced surgical time."A study on the brain state of those under hypnosis(2002 Aug 15;14 (6):887-901) showed that hypnosis does effect the areas of the brain that regulate consciousness. This contributes to the idea that being under a hypnotic trance is a separate state the brain can be in.
No comments:
Post a Comment
If you like my article, please leave your comments here