What Are Some Medical Uses
for Hypnosis
What Are Some Medical Uses for Hypnosis? When you hear
hypnosis what do you think of? Many people might picture
magicians who will swing a pendulum and make and audience
member cluck like a chicken.
However, true hypnosis goes beyond that it is a state of
deep relaxation, a place between being asleep and still being
awake. When you are in this state, you can be led to focus on
one thing in your environment while at the same time ignoring
everything else. You are also more inclined to follow a
suggestion.
However, no matter how deep the trance, you do not lose
control of your own behavior. In more recent times, modern
medicine has started to view medical hypnosis as a useful
tool.
There are three main uses where medical hypnosis has become
frequently used as a treatment for the condition. First is
pain. The signals for pain start in brain. For instance, try to
pick up a hot pan, and the nerves in your fingers will transmit
the heat they are feeling to the brain.
The brain, interpreting it as being too hot, translates it
as pain and you jerk your hand back to avoid burning yourself
further. This pain helps us survive and avoid serious injuries.
However, sometimes pain has an unclear cause. If it becomes
chronic, the patient will look for ways to relieve it.
Medical hypnosis has been successful at helping patients
turn off these random signals. Plus, since many pains are
associated with anxiety and fear, the deeply relaxed state of
hypnosis can also help to ease and regulate
pain.
Common Food CuresHypnosis is no longer considered just a form of entertainment
The art of the stage entertainer that puts his audience under a spell is still main stream entertainment, but in a sign of a ever growing trend of using it in treatment, people like the British hypnotist Paul McKenna who started as an entertainer have re-invented himself as a self help guru.
As published in the Western Medical Journal in October 2001, there is medical evidence that hypnosis can help with anxiety, insomnia, phobias and obesity. Not the absence of evidence that it can help cure smoking. The stop smoking programs help by working on the stress triggers and the eating triggers so can still be effective.
|
A second use is for cancer, for which medical hypnosis has
several uses. Some patients are encouraged under medical
hypnosis to visualize their healthy cells attacking and killing
or forcing out the cancerous ones. This works especially well
in children, though has been successful in adults as well.
It is unsure whether or not hypnosis actually reduces the
number of cancer cells, but it does improve the attitude of the
patient. Having a positive attitude can help a patient battle
the disease. Medical hypnosis can also be used to help manage
the pain and nausea that can come from the cancer and/or the
treatments that someone is receiving.
A third use for medical hypnosis is in treating bad habits.
It has been offered as a cure for alcoholics, smokers, and
overeaters. However, the majority of hypnotists feel that
hypnosis works best in these cases if it is used in
conjunction with another treatment. For example, a smoker
will have better success with quitting if using hypnosis
along with a support group and/or nicotine gum.
|
Hypnosis and Yoga used together can be
incredibly effective at helping people
relax.
Hypnosis and meditation makes it easier
to achieve deep relaxation, which is a
major part of yoga.
Put all three together and they become a
mental and physical power house to bust
through any obstacles.
|
An overeater may want to couple hypnosis with working with
a personal trainer or weight loss group, and so on. Medical
hypnosis is not a magic cure for every ailment, but it does
appear to help certain conditions. If you have tried other
options with limited success, it may be worth the time to
discuss medical hypnosis with your primary care giver. You
may find it as the extra tool you need to give yourself the
edge to succeed.
|