Increasingly, research has shown the critical role that hypnosis can play in treating psychological and physiological problems including the following conditions…
Pain
The research by Marie Elizabeth Faymonville 2006: Hypnotized volunteers were up to 50% more capable of handling pain stimuli. The scan reveals that hypnosis can lower activity in the brain’s anterior cingulate cortex, lining sensory stimuli to emotional and behavioral responses and switching off pain signals.
Techniques such as hypnosis have been proposed as ways to help women cope with pain during labor. Hypnosis represents an aspect of conscious awareness similar to daydreaming and involves focusing attention inwards and increased responsiveness to suggestions. The research included nine trials that randomized 2954 women to hypnosis or to control groups receiving; standard care, relaxation training, or supportive counseling. In eight trials the women were trained in self‐hypnosis during pregnancy for later use during labor. In the other trial, the hypnotherapist was present during the woman’s labor. Fewer women in the hypnosis group used pain relief medication for labor. Further high‐quality research is needed and should include an assessment of women’s satisfaction with pain relief and sense of coping in labor.
Dermatological Diseases
Promising results from hypnosis treatments have been seen in a variety of dermatologic diseases. We will explore some of the diseases that have shown the most consistent results.
- Verrucae – Perhaps the disease most successfully proven to benefit from hypnotherapy is verrucae. While many other diseases have shown the efficacy of hypnotherapy in individual cases, the treatment of warts with hypnotherapy has been studied in randomized control trials. Published studies show, on average, between 27-55 percent success rates in treating warts using hypnosis.
- Atopic Dermatitis – The goal of hypnotherapy in atopic dermatitis centers around the reduction of itching and scratching, which leads to the exacerbation of the disease. One study compared topical corticosteroids to hypnotherapy and showed that there was a greater reduction in itching, scratching, and sleep disturbances compared to the corticosteroid patients. There was also a 60 percent reduction in corticosteroid use in hypnotherapy-treated patients at 16 weeks. Another study focused on patients who were resistant to conventional therapy for their treatment of atopic dermatitis. Hypnotherapy again showed a statistically significant benefit for these difficult-to-treat patients.
- Pain – Several meta-analyses have shown the efficacy of hypnosis in relieving pain in patients with a variety of painful conditions including headache, burn injury, heart disease, cancer, dental problems, and chronic back issues. Remarkably, it has shown efficacy in providing analgesia for radiologic procedures and even surgery. In dermatologic conditions specifically, pain associated with eczema, post-herpetic neuralgia, and dermatologic surgical procedures has also been shown to be effectively treated with hypnosis. Hypnotherapy can be used to reduce needle phobia and anxiety associated with dermatologic procedures.
- Psoriasis – Although the psyche alone rarely causes dermatologic pathology, mental states can impact skin disorders. It is generally accepted that emotional stress can influence many cutaneous diseases such as psoriasis, seborrhea, and atopic dermatitis. Recent studies show results that are in line with this notion. Controlled trials of highly hypnotizable psoriasis patients who have a high emotional trigger component to their disease, showed up to 75 percent of clearing of their skin using hypnotherapy. These results may indicate that other cutaneous diseases with psychologic components such as those with emotional triggers may benefit from hypnotherapy the most is those with short-term interruption of blood flow to the extremities, such as the fingers and toes.
- Raynaud’s Phenomenon may be a sign of an underlying autoimmune disorder such as scleroderma or lupus. Biofeedback can help treat skin pathology that has an autonomic nervous system component. Studies using instruments that measure galvanic skin resistance (GSR) and skin temperature have shown that patients with systematic sclerosis with Raynaud’s Phenomenon can increase skin temperature at an average of 4oC under hypnosis with biofeedback training. Patients showed significantly greater elevations in finger blood flow, finger temperature, and GSR conductance compared with those not under hypnosis.
Depression
According to the University of New Hampshire, hypnotherapy can help a person learn to reduce and/or better control feelings of anxiety, stress, and sadness. Hypnotherapy is also used to treat negative behaviors that could be worsening a person’s depression
Stress
Hypnotherapy, or clinical hypnosis, is a treatment where the therapist guides a person into a deeply relaxed state of highly focused awareness to affect change. In conjunction with other therapies, hypnosis has been found to be an effective treatment for chronic stress and related issues. Hypnosis for stress tends to involve short treatments, with clients attending 60-minute sessions weekly over the course of several months.
Cancer and Hypnosis
As with many types of complementary therapy, some people with cancer use hypnotherapy to help them relax and cope with symptoms and treatment. Hypnotherapy might help some people feel more comfortable and in control of their situation. People with cancer most often use hypnotherapy for sickness or pain. Hypnotherapy has been shown to reduce pre-op stress, anxiety, and postoperative pain.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder results from major traumatic events and can profoundly affect the quality of life. Hypnotherapy for PTSD is an evidence-based treatment and can effectively treat the symptoms as well as the underlying causes. Hypnotherapy can be a powerful treatment for PTSD because of the similarity between hypnotic phenomena and the symptoms of PTSD. Mounting evidence suggests that hypnotherapy can provide better immediate and long-term relief from symptoms such as re-experiencing traumatic memories than psychotherapy alone.
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About Happy Healthy Hypnosis
Caroline can help you lose weight, sleep better, relax, perform at your peak, and much more! Hypnosis is a powerful natural, safe, effective and proven method to relieve long-standing problematic habits that keep you suffering. Caroline has been helping people since 2005. She loves watching people transform and get their lives back on track.
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