Hypnosis and hypnotherapy (hypnosis plus cognitive/behavioral counseling) are the "acupuncture" and "chiropractic" of the 21st century. Hypnosis is becoming a standard alternative medical treatment for pain management, anxiety, and many stress-related physiological syndromes (IBS, heachaches, hypertension).
Can hypnosis be used in medical therapies?
The powerful connection of mind and body for healing and relief are within you. The hypnotherapists facilitates connection for healing, pain relief, psychological relief and general self-improvement. See the many references in our Medical Endorsements section and HELP YOURSELF TO HELP YOURSELF.
In a study with 241 patients randomized to three groups (Lang et al., 2000), patients received standard patient-controlled sedation; one group got a standardized hypnosis treatment too, another a structured attention manipulation, and the rest were controls. Adding hypnosis generated much greater pain relief than sedation alone.
Hypnosis decreases anxiety related to medical diagnosis and treatments
Hypnosis also greatly lessened anxiety. The hypnotic group asked for and were given, less medication than the controls. There were fewer problem events with hypnosis, and because of this, procedures took less time. In the case of each variable measured, hypnosis was superior to the attentional manipulation, so hypnosis is not only effective but the effects are also due to the hypnosis (not the placebo effect).
Lang, E. V., Benotsch, E. G., Fick, L. J., Lutgendorf, S., Berbaum, M. L., Berbaum, K. S., Logan, H., & Spiegel, D. (2000). Adjunctive non-pharmacological analgesia for invasive medical procedures: A randomised trial. Lancet, 355(April 29), 1486-1500.
