MEDICAL AUTHORITIES
Hypnosis Helps Healing: Surgical Wounds Mend Faster, Harvard University Gazette, William J. Cromie, May 8, 2003, http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2003/05.08/01-hypnosos.html.
Hypnotherapy for Chronic Pain, altMD smart alternatives, http://www.altmd.com/Articles/Hypnotherapy-for-Chronic-Pain (Studies indicate that 75 percent of clinical and experimental participants with different types of pain can obtain substantial pain relief through hypnotherapy.)
Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, November and December 2004, http://journals.lww.com/rapm/Abstract/2004/11000/Clinical_Hypnosis_Modulates_Functional_Magnetic.8.aspx (volunteers under hypnosis experienced significant pain reduction in response to painful heat and had a distinctly different pattern of brain activity compared to when they were not hypnotized and experienced the heat. Suggests that hypnosis somehow blocks the pain signal from getting to the parts of the brain that perceive pain.)
Treatment of Non-Cardiac Chest Pain: A Controlled Trial of Hypnotherapy, GUT – An International Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & British Society of Gastroenterology H Jones, P. Cooper, V. Milller, N. Brooks and P.J. Whorwell, Published Online First April 20, 2006, Gut 2006;55:1381-1384; doi:10.1136/gut.2006.095489 (Improvement in patients with non-cardiac chest pain)
Hypnosis Before Breast-Cancer Surgery Reduces Pain, Discomfort, and Cost, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Sept. 5, (J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007 Sep 5;99(17):1304-12. Epub 2007 Aug 28) http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/results/hypnosis0907
Hypnosis in Contemporary Medicine
James H. Stewart, MD
patients treated with hypnosis experienced substantial benefits for many different medical conditions. An expanded role for hypnosis and a larger study of techniques appear to be indicated.
MAYO FOUNDATION FOR MEDICAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH, 2005
Hypnosis: Another way to manage pain, kick bad habits
MAYO CLINIC Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER)., DECEMBER 19, 2007
A scientist at the University of Liverpool has found that hypnosis can slow down the impacts of dementia and improve the quality of life for those living with the condition. Working in partnership with a dementia consultant, the doctor established that people living with dementia who had been given hypnosis therapy exhibited improved concentration, memory and socialization than the control groups. Relaxation, motivation and daily living activities also improved with the use of hypnosis, and they developed a course for clinicians who wish to incorporate hypnosis into health care plans.
Mechanisms may exist by which the brain and central nervous system influence immune,
endocrine, and autonomic functioning, which is known to have an impact on health. MIND-BODY MEDICINE: AN OVERVIEW NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH.
A January 2008 Weisman Institute of Science study provided measurable proof that hypnotism works and gives insight into how the brain stores memory. MRI brain scans performed under hypnosis showed reduced activity in some brain regions during intended memory suppression and increased activity in other regions. Additiionally, the brain scans demonstrated reactivation in the previously suppressed regions when the cue was given to bring back the memory. Scientists believe that this information may assist research into treatment for “memory loss” as it suggests that memories are not lost but, rather, they are suppressed.
Studies show that hypnosis can treat everything from chronic pain to poor study habits. Chances are, it can work for you. DIEDRE BARRETT, PSYCHOLOGY TODAY, JAN/FEB 2001 Deirdre Barrett, Ph.D. is a clinical assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, utilizes hypnotherapy in her practice, and is author of numerous books regarding hypnosis and hypnotherapy. A hypnotic trance is not therapeutic in and of itself, but specific suggestions and images fed to clients in a trance can profoundly alter their behavior. As they rehearse the new ways they want to think and feel, they lay the groundwork for powerful changes in their future actions. For example, in hypnosis, I often tell people who are trying to quit smoking that they will go hours without even thinking of a cigarette, that if they should light up, the cigarette will taste terrible and they’ll want to put it out immediately. I’ll talk them through the imagery of being a nonsmoker–some combination of finding themselves breathing easier, having more energy for exercise, enjoying subtle tastes and smells again, having fresh breath and clean-smelling closing, feeling good about their health, even saving money on cigarettes or whatever motivates that person to quit. The deep relaxation of a hypnotic trance is also broadly beneficial as many illnesses, both psychological or physical, are aggravated by anxiety and muscle tension.
Research over the last 40 years shows that such hypnotic techniques are safe and effective. Furthermore, a growing number of studies show that hypnotherapy can treat headaches, ease the pain of childbirth, aid in quitting smoking, improve concentration and study habits, relieve minor phobias, and serve as anesthesia–all without drugs or side effects (see “Hypnosis Heals,” page 62).
An array of mind-body therapies (e.g., imagery, hypnosis, relaxation), when employed presurgically, may improve recovery time and reduce pain following surgical procedures. MIND-BODY MEDICINE: AN OVERVIEW, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH
In a 1988 study reported in the medical journal Lancet, hypnosis was shown to be a successful complimentary treatment in patients who were taking medication for duodenal ulcers.
Hypnosis does work!