This article is from Dr. Andrew Weil MD who is also an authority on alternative medicine.

Hypnotherapy: The Power of Suggestion

First, I’d like to dispel some common misconceptions about this therapy. For some people who have never tried it, the idea of going into a hypnotic trance may seem weird or scary. But the fact is that we’ve all experienced trance states in everyday life–whether daydreaming, watching a movie, driving home on autopilot, or practicing meditation or other relaxation techniques. Essentially, trance is an altered state of consciousness marked by decreased scope and increased intensity of awareness. What distinguishes hypnotherapy is that it involves a deliberate choice to enter this state of consciousness for a goal beyond relaxation: to focus your concentration and use suggestion to promote healing. It can be done in person with a hypnotherapist or you can do it yourself, called self-hypnosis.

Parlor tricks and stage shows aside, a clinical hypnotherapist will not make you quack like a duck or sing like Elvis. The person in a hypnotic trance is always in control, just as someone who is daydreaming can decide to go on or stop at any time. While the practitioner serves as a teacher or guide, the only person who can hypnotize you is you, since trance is a latent potential of your own mind. Therefore, all hypnosis is self-hypnosis.

Some people use it to ease their aching backs. Others find it relieves eczema. Even one of the hot-air balloonists who broke world records by flying around the globe admits he relied on it to steady his nerves and catch some sleep while at the mercy of the jet stream. Hypnotherapy, or trance work, is a group of techniques that allow practitioners and patients to take advantage of the mind-body connection to foster healing. It’s also one of the most common referrals we make for our patients here at the University of Arizona’s Integrative Medicine Clinic. I’ve often recommended it in this newsletter for a wide variety of conditions, and this month I’d like to offer some tips for using it wisely.

From Ancient Roots to Modern Use

Known as “sleep healing” in ancient Greece and “mind cure” in the fourteenth through mid-nineteenth centuries, what we now call hypnosis has a long history of therapeutic use. In the first half of this century it came into favor as a treatment for battle fatigue (what would now be called post-traumatic stress disorder), and later found a niche as a useful approach for kicking habits such as smoking and overeating. More recently I’ve seen this versatile modality gain wider acceptance for a broader spectrum of applications, as more and more people explore mind-body approaches to healing. Meanwhile, scientific researchers have been looking at the benefits of hypnotherapy in a number of small studies. Here’s a brief sampling of what they’ve found:

Irritable bowel syndrome. A British study of 18 adults with IBS published in The Lancet found that hypnosis “strikingly” reduced colonic motility, thus decreasing diarrhea and cramping (July 11, 1992).
Erectile dysfunction. In a controlled study of 79 men with impotence from no known organic cause, only hypnosis proved more effective than a placebo, boosting sexual function by 80 percent (British Journal of Urology, February 1996).
Preparing for surgery. A controlled study of 32 coronary bypass patients showed that those taught self-hypnosis pre-operatively were more relaxed after surgery and had less need for pain medication (Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery, February 1997).
Pain.A review panel appointed by the National Institutes of Health found “strong evidence” for the use of hypnosis in alleviating pain associated with cancer (Journal of the American Medical Association, July 24-31, 1996).
Here at the Clinic, hypnotherapy has been used effectively to treat a remarkable range of conditions. My colleague Steven Gurgevich, Ph.D., a psychologist with the Program in Integrative Medicine who specializes in clinical hypnosis (and whom we refer a great many of our patients), says he’s seen the most dramatic results with dermatological and gastrointestinal problems, as the skin and gut are areas of the body where stress is commonly expressed. In my own practice, I’ve recommended hypnotherapy to help ease chronic pain, lessen the side effects of chemotherapy, alleviate symptoms of autoimmune disease, and counteract anxiety and sleep disorders. Hypnotherapy can also be used to improve performance skills, as a form of analgesia or sedation for medical and dental procedures–even to stop hemorrhaging in accident victims. In general, I believe that no condition is out of bounds for trying hypnotherapy on.

What to Expect

If you’re interested in working with a clinical hypnotherapist, here’s what to expect. Typically, your first session will begin with a great deal of talking. The therapist asks you questions to get some insight into what motivates you and what your beliefs and expectations might be. When that’s done, the therapist teaches you some type of “induction technique”–the use of a focal point, either internal or external, to concentrate your attention (Hollywood’s version is the swinging pendant). Steve Gurgevich’s technique is to have you close you eyes while sitting upright in a chair, pressing your thumb and forefinger together, holding your breath for a count of five, then releasing your breath and fingers while letting your mind drift, developing pictures and images to accompany the words you hear him speaking. Some 20 percent of the population go into a trance very easily, while an equal percentage show great resistance–usually around the issue of being controlled–and the therapist may need to work with such people to help them “get out of their own way.”

Once you’re in a state of trance (but still fully aware of where you are and what you’re doing), the therapist offers suggestions specifically geared to the goal of the therapy. For example, he may suggest that a person with irritable bowel syndrome picture the wave-like motions of her digestive system slowing down and becoming smoother, or have a patient with disfiguring warts imagine traveling inside his body to the roots of the offending growths and depriving them of nourishment. Your unconscious mind can then transmit these thoughts and images throughout your mind and body, setting the healing process in motion.

A typical course of hypnotherapy may require from one to five visits (lasting 45 minutes to an hour each), depending on your hypnotizability, the medical condition involved, and your response to treatment. (Your insurance may cover this if it’s performed by an M.D., a Ph.D., a dentist, or a licensed social worker.) The therapist’s role is to teach you how to access the trance state on your own. Once you’ve learned how to do this, you can start using self-hypnosis on a regular basis to maximize your healing potential.

Finding a Reputable Practitioner

While hypnotherapy has proved an invaluable form of therapy when used properly, it has also drawn its fair share of critics over the years, many of whom claim that the results it produces are artifacts–that is, entirely creations of the therapist. Two of the areas in which this is suspected are multiple personality disorder and repressed memory syndrome. I agree that these can be areas of abuse, in which the hypnotherapist may be primarily responsible for eliciting his or her own desired responses. But by screening your prospective therapist carefully, you can steer clear of unscrupulous or ineffective practices.

Here are some tips from Steve Gurgevich on locating a good, trustworthy therapist:

Find someone qualified to treat the condition in question.There are a great many people out there advertising that they are “certified” hypnotherapists but who have no education or background to treat medical or psychological conditions. If possible, try to find a specialist in your condition–such as a pain specialist or gastroenterologist–who also practices clinical hypnosis (the contact organization listed below breaks down its practitioners’ lists according to area of specialty). Otherwise, seek out a professional psychotherapist specializing in clinical hypnotherapy who has treated other people with your condition.
Listen to your gut. The rapport of “chemistry” between patient and therapist is very important in order for the therapy to be beneficial. If you have any feelings of distrust toward your therapist or if you feel that you are being persuaded against your instinct, find another therapist.
Look out for red flags. Be leery of therapists who ask for a set number of sessions in advance, as it may be possible to achieve your desired goal in a single session. Beware also of those who say they’re going to “hypnotize you” or who promise a “cure”: The therapist is there simply to teach you how to harness the mind-body skills you already possess.
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For a list of qualified practitioners near you, send an SASE along with a request indicating your state and city to the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, 33 W. Grand Ave., Suite 402, Chicago IL 60610. For more information on hypnotherapy, check out Steven Gurgevich’s Web site at www.tranceformation.com.

Reprinted with permission from Dr. Andrew Weil’s Self Healing.
Subscriptions from (800) 523-3296. Copyright 1999 by Thorne Communications, Inc.

The symptoms of fibromyalgia can sometimes be so painful that they prevent sufferers from going to work, attending school classes, or just managing their daily routines. Unfortunately, there is no cure available for fibromyalgia syndrome, so patients often resort to numerous different treatments to lessen the severity of their fibromyalgia symptoms. However, hypnosis is now emerging as one of the best alternative treatments available for fibromyalgia pain. The use of hypnosis has been proven to reduce pain symptoms and it has become a doctor-recommended treatment. If you are suffering from fibromyalgia pain symptoms, consider hypnosis as a treatment option.

History of Hypnosis
Though it is often disregarded as a proven therapy, hypnosis has long been used to treat both psychological and medical disorders. The Ancient Egyptians and Chinese used hypnosis to relieve symptoms of pain over two thousand years ago. Hypnosis was also used in the 1800s by medical doctors for anesthetic purposes. Recently, hypnosis has received more attention from the medical field; in fact, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has now recommended that hypnosis be used as part of a treatment regime for chronic pain, like that caused by fibromyalgia.

What is Hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a non-invasive technique that encourages you to achieve heightened levels of focus and sensation. People who practice hypnosis believe that there are two main components to the mind: the conscious mind and the unconscious mind. Through relaxation and suggestion, you are able to access your subconscious mind and stop behaviors or thoughts that may be contributing to pain or other unpleasant symptoms.

Contrary to popular belief, though, people who are in a state of hypnosis are not unaware of their actions and will not do anything that they have a serious moral or ethical objection to. In fact, you do have control over your actions as well as what you say while you are hypnotized. Moreover, you have the ability to remember what transpired while you were hypnotized. However, in some cases, your subconscious mind may choose to “forget” just what happened.

Types of Hypnosis
There are two main types of hypnosis techniques:

Hypnosis Performed by a Clinical Hypnotist: This type of hypnosis is performed in-office by a licensed professional. The hypnotist will explain what hypnosis is and how it works to reduce pain. He or she will then lead you into hypnosis through a series of relaxation exercises. Once you are in a hypnotic state, the hypnotist will make suggestions as to how you can change your thoughts or behavior in order to minimize your symptoms.
Self Hypnosis: Self hypnosis is a type of hypnosis that you can do yourself in the privacy of your own home. You can learn self hypnosis either from a clinical hypnotist or from one of a number of books available on the subject. Self hypnosis programs and hypnotherapy courses are also widely available. Self hypnosis techniques can be indispensable for fibromyalgia sufferers. Self hypnosis is usually used as a form of relaxation or meditation.
Stages of Hypnosis
There are three main stages of hypnosis. Your hypnotist will lead you into a certain stage of hypnosis, depending upon the illness or symptom you wish to treat.

First Stage: The first stage of hypnosis is often referred to as a superficial trance. This is the lightest stage of hypnosis, during which you are aware of all of your surroundings. This type of trance is commonly used to help correct addictive behaviors such as smoking. During a superficial trance, you will accept suggestions but may not act upon them afterwards.

Second Stage: The second stage, the alpha state, is a deeper level of hypnosis. You may notice that your breathing begins to slow down, as will your heart rate and blood pressure. It is this stage of hypnosis that is used to control pain.

Third Stage: The third stage of hypnosis is the deepest. Psychiatrists use this stage to access forgotten emotions, memories, and events. It is often used to help those who have undergone severe psychological trauma.

How Does Hypnosis Work?
Researchers are not completely sure how hypnosis therapy works or why it works so well in fibromyalgia patients. A recent study performed at the University of Iowa looked to explain what actually happens to the brain during hypnosis. Brain scans were taken of chronic pain sufferers in hypnotic trances and analyzed for activity changes. Researchers found that people under hypnosis had reduced activity in pain network areas of the brain. In particular, the area of the brain responsible for “feeling” pain had significantly reduced activity levels. This suggests that hypnosis treatment works because it actually has a physical effect on the brain.

Effects of Hypnosis on Fibromyalgia Sufferers
Many fibromyalgia sufferers attribute reduction in their symptoms to the power of hypnosis. Fibromyalgia sufferers often use hypnosis as a way to limit their pain symptoms and increase their energy and comfort level. A study conducted by the NIH showed that fibromyalgia sufferers undergoing hypnosis reported 80% fewer pain symptoms than those who received no hypnosis treatment. Other benefits of hypnosis include:

decreased muscle pain
decreased morning fatigue
fewer sleep difficulties
increased relaxation
Things to Remember
Before engaging in any type of hypnosis there are a few things to keep in mind:

Be sure to find a licensed clinical hypnotist. There are many unlicensed hypnotists operating throughout the United States. Clinical hypnotists have specific training in both medicine and psychology.
Hypnosis doesn’t work for everyone. Up to 10% of the population can’t be hypnotized.
If you are suffering from a psychiatric condition or any type of psychosis, do not undergo hypnotism without first speaking with your health care professional.
article from: www.fibromyalgia-symptoms.org/fibromyalgia_hypnosis.html

This is an older article, but it contains information that have held up over the last 8 years. Check out the video testimonials on this blog that support this.

Hypnosis Offers Hope for Fibromyalgia Patients

by Tamara Schuit
ImmuneSupport.com

08-15-2000

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Fibromyalgia sufferers know that their pain is not “all in their heads,” but since many factors influence the perception of pain, experts suggest that a means for coping with it may be developed using hypnosis.
Considered a complementary therapy to traditional medicine, hypnosis allows a person to participate in the healing process and take personal control over pain reduction.

In its simplest form, hypnosis involves inducing a trance-like state characterized by extreme relaxation, focused attention, and heightened susceptibility to suggestion. The two most common applications are the use of hypnosis to decrease sensitivity to pain (hyponeuralgia) and to numb sensation of pain (hypnoanesthesia).

Regardless of the application, the most important factor is the ability to focus attention. Research into psychological and physiological mechanisms supports the idea that the use of attention is what gives the mind power over the body.

It is the mind over body concept that researchers have been exploring since Viennese physician Friederich Anton Mesmer discovered hypnosis in the late 1700’s. In 1843 surgeon James Braid attributed the phenomenon to psychological rather than physical variables. Since then, hypnosis has proven itself to be an effective tool in management of pain and pain perception.

In a paper published in the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, researchers described specific clinical applications of hypnosis that can make psychotherapy for pain management and perception briefer, more goal-oriented and more efficient. These include determining how susceptible an individual is to hypnosis, how to successfully integrate hypnotic suggestions and pain relief imagery, how to resolve unconscious sources of resistance to treatment, and how to reduce the emotional overlay associated with chronic pain.

Stages of hypnosis In most cases, hypnosis consists of four stages. The first involves defining the patient’s expectations. The therapist will work toward the most realistic goals. In the second stage, the therapist helps the patient enter a focused and relaxed state. This leads into the third stage– both indirect and direct suggestions.

The third stage is considered the most important as the therapist focuses the patient’s attention by developing imaginary situations that may help achieve the goal of less pain.

The fourth stage involves posthypnotic suggestions that allow the person hypnotized to retain.pain reduction abilities outside of the hypnotic state. When in this final and deeply relaxed state, the subconscious mind is open to receiving the beneficial suggestions constructed by patient and therapist beforehand. Now the hypnotherapist can suggest changes in behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. Only those suggestions relevant to the hypnotized person’s needs are accepted.

By maintaining awareness throughout the session, which can last 20-60 minutes, the patient is later able to reinforce the hypnotic experience independently. Experts recommend that numerous sessions be conducted to receive maximum benefits.

About 75% of adults are hypnotizable.

Real or parlor trick? Hypnosis has been referred to by many as one of the great misunderstood treatments of our time, hurt by the public’s association of hypnosis with stage performances (images of the dangling watch trick come to mind) and bad sit-com episodes. But in reality, hypnosis has undergone rigorous scientific testing in modern times as researchers’ work to change the public’s perception of hypnosis as a parlor trick.

although current research has not yet been able to show exactly why hypnosis works, it is believed that the brain sends out some sort of physiological signals that tell it to ignore pain. In the newest studies, researchers are setting out to prove that hypnosis works because how we experience pain is based largely on perception.

David Spiegel, M.D. and professor of psychiatry at Stanford University in California, recently concluded a study designed to determine whether hypnosis could modulate color perception. Spiegel observed that changes in subjective experience achieved during hypnosis were reflected by changes in brain function similar to those that occur in perception. This finding supports the claim that hypnosis is a psychological state with distinct neural correlates and is not just the result of adopting a role.

While the misconceptions about hypnosis will undoubtedly continue, experts are quick to point out that most of us have done it literally thousands of times without even realizing it – we call it daydreaming.

“Hypnosis is a form of highly focused concentration – like getting so caught up in a good movie you forget that you’re in a theater,” says Spiegel.

Hypnosis as an Alternative Remedy for Fibromyalgia, CFS, IBS and RLS
By Lori Olson

Hypnotherapy is emerging as the leading alternative therapy for all types of problems, but most people still typically just associate hypnosis with stage antics and/or getting help with smoking and weight loss. The reality is very different. Today hypnosis is being applied successfully to relieve all kinds of troubles from the life stealing pain of fibromyalgia, the exhaustion of chronic fatigue syndrome, replacing anesthesia to much, much more.

What exactly is hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a natural state of the human mind. People regularly go in and out of hypnosis – everyday. A hypnotherapist simply facilitates you getting in and maintaining that state so that you can be guided with a healing therapy.

Let’s clear up the misconceptions.

You are not asleep or under someone else’s control – ever! As a matter of fact, your mind is extremely alert – and most people who have been hypnotized for the first time do not even think that they were hypnotized. You remember everything and you can never, ever be made to do something that you do not want to do (even stage hypnosis requires willing subjects).

Hypnosis helps you access your subconscious mind – which is where your memories and emotions reside. Positive thoughts and will power reside in the conscious mind. Hypnosis deals with the subconscious mind.

Most hypnotherapists just use direct suggestion. This will plant a suggestion in your subconscious that you agree you want planted there – for example “I want to stop smoking”. If a person doesn’t really want to stop smoking – it will not work. Also, with direct suggestion, even if you do want to quit, it will probably only last for a short period of time – simply because you have not gotten to the root cause as to why you want to smoke.

A hypnotherapy practice that does regression work is in the minority. Regression will help you find the emotional memory that has snowballed over the years and now causes the unwanted behavior/symptom. Once this is resolved the urge to smoke is gone – completely and forever – there is no need for ongoing treatment. Whenever the root cause is found there is no need for ongoing treatments. Most individual problems can be solved in 1-2 visits if regressed to the root cause (some people have multiple problems – for example – smoking, weight loss, depression, phobias, migraines, fibromyalgia and if you have multiple issues you would need to go more times – but sometimes one session clears up a few of these at once). Direct suggestion, used after the root causes have been found, is a wonderful way to supplement healing.

There is but one major obstacle that needs to be overcome in order to recognize and use this buried treasure of healing. The difficulty is for people who have fought so hard and so long to show that their illness is not in their heads. Fibromyalgia is the prime example. Chronic fatigue syndrome is another. Restless legs syndrome is yet another .Because of this, many do not want to try hypnotherapy. The reality is that the physical pains of these syndromes are very real.

Studies do support that the biochemistry of people with fibromyalgia, for example, is very different than that of people without fibromyalgia. All the regiments and methods to relieve the symptoms of this syndrome have varying success because they are all addressing this changed biochemistry – but from different directions. But even though the pain is not in the suffering person’s head, it is important to note that science does support the idea that the mind has the ability to alter a person’s body chemistry. There is ample evidence of this throughout the ages and all over the world (the placebo effect is one small example).

But while the syndrome does emanate from unresolved emotion, this emotion is coming from the subconscious mind. It is not the person’s fault and he/she is not crazy. The person is not making it up. It is just the way the human mind works. It is the way everyone’s mind works. People all manifest unresolved emotion in different ways – depending on that person and what emotion it is. Some people can’t stop eating. Some people have phobias. Some people get migraines.

Hopefully, this article will encourage people who are suffering from fibromyalgia and many other conditions to investigate this topic further. It is a therapy that not only works, but works without incurring ongoing costs, without having to follow strict lifestyle regiments, without drugs and without any side effects.

ABC News recently covered the benefits of medical hypnosis. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZBFtgxlAgA

Finally consider this. What have you got to lose by checking? It will not cost you anything to check. You just might find yourself open to try something. And if you find someone who is really good at regression therapy – I guarantee that it will change your life. For more information: http://www.fibromyalgiapr.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lori_Olson

Is Hypnosis Right For You?

(Counseling Corner)
from the American Counseling Association
sponsored by the ACA Foundation

When you hear the word hypnosis, it’s probably the show business version that springs to mind – people performing embarrassing actions or experiencing imaginary events, all to entertain an audience.

Clinical hypnosis, however, is something else – a valuable and respected tool that trained counseling professionals use every day to help clients. Yet many people don’t think hypnosis could help them simply because the myths of stage hypnosis have them questioning its worth.

That’s unfortunate, because hypnosis with a trained counselor can be used to treat a number of problems, including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and chronic pain. It’s been used to overcome test anxiety and help improve athletic performance.

And in this season of New Year’s Resolutions, it’s worth noting that hypnosis can play a valuable role in helping achieve success in smoking cessation and weight management programs.

A good starting point for learning about hypnosis is to understand that many of the myths about hypnosis are simply false. Stage hypnotists want you to believe they have special powers and can make you surrender control, but that isn’t true. A person under hypnosis isn’t weak or gullible, and isn’t going to lose consciousness or suffer amnesia. In the hands of a trained counselor, hypnosis is not the least bit dangerous.

Hypnosis is a technique that helps you focus your attention and narrow your scope of concentration. In a hypnotic trance, your attention becomes so focused that everything else just seems to disappear.

In fact, it’s probably happened to you. Have you ever been reading a book or concentrating so hard on work that you suddenly realize you’ve lost track of time and the people and noises around you? That’s actually a form of hypnosis.

Hypnosis isn’t a therapy itself, but rather a technique a counselor uses along with other techniques to help someone to stop smoking or lose weight or overcome depression. Because it’s a way to focus your concentration, it can help achieve results more quickly and effectively.

A first step in learning about hypnosis and whether it might be helpful to you is to talk with a trained clinical hypnotherapist. In most cities, the yellow pages of the phone book includes a listing for hypnotherapists. You can also find certified hypnotherapists through the web sites of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (www.asch.net), or the National Board of Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists (www.natboard.com).

“The Counseling Corner” is provided as a public service by the American Counseling Association, the nation’s largest organization of counseling professionals. Learn more about the counseling profession at the ACA web site, www.counseling.org.