Medical Hypnosis

Treatment of gastrointestinal and skin disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, eczema, herpes, psoriasis, warts.

To relax patients before surgery . (In very rare cases -- such as allergy or chemical sensitivity to anesthetics, or if a patient must remain conscious and responsive during surgery -- hypnosis is used as the sole anesthetic.)

Pain relief from back problems, cancer, headaches and arthritis.

For burn patients, to reduce inflammation and promote healing.

To control nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy and pregnancy.

During childbirth for relaxation and occasionally as the sole analgesic for labor.

To assist in therapy with victims of crimes such as incest, rape and physical abuse.

Other areas of application include: allergies; anxiety and stress management; asthma; bed-wetting; depression; sports and athletic performance; smoking cessation; obesity and weight control; sleep disorders; Raynaud's disease; high blood pressure; sexual dysfunctions; concentration, test anxiety and learning disorders.

Clinical hypnotists do essentially three things with hypnosis.

1. Encourage the use of imagination. Mental imagery is very powerful, especially in a focused state of attention. The mind seems capable of using imagery, even if only symbolic, to embody the things we imagine.
2. Present ideas or suggestions to the patient. In a state of concentrated attention, ideas and suggestions compatible with the patient's desires seem to have a more powerful impact on the mind.
3. Aid unconscious exploration, to better understand underlying motivations or identify whether past experiences are associated with a problem. Hypnosis avoids the critical censor of the conscious mind.

Another myth about hypnosis is that people lose consciousness and have amnesia. The majority of people remember everything that occurs in hypnosis.

Hypnosis is a state of inner absorption, concentration and focused attention. Employing hypnosis is like using a magnifying glass to focus the rays of the sun. When our minds are concentrated and focused, we are able to use them more powerfully.

Everyone has experienced trances, but we don't usually associate those events with hypnosis.

All of us have been so absorbed in thought -- while reading a book or riding the bus to work -- that we fail to notice what is happening around us. While we were zoned out, another level of consciousness, our unconscious mind, took over. These very focused states of attention are similar to hypnosis.

What to expect during a clinical hypnosis session