Medical Uses For Hypnosis

When you hear "hypnosis" what do you think of? Many people might picture magicians who will swing a pendulum and make and audience member cluck like a chicken. However, true hypnosis goes beyond that – it is a state of deep relaxation, a place between being asleep and still being awake. When you are in this state, you can be led to focus on one thing in your environment while at the same time ignoring everything else. You are also more inclined to follow a suggestion. However, no matter how deep the trance, you do not lose control of your own behavior.

In more recent times, modern medicine has started to view medical hypnosis as a useful tool. There are three main uses where medical hypnosis has become frequently used as a treatment for the condition.

First is pain. The signals for pain start in brain. For instance, try to pick up a hot pan, and the nerves in your fingers will transmit the heat they are feeling to the brain. The brain, interpreting it as being too hot, translates it as pain – and you jerk your hand back to avoid burning yourself further. This pain helps us survive and avoid serious injuries. However, sometimes pain has an unclear cause. If it becomes chronic, the patient will look for ways to relieve it. Medical hypnosis has been successful at helping patients turn off these random signals. Plus, since many pains are associated with anxiety and fear, the deeply relaxed state of hypnosis can also help to ease and regulate pain.

A second use is for cancer, for which medical hypnosis has several uses. Some patients are encouraged under medical hypnosis to visualize their healthy cells attacking and killing or forcing out the cancerous ones. This works especially well in children, though has been successful in adults as well. It is unsure whether or not hypnosis actually reduces the number of cancer cells, but it does improve the attitude of the patient. Having a positive attitude can help a patient battle the disease. Medical hypnosis can also be used to help manage the pain and nausea that can come from the cancer and/or the treatments that someone is receiving.

A third use for medical hypnosis is in treating bad habits. It has been offered as a cure for alcoholics, smokers, and overeaters. However, the majority of hypnotists feel that hypnosis works best in these cases if it is used in conjunction with another treatment. For example, a smoker will have better success with quitting if using hypnosis along with a support group and/or nicotine gum. An overeater may want to couple hypnosis with working with a personal trainer or weight loss group, and so on.

Medical hypnosis is not a magic cure for every ailment, but it does appear to help certain conditions. If you have tried other options with limited success, it may be worth the time to discuss medical hypnosis with your primary care giver. You may find it as the extra tool you need to give yourself the edge to succeed.

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