What is Hypnotherapy?
Hypnosis, also referred to as hypnotherapy or hypnotic suggestion, is an altered state of consciousness. This state of consciousness is usually achieved with the help of a Hypnotherapist and is different from your everyday awareness. When you're under hypnosis:
Your attention is more focusedYou're more responsive to suggestionsYou're more open and less critical or disbelievingThe purpose of hypnosis as a therapeutic technique is to help you gain more control over your behaviour, emotions or physical well-being.It's not clear how hypnosis works. However, it appears to affect how your brain communicates with your body through nerve impulses, hormones and body chemicals, such as neuro-peptides.
Hypnotherapists say that hypnosis creates a state of deep relaxation and quiets the mind. When you're hypnotized, you can concentrate intensely on a specific thought, memory, feeling or sensation while blocking out distractions. You're more open than usual to suggestions, and this can be used to change your behaviour and thereby improve your health and well-being.
Brief History
Hypnosis was used way before history records began to describe it as such. People in places such as Africa, India, Australia and Egypt used rhythmic chanting, strained fixation and monotonous drums in order to enter a trance state; this happened regularly during their religious or healing ceremonies. Even though hypnotic trance was used it was not given its current name until 1842, when a Scottish surgeon called James Braid (1775-1860) took the Greek word “hypno” with means “to sleep” and coined the term hypnosis.
Who is hypnosis for?
Hypnotherapy has the potential to help relieve the symptoms of a wide variety of diseases and conditions. It can be used independently or along with other treatments. For example, it's one of several relaxation methods for treating chronic pain that has been approved by an independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health. Hypnotherapy may be used to:
Change negative behaviours, i.e. smoking, bed-wetting and overeating Reduce fear, stress and anxiety Eliminate or decrease the intensity of phobias Treat pain during childbirth and reduce labour time Control pain during dental and surgical procedures Relieve symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)Lower blood pressure Control nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy Reduce the intensity or frequency of headaches, including migraines Treat and ease the symptoms of asthma Hasten the healing of some skin diseases, including warts, psoriasis and dermatitisAlthough hypnosis may have the potential to help with a wide variety of conditions, it's not a magic bullet. It's typically used as one part of a broader, more comprehensive treatment plan rather than as a stand-alone therapy. Like any other therapy, hypnosis can be very helpful to some people and fail with others. It seems to work best when you're highly motivated.
