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.
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