Hypnosis for Health and Healing
print friendly versionHypnotherapy has been widely used to increase physical health and wellness . For those suffering from illness, hypnotherapy has been effective at reducing pain, and eliminating the stress and anxiety associated with illness. Hypnotherapy should be considered an adjunct treatment for any disease or illness. It is imperative that with any type of illness or pain, you are treated by your doctor first. I have included some examples of areas that hypnotherapy can assist with. Of course, there are many other areas I have not covered. If you have any questions about your particular ailment or pain, please do not hesitate to e-mail your questions or concerns via our online form.
Hypnosis Has Been Effective in:
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Pain Management
There are 2 distinct types of pain: acute and chronic. Acute pain refers to temporary pain; one in which the sufferer knows it will end. Chronic pain is usually associated with a condition or illness, in which there is no prospect of it ending. It is imperative that you always visit a physician if you have undiagnosed pain, before making an appointment for hypnotherapy for pain management. Pain is an important signal that your body gives you to let you know something is wrong.
Hypnotherapy is a very effective treatment for pain control. Oftentimes, pain itself can put us in a light stage of hypnosis, because it narrows the focus of our attention. This is one of the many reasons hypnotherapy works so well to manage pain.
It has been suggested that at least 70% of pain is emotional. Factors that can exacerbate pain include stress, depression, and anxiety, among others. Hypnotherapy takes a holistic approach, dealing not only with the pain itself, but all these outside forces related to the pain.
Pre- and Post-Operative Recovery
Preoperative surgery often causes great anxiety, mainly because people have a fear of the unknown. People tend to "fear the worst" before their surgery, causing a surge of anxiety and stress. Studies indicate this to have negative effects on the postoperative recovery. Numerous studies indicate that adults who have a lot of preoperative anxiety have a longer recovery period following surgery. Then, in 2006 a similar study was done on children, to see if the results were the same.
In 2006, a study involving 241 children ages 5-12 scheduled for outpatient surgeries was done. Before the surgery, the children were evaluated on their level of anxiety. All children remained in the hospital for 24 hours, and their pain was assessed every 3 hours. They were evaluated for 14 more days and were administered pain medication . The results of the study indicate d that the children who were more anxious prior to the surgery reported significantly more pain in the 3 days of recovering from the surgery. Further, t he more anxious children consumed more pain medication and had more anxiety and sleep problems during recovery . This study shows that preoperative anxiety is a serious issue that needs to be addressed in both adults and children . Increased anxiety before surgery leads to more anxiety, pain, and slower recovery time post-operative.
Another study looked at the effects of hypnosis and stress reducing techniques in reducing pain and anxiety in surgical patients. The study consisted of 60 patients undergoing elective plastic surgery. They were randomly selected: a control group received stress reducing techniques and a group received hypnosis to reduce anxiety. Patients' pain and anxiety were measured before, during, and after the surgery.
Results showed that the hypnosis group reported significantly lower levels of pain and anxiety before and after the surgery. The hypnosis group also required less pain medication following the surgery and their vital statistics were more consistent during the surgery. The patients also reported greater satisfaction with their surgical experience.
This study shows that hypnosis is a highly effective form of reducing pain and anxiety for people undergoing surgery. This also leads to improved recovery after the surgery due to less anxiety and pain associated with the procedure.
IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Hypnosis has been proven an effective treatment for irritable bowel syndrome sufferers, and is gaining popularity worldwide. The response rate to treatment is 80% or better in most published studies to date. Hypnotherapy is known to effectively treat the bloating, abdominal pain, disturbed defecation and anxiety associated with IBS.
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If you're concerned about your health and are currently consulting with your physician, hypnotherapy can be a positive adjunct treatment.
