Hypnosis: Views from the Medical Research Community

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Although hypnosis is still considered to be an alternative form of medicine, it is increasingly gaining acceptance within the medical community for its many uses. This is largely due to the fact that numerous studies into the effectiveness of hypnosis in treating a number of different maladies have been performed, most of which have indicated that hypnosis is a valid and effective means for treatment of many different physical, emotional, and mental problems.

The Healing Power of Hypnosis

 

Numerous studies have been conducted surrounding the ability of hypnosis to aid in decreasing the amount of recovery time necessary after surgery or when facing a major illness or other health issue. 

 

Carol Ginandes, who is a professor at Harvard Medical School, has conducted more than one study into the use of hypnosis to help reduce pain and to help patients recover more quickly following surgery. In one study, Ginandes paired with fellow Harvard Medical School professor, Daniel Rosenthal, in order to look into the effects of hypnosis on patients that had broken their ankles.

 

In their study, Ginandes and Rosenthal followed twelve patients that had broken their ankles and that did not require surgical intervention.  Half of this group was hypnotized once per week for a period of twelve weeks while the other patients received the standard medical care from the same hospital. The same doctor provided care to all twelve volunteers and the same radiologist was used, though the professionals were not aware of who was going through hypnosis and who was not.

 

This study found that those undergoing hypnosis healed at a much faster rate. In fact, at their six week check-up, they had already healed to the point that would be expected after 8 ½ weeks of healing time. 

 

Ginandes has also paired up with Union Institute in Cincinnati professor Patricia Brooks to perform additional studies into the effects of hypnosis on healing. With this study, the researchers focused on women that had undergone breast reduction surgery. In order to eliminate the possibility that the patients with the broken ankles had healed more quickly simply because they received more attention, Ginandes broke these 18 participants into three groups. One group received standard treatment, one group received hypnosis treatments in addition to standard treatment, and one group received support through a psychologist.

 

Those receiving support through a psychologist underwent sessions at the same frequency as those going through hypnosis sessions, which was once per week for an eight week period. Those receiving extra care from a psychologist did heal faster than those receiving standard treatment, but those going through hypnosis healed at a much faster rate than both groups of women. 

 

With so much research supporting the positive effects of hypnosis, it is easy to see why more and more hospitals are choosing to add hypnosis to their patient offerings. The University of Chicago Medical Center and the Stanford Hospital & Clinics of Stanford University Medical Center in California, for example, both offer this service to their patients in an attempt to help reduce healing time and pain. 

 

Increasing Fertility through Hypnosis

 

Scientific studies have also been performed that demonstrate the ability of hypnosis to help couples overcome infertility. One of the reasons for the positive effects of hypnosis on infertility is the fact that many people fail to become pregnant simply for psychological reasons. For example, they may have a deep rooted fear of becoming a parent or may be afraid of going through a pregnancy and the childbirth process. With hypnosis, these fears can be allayed and pregnancy becomes possible.

 

Research has also demonstrated that hypnosis can significantly increase a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant. One study performed by an Israeli research team at the Soroka Hospital in Beersheva found that the chances of becoming pregnant can actually double with the help of hypnosis. This study followed 185 women who were having in vitro fertilization performed. With the help of hypnosis, the transfer of the embryo to the uterus was far more successful because the women were better capable of relaxing their uterine muscles and preventing contractions from occurring.

 

Dr. Ernest L. Rossi, who wrote a book entitled The Psychology of Gene Expression: Neuroscience and Neurogenesis in Hypnosis and the Healing Arts in 2002 also expresses the importance of hypnosis in increasing the chances of conception. According to his research, human genes must be in what he calls a “state of physical readiness” in order to conceive. Through hypnosis, the IL-1, c-fos, and CYP17 genes can become activated and prepared for conception.

 

Reducing Stress and Other Psychological Disorders with Hypnosis

 

A myriad of studies have also been conducted and have shown the positive effects that hypnosis can have on stress and other psychological disorders. One internationally recognized doctor, Dr. Michael Yapko, has received a great deal of attention for his ability to help patients suffering from depression. For the past thirty years, his primary treatment strategy has been to use hypnosis with his patience.

 

Dr. Alfred A. Barrios has also conducted research into the effectiveness of hypnosis in treating depression. His studies found that 93% of his patients that were treated with hypnosis required only 1½ months and six sessions of treatment before overcoming their depression. Behavior therapy only helped 72% of his patients and required six months of care and 22 sessions. Psychotherapy, on the other hand, required 600 sessions over an 11½ month period and helped only 38% of his patients. 

 

Hypnosis is steadily gaining acceptance within the medical community. Even if all doctors do not understand how or why the treatment works, the results are becoming difficult to deny. In fact, the National Institutes of Health technology assessment panel officially deemed it to be an effective treatment for alleviating the pain brought on by cancer and other conditions that cause pain back in 1996. This determination has been further backed by a study published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, which found that 73% of a total of 933 people participating in 27 experiments experienced less pain.

Smoking Bans: Is It Time to Quit?

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It is undeniable: smoking is bad for your health. The facts are that smoking causes more than 400,000 people to die each and every year in the United States alone. This is primarily due to the fact that smoking increases a person’s risk for developing heart disease, lung cancer and a number of other cancers.

In addition to the negative effect that smoking has on a person’s health, there are a number of other negative effects of smoking. For example, it yellows a person’s teeth and weakens the smoker’s gums. It also leads to foul breath and smelly fingers and clothes. Smokers also tend to experience premature wrinkling and yellowing of the skin. With so many negative effects, it is no wonder why so many are trying to put out their last cigarette for good. One of the most effective ways is to quit smoking with hypnosis.

 

Of course, smoking is quite costly as well. With many cigarettes costing $8 or more per pack, a person that smokes a pack per day will save nearly $1500 per year by kicking the habit.

 

Harming Others with Cigarettes 

The fact that smoking hurts more than just the person puffing the cigarette has also gained a great deal of attention. Consider these facts:

 

  • Approximately 300,000 cases of pneumonia and bronchitis in infants 18 months old and younger are associated with inhaling secondhand smoke.

 

  • Breathing in the secondhand smoke caused by the cigarette of a parent increases the likelihood of a child experiencing middle ear problems. It also causes wheezing and coughing and will worsen a child’s asthma conditions.

 

  • A teenager whose parents both smoke is twice as likely to become a smoker as well. The likelihood of becoming a smoker is also increased if just one parent smokes. 

 

With so many frightening statistics regarding secondhand smoke, it is easy t see why many people have gone to great lengths in order to make it more difficult to smoke in public places.

 

The Inconvenience of Smoking

Whether you agree with the research that has been taken place regarding secondhand smoke or not, the fact is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find places where you can smoke. Entire cities and even entire states have essentially made it impossible to smoke anywhere other than in your own home.

 

Even if smoking is still permitted in public places in your town, most stores will not permit it and any restaurants will not either. If you do wish to smoke while in a restaurant, you will have to wait for a table in s certain smoking section where all of the other smokers are forced together.

 

As a smoker, you often feel as if everyone is looking at you and sneering when you light up. Yet, the powerful addictive quality of cigarettes makes you feel compelled to keep on puffing.

 

Kicking the Habit with Stop Smoking Hypnosis

Many smokers have tried nearly everything to quit smoking – ranging from quitting “cold turkey” to using special nicotine pills and drugs. Quitting cold turkey is too difficult for most smokers and can even be physically painful. Using pills and other medical interventions is accompanied by side effects and is essentially swapping out one drug for another.

 

In order to keep the body safe and to increase the chances of successfully quitting smoking, most find that using hypnosis to quit smoking is the best answer. When you use hypnosis to quit smoking, you do not have to ingest any medication or stick any patches on your body. In fact, hypnosis does no harm to your body whatsoever. It is also a long term approach to helping you cope with your smoking addiction because, if you ever do experience a craving, you can use the self hypnosis techniques you learn to help you conquer that craving and remain smoke free.

 

When you decide to engage in stop smoking hypnosis, you will have several options. One choice will be to visit a professional hypnotherapist. Some hypnotherapists offer only one-on-one hypnosis sessions while others will periodically offer group sessions for stop smoking hypnosis. In both cases, the benefit to actually working with the hypnotherapist is that you can ask any questions that you may have and you will be able to get them answered immediately. In addition, the hypnotherapist may be able to personalize your session a little more in order to increase your chances of success.

 

Of course, there many not be anyone available to help you learn hypnosis to quit smoking. Or, you may simply not be able to get your hours to work with the times stop smoking hypnosis sessions are available. In addition, one-on-one sessions can be somewhat costly if they are not offered for free by a nearby clinic or hospital.

 

If there are roadblocks standing in your way for working directly with a professional hypnotherapist, you may purchase a CD or even download self hypnosis information from the Internet. This will allow you to engage in stop smoking hypnosis in the comfort of your own home and it is also quite convenient since you can have your hypnosis session whenever it is best for you.

 

When purchasing a CD to help guide you through hypnosis to quit smoking, be sure to purchase only those that are created by a professional and licensed hypnotherapist. This way, you will be sure to receive the same quality of assistance as you would if you were working with the professional on a one-on-one basis.

 

When you do kick the habit with stop smoking hypnosis, you will feel as if a large weight has been lifted from you. You won’t have to plan your day around your cigarettes and you will no longer have to feel terrible every time you light up. You will also find that you can breathe much easier and that food even tastes and smells much better. Better yet, you will not have to worry about the negative health effects of smoking. In fact, after your quit, your body will actually be able to begin repairing itself and eventually it will be healed to the point that it will be as if you never smoked at all!

How Your IPOD Can Help You Quit Smoking

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Smoking is perhaps one of the nastiest, yet hardest habits to quit. This does not mean that quitting smoking is impossible. In fact, there are hypnosis sessions that are available on mp3 format that can be downloaded to an mp3 player or, more specifically, an iPod, and can be listened to again and again to assist with quit smoking.

 

Many people may wonder what a hypnosis session can do for those that are in the need for quit smoking. There are many benefits of downloading a hypnosis session onto an iPod. For starters, there are many free hypnosis sessions that are available as a free podcast download. This is helpful for those that are seeking the help but can not afford to pay for a download. That should not detour those that still want to use a hypnosis session for a download on their iPods. These sessions are relatively cost effective, but even more so, the results that will arise from using a hypnosis session to quit smoking is priceless. Lastly, the main benefit is portability. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to be horizontal to listen to a hypnosis session. You can listen in your living room, while you are reading a book, or out doing yard work.

 

The overall theme of a hypnosis session is to bring people back to a clear headed state of mind. Hypnosis is effective in that it forces people to meditate and look at self and realize what is helpful, harmful, important and not important in ones life. With a hypnosis session on an iPod, not only is it a personal journey, but it is also a journey that can be taken time and again, and at one’s own pace. IPods are transportable and can go anywhere. When there is an urge to smoke a cigarette, the sessions that have been repeated over and over again thru the hypnosis therapy will come into play and the desire to smoke a cigarette will dwindle greatly.  

 

Smoking has been linked to heart disease, obesity as well as numerous forms of cancer. Stop smoking while one can is the best way out. Although most of the damage that has already been done is irreparable, it can at least be stopped with the aide of hypnosis as an mp3 on an IPod. Taking care of self is always the most important thing in anyone’s life, and it can be even more so for smokers that want to take back control of their life.

 

Smoking is not only a nasty habit, but is also a harmful habit for the smoker and those around them. Smoking can be stopped thru extensive hypnosis. Knowing that when a cigarette is consumed that you are slowly killing your self from the inside out is a horrible thing to think, but to know that hypnosis can cure ones self of all of this can be of a positive outlook and the hope for a positive outcome. Cravings seem to disappear with hypnosis and the smoker will realize that there will be less and less need for the nicotine, too. Quitting smoking with an Ipod and hypnosis sessions is perhaps one of the best and most life saving creations that has hit the market in quite some time.

The Power of Suggestion

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The mind is indeed a wonderful tool for our body. It holds personal information, feelings, thoughts, and emotions. It can operate on many different levels, and is independent from one mind to another. The mind is essentially a power house for thoughts and ideas, and can have the power of suggestion to possess positive ideas back into the mind once more.

There are often times when we find ourselves believing everything that is negative that is fed to us. It is time to stop believing the negativity, and time to start believing the positive. The power of suggestion is so strong that it can work in many facets of one’s life. For example, the power of suggestion is a powerful tool for weight loss. With the power of suggestion, people can make themselves believe and achieve the thought is loosing weight. To hear positive affirmations over and over throughout the day is one way that the power of suggestion can be used for beneficial purposes. The power of suggestion is indeed strong, whether it comes from one self of from other people.

 

The power of suggestion can come from different forms. The power of suggestion in a positive aspect can come from friends and family, hypnosis, and in all reality from ones own self. To be constantly demeaning to self and to not have self love is quite destructive. If there is no self love, than it is quite difficult for others to love those with negative hearts too. It is not that they can not be loved, but that they put up barriers all around them that act as large flags for negativity and unwanted-ness. Thanks to the power of suggestion, and positive affirmations repeated time and again, people can learn to love themselves. Once that door has been opened for self love, the possibilities are endless elsewhere in life.

 

The power of suggestions is indeed strong. The power of suggestion can be used for positive suggestions to improve ones daily lifestyle. Aside from love and weight loss, the power of suggestion can be positive with external relationships, such as with jobs, co-workers and neighbors. Sending positive vibes out to the universe can only bring back positive results, and therefore things can be good when they come back around. For example, say that you are up for a job promotion. You are not sure if you will get the job because others that are in the running for the same position may have more experience or qualifications than you. Before you know it, the sinking feeling that you are not smart enough or good enough for the well deserved position starts to sink in, and you begin to put out negative vibes that perhaps you wouldn’t want anyone to pick up on. Granted it is not intentional that you are acting in such a fashion, it just so happens that others are picking up on your vibes and feeding off of it to. To keep a positive aspect on things, it is to be believed that you will receive the job of your dreams and the job that you so deserve. Throwing out all doubt and feelings of guilt will propel you into the next stage of your life, all thanks to the power of positive suggestion.

 

The power of suggestion is indeed just that – powerful. The power of suggestion can either be a hindrance, but in most cases, it can indeed become something wonderful. Thru such elements like that of hypnosis, the power of suggestion turns fear and curiosity into certainty and reassurance. All doubt that once existed has now been replaced with an overwhelming knowing. The power of suggestion is indeed a wonderful tool. The best part is that we all possess this tool. It is the knowledge of knowing how to tap into it, or to be receptors to the positive power of suggestion that we all have to come to know and accept. The power of suggestion is a tool that can be used time and again in not only ones own daily life, but in the life of others. Paying the positive vibes forward is perhaps the best gift that can be given to anyone. The power of suggestion is indeed a miraculous and self contained victory in the long run. Be it thru prayer, via self awareness or thru the awareness of others, the power of suggestion for a positive aspect can be a wonderful way to turn an attitude around, and the mentality of “ I think” to “ I know”.

 

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