FEBRUARY 2, 2004 Business Week Magazine http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_05/b3868121_mz070.htm
It's gaining credibility as a treatment for a multitude of troubles, from nicotine addiction to post-traumatic stress disorder.
Hypnosis helped James Williams cut back on his drinking eight years ago. So when he developed a fear of flying after September 11, he again sought hypnotic relief. "I had always thought hypnosis was a stage show kind of thing. But I've found it incredibly effective at getting me to focus on what I want to accomplish," says Williams, 56, a vice-president of Polyonics, a Westmoreland (N.H.) maker of bar-code stickers. Indeed, today he travels by plane without anxiety.
Although
still not well understood, hypnosis has gained credibility in the past five
years because of research using the latest brain-imaging technology. PET,
MRI, and EEG scans show that hypnotized subjects have altered sensory perception
-- and they're not just pushovers, play-acting, or highly imaginative, as
once thought. Studies show hypnosis can help treat a multitude of disorders
from asthma to warts. But it is not a cure-all and can even be dangerous if
you go to a practitioner who lacks adequate training. [I cannot imagine
any danger, except to the pocketbook.]
TUNING THINGS OUT.
Hypnosis
is a trancelike state that arises when your conscious mind takes a backseat
to your unconscious, usually induced by relaxing patter. Forget the swinging
watches. You'll more likely be asked to shut your eyes or focus on a fixed
object, such as a doorknob. You tune out everything, including your own inhibitions.
This makes you highly attentive and open to suggestion.
Some people are more susceptible than others. "It's a blue-eyes, brown-eyes
kind of thing," says Dr. Elliot Wineburg, a neuropsychiatrist at Mt.
Sinai School of Medicine in New York. "You're either born with the ability
or you're not." Hypnotizability has nothing to do with intelligence or
gullibility. But it does correlate to whether you're the type who gets totally
absorbed reading a book or watching a movie. [This is not the generally
accepted opinion. ANYONE of average or above intelligence, not suffering from
metal illness and willing to follow a couple of simple instructions can be
hypnotized.]
The treatments usually last 30 minutes, and many patients report improvement
after just one session. Jennie Lauria, a Queens (N.Y.) lab technician, says
she kicked a pack-a-day smoking habit after a single visit with a hypnotherapist.
More likely, you'll have to go three or four times and maybe also get tapes
of hypnotic suggestions to play at night before you fall asleep. The suggestions
are usually about positive things that will result from stopping a bad habit,
such as how good you will feel and look if you lose weight. Your awareness
of pain might be dulled by suggestions that you are floating in space in absolute
comfort. [Our sessions typically are about an hour to an hour and a half,
with 30 to 45 minutes of “induced” trancework.]
PAIN MANAGEMENT.
Various
brain scans of hypnotized individuals show they actually perceive what they
are told is reality even when it clearly is not. A 2000 study in The American
Journal of Psychiatry revealed that when hypnotized subjects were told
a black-and-white picture was in color, their brain activity was consistent
with seeing colors. Other studies indicated brain activity congruent with
hearing noises when there were none, or not feeling pain when subjects' hands
were submerged in painfully hot or cold water.
It's not surprising, then, that hypnosis is often used to treat chronic pain
and help women give birth without resorting to medication. Researchers at
Harvard University have found it diminishes the need for anesthesia during
invasive procedures such as angioplasty and breast reconstruction and speeds
post-operative healing. Hypnosis may also be effective in treating asthma,
irritable-bowel syndrome, dermatitis, warts, hives, hemophilia, nausea associated
with chemotherapy or pregnancy, undesirable traits such as smoking or overeating,
anxiety, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder, says Etzel Cardeña,
president of the Society for Clinical & Experimental Hypnosis (SCEH) and
professor of psychology at the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg.
He adds that the effects of hypnotherapy generally are lasting, though some
patients might relapse after a period of months or years and require more
treatment. [If the effects have lasted for months, the hypnosis has worked.
Because we have free-will, we can make a conscious decision to re-start a
bad habit, or, once comfortable with the new behaviors established or changes
made, deeper issues might surface that need to be addressed.]
The success rate depends on your hypnotizability, motivation, and disorder.
For phobias, studies indicate it's around 50% after one visit. Hypnosis is
most effective when used with psychotherapy and other supportive measures.[Hypnosis
might improve the results of the psychotherapy, but the psychotherapy does
not improve the hypnosis.]
Hypnosis can be disorienting or tap emotions buried in your subconscious.
Furthermore, you are vulnerable in the hypnotic state. [In my opinion,
a person is no more vulnerable in hypnosis than they are sitting in a dentist's
chair, Unacceptable suggestions will either be “tuned out” or rejected.]
For these reasons, it should be practiced by a licensed professional
who operates under a recognized code of professional ethics. [Roy &
Joleen are certified by the Southwest Hypnotherapists Examining Board]
Treatment ranges anywhere from $50 to $300 per hour, depending on who you
see. For some diagnoses, your health insurance may pick up the cost.
HYPNOTIC SUGGESTIONS.
Hypnosis
is only as effective as your therapist's knowledge of you and your disorder.
[A good interview can speed results, but is not always necessary to get
terrific results. In my “Be a Positive Non-Smoker® ” group seminars, I
know very little about the participants or if they even have a disorder, yet
the results are awesome.] For example, Williams' psychologist
hypnotherapist recognized that his excessive drinking had a lot to do with
job-related stress. Therefore, the hypnotic suggestions Williams received
encouraged him not only to stop drinking but also to avoid getting "so
worked up about stuff at work," Williams says.
It's unlikely someone could get you to do anything that goes against your
deeply held values while you're under hypnosis. But if you feel vulnerable,
you can ask that a third party be present at the session to keep tabs on the
therapist. Although hypnosis can have powerful effects, it probably isn't
anything you haven't already experienced when you've stared off into space.
Mt. Sinai's Wineburg says hypnosis is on the same spectrum, neurologically
and experientially, as daydreaming and meditating. With hypnosis, however,
there could be a remedy in your reverie.
Roy's note:
To discover the basis for the comments made throughout the article, see my article,
“Scientific Rules of the Mind” that is posted on the web-site.