How is medical hypnosis used?
Medical hypnosis can be used as part of a multi-disciplinary approach to the treatment of such conditions as irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, pain, sleep problems, TMJ and hypertension. If you are diagnosed with one of these conditions, you may find that you can benefit from the relaxation and positive suggestions given in the state of deep meditative absorption which characterizes hypnosis.
Hypnosis allows for a deeper connection to one's subconscious and autonomic processes. Hypnosis is an optimum tool to learn self-healing of stress-related symptoms.
Medical hypnosis may include personalized imagery which a person finds particularly healing for them. Images of nature and spiritual connection are often particularly helpful for clients dealing with these and other medical problems. In some cases the client may be helped to connect with a sense of an 'inner healer' which can help alleviate symptoms.
Dr. Andrew Weil, a pioneer in holistic healing and alternative medicine, a graduate of the Harvard Medical School, and best-selling author of books on natural and alternative healing, is a proponent of clinical hypnosis for these conditions.
Click on this link: http://www.healingmindbody.com/trance.mv?ARTID=drweil to be taken to an article he wrote on the uses of hypnosis for medical problems.
Click on the links below to be taken to the pages on treatments for specific illnesses:
Hypnosis Treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Hypnosis and self-hypnosis have been repeatedly proven through research in the US and Britain to be a highly effective means of alleviating all of the various symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome including:
- pain
- diarrhea
- constipation
- bloating
- nausea
- gas
Hypnotherapy has in fact been proven successful at reducing or even eliminating all Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms in over 80% of patients. Over 15 years of solid scientific research has demonstrated hypnosis to be an effective safe and inexpensive choice for IBS alleviation. It has been so overwhelmingly successful in this regard that Adriane Fugh-Berman MD chair of the National Women's Health Network in Washington DC has said that hypnosis should be the treatment of choice for Irritable Bowel Syndrome cases which have not responded to conventional therapy.
Hypnosis works for IBS works in three ways:
1) Relaxation relieves stressful responses to life and to the difficulties of the IBS condition.
2) Cognitive reframing and rational positive suggestions and education speak to your conscious mind.
3) Positive right-brain oriented and subliminal messages speak to your subconscious mind and your body.
Hypnosis Treatment for Pain and for Fibromyalgia (FMS)
Recent research shows that a multidisciplinary approach to treating Pain and FMS provide the greatest relief from symptoms and the best prognosis. This approach includes improving the quality of sleep, proper nutrition, physical conditioning, and through using hypnosis: deep relaxation and positive mental imagery. Hypnosis is used in conjunction with medical treatment and in coordination with your doctor.
Pain is one symptom of fibromyalgia. Decades of research show training in self-hypnosis to be an effective tool in controlling pain.
Click on the link below for research on hypnosis used to reduce pain:
Brain Imaging Studies Investigate Pain Reduction by Hypnosis
Treatment Protocol for Fibromyalgia
The hypnosis treatment protocol for fibromyalgia is approximately 12-14 sessions of hypnosis over about 4-6 months using progressive relaxation, guided imagery, recordings to listen to at home, and positive suggestions for healing.
Hypnosis helps to relieve the following symptoms of Fibromyalgia
- pain
- fatigue
- sleep disturbance
- stiffness
Facts About Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a collection of symptoms characterized by muscle pain, stiffness and
fatigue.
- It is a dysautonomic illness, a dysfunction of the nervous system.
- It takes an average of three years and 27 physician visits before the average person is diagnosed with FMS.
- FMS-like symptoms exist in many other conditions, so it may be necessary to run batteries of medical tests in order to rule out other serious illnesses.
- FMS affects approximately 2-10% of the population. Over 70% do not have significant psychological problems, but instead, problems with depression and stress arise after the onset of symptoms.
- There is no known cause, or cure, however the symptoms are traditionally treated with a combination of medications, nutrition changes, aerobic exercise, and massage therapy. Unfortunately, many times, the medications are not fully effective, the client feels too tired to exercise or cook, and massage therapy may hurt too much.
Research: There are numerous studies on the effectiveness of hypnosis on pain as well as on fibromyalgia. Here is an abstract from a research article on fibromyalgia.
Haanan, Haab CM: Hoenderdos, Henk TW.: Van Romunde, Leo KJ; Hop, Win CJ; Malle, constant; Terwiel, JackP; Hekster, Gideon B (1991) Controlled Trial of Hypnotherapy in the Treatment of Refractory Fibromyalgia. Journal of Rheumatology, 18 (1) 72-75. Contributor: Jean Holdroyd, UCLA.
In a controlled study, 40 patients with refractory Fibromaygia were randomly allocated to treatment with either hypnotherapy or physical therapy for 12 weeks with a follow-up at 24 weeks. Compare with patients in the physical therapy group the patients in the hypnotherapy group showed significantly better outcome with respect to their pain experience, fatigue upon wakening, sleep pattern and global assessment at 12 and 24 weeks, but this was not reflected in an improvement of the total myalgic score measured by a dolorimeter. At baseline most patients in both groups had strong feelings of somatic and psychic discomfort as measured by Hoptkins Symptom Checklist. These feelings showed a significant decrease in patients treated by hypnotherapy compared with physical therapy., but they remained abnormally strong in many cases. We conclude hypnotherapy may be useful in relieving symptoms in patients with refractory fibromyalgia.
(Note, there is a higher level of relief achieved when the therapy is longer, as in the protocol which I have been trained to do of 12-14 sessions over 6 months.FR)
Hypnosis Treatment for TMJ and Bruxism(Tooth-Grinding)
How can Bruxism and TMJ syndrome be treated?
Most treatment prescriptions include some sort of counseling and training in stress-reduction and relaxation techniques, to eliminate stress-related factors that so often contribute to the dysfunction. Hypnosis, meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises are among the techniques that have shown positive results.
Do you grind your teeth?
Because most bruxism happens at night, most sufferers aren't even aware of it until a sleep partner mentions the noise or until a dentist notices that their teeth are damaged. Here are some typical symptoms that may indicate nighttime teeth grinding:
Symptom checklist:
- Jaw or facial pain and tenderness on awakening that lessens throughout the day.
- Headaches or earaches in the morning that go away as the day wears on.
- Spouse or sleep partner complains that the noise is keeping them awake at night.
- Teeth have become sensitive to cold, pressure, or other stimuli.
- Indentations on tongue.
- Tips of teeth appear flattened.
What is TMJ syndrome?
Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome, also called myofascial pain dysfunction, is a general term for a number of muscle, joint, and nerve symptoms that seem to be related to disturbances in the temporomandibular joint which connects the lower jaw (the mandible) to the skull. Many of the TMJ symptoms seem to be at least partly stress-related. It may be caused in part by bruxism, which can damage the joint.
What are the symptoms of TMJ syndrome?
TMJ often begins as discomfort in the jaw muscles that can lead to headaches, hearing problems and even pain while chewing and speaking. TMJ syndrome can produce a wide array of seemingly unrelated symptoms:
- Sore jaw muscles
- Chronic generalized facial pain (either a sharp pain or a dull ache)
- Headaches
- Earaches
- A loud roaring in the ears
- Clicking or popping sounds when the jaw is opened
- Difficulty in opening and closing the jaw
- Difficulty, discomfort, or pain when biting or chewing
- Neck, shoulder, chest, and back pain
- Toothache
- Dizziness
- Partial hearing loss