The Science of Hypnosis
Posted by Youth Radio Investigates on June 24, 2013
(20)
By: Chantell Williams HypnosisResize
Hypnosis has been around for centuries. It’s been shown to reduce stress, anxiety and pain. Yet the practice is still struggling for mainstream public acceptance. New research from Stanford University is applying the latest medical imaging tools to figure out the science behind hypnosis, and what makes it work. Youth Radio’s Chantell Williams wanted to know what hypnosis can do for stressed out teens.
First, here’s what hypnosis isn’t: it’s not brainwashing or magic like in the cartoons. Hypnosis is a trance-like state of heightened concentration and it’s more common than you might think. Katie Duchscherer, a psychology major at Stanford University, says, “If you’ve ever really gotten into reading a book or watching a television show and the rest of the world around you has sort-of gone away. Hypnosis is very similar to that.”
Katie uses self hypnosis to control her anxiety in stressful situations. During a test she takes a few deep breaths, goes to a different place mentally and tells herself, “I’m going to use this adrenaline in my system to feel focused for the test.”
Katie learned to hypnotize herself from Dr. David Spiegel, the Associate Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford. He defines hypnosis as being to consciousness what a telephoto lens is to a camera.
Dr. Spiegel says what Katie’s doing is different from meditation or other self-soothing techniques. She’s easing muscle tension, relaxing non essential parts of her mind, and zooming in on the problem in front of her, leaving only her and the test. Katie has apparently mastered the art hypnosis. But not everyone has the ability to be hypnotized. Dr. Spiegel is using brain scans to research why that is.
A team of researchers, including Dr. Spiegel, used fMRI to show the different "brain signatures" of high and low hypnotizable people. They found a higher connectivity between different brain regions in highly hypnotizable people. (Hoeft et al., Functional Brain Basis of Hypnotizability, 2012)
Dr. Spiegel says hypnotizability is partly due to childhood experiences. “Children whose parents are physically abusive tend to be more hypnotizable, and we think that’s because they use their brains in an escape,” Spiegel explains.
Positive childhood experiences also contribute to hypnotizabiltiy. Spiegel says, children who have parents who tell stories and use their imaginations a lot tend to like to keep doing that.
I was a pretty imaginative kid, so I couldn’t help but wonder, could hypnosis work on me? I found a free video by Googling “self hypnosis.” It told me to close my eyes and think about being twice as physically and mentally relaxed. But I couldn’t stop thinking, twice as relaxed? What does it mean to be twice as relaxed?
I really thought hypnosis would work for me. Maybe, with a little training from Dr. Spiegel. He says, “hypnosis is literally the oldest western conception of a psycho-therapy. It’s been around for close to 300 years but we still keep viewing it as weird.”
Weird or not, if I could use hypnosis to help me through my finals, count me in.
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/06/24/the-science-of-hypnosis/
Rabu, 01 Oktober 2014
Woman Credits Hypnosis for 140-Pound Weight Loss
Woman Credits Hypnosis for 140-Pound Weight Loss
By ABC News
Aug 21, 2014 10:10am
Is the secret to weight loss simply tricking your mind into thinking you had gastric bypass surgery?
That’s what happened to Julie Evans, an overwhelmed mom of two small children, who at her biggest weighed 287 pounds.
Evans claims hypnosis helped her begin craving healthy foods instead of junk.
“All I wanted was spinach,” Evans, 35, told ABC News. “I wanted salad. It was the creepiest feeling in the whole wide world.”
She admits it sounds crazy, but says hypnosis was her trick to shedding 140 pounds and actually keeping it off.
“I was the biggest skeptic ever,” she explained. “I haven’t had fast-food since. I don’t even crave it.”
Back in 2006, however, Evans ate fast-food and junk food every day. It wasn’t until a vacation to Hawaii that she realized she was too embarrassed to show her body in a bathing suit and decided it was time for a change.
“I was at that point where this was holding me back from living,” she said.
Evans’ mom convinced her to try hypnosis and, although skeptical, she went to a seminar featuring hypnotherapist Rena Greenberg.
“We have a lot of old patterns that are bombarding the mind and what we’re doing is sort of rewriting the script,” Greenberg said of her tactics.
Greenberg says she has her clients visualize pushing the plate away because you’re no longer hungry or going to the gym instead of binging on cookies. And after only one session, Evans says it changed the way she ate.
“I would pause and think about what I’m putting inside of me,” she recalled.
Still, critics say it won’t work for everyone.
“It’s unproven,” Rebecca Solomon, a dietician and nutritionist, explained. “It doesn’t work for all and the studies do show you have to believe it’s going to work for it to work.”
For Evans however, she’s going to the gym for the first time in her life and listens to her hypnosis CDs when she feels like she’s getting off track. She has successfully kept the weight off for seven years and tells the skeptics not to judge until they’ve tried it.
“It worked for me,” she said. “But I do think you have to have an open mind and be willing to listen.”
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2014/08/21/woman-credits-hypnosis-for-140-pound-weight-loss/
By ABC News
Aug 21, 2014 10:10am
Is the secret to weight loss simply tricking your mind into thinking you had gastric bypass surgery?
That’s what happened to Julie Evans, an overwhelmed mom of two small children, who at her biggest weighed 287 pounds.
Evans claims hypnosis helped her begin craving healthy foods instead of junk.
“All I wanted was spinach,” Evans, 35, told ABC News. “I wanted salad. It was the creepiest feeling in the whole wide world.”
She admits it sounds crazy, but says hypnosis was her trick to shedding 140 pounds and actually keeping it off.
“I was the biggest skeptic ever,” she explained. “I haven’t had fast-food since. I don’t even crave it.”
Back in 2006, however, Evans ate fast-food and junk food every day. It wasn’t until a vacation to Hawaii that she realized she was too embarrassed to show her body in a bathing suit and decided it was time for a change.
“I was at that point where this was holding me back from living,” she said.
Evans’ mom convinced her to try hypnosis and, although skeptical, she went to a seminar featuring hypnotherapist Rena Greenberg.
“We have a lot of old patterns that are bombarding the mind and what we’re doing is sort of rewriting the script,” Greenberg said of her tactics.
Greenberg says she has her clients visualize pushing the plate away because you’re no longer hungry or going to the gym instead of binging on cookies. And after only one session, Evans says it changed the way she ate.
“I would pause and think about what I’m putting inside of me,” she recalled.
Still, critics say it won’t work for everyone.
“It’s unproven,” Rebecca Solomon, a dietician and nutritionist, explained. “It doesn’t work for all and the studies do show you have to believe it’s going to work for it to work.”
For Evans however, she’s going to the gym for the first time in her life and listens to her hypnosis CDs when she feels like she’s getting off track. She has successfully kept the weight off for seven years and tells the skeptics not to judge until they’ve tried it.
“It worked for me,” she said. “But I do think you have to have an open mind and be willing to listen.”
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2014/08/21/woman-credits-hypnosis-for-140-pound-weight-loss/
Why I chose hypnobirthing
Why I chose hypnobirthing
Saturday, 20 July, 2002, 23:18 GMT 00:18 UK
By Jane Elliott
BBC News Online Health Staff
Pia Goodman was terrified at the thought of giving birth, but she astonished midwives by having her first baby in just over three hours at home without any painkillers.
Ms Goodman admits she is a worrier and the thought of labour pains and the fears of what could go wrong were almost too much.
I just breathed her out without drugs
Pia Goodman
So when she was about 22 weeks pregnant she decided to try a pioneering new technique called hypnobirthing.
Hypnobirthing, which started in the States, uses self-hypnosis, relaxation, visualisation and breathing techniques to prepare the mother for birth.
And Ms Goodman, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, said it had worked fantastically during Imogen's birth.
"I am usually quite scared and I was petrified about going into labour.
"I am a worrier and I do get quite panicky about things like childbirth so I thought this might help me."
After taking the course Ms Goodman was so confident that she decided to try for a home birth.
"She was my first and I had her at home.
"I said that I had wanted a home birth, but I did not think I would be able to do it.
"But I went to see my midwife when I was 39 weeks and five days pregnant and said I definitely wanted a home birth.
"She panicked and said I hadn't given her much time, but my mum was my birthing partner and she and I were confident we could do it."
Diligent practice
As well as the series of classes Ms Goodman was given textbooks and relaxation tapes and she practised them religiously in the months leading up to the birth.
So when the big day came five weeks ago she was able to put all the theory into practice.
We have had women coming to us who are absolutely terrified at the thought of giving birth and they have gone on to have a perfectly natural birth with no drugs
Sonya Wadsworth
"The midwives were so impressed I had my hypnobirthing tape on and I rocked on a birthing ball and I just breathed.
"I just breathed her out without drugs it was just great and I could not have wished for anything better.
"I think it is just fantastic and it really, really helped."
Hypnotherapist Sonya Wadsworth, of Oldham, said that Ms Goodman's experiences at her birth just five weeks ago were typical of the many positive responses she has had to the pioneering technique.
Since she started the hypnobirthing in the UK last November she has had 26 very happy mothers complete her course and have successful births, including one set of twins.
"It gives women the chance to have choices. We reframe everything for mothers in a positive way so that the mums gain the confidence to have a good birth.
"We use self-hypnosis so that they can do it themselves and so that by the time the birth comes round they are actually looking forward to it rather than dreading it."
Complications
But although the technique is ideal for enabling natural childbirth, it can also be adapted for women who know they are going to have complications.
One of Mrs Wadsworth's clients suffered from pre-eclampsia and needed a Caesarean section, but she was able to use the technique to make the experience as pleasant as possible.
"The mothers have the birth that is for them, we do not set them up to fail.
"And the babies born in this way are so much calmer because they have been born in such a calm way. They really are chilled babies.
"We have had women coming to us who are absolutely terrified at the thought of giving birth and they have gone on to have a perfectly natural birth with no drugs, not even paracetamol."
Mary Newburn, of the NCT, said natural birthing methods like hypnobirthing should be encouraged by the NHS as a means of cutting the growing Caesarean rates.
"We should be exploring ways of letting people get over fear.
"The birth process is very straightforward if you can get into the mindset.
"Compared with some other self-help hypnotherapy is quite a minority interest but in the cases of people I have heard who have used this there have been very positive reports."
Anyone wanting to find out more about hypnobirthing can ring 0161 620 8770
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2136691.stm
Saturday, 20 July, 2002, 23:18 GMT 00:18 UK
By Jane Elliott
BBC News Online Health Staff
Pia Goodman was terrified at the thought of giving birth, but she astonished midwives by having her first baby in just over three hours at home without any painkillers.
Ms Goodman admits she is a worrier and the thought of labour pains and the fears of what could go wrong were almost too much.
I just breathed her out without drugs
Pia Goodman
So when she was about 22 weeks pregnant she decided to try a pioneering new technique called hypnobirthing.
Hypnobirthing, which started in the States, uses self-hypnosis, relaxation, visualisation and breathing techniques to prepare the mother for birth.
And Ms Goodman, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, said it had worked fantastically during Imogen's birth.
"I am usually quite scared and I was petrified about going into labour.
"I am a worrier and I do get quite panicky about things like childbirth so I thought this might help me."
After taking the course Ms Goodman was so confident that she decided to try for a home birth.
"She was my first and I had her at home.
"I said that I had wanted a home birth, but I did not think I would be able to do it.
"But I went to see my midwife when I was 39 weeks and five days pregnant and said I definitely wanted a home birth.
"She panicked and said I hadn't given her much time, but my mum was my birthing partner and she and I were confident we could do it."
Diligent practice
As well as the series of classes Ms Goodman was given textbooks and relaxation tapes and she practised them religiously in the months leading up to the birth.
So when the big day came five weeks ago she was able to put all the theory into practice.
We have had women coming to us who are absolutely terrified at the thought of giving birth and they have gone on to have a perfectly natural birth with no drugs
Sonya Wadsworth
"The midwives were so impressed I had my hypnobirthing tape on and I rocked on a birthing ball and I just breathed.
"I just breathed her out without drugs it was just great and I could not have wished for anything better.
"I think it is just fantastic and it really, really helped."
Hypnotherapist Sonya Wadsworth, of Oldham, said that Ms Goodman's experiences at her birth just five weeks ago were typical of the many positive responses she has had to the pioneering technique.
Since she started the hypnobirthing in the UK last November she has had 26 very happy mothers complete her course and have successful births, including one set of twins.
"It gives women the chance to have choices. We reframe everything for mothers in a positive way so that the mums gain the confidence to have a good birth.
"We use self-hypnosis so that they can do it themselves and so that by the time the birth comes round they are actually looking forward to it rather than dreading it."
Complications
But although the technique is ideal for enabling natural childbirth, it can also be adapted for women who know they are going to have complications.
One of Mrs Wadsworth's clients suffered from pre-eclampsia and needed a Caesarean section, but she was able to use the technique to make the experience as pleasant as possible.
"The mothers have the birth that is for them, we do not set them up to fail.
"And the babies born in this way are so much calmer because they have been born in such a calm way. They really are chilled babies.
"We have had women coming to us who are absolutely terrified at the thought of giving birth and they have gone on to have a perfectly natural birth with no drugs, not even paracetamol."
Mary Newburn, of the NCT, said natural birthing methods like hypnobirthing should be encouraged by the NHS as a means of cutting the growing Caesarean rates.
"We should be exploring ways of letting people get over fear.
"The birth process is very straightforward if you can get into the mindset.
"Compared with some other self-help hypnotherapy is quite a minority interest but in the cases of people I have heard who have used this there have been very positive reports."
Anyone wanting to find out more about hypnobirthing can ring 0161 620 8770
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2136691.stm
Shocking News About Clinical Hypnotherapy
Shocking News About Clinical Hypnotherapy
Posted: 17/12/2013 10:59 GMT Updated: 15/02/2014 10:59 GMT
Steve Miller Headshot
UK’s Weight Loss Master, straight talking motivator and mind programming expert
Gone are the days when Hypnosis was related to getting subjects to run around clucking like a chicken and singing like Elvis. Indeed in 1955 Hypnotherapy was endorsed by the British Medical Association, and has over recent years become massively respected as a treatment to help clients to lose weight, overcome anxiety, stop smoking, and take their confidence through the roof. Even celebrities such as Nigella Lawson and Lily Allen turned to the Clinical Hypnotherapist to help them lose weight. But you may be mistaken to think you will always be in safe hands.
Unregulated and unsatisfactory
2013-12-16-SteveMiller9.jpg
Hypnotherapy remains a profession that is highly unregulated with no mandatory qualification structure. Training ranges from a weekend course to a full qualification programme offered by the best training providers such as the London College of Clinical Hypnosis who now offer a Master's degree in Clinical Hypnosis.
Indeed having qualified myself over fourteen years ago, I believe if anything the quality of training has deteriorated beyond awful. I hear there are even providers offering unaccredited distance learning qualifications that include no field work whatsoever. It is a huge concern for a profession that works with people's minds, supposedly helping them to achieve their goals through mind reprogramming. It's a bit like allowing someone to learn to drive by distance learning.
And it doesn't stop there. I hear jaw dropping stories of obese clients visiting a hypnotherapist to inspire them to lose weight only to find the hypnotherapist themselves is hugely overweight and could equally benefit from the therapy. Surely this can be compared to a client desperate to stop smoking only to find the hypnotherapist is smoking in front of them. When I hear this I do wonder if the eagerness is more for the cheque, rather than helping the client change for the better.
Where to look for the best
Fortunately there are professional organisations such as the National Council for Hypnotherapy, and the British Society of Clinical Hypnosis that registers professional hypnotherapists based on their experience and qualifications.
In searching out a professional Clinical Hypnotherapist I recommend you follow my five point plan:
1. Check that the Hypnotherapist is registered with a professional body and has undergone a structured programme of training that has included practical experience using the tools of hypnosis.
2. Never go cheap as this can mean desperate. Fees range from £40 right up to £600 per session. My advice is to leave well alone those at the bottom end.
3. Make a telephone call and speak to the Hypnotherapist. Ask them to share with you their experience of dealing with clients with your presenting condition. If their experience is nil then walk away and find a practitioner who has. If they have a PA that is always a good sign as it means they are busy.
4. When you arrive at the Hypnotherapists consulting room check out that it feels professional. If it is messy and the Hypnotherapist is uninspiring and you feel that they are not for you then discuss your concerns. If you still feel uninspired then walk out.
5. Always check the Hypnotherapist has professional indemnity insurance.
There can be no doubt that Clinical Hypnotherapy is one of the fastest and safest treatments helping people who are desperate to overcome a debilitating condition. But you are well advised to tread carefully. (*)
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/stevemiller/clinical-hypnotherapy_b_4452184.html
Posted: 17/12/2013 10:59 GMT Updated: 15/02/2014 10:59 GMT
Steve Miller Headshot
UK’s Weight Loss Master, straight talking motivator and mind programming expert
Gone are the days when Hypnosis was related to getting subjects to run around clucking like a chicken and singing like Elvis. Indeed in 1955 Hypnotherapy was endorsed by the British Medical Association, and has over recent years become massively respected as a treatment to help clients to lose weight, overcome anxiety, stop smoking, and take their confidence through the roof. Even celebrities such as Nigella Lawson and Lily Allen turned to the Clinical Hypnotherapist to help them lose weight. But you may be mistaken to think you will always be in safe hands.
Unregulated and unsatisfactory
2013-12-16-SteveMiller9.jpg
Hypnotherapy remains a profession that is highly unregulated with no mandatory qualification structure. Training ranges from a weekend course to a full qualification programme offered by the best training providers such as the London College of Clinical Hypnosis who now offer a Master's degree in Clinical Hypnosis.
Indeed having qualified myself over fourteen years ago, I believe if anything the quality of training has deteriorated beyond awful. I hear there are even providers offering unaccredited distance learning qualifications that include no field work whatsoever. It is a huge concern for a profession that works with people's minds, supposedly helping them to achieve their goals through mind reprogramming. It's a bit like allowing someone to learn to drive by distance learning.
And it doesn't stop there. I hear jaw dropping stories of obese clients visiting a hypnotherapist to inspire them to lose weight only to find the hypnotherapist themselves is hugely overweight and could equally benefit from the therapy. Surely this can be compared to a client desperate to stop smoking only to find the hypnotherapist is smoking in front of them. When I hear this I do wonder if the eagerness is more for the cheque, rather than helping the client change for the better.
Where to look for the best
Fortunately there are professional organisations such as the National Council for Hypnotherapy, and the British Society of Clinical Hypnosis that registers professional hypnotherapists based on their experience and qualifications.
In searching out a professional Clinical Hypnotherapist I recommend you follow my five point plan:
1. Check that the Hypnotherapist is registered with a professional body and has undergone a structured programme of training that has included practical experience using the tools of hypnosis.
2. Never go cheap as this can mean desperate. Fees range from £40 right up to £600 per session. My advice is to leave well alone those at the bottom end.
3. Make a telephone call and speak to the Hypnotherapist. Ask them to share with you their experience of dealing with clients with your presenting condition. If their experience is nil then walk away and find a practitioner who has. If they have a PA that is always a good sign as it means they are busy.
4. When you arrive at the Hypnotherapists consulting room check out that it feels professional. If it is messy and the Hypnotherapist is uninspiring and you feel that they are not for you then discuss your concerns. If you still feel uninspired then walk out.
5. Always check the Hypnotherapist has professional indemnity insurance.
There can be no doubt that Clinical Hypnotherapy is one of the fastest and safest treatments helping people who are desperate to overcome a debilitating condition. But you are well advised to tread carefully. (*)
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/stevemiller/clinical-hypnotherapy_b_4452184.html
Hypnosis 'reduces cancer pain'
Hypnosis 'reduces cancer pain'
By Paul Rincon
BBC News Online science staff, at the BA festival
Brain
Hypnosis can affect the left frontal cortex of the brain in some
Childhood cancer patients suffer less pain when placed under hypnosis, scientists have claimed.
Children who had been hypnotised in trials reported they had less pain from medical procedures as well as cancer-related pain.
Dr Christina Liossi, from University of Wales, Swansea, suggested there was even tentative evidence that hypnosis prolonged the lives of cancer patients.
The research is being presented at the BA Festival of Science in Exeter.
In one study, 80 children were placed in four groups: two experimental groups who were treated with an anaesthetic and hypnosis.
Two control groups were just given the anaesthetic.
"All [40] children who used hypnosis with a local anaesthetic felt much less pain than children who were just given the local anaesthetic," said Dr Liossi.
The children, aged six to 16, were placed under hypnosis by experts and then taught to hypnotise themselves before they underwent procedures.
Children not treated with hypnosis were talked to and counselled instead.
"We asked children to rate their pain from 0 to 5 on a graded scale. Before we perform hypnosis we ask them to rate their pain on this scale," Dr Liossi explained.
"Then we introduce hypnosis and then we ask them to rate pain again and they report much less."
Brain changes
Other evidence presented at the festival also supports the idea that hypnosis is a genuine physical state and that people are not simply deceiving themselves into thinking they are hypnotised.
There are some studies and there are some encouraging results from these that hypnosis can probably improve the survival of cancer patients. But at the moment there isn't enough evidence
Dr Christina Liossi
Individuals who are highly susceptible to being placed under hypnosis show that there are changes in the left frontal cortex of the brain and a structure called the cingulated gyrus when viewed through a functional MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanner.
"The frontal lobe is concerned with our planning, our future actions, our analysis of the here and now, our critical evaluation and the things we do so we don't make silly mistakes," said Dr John Gruzelier of Imperial College, London.
"If you think about what the hypnotist does, he asks you to go with the flow and not critically analyse what you're doing."
Dr Liossi suggested there was even evidence that hypnosis might prolong life in adult cancer patients.
"There are some studies and there are some encouraging results from these," she said.
Adult cancer patients placed under hypnosis show fewer cancer-related symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and pain, said Dr Liossi.
"There are some studies and there are some encouraging results from these that hypnosis can probably improve the survival of cancer patients.
"But at the moment there isn't enough evidence." (*)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3642764.stm
By Paul Rincon
BBC News Online science staff, at the BA festival
Brain
Hypnosis can affect the left frontal cortex of the brain in some
Childhood cancer patients suffer less pain when placed under hypnosis, scientists have claimed.
Children who had been hypnotised in trials reported they had less pain from medical procedures as well as cancer-related pain.
Dr Christina Liossi, from University of Wales, Swansea, suggested there was even tentative evidence that hypnosis prolonged the lives of cancer patients.
The research is being presented at the BA Festival of Science in Exeter.
In one study, 80 children were placed in four groups: two experimental groups who were treated with an anaesthetic and hypnosis.
Two control groups were just given the anaesthetic.
"All [40] children who used hypnosis with a local anaesthetic felt much less pain than children who were just given the local anaesthetic," said Dr Liossi.
The children, aged six to 16, were placed under hypnosis by experts and then taught to hypnotise themselves before they underwent procedures.
Children not treated with hypnosis were talked to and counselled instead.
"We asked children to rate their pain from 0 to 5 on a graded scale. Before we perform hypnosis we ask them to rate their pain on this scale," Dr Liossi explained.
"Then we introduce hypnosis and then we ask them to rate pain again and they report much less."
Brain changes
Other evidence presented at the festival also supports the idea that hypnosis is a genuine physical state and that people are not simply deceiving themselves into thinking they are hypnotised.
There are some studies and there are some encouraging results from these that hypnosis can probably improve the survival of cancer patients. But at the moment there isn't enough evidence
Dr Christina Liossi
Individuals who are highly susceptible to being placed under hypnosis show that there are changes in the left frontal cortex of the brain and a structure called the cingulated gyrus when viewed through a functional MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanner.
"The frontal lobe is concerned with our planning, our future actions, our analysis of the here and now, our critical evaluation and the things we do so we don't make silly mistakes," said Dr John Gruzelier of Imperial College, London.
"If you think about what the hypnotist does, he asks you to go with the flow and not critically analyse what you're doing."
Dr Liossi suggested there was even evidence that hypnosis might prolong life in adult cancer patients.
"There are some studies and there are some encouraging results from these," she said.
Adult cancer patients placed under hypnosis show fewer cancer-related symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and pain, said Dr Liossi.
"There are some studies and there are some encouraging results from these that hypnosis can probably improve the survival of cancer patients.
"But at the moment there isn't enough evidence." (*)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3642764.stm
Hypnosis has 'real' brain effect
Hypnosis has 'real' brain effect
Hypnosis has a "very real" effect that can be picked up on brain scans, say Hull University researchers.
An imaging study of hypnotised participants showed decreased activity in the parts of the brain linked with daydreaming or letting the mind wander.
The same brain patterns were absent in people who had the tests but who were not susceptible to being hypnotised.
One psychologist said the study backed the theory that hypnosis "primes" the brain to be open to suggestion.
Hypnosis is increasingly being used to help people stop smoking or lose weight and advisers recently recommended its use on the NHS to treat irritable bowel syndrome.
This shows that the changes were due to hypnosis and not just simple relaxation
Dr William McGeown, study leader
It is not the first time researchers have tried to use imaging studies to monitor brain activity in people under hypnosis.
But the Hull team said these had been done while people had been asked to carry out tasks, so it was not clear whether the changes in the brain were due to the act of doing the task or an effect of hypnosis.
In the latest study, the team first tested how people responded to hypnosis and selected 10 individuals who were "highly suggestible" and seven people who did not really respond to the technique other than becoming more relaxed.
The participants were asked to do a task under hypnosis, such as listening to non-existent music, but unknown to them the brain activity was being monitored in the rest periods in between tasks, the team reported in the journal Consciousness and Cognition.
Default mode
In the "highly suggestible" group there was decreased activity in the part of the brain involved in daydreaming or letting the mind wander - also known as the "default mode" network.
One suggestion of how hypnosis works, supported by the results, is that shutting off this activity leaves the brain free to concentrate on other tasks.
Study leader Dr William McGeown, a lecturer in the department of psychology, said the results were unequivocal because they only occurred in the highly suggestible subjects.
"This shows that the changes were due to hypnosis and not just simple relaxation. "Our study shows hypnosis is real."
Dr Michael Heap, a clinical forensic psychologist based in Sheffield, said the experiment was unique in showing brain patterns supporting the theory that hypnosis works by "priming" the subject to respond more effectively to suggestions.
"Importantly the data confirm that relaxation is not a critical factor.
"The limited data from this experiment suggest that this pattern of activity then dissipates (at least to some extent) once the subjects start to engage in the suggestions that follow."
But he said the small study, which needed repeating in other populations, did not prove that people being hypnotised were in an actual "trance". (*)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8359170.stm
Hypnosis has a "very real" effect that can be picked up on brain scans, say Hull University researchers.
An imaging study of hypnotised participants showed decreased activity in the parts of the brain linked with daydreaming or letting the mind wander.
The same brain patterns were absent in people who had the tests but who were not susceptible to being hypnotised.
One psychologist said the study backed the theory that hypnosis "primes" the brain to be open to suggestion.
Hypnosis is increasingly being used to help people stop smoking or lose weight and advisers recently recommended its use on the NHS to treat irritable bowel syndrome.
This shows that the changes were due to hypnosis and not just simple relaxation
Dr William McGeown, study leader
It is not the first time researchers have tried to use imaging studies to monitor brain activity in people under hypnosis.
But the Hull team said these had been done while people had been asked to carry out tasks, so it was not clear whether the changes in the brain were due to the act of doing the task or an effect of hypnosis.
In the latest study, the team first tested how people responded to hypnosis and selected 10 individuals who were "highly suggestible" and seven people who did not really respond to the technique other than becoming more relaxed.
The participants were asked to do a task under hypnosis, such as listening to non-existent music, but unknown to them the brain activity was being monitored in the rest periods in between tasks, the team reported in the journal Consciousness and Cognition.
Default mode
In the "highly suggestible" group there was decreased activity in the part of the brain involved in daydreaming or letting the mind wander - also known as the "default mode" network.
One suggestion of how hypnosis works, supported by the results, is that shutting off this activity leaves the brain free to concentrate on other tasks.
Study leader Dr William McGeown, a lecturer in the department of psychology, said the results were unequivocal because they only occurred in the highly suggestible subjects.
"This shows that the changes were due to hypnosis and not just simple relaxation. "Our study shows hypnosis is real."
Dr Michael Heap, a clinical forensic psychologist based in Sheffield, said the experiment was unique in showing brain patterns supporting the theory that hypnosis works by "priming" the subject to respond more effectively to suggestions.
"Importantly the data confirm that relaxation is not a critical factor.
"The limited data from this experiment suggest that this pattern of activity then dissipates (at least to some extent) once the subjects start to engage in the suggestions that follow."
But he said the small study, which needed repeating in other populations, did not prove that people being hypnotised were in an actual "trance". (*)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8359170.stm
5 Science-Backed Health Benefits Of Hypnosis
5 Science-Backed Health Benefits Of Hypnosis
The Huffington Post | By Sarah Klein
It sounds like the work of sorcerers and scam artists, but hypnosis can play a very real role in protecting and promoting health.
This isn't the “You are getting very sleepy..." hypnosis you're used to seeing in pop culture references, but a clinical procedure used in conjunction with other therapies and treatments, according to the American Psychological Association. Hypnosis for health benefits "should be conducted only by properly trained and credentialed health care professionals (e.g. psychologists) who also have been trained in the use of hypnosis and who are working within the limits of their professional expertise,” according to the APA's website.
The "state of inner absorption, concentration and focused attention” brought on by hypnosis may help us use our minds more powerfully, according to the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH). And harnessing the powers of the mind has inspired researchers and clinicians in various fields to explore the use of hypnosis in a number of health outcomes.
Medical hypnosis, sometimes called hypnotherapy, uses verbal repetition and/or mental imagery (facilitated by a hypnotherapist or one's self) to induce a "trance-like state" of increased focus. It's typically described as feeling calm and relaxing and usually opens people up to the power of suggestion, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Once disregarded as a parlor trick, hypnosis is increasingly believed to improve many of those outcomes. The American Medical Association approved hypnosis as a therapy in 1958 (although it later rescinded its position, according to the ASCH), and the APA followed suit three years later, according to Harvard Medical School. That's not to say it's a panacea: In fact, more research is needed to prove lasting benefits of hypnosis for certain facets of health, such as weight loss or smoking cessation. But more promising results exist in other areas of study. Here are a few of the science-backed benefits of hypnosis to consider.
Hypnosis can help improve deep sleep.
In previous studies of the effects of hypnosis on sleep, study participants were simply asked to report back on how well (or poorly!) they felt they slept after hypnosis. But in a recent study, Swiss researchers were able to measure its effects by monitoring brain activity in a group of healthy, young women as they took a 90-minute nap after listening to a hypnotic suggestion tape. The women who were deemed the most susceptible to hypnosis spent 80 percent more time in slow-wave sleep (the deep, restorative phase of our shut-eye) after listening to the hypnosis tape than they did after listening to a neutral spoken text. "[T]he results may be of major importance for patients with sleep problems and for older adults," lead researcher Maren Cordi of the University of Zurich said in a statement. "In contrast to many sleep-inducing drugs, hypnosis has no adverse side effects."
It can ease symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
In a 2003 study, 71 percent of 204 irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients reported improved symptoms after 12 weekly hour-long hypnosis sessions, the APA reported. Of those who reported improvements, 81 percent continued to feel better up to six years after the hypnosis treatment had ended, according to the study. In a 2012 study, 85 percent of IBS patients who reported improvement after hypnosis still felt better up to seven years later. "The conclusion is that hypnotherapy could reduce both the consumption of healthcare and the cost to society, and that hypnosis therefore belongs in the arsenal of treatments for IBS," researcher Magnus Simrén said in a statement.
Hypnosis can quell hot flashes.
Among postmenopausal women who reported at least 50 hot flashes a week, five weekly hypnosis sessions cut hot flashes by 74 percent 12 weeks later, a 2013 study found. Meanwhile, women who did not receive hypnosis but instead had weekly sessions with a clinician only experienced a 17 percent drop in hot flashes.
It can ease pain.
Hypnosis is perhaps most well-researched in the context of managing pain. Two meta-analyses of existing pain and hypnosis research, published in 2000 and 2009, deemed hypnosis effective at lowering pain associated with a number of conditions, including fibromyalgia, arthritis and cancer, but noted that few psychologists were using it, and those who were had little standardization in administering hypnotherapy.
Hypnosis can calm nerves.
Because of its ability to harness the powers of the mind, hypnosis is often employed to relieve anxieties related to other medical procedures, like surgery, scans or even giving birth, called state anxiety. "The mechanism may be similar to the placebo effect -- in which patients' expectations play a major role in how they feel," Melinda Beck wrote for the Wall Street Journal in 2012. "Hypnosis, in turn, can help patients adjust those expectations to minimize pain, fear and disability." More research is needed to determine if hypnosis might alleviate generalized anxiety disorder or what's called trait anxiety, or anxiety relating to personality rather than a specific event, according to a 2010 review of the research. Preliminary studies have started to examine hypnosis in depression treatment as well, but more research is needed.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story neglected to state that the AMA has since changed its position on hypnosis.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/02/hypnosis-health-benefits_n_5523210.html
The Huffington Post | By Sarah Klein
It sounds like the work of sorcerers and scam artists, but hypnosis can play a very real role in protecting and promoting health.
This isn't the “You are getting very sleepy..." hypnosis you're used to seeing in pop culture references, but a clinical procedure used in conjunction with other therapies and treatments, according to the American Psychological Association. Hypnosis for health benefits "should be conducted only by properly trained and credentialed health care professionals (e.g. psychologists) who also have been trained in the use of hypnosis and who are working within the limits of their professional expertise,” according to the APA's website.
The "state of inner absorption, concentration and focused attention” brought on by hypnosis may help us use our minds more powerfully, according to the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH). And harnessing the powers of the mind has inspired researchers and clinicians in various fields to explore the use of hypnosis in a number of health outcomes.
Medical hypnosis, sometimes called hypnotherapy, uses verbal repetition and/or mental imagery (facilitated by a hypnotherapist or one's self) to induce a "trance-like state" of increased focus. It's typically described as feeling calm and relaxing and usually opens people up to the power of suggestion, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Once disregarded as a parlor trick, hypnosis is increasingly believed to improve many of those outcomes. The American Medical Association approved hypnosis as a therapy in 1958 (although it later rescinded its position, according to the ASCH), and the APA followed suit three years later, according to Harvard Medical School. That's not to say it's a panacea: In fact, more research is needed to prove lasting benefits of hypnosis for certain facets of health, such as weight loss or smoking cessation. But more promising results exist in other areas of study. Here are a few of the science-backed benefits of hypnosis to consider.
Hypnosis can help improve deep sleep.
In previous studies of the effects of hypnosis on sleep, study participants were simply asked to report back on how well (or poorly!) they felt they slept after hypnosis. But in a recent study, Swiss researchers were able to measure its effects by monitoring brain activity in a group of healthy, young women as they took a 90-minute nap after listening to a hypnotic suggestion tape. The women who were deemed the most susceptible to hypnosis spent 80 percent more time in slow-wave sleep (the deep, restorative phase of our shut-eye) after listening to the hypnosis tape than they did after listening to a neutral spoken text. "[T]he results may be of major importance for patients with sleep problems and for older adults," lead researcher Maren Cordi of the University of Zurich said in a statement. "In contrast to many sleep-inducing drugs, hypnosis has no adverse side effects."
It can ease symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
In a 2003 study, 71 percent of 204 irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients reported improved symptoms after 12 weekly hour-long hypnosis sessions, the APA reported. Of those who reported improvements, 81 percent continued to feel better up to six years after the hypnosis treatment had ended, according to the study. In a 2012 study, 85 percent of IBS patients who reported improvement after hypnosis still felt better up to seven years later. "The conclusion is that hypnotherapy could reduce both the consumption of healthcare and the cost to society, and that hypnosis therefore belongs in the arsenal of treatments for IBS," researcher Magnus Simrén said in a statement.
Hypnosis can quell hot flashes.
Among postmenopausal women who reported at least 50 hot flashes a week, five weekly hypnosis sessions cut hot flashes by 74 percent 12 weeks later, a 2013 study found. Meanwhile, women who did not receive hypnosis but instead had weekly sessions with a clinician only experienced a 17 percent drop in hot flashes.
It can ease pain.
Hypnosis is perhaps most well-researched in the context of managing pain. Two meta-analyses of existing pain and hypnosis research, published in 2000 and 2009, deemed hypnosis effective at lowering pain associated with a number of conditions, including fibromyalgia, arthritis and cancer, but noted that few psychologists were using it, and those who were had little standardization in administering hypnotherapy.
Hypnosis can calm nerves.
Because of its ability to harness the powers of the mind, hypnosis is often employed to relieve anxieties related to other medical procedures, like surgery, scans or even giving birth, called state anxiety. "The mechanism may be similar to the placebo effect -- in which patients' expectations play a major role in how they feel," Melinda Beck wrote for the Wall Street Journal in 2012. "Hypnosis, in turn, can help patients adjust those expectations to minimize pain, fear and disability." More research is needed to determine if hypnosis might alleviate generalized anxiety disorder or what's called trait anxiety, or anxiety relating to personality rather than a specific event, according to a 2010 review of the research. Preliminary studies have started to examine hypnosis in depression treatment as well, but more research is needed.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story neglected to state that the AMA has since changed its position on hypnosis.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/02/hypnosis-health-benefits_n_5523210.html
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