In the 1770s, a German physician named Franz Messmer made headlines by saying he could treat physical and mental illnesses by putting people into trances and realigning their magnetic fields. “Mesmerism” remained popular for about a decade until it was publicly discredited in 1784, although some elements of the practice remained.
In 1841, Scottish surgeon James Braid began using similar fixed attention techniques to treat headaches, relieve pain, and anesthetize patients. He called it “hypnosis” after the Greek god of sleep, Hypnos.
Today, hypnosis, also known as hypnotherapy, has more data supporting its use for mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Studies have also shown it to be effective as a treatment for sleep disorders, pain, irritable bowel syndrome, and smoking cessation. And it is still occasionally used as a way to sedate patients for surgery with little (or no) medication.
Despite these various applications, hypnosis retains its reputation as a stage gag, like staring at a pocket watch and crowing like a chicken, or as a way to recover lost memories and explore “past lives.” It seems that. ” (The former is misleading, the latter is pseudoscience.)
Experts say it’s a technique that requires diligence and focus, similar to mindfulness or meditation. Here’s what you need to know:
What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis, most simply described, is a state of both deep relaxation and focused attention, in which the mind becomes more receptive to subtle changes in emotions and behavior.
The intense focus and concentration of hypnosis may sound foreign, but “it’s similar to getting lost in a good book or movie, getting lost on the Internet, or scrolling through your phone,” says a radiologist. says Dr. Elvira Lang, a physician and founder of Comfort Talk. is a medical doctor who uses hypnotic words (so named because people are often afraid of what she calls the “H word”) to reduce anxiety and pain in hospitalized patients. This is a service that trains staff. You are absorbed, not very aware of your physical or sensory surroundings, entranced, but still at ease.
Formal therapeutic hypnosis has several more steps. First, the hypnotist will try to induce a hypnotic state by making you relax and focus on the words. Once you are guided, they will talk you through suggestions based on the goals of the session. If you are trying to overcome a fear of flying, you may be taught that the plane is a part of your body and have your child imagine themselves flying with it.
Dr. David Spiegel, a Stanford University psychiatrist and leading hypnosis researcher, said patients should be so focused on what the hypnotist is saying that they forget everything else. The aim is that the suggestions you hear in a trance-like state will change your perspective, emotions, and ultimately your behavior.
In addition to traditional in-person hypnosis, there are also online hypnosis sessions and several apps with pre-recorded video and audio. Some will even connect you remotely with a hypnotist. These are usually general and address common problems such as insomnia or smoking.
Who can benefit from hypnosis?
Tonya Langis, 47, was diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder, which causes chronic pain, anxiety and loss of self-confidence. She has been in individual and group therapy for trauma for the past 11 years and has tried many different therapies. Langis said she started doing small group hypnotherapy sessions almost a year ago, and now she does one-on-one sessions once a week with a psychologist in Nashville, Tennessee.
During the session, Langis said she felt “relieved of the pain sensations” she normally feels and that her body felt “really comfortable.” “She feels more like a deep state of relaxation than meditation,” she said.
Pain varies from person to person, and the causes and responses to treatment vary. But Afik Furman, a postdoctoral researcher in clinical neuropsychology who worked on the hypnosis study, said it was “very clear now” that hypnosis is effective for pain. He said pain management is one of the most researched applications of hypnosis, and research suggests hypnosis is effective in dealing with both acute and chronic pain. It is said that it has been done.
Langis said hypnosis helped treat her irritable bowel syndrome. Since starting, “she’s only had two flares, which is a huge decrease for me.”
Chronic pain, inflammatory bowel syndrome, stress, and anxiety are some of the conditions Langis treats most often for which hypnosis is used. It is also commonly used for insomnia and addiction. But it doesn’t work for everyone.
Dr Lang explains that people with extreme mental illness, schizophrenia and other mental illnesses are less susceptible to hypnosis and that treatment can be psychologically difficult for people with these conditions. Therefore, it is not suitable for hypnosis.
Hypnosis itself is another limitation. One person may fall into a hypnotic state quickly and accept suggestions right away, while another may never feel himself falling into a hypnotic state.
According to Dr. Spiegel, the ability to be hypnotized lies on a bell-shaped curve. Research shows that 10-15 percent of people are incredibly hypnotizable, and the remaining 10-15 percent either have difficulty being hypnotized or cannot experience hypnosis at all. . The rest of us, the majority of us, are somewhere in between, experiencing mild to moderate hypnosis.
Without formal testing, it’s difficult to know how hypnotized you are. Dr. Lang says he has seen extremely skeptical people turn out to be highly susceptible to hypnosis, and people who are excited to try hypnosis only to find that it doesn’t work for them. Told.
“I think of hypnosis as a talent or ability,” like listening to music, said Mark P. Jensen, a health psychologist at the University of Washington School of Medicine. “Some people are Mozart, but most of us aren’t.”
According to Dr. Fuhrman, hypnosis is most effective when combined with different types of therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy. “Hypnosis and CBT are more effective than either alone,” says a study on their effectiveness in treating obesity, pain and distress in people with fibromyalgia and acute stress disorder. , he said.
For Lindsay C. McKernan, a clinical psychologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center who uses hypnosis in her practice, training as a clinical psychologist also included training in hypnosis. However, not all clinical psychologists necessarily have such training. To find a hypnotist, first look for therapy with a qualified therapist who can teach you hypnosis or refer you to someone who can. (Experts recommend consulting with a qualified professional first before starting any apps or recordings.)
If you try it, you can expect good results.
As a hypnotist, Dr. Spiegel said, “My job is to identify your ability to be hypnotized and to stimulate and teach you how to use this ability to solve problems.” . Like any other therapy, hypnosis takes time and practice to achieve results. If you have a chronic illness, you will need regular treatment.
Rachel Howe, 32, has suffered from chronic back pain since suffering three herniated discs between 2013 and 2016. Both her physical pain and mental distress prevented her from getting a restful sleep. Howe, who lives in Auburn, Wash., said she tried physical therapy and talk therapy for years in addition to medication, but she didn’t have much success.
About a year and a half ago, she tried remote hypnosis sessions after a referral from her previous therapist. In her early sessions for relaxation and sleep, the psychologist took her on her imaginary walks through the Cascade Mountains, where she was married. He explained that the arrow drawn on her ground would lead her to a deeper level of relaxation.
Howe recalled feeling the tension in her body release and the pain fade as she walked. “Eventually, she fell asleep,” she said. The therapist ended the session and rescheduled. “I can’t believe it actually lasted a few hours.”
Since then, Howe has had many sessions focused on increasing calmness, managing pain and rethinking negative thoughts. “The ideal scenario is for patients to work with a hypnotist and learn the skills to conduct these sessions on their own,” says Howe’s clinician, a pain specialist and clinical psychologist at the University of Washington School of Medicine. David Patterson says. Practicing this method is especially important for conditions that “need long-term relief, such as chronic pain.”
Langis noticed that the immediate relief from pain and fatigue that hypnosis provided wore off after a few days. She regularly re-uploads and reviews recordings of her previous sessions. She said that over time she feels herself going deeper into a hypnotic state. “The more I practiced with her, the more I felt the benefits, so I felt more motivated to practice more,” she said.
After listening to the session again and practicing staying in a hypnotic state, Howe said she feels she has the discipline and skills to calm her body and mind when pain flares up.
“It’s not going to work out 100 percent,” she said. “The more you do it, the more you get out of it.”
audio creator Adrian Hirst.
