Hypnosis News - It's Gaining Credibility...

About someone who overcame his misperceptions about hypnosis (Feb 2004)...

There's Entrancing News About Hypnosis

By Kate Murphy

H ypnosis News from Business Week magazine:

FEBRUARY 2, 2004

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.

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.

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.

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. 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 can be disorienting or tap emotions buried in your subconscious. Furthermore, you are vulnerable
in the hypnotic state. For these reasons, it should be practiced by a licensed professional who operates
under a recognized code of professional ethics. Look for medical doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists,
or social workers who are certified by the SCEH or the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH).
Referrals are available at asch.net, or send an e-mail request to sceh@mspp.edu. 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. 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.

Copyright 2000- 2008 by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.

(For the .pdf ready-to-print version of this story, click here. -- Forbes)

-----

To go back to the Hypnosis News page, click here.