Date Published:
Publisher: Good Housekeeping Magazine
2003 March Issue (Pages 81, 82, 84 and 87)
What is Hypnosis?
This is a four page article on hypnosis.
It's not as weird as you think. Being hypnotized is actually a "shift in attention, during which you are not as aware of things around you," explains David Spiegel, M.D., medical director of the Stanford Center for Integrative Medicine, in Palo Alto, California.
Sound familiar? It should. There's very little difference between the hypnotic state you achieve in a doctor's office and the one you experience when you zone out on the way to work or become engrossed in a book, staying up long past your bedtime.
While no one is sure exactly how hypnosis works, this much is certain: Once a person has been hypnotized, she's more susceptible to suggestions, so that a doctor or therapist can give her a way to take control of a physical problem or to change an unhealthy behavior. Still, being in a trance doesn't mean you'll do things you don't want to do. You still have the option of rejecting anything that doesn't feel right. Says Dr. Spiegel, "You always maintain some control and awareness."
First, the practitioner will discuss your goal and help you choose something to focus on during the session (see "Going Under," below). It can be an object, an image, or a sensation, but since its purpose is to block out distractions and ease you into a trance, it must be something you like. "I can't have somebody focus on a nice time with her family if she hates her mother," explains Roberta Temes, Ph.D., a clinical assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at Downstate Medical School, in Brooklyn.
Then, speaking in a slow, soothing voice, the practitioner will encourage you to relax and to focus on whatever you have chosen. Once you've entered a trance - telltale signs include a slight slackening of facial muscles or a change in breathing - you'll be given suggestions.
Finally, you'll be talked out of the trance. Some people find this disorienting for a moment, while others may feel refreshed. "Everyone experiences hypnosis differently," says Temes, who has authored a book on hypnosis.
Many practitioners provide their patients with a tape, which helps to guide them into a hypnotic state, so they can practice the technique on their own - which is exactly what Diana Young did. "The last two to three months of pregnancy aren't really comfortable," she says. "And I was in Texas in the middle of the summer, with temperatures of a hundred and something degrees. Hypnosis helped me get through those final months."
Hypnosis can relieve irritable bowel syndrome, improve breathing for some asthmatics, prevent the nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, and ease various skin conditions, to name a few. Judy Serlo, a 31-year-old paralegal in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, broke out in hives after her divorce. She saw her general practitioner and two dermatologists and "tried every product I could find. Nothing helped." Then, her sister-in-law, who'd been seeing a hypnotist, suggested that Serlo make an appointment. Reluctantly, she agreed. After the first two sessions, her hives cleared up. Now she regularly listens to a hypnosis tape and says, "I haven't had an outbreak since."
Probably the most compelling research on hypnosis has been done in the area of pain control. As Diana Young learned, hypnosis can make labor and delivery much more bearable. But hypnosis has been a lifesaver for burn patients who must endure debridement, a grueling procedure during which their dressings are changed and their skin is scrubbed in order to prevent infection and encourage the growth of healthy skin.
Some smokers swear that hypnosis helped them kick the habit. But it's difficult to say whether hypnosis on its own is successful, according to the surgeon general's 2000 report on smoking. Rather, it may work best when used along with other stop-smoking strategies.
It can make surgery a lot easier to handle. For example, a patient who's told under hypnosis before her operation that she'll feel calm may have a slower heart rate and more stable blood pressure in the OR, says cardiovascular surgeon Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., cofounder of the Complementary Medicine Program at Columbia University/New York-Presbyterian Hospital, in New York City.
Hypnosis can also speed recovery. Glenda Minkin, 55 of Atlanta, credits hypnosis with helping her sail through a grueling 12-hour operation to remove a rare malignant tumor from her salivary gland four years ago. Before checking into the hospital, Minkin contacted Temes, who sent her tapes aimed at helping her to relax. "One tape described what I needed to do to control blood loss," says Minkin, who practiced the techniques. The upshot: She lost very little blood and her incision healed quickly. In fact, though she was told she would be in intensive care for at least two days and in the hospital for many more, Minkin says, "When I awakened after surgery, I was ready to get up." Within two days, she was back home: "I recovered so quickly, it was almost comical."
It depends. Relatively few insurers cover hypnosis directly. But many do cover the services of physicians and mental-health professionals who use hypnosis in their practice. (A session with a lay hypnotist, on the other hand, is unlikely to be reimbursed). If you are considering hypnosis, check with your insurance company, and make it clear that you are interested in being hypnotized for medical purposes.
Unfortunately, there are no national standards in place for the medical use of hypnosis, and very few states regulate practitioners. Any hypnotist you consult should be trained in medical hypnosis and licensed or certified in a medical or mental health field. It helps if he's also affiliated with a hospital or doctor or an academic institution. One good way to find a hypnotist is to get a referral from a reputable hypnosis organization. Another option: Ask your doctor. That's how Diana Young met Jeanne Robertson. She now plans to use hypnosis for all of her trips to the dentist and, eventually, for another delivery. "I'd love to have more children, " says Young. "And when I do, hypnobirthing is the only way I would go.
This is a four page article on hypnosis.
Auke Tellegen, Ph.D., emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis; Etzel Cardeña, Ph.D., chair of psychology and anthropology at the University of Texas-Pan American, in Edinburg.
First, the practitioner will discuss your goal and help you choose something to focus on during the session (see "Going Under," below). It can be an object, an image, or a sensation, but since its purpose is to block out distractions and ease you into a trance, it must be something you like. "I can't have somebody focus on a nice time with her family if she hates her mother," explains Roberta Temes, Ph.D., a clinical assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at Downstate Medical School, in Brooklyn.
Then, speaking in a slow, soothing voice, the practitioner will encourage you to relax and to focus on whatever you have chosen. Once you've entered a trance - telltale signs include a slight slackening of facial muscles or a change in breathing - you'll be given suggestions.
Finally, you'll be talked out of the trance. Some people find this disorienting for a moment, while others may feel refreshed. "Everyone experiences hypnosis differently," says Temes, who has authored a book on hypnosis.
Many practitioners provide their patients with a tape, which helps to guide them into a hypnotic state, so they can practice the technique on their own - which is exactly what Diana Young did. "The last two to three months of pregnancy aren't really comfortable," she says. "And I was in Texas in the middle of the summer, with temperatures of a hundred and something degrees. Hypnosis helped me get through those final months."
Hypnosis can relieve irritable bowel syndrome, improve breathing for some asthmatics, prevent the nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, and ease various skin conditions, to name a few. Judy Serlo, a 31-year-old paralegal in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, broke out in hives after her divorce. She saw her general practitioner and two dermatologists and "tried every product I could find. Nothing helped." Then, her sister-in-law, who'd been seeing a hypnotist, suggested that Serlo make an appointment. Reluctantly, she agreed. After the first two sessions, her hives cleared up. Now she regularly listens to a hypnosis tape and says, "I haven't had an outbreak since."
Probably the most compelling research on hypnosis has been done in the area of pain control. As Diana Young learned, hypnosis can make labor and delivery much more bearable. But hypnosis has been a lifesaver for burn patients who must endure debridement, a grueling procedure during which their dressings are changed and their skin is scrubbed in order to prevent infection and encourage the growth of healthy skin.
Some smokers swear that hypnosis helped them kick the habit. But it's difficult to say whether hypnosis on its own is successful, according to the surgeon general's 2000 report on smoking. Rather, it may work best when used along with other stop-smoking strategies.
It can make surgery a lot easier to handle. For example, a patient who's told under hypnosis before her operation that she'll feel calm may have a slower heart rate and more stable blood pressure in the OR, says cardiovascular surgeon Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., cofounder of the Complementary Medicine Program at Columbia University/New York-Presbyterian Hospital, in New York City.
Hypnosis can also speed recovery. Glenda Minkin, 55 of Atlanta, credits hypnosis with helping her sail through a grueling 12-hour operation to remove a rare malignant tumor from her salivary gland four years ago. Before checking into the hospital, Minkin contacted Temes, who sent her tapes aimed at helping her to relax. "One tape described what I needed to do to control blood loss," says Minkin, who practiced the techniques. The upshot: She lost very little blood and her incision healed quickly. In fact, though she was told she would be in intensive care for at least two days and in the hospital for many more, Minkin says, "When I awakened after surgery, I was ready to get up." Within two days, she was back home: "I recovered so quickly, it was almost comical."
It depends. Relatively few insurers cover hypnosis directly. But many do cover the services of physicians and mental-health professionals who use hypnosis in their practice. (A session with a lay hypnotist, on the other hand, is unlikely to be reimbursed). If you are considering hypnosis, check with your insurance company, and make it clear that you are interested in being hypnotized for medical purposes.
Unfortunately, there are no national standards in place for the medical use of hypnosis, and very few states regulate practitioners. Any hypnotist you consult should be trained in medical hypnosis and licensed or certified in a medical or mental health field. It helps if he's also affiliated with a hospital or doctor or an academic institution. One good way to find a hypnotist is to get a referral from a reputable hypnosis organization. Another option: Ask your doctor. That's how Diana Young met Jeanne Robertson. She now plans to use hypnosis for all of her trips to the dentist and, eventually, for another delivery. "I'd love to have more children, " says Young. "And when I do, hypnobirthing is the only way I would go.
This is a four page article on hypnosis.
Auke Tellegen, Ph.D., emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis; Etzel Cardeña, Ph.D., chair of psychology and anthropology at the University of Texas-Pan American, in Edinburg.