People around the world use self-hypnosis. When you get right down to it, nearly everyone has the capacity to enter into this natural state to strengthen the mind/body connection and tap into the inner healing power of their subconscious mind. It has been recorded throughout history that patients have recovered from critical illness and injury by calling upon inner resources to bring them through physical traumas.
On the heals of the British Medical Association’s 1956 decision to approve the use of hypnosis, the American Medical Association (AMA) in 1958 approved the use of hypnosis as a therapeutic modality. Fifty years later hypnosis and hypnotherapy are still ignored by most physicians, hospitals, and insurance companies.
Not surprisingly, during the past twenty-five years, many respected doctors and researchers such as Dr. Bernie Siegel and Dr. Andrew Weil, and visionaries like Norman Cousins, Bruce Lipton, and Candace Pert have written about the mind/body connection. Dr. Larry Dossey, author of The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things, stated, “Hypnosis is one of the most misunderstood of all medical therapies, yet one of the most valuable.” Research shows that using the power of the subconscious mind as a complement to modern medical treatment accelerates healing.
Similar to Olympic athletes mentally practicing for competition, some patients facing surgery have used hypnosis to mentally prepare themselves for their upcoming procedure. Blue Shield of California did a study in 2000 and 2001. Their research found that patients using self-hypnosis required less medication, had less bleeding, left the hospital earlier, and recovered more quickly. This information presenting their original finding was delivered to the National Managed Care Congress in 2002.
As a follow-up, a few years later in the winter 2005 issue of Dartmouth Medicine, an article reported that of the 240 original Blue Shield study respondents, 95% of patients would recommend the program to a friend. Since then, in the June 2007 edition of Illinois Society for Advanced Practical Nursing, Walter Laesch writes, “Research reported on the PBS series ‘New Medicine’ that Blue Shield of California saved $2,000 per surgical patient when a guided imagery hypnosis CD was listened to by the patient.
The possibilities for using hypnotherapy for mind/body healing are numerous. For instance, cancer survivors use hypnotic techniques to find relief from the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Some are able to control pain using relaxation and stress reduction methods associated with deep trance. Still, others who wish to avoid using chemical anesthesia have used hypnosis as their total form of anesthesia during surgery.
Hypnosis is an excellent tool for reducing stress and increasing feelings of calm self-control. People with lower stress levels have fewer health problems. By implementing the power of the mind/body connection through learning self-hypnosis, it is possible to achieve a healthier life.
Jo Moon is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist from Springfield, Missouri
