Hypnotherapy: Techniques, Costs, Benefits

Have you ever wished you could get straight to the heart of a patient’s problem? Instead of talking to patients hour after hour, you gain access to problems on a deeper unconscious level. Counselor James Musgrave, LPC, says the hypnotherapy training gave him “a tool to really get to the heart of the real issues” in his clients’ lives. That hypnotherapy can help with addictions, because hypnosis through the power of suggestion can enable certain people to strengthen their willpower to overcome their addictive urges and desires. The hypnotic state reduces a person’s peripheral consciousness, increasing attention and suggestibility to effectively alter possible neurophysiological networks capable of rewiring certain patterns and conditionings.

Ask the professional who plans to see about their training, credentials, and license to practice hypnotherapy. Also, ask them if they have experience with the condition you’re seeking care for. Hypnotherapists usually perform this type of therapy and put subjects in a state of deep physical relaxation, known as the state of hypnosis. Subjects usually stay alert and awake, but are deeply relaxed on a physical level. Hypnotherapists believe that this state of deep relaxation provides direct access to the subconscious part of the mind.

Despite its proven usefulness, hypnosis struggles to justify its effectiveness and credibility over time. Wada, for example, had a report in 1958 endorsing hypnosis, but withdrew that approval in 1987. Despite the AMA’s reluctance, the American Psychological Association approved hypnosis in 1960.

While in a hypnotic trance, the person being hypnotized, or hypnotic subject, is more open to suggestion by the hypnotist or hypnotherapist. One of the most common reasons children are taken to hypnotherapists is to improve learning. When it comes to school life, there are many problems that children can develop. This can be one of the biggest concerns for parents and one for which hypnosetherapie good marketing can yield good results. Even if parents would like children to undergo hypnotherapy, it is important to ensure that children understand this process and can get their full attention and cooperation. Although the mind is open during the period of hypnosis, the subconscious mind would still not accept the suggestion if it conflicts with the person’s values and beliefs.

While hypnosis can be effective in helping people cope with pain, stress, and anxiety, cognitive behavioral therapy is considered the first-line treatment for these conditions. Hypnosis can also be used as part of a comprehensive program to quit smoking or lose weight. Hypnotherapy promotes deep relaxation through which an individual can tap into his subconscious.

With a hypnotherapy training you learn to gain access to the subconscious. The original version of this story misinterpreted the findings of two of Milling’s review articles. Hypnosis was found to significantly increase, not exceed, the benefits of standard medical care. Hypnosis was also found to reduce, not eliminate, children’s postoperative pain. He has also mischaracterized Milling’s view of the “suggestion” phase of hypnosis.

“A lot of people think hypnosis is all about mind control!” says Lynda Richtsmeier Cyr, PhD, LP, an integrative pediatric clinical psychologist and hypnotherapist in Minnesota. Hypnotherapy is a form of psychotherapy used in the treatment of mental illness and medical conditions. Hypnotherapy is used to treat pain, IBS, depression and addictive disorders. During hypnotherapy, a licensed professional helps you relax into a focused state of mind where you can use guided images or suggestions to help you overcome parts of your condition. By entering a relaxed state, being open to suggestions, and getting help from a professional hypnotherapist, you can get the most out of hypnotherapy.

Still, research suggests that about 75 percent of people may experience some sort of benefit from hypnotherapy. As for one in four people who seem insensitive to the forces of practice, in technical terms, their brains lack the ability to make the connections from one region to another that are necessary for a hypnotic effect. Hypnotherapy is an approach to mental health care that involves the use of hypnosis. During a session, your hypnotherapist will help you get into a relaxed state and then make suggestions specifically tailored to the main goals you’ve discussed. Some therapists use hypnosis to retrieve potentially repressed memories that they believe are related to the person’s mental disorder. However, the quality and reliability of the information remembered by the patient under hypnosis is not always reliable.

You may want to discuss hypnotherapy with your doctor before seeking treatment. Not all health professionals will know or support hypnotherapy as an alternative treatment. However, if your doctor is interested in the clinical effects of hypnosis, he or she may be able to help you get treatment.