Three Common Uses of Medical Hypnosis

When most people hear the word "hypnosis," they think of magicians or parlor tricks. Perhaps they picture a hypnotized person clucking like a chicken or barking like a dog. The truth is that hypnosis represents a state of deep relaxation, somewhere between being asleep and being awake. People in this state can be led to focus completely on one thing in their environment, while ignoring all other stimuli. People who are hypnotized are also somewhat inclined to follow suggestion, although no matter how deep the trance, the hypnotized subject is never out of control of his or her own behavior.

Over the years, the medical community has come to view medical hypnosis as a useful tool. Medical hypnosis has frequently been used to help treat the following conditions.

Pain

Pain signals originate in the brain. For instance, if you touch a hot stove, your fingers will immediately transmit the heat they feel to the brain. The brain interprets this as pain, and you jerk your hand back to avoid further injury. In this way, pain helps us survive.

But sometimes pain has no clear cause. When this type of pain becomes chronic, sufferers are often willing to try anything to end their torment. Medical hypnosis has been used successfully to help turn these random pain signals "off."

Pain is also highly associated with anxiety and fear. If the anxiety and fear are reduced through hypnosis, the pain may regulate itself.

Cancer

Medical hypnosis has been used in several ways in the fight against cancer. Child subjects especially, but sometimes adults as well, are encouraged under medical hypnosis to visualize their healthy cells attacking the cancer cells and making them go away. Whether or not this actually reduces the number of cancer cells is hard to say, but it does seem to make patients feel more empowered in their fights. This can lead to a more positive attitude and a better outcome.

Medical hypnosis is also used frequently to manage pain and nausea that result from the cancer itself and the cancer treatments the patient is receiving.

Bad Habits

Medical hypnosis has been offered as a cure for every problem for alcoholism to smoking to overeating. Most people who use hypnosis to treat these problems admit that patients do better if hypnosis is only one of many tools used. For instance, someone who smokes would get the best outcome if he or she underwent medical hypnosis and joined a support group and used nicotine gum or patches.

While medical hypnosis is not a cure-all, then, it does seem to help with certain conditions. If you're struggling with a health care problem that doesn't seem to respond to traditional treatments, why not discuss medical hypnosis with your physician? It could be just the tool you need to help resolve your health problem.

Learn Hypnosis: It�s More Complicated Than You Think

When you think of hypnosis, it seems easy enough. You dangle a charm in front of someone�s eyes and speak softly, telling them they�re getting sleepy and, pretty soon, they�re under and you have free reign over their subconscious. You can make them bark like a dog, cluck like a chicken or you can even make them get up and dance ballet. However, hypnosis is a lot more complicated than that. It takes a professional to put someone in a truly hypnotized state. Hypnosis should only be handled by a professional, too, because a hypnotist has a lot of power over a hypnotized person. A hypnotist could potentially abuse that power and, for this reason, the power should be handled only by an ethical professional. If you�re going to learn hypnosis, make sure you keep this in mind every time you put someone in a relaxed state. You should use hypnosis to help people, not to harm them.

Hypnosis Schools

To learn hypnosis, you have several options. The best, of course, is to attend a hypnosis school. A hypnosis school allows you to learn the ropes of hypnosis in an academic setting. You will participate in examples and you will witness actual hypnosis sessions. This allows you to overcome any issues you may have as well as the benefit of watching experienced hypnotists in action. By the time you graduate, you will be a certified hypnotist, having learned hypnosis from the best.

Another way to learn hypnosis is to read up on the subject. There are many books on the subject and they should help you at least learn the basics of hypnosis. They won�t give you the benefit of hearing from an actual hypnotist, in person that is, and this can make the difference between the right and wrong technique.

You could, of course, ask a local hypnotist to help you learn hypnosis. Ask them if they recommend any tips or tricks. They hypnotist will undoubtedly tell you to be careful, as hypnotists have a lot of power over their subjects. They will probably ask what you intend to use hypnosis for and who you plan to use it on. If you can�t come up with a good answer, or an answer they approve of, many accredited hypnotists won�t help you learn hypnosis, as you may give them a bad name, especially if you live in a small town.

The best way to learn hypnosis is to educate yourself as much as possible on the subject. Only then can you effectively put someone in a relaxed state to help them with whatever they need help with. If you�re going to learn hypnosis, just make sure that you use the new power you have responsibly as the subconscious mind is nothing to tinker with, especially for your own amusement.

Reasons to Use Instant Self Hypnosis

Life can be very stressful and trying for people in general and sometimes it can be hard to cope with what life springs on you. During times where unexpected or unfortunate situations occur, it can be helpful to stay calm or strong using instant self hypnosis. Instant self hypnosis is where a person uses the techniques they have learned in therapy sessions to self hypnotize themselves into a calmer state of mind. This type of method is not harmful if its use is instructed by a professional who has taught their patient the tricks to instant self hypnosis in order to aid them to deal with difficult situations.

Many people find it hard to react to situations without becoming unnecessarily angry, scared or panicked. This is where instant self hypnosis comes in. It helps the patient recognize the signs that indicate they are losing control of the situation and calms their mind sufficiently in order to deal with the circumstance appropriately. Instant self hypnosis could be used for a person who loses their temper too easily or for a person who has regular panic attacks. It can just be a simple way of calming the mind in every day situations instead of taking drastic measures.

Using Instant Self Hypnosis in Everyday Life

All types of hypnosis become easier with practice and this is why therapists use many sessions in order to help the patient practice the art of self hypnosis. At first this type of hypnosis may take time but with enough practice it can become instant self hypnosis. The therapist leads the patient to find a way of calming their mind, possibly by imagining a safe and calm environment that they visit in their mind when their feelings are about to erupt. Using the same method frequently generally quickens the length of time it takes to achieve the sufficient amount of calm and relaxation. After a certain amount of sessions patients can successfully induce instant self hypnosis in order to stay in control of their emotions. It can be brought on by a simple word or image and get to work instantaneously.

If a particularly aggressive person gets into a row at work, they may need to use their practiced method of instant self hypnosis in order to stay calm and rational. A person who suffers from panic attacks on a regular basis can experience a normal life by using instant self hypnosis the second that they begin to feel panicked and scared. Someone who has no confidence can use this method in order to relax their mind and release the negative energy they are storing in order to confidently talk and perform in front of others. This type of therapy can be beneficial to a wide spectrum of people.