Hypnotherapy and NLP News

You won't feel a thing - Hypnosedation may reduce the need for general anaesthetic

How amusing it is to see hypnotists make people cluck like chickens or bark like dogs. But while their art is seen by many as a form of entertainment, new research suggests that, medically, there may be a serious role for hypnosis.

This interesting article from The Times Online is packed with quotes from medical doctors and anesthesiologists who have used hypnosis as a sedative during various kinds of surgeries. It also mentions a few recent university studies on hypnosis. Good read.

What Hypnosis Does to the Brain

Hypnosis May Lower Activity in Certain Brain Areas, Say Researchers

This short WebMD article outlines a Cornell University study on hypnosis. It suggests that some minds are more receptive to hypnosis than others, and MRI scans can tell the difference. The study sample was, unfortunately, very small.

Hypnosis found to alter the brain: Subjects see color where none exists

People have been hypnotized to see color where only shades of gray exist, and to see gray when actually looking at brightly colored rectangles.

This long Harvard Gazette article covers a hypnosis experiment conducted by Harvard researchers. It's interesting, but it reads a little too much like a press release / student-written article to me. According to the article, some study data " clearly show that hypnosis can change the state of the brain." Unfortunately, the sample size in the study was quite small.

Look into my eyes... You won't feel a thing

Hypnotherapy is increasingly recognised as a safe and effective way of blocking out pain during operations and helping women in childbirth.

This well-written article from the Telegraph talks about the use of hypnotherapy as anaesthetic/anesthetic in a variety of medical operations.

 

Hypnotherapy an effective treatment for IBS

Medics at The University of Manchester have discovered a way to treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) using hypnotherapy.

Researchers at the University of Manchester report a 70% success rate in the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome via Hypnotherapy. The study tracked 250 IBS-sufferrers who were each given twelve one-hour hypnosis sessions. According to Peter Whorwell, Professor of Medicine and Gastroenterology and study leader, "we've found it [hypnotherapy] to help all the symptoms, whereas some of the drugs available reduce only a few."

Aside: According to Professor Whorwell, "the term 'hypnosis' was coined by a Manchester surgeon, James Braid, early in the nineteenth century."