Medical Hypnotists - The Shadow Healers

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Medical Hypnotists - The Shadow Healers

http://www.redflagsweekly.com/articles/2005_jan05.php

 

By Michael Ellner, a certified hypnosis professional

 

Jan 4, 2005 is World Hypnotism Day. This is a day when certified hypnosis

professionals from around the globe will, for the first time in history,

collectively step out from behind the shadows. On this day we will begin to

raise consciousness about the fact that hypnosis is a safe, non-toxic,

highly effective and very affordable way to help people feel better, heal

faster and be generally more effective in their lives.

 

Can hypnosis help some people? Yes. Hypnosis can be effective for chronic

pain, and, relieving pre-surgical fears, reducing post-surgical pain and in

promoting healing. Hypnosis can work on people with gastrointestinal

disorders such as ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis and Crohn's

disease. Certain skin disorders also may respond to hypnotic treatment. It

can help reduce or eliminate the nausea and vomiting associated with

chemotherapy. Asthma and allergies also are responsive to suggestive

therapies. Certified hypnosis professionals have also helped people deal

with ordinary fears and anxieties, the stressful ups and downs of life --

without analysis or therapy.

 

Conventional psychology and psychiatry are, at best, soft sciences. Human

behavior is such that individuals in identical protocols can be counted on

to react differently. In fact, an individual could very well have

different reactions to the same protocol at different times and with

different researchers. There is no way to mechanically measure and predict

human behavior. It is what makes us human. Therefore, when validating a

healing art like hypnosis, science must take into account the many

different factors that influence the power of suggestion.

 

In honor of Hypnosis Day, I would like to challenge two common

misconceptions traditional health care professionals make about the

practice of hypnosis. The first concerns the credibility of medical

experts and psychologists who relegate hypnosis to an " adjunct therapy " to

be practiced solely by themselves. The second is their claim that " some

people cannot be hypnotized. "

 

It is understandable that when seeking a health care practitioner, people

seek the comfort of traditional MDs and PhDs. However, while licensed

medical practitioners may have extensive training in their respective

specialties, the medicine they practice has been slow to address the

mind/body connection and the efficacy of hypnosis in particular. They

simply have not done their homework. (See references below.)

 

To support their claim that hypnosis is a secondary health modality, these

experts argue some people cannot be hypnotized. This erroneous claim is a

reflection of their own limited range or technique, and not a truth of

nature. I allege that if you can breathe, you can be hypnotized.

 

The role of " suggestion " in health and illness is biological, not

attitudinal; this fact is worked to deep therapeutic advantage in the field

of hypnosis. Certified hypnosis professionals (as opposed to licensed

health care providers who use hypnosis secondarily) may approach their

clients from the psychological point of view, yet their unique skill in

utilizing the mind/body connection provides immediate access to the

physiological and biological -- without the use of needles or pharmaceuticals.

 

The International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association (IMDHA) and

The National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH) have been providing certification

for the practice of hypnosis and the power of suggestion, for decades.

Their practitioners are professionals who meet the highest standards set

forth by these hypnosis certification organizations -- practicing according

to their strict code of ethics and standards. Hypnosis is a self-regulated

profession, not a state-licensed one.

 

These certified hypnosis practitioners continue to be cast in the shadow of

Big Medicine, even though scientists have experimentally demonstrated that

changing our minds does change our brains. Our anticipation, arousal,

deeply held beliefs, intentions and expectations, all impact our innate

healing skills and abilities.

 

It would be in the public's best interest for the National Institutes of

Health to compare the hypnotic outcomes of clients induced by certified

hypnosis practitioners versus the outcomes of clients induced by licensed

health care practitioners, i.e. M.D.'s and Ph.D.'s who dabble in hypnosis.

 

The life sciences are not rocket sciences, and we need more flexible

controls to study human beings. It is important to understand that the

potential of human consciousness changes constantly, and if we are to get

the most out of the exciting field of hypnosis, we need new models for

looking at how the mind and emotions affect health and healing.

 

Certified hypnosis professionals help their clients develop self-hypnosis

skills and abilities every day. World Hypnotism Day celebrates this fact,

along with all of the benefits of working with a certified hypnosis

professional.

 

References:

 

Lewis DO. Hypnoanalgesia for chronic pain: the response to multiple

inductions at one session and to separate single inductions J R Soc Med

1992 Oct;85(10):620-4

 

Analgesia during labor and childbirth (Harmon TM, Hynan MT, Tyre TE.

Improved obstetric outcome using hypnotic analgesia and skill mastery

combined with childbirth education. J Consult Clin Psychol 1990; 58(5):

525-53).

 

Pain during dental and surgical procedures (Patel B, Potter C, Mellor AC.

 

The Use of Hypnosis in Dentistry: A Review. Dent Update 2000; 27: 198-200).

 

Headaches (Melis PM, Rooimans W, Spierings EL, Hoogduin CA Treatment of

chronic tension-type headache with hypnotherapy: a single-blind time

controlled study. Headache 1991 Nov;31(10):686-9).

 

Gastrointestinal disorders, including ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome,

colitis and Crohn's disease (Whitehead WE. Behavioral medicine approaches

to gastrointestinal disorders. J Consult Clin Psychol 1992

Aug;60(4):605-12, Schafer DW

 

Hypnosis and the treatment of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's Disease

Oct;40(2):111-7. Am J Clin Hypn 1997).

 

Skin disorders, including burns, eczema and psoriasis (Shenefelt PD.

Hypnosis in dermatology. Arch Dermatol 2000;136:393-399).

 

Nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy. (Mayo Clinic- Online)

 

Asthma and allergies, (Anon. Hypnosis for asthma: a controlled trial. BMJ

1968;4:71-76).

 

Fear, stress, anxiety and depression, (Kirsch I, Motgomery G, Sapirstein G.

 

Hypnosis as an adjunct to cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy: a

meta-analysis. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1995 Apr;63(2):214-20).

 

Michael Ellner is a certified Medical Hypnotist, Alternative Health

Educator and activist. His honors include Member of The National Institutes

of Health (NIH) Complimentary Therapies Working Group 1989-1992, Educator

of the Year from the National Guild of Hypnotists (1995) and the National

Federation of NeuroLinguistic Psychologists (1997). He is a Fellow of the

International Medical & Dental Hypnotherapy Association.

Ellner's latest book is, " Quantum Focusing With Clients - A Ten-Week

Protocol For Relieving Symptoms Of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, " with

co-writer, Alan Barsky. For more information: www.ellner.info