In this increasingly stressful world, more and more people are focusing on self-care techniques to help them cope. Many people have turned to the East for inspiration; yoga, meditation, and mindfulness have grown in popularity. Hypnosis is a little more unusual but for those who are open to it, hypnosis could be an effective form of therapy.
Hypnosis involves going into a state of trance, which means switching off your conscious mind and entering your subconscious. Hypnosis conducted by a trained therapist or health care professional is considered a safe, complementary and alternative medical treatment. However, hypnosis may not be appropriate in people with severe mental illness.
During this state of trance, a person retains their awareness. It is like being absorbed in a good book or movie; you lose yourself in the plot and are totally distracted, but you are still in control of your mind.
It is impossible for somebody to hypnotize you against your will. It requires your active consent, as you must listen to a hypnotherapist speaking and consciously follow their guidance to reach a trance state. Once you are in a trance, a hypnotherapist cannot make you do anything you don’t want to or visualize things that you don’t want to see.
According to the mayoclinic.org, hypnotherapy can be an effective method for coping with stress and anxiety. For example, hypnosis can reduce stress and anxiety before a medical procedure, such as a breast biopsy.
Hypnosis has been studied for other conditions including:
• Pain control. Hypnosis may help with pain due to burns, cancer, childbirth, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, temporomandibular joint problems, dental procedures and headaches.
• Hot flashes. Hypnosis may relieve symptoms of hot flashes associated with menopause.
• Behaviour change. Hypnosis has been used with some success in the treatment of insomnia, bed-wetting, smoking, and overeating.
• Cancer treatment side effects. Hypnosis has been used to ease side effects related to chemotherapy or radiation treatment.
• Mental health conditions. Hypnosis may help treat symptoms of anxiety, phobias and post-traumatic stress.
Adverse reactions to hypnosis are rare, but may include, headache, drowsiness
dizziness, anxiety or distress.
Be cautious when hypnosis is proposed as a method to work through stressful events from earlier in life. This practice may cause strong emotions and can risk the creation of false memories.
