Medical Hypnosis
Hypnosis as been around since man first developed cognitive ability. People have been performing self-hypnosis since they have been able to focus on a subject or daydream. Hypnosis has been recognized by the AMA as a legitimate medical treatment since 1958. Physicians rarely do hypnosis with their patients anymore because they simply don’t have time. A Medical Doctor would be the ideal person to perform Medical Hypnosis because they have the authority and often see their patients at times of intense emotion. These are conditions that set the stage for successful hypnotherapy. The issue is that the cost of doing business for a physician is just to great to invest the time for a hypnosis intervention.
Hypnosis is extremely effective with pain management but a ethical hypnotist will require a prescription from the clients Medical Doctor. A hypnotist working in conjunction with a medical professional can effectively be a part of the treatment of stress related disorders: irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders and even cancer.
The mind is a pwerful entity. It can create physical problems and it can heal them. When I do hypnosis with people I always use positive suggestions. I never tell someone if they perform a particular behavior (smoking, overeating, eat sugar, etc.) they will get sick. If they accept the suggestion and then perform that behavior, I don’t know how ill they might become. Concievably that could be a life-threatening suggestion. Beware of the hypnotist that claims to be able to treat these problems as an alternative to medical care. It may be possible but it is much safer to have a medical professional at least monitor the progress of treatment. No ethical practioner will try to talk a client out of seeing a medical progessional. I have heard of some who would wear white coats and wear medical paraphenalia jsut to give off the aura of a medical professional. I would certianly avoid people like that.
