Is clinical hypnotherapy a safe and worthwhile technique to make you more happy, healthy and successful?

I’ve been interested in having hypnosis for years but, for various reasons, I put it off. Earlier this year I decided to have weekly clinical hypnotherapy sessions with a trained psychologist. I’m glad I went. I found that it helped me achieve some of my goals, and it was very relaxing – just what I needed.

I decided to write this blog post about hypnotherapy to share a bit about my experience with the technique, learn more about it myself, and share some of what I learnt with others.

What is hypnosis?
What is hypnotherapy?
What is hypnotherapy good for?
How does hypnotherapy work?
What does hypnotherapy feel like?
How safe is hypnotherapy?
How many sessions will hypnotherapy take to work?
Are there any side effects, dangers and complications of hypnotherapy?
Should some people be cautious about having hypnotherapy?
Summary

What is hypnosis?

The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) says hypnotherapists use techniques to make us feel deeply relaxed, in an altered state of consciousness – being in a trance or hypnotized – a bit like daydreaming. When we are in this state we are very open to ideas and suggestions, but a hypnotherapist cannot control our mind and free will any more than anybody else can.

The Australian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists (ASCH) adds that hypnosis is a normal and natural state of mind. It can occur spontaneously to help protect us when we are frightened, disoriented or very stressed.

What is hypnotherapy?

According to Healthcommunities.com, hypnotherapy is using hypnosis in a therapeutic setting to help us achieve goals. Hypnotherapists make suggestions, called post hypnotic suggestions, while we are hypnotised. After hypnosis we can take the suggestions into our day-to-day life to achieve our goals.

What is hypnotherapy good for?

Hypnotherapy can help with many things such as:

• Alcoholism
• Allergies
• Anger, aggression and rage
• Anxiety
• Asthma
• Athletic performance
• Bedwetting
• Compulsions
• Concentration
• Confidence building
• Depression
• Eating disorders such as over eating and bulimia
• Fears and phobias such as fear of flying and stage fright
• Fibromyalgia
• Goal setting
• Grief
• Guilt
• Headaches
• High blood pressure
• Indigestion
• Insomnia
• Interviews
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Labor and delivery
• Memory boosting
• Mood swings
• Nail biting
• Pain relief and pain management such as for arthritis, cancer, during and after surgery and dental procedures
• Psychic development
• Public speaking
• Resentment
• Sexual problems
• Skin problems such as acne, eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis
• Sleep problems such as insomnia
• Stopping smoking
• Stress, including post-traumatic stress disorder
• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
• Warts
• Weight loss and weight management
• Work performance
• Worry

How does hypnotherapy work?

A hypnotherapist uses hypnosis to relax clients mentally, physically and emotionally. During hypnosis, a hypnotherapist helps clients make positive changes to thoughts, attitudes, beliefs and habits, and overcome the bad affects of trauma.

The UMMC says hypnotherapy has the following stages:

1. Reframe the problem
2. Become relaxed then absorbed (deeply engaged in the words or images the hypnotherapist presents)
3. Dissociate (let go of critical thoughts)
4. Respond (comply with a hypnotherapist’s suggestions)
5. Return to usual awareness
6. Reflect on the experience

A person having hypnotherapy must voluntarily choose to be hypnotised, agree to hypnosis and believe that hypnosis can help them.

What does hypnotherapy feel like?

Hypnotherapy-services.com and the BBC’s A Short Guide to Hypnotherapy say we all experience hypnosis differently. For some of us it feels the same as our normal waking state, but often it’s like that deep calm feeling just before falling asleep at night or just before waking in the morning.

To date I have had four weekly hour-long clinical hypnotherapy sessions. While I was hypnotised I felt deeply relaxed and sleepy, and my limbs felt heavy. My thoughts and breathing slowed down nicely.

After my hypnotherapist brought me out of hypnosis I could remember only some of the things she said to me while I was hypnotized. She wrote down my post hypnotic suggestion on her business card in case I forgot it, so I could read it whenever I found myself thinking about the problem I was wanting to overcome using hypnotherapy.

How safe is hypnotherapy?

According to the BBC’s A Short Guide to Hypnotherapy, hypnosis is very safe.

Hypnotherapy-services.com says:

“Unfortunately hypnosis is the same as any other tool; in the right hands and used in the right way then hypnotherapy is very safe. Is a scalpel safe? It depends on who is wielding it – a surgeon or a psychopath.

By using hypnosis in a positive and professional manner it is possible to change all sorts of things within a person, therefore it stands to reason that somebody who is incompetent at using hypnosis could cause some dangerous reactions.”

The ASCH quotes over five health professionals’ views on the safety of hypnosis, including those of clinical hypnotherapists. They all claim hypnosis is safe.

How many sessions will hypnotherapy take to work?

The number of sessions hypnotherapy takes to work varies from one person to the next because every person and every problem is different. If you decide to have hypnotherapy, discuss the number of sessions you might need with your hypnotherapist before or during your first session.

The UMMC says each session lasts about an hour, and most people start to see results within 4 to 10 sessions. Children aged 9 to 12 are easily hypnotized and may respond after only one or two visits.

My hypnotherapist recommended six sessions to help achieve my goals.

Are there any side effects, dangers and complications of hypnotherapy?

Maurice Kouguell, Ph.D., Founder and Director of the Brookside Center for Counseling and Hypnotherapy, says many mild side effects can occur during a hypnotic induction and sometimes these might also occur after a post hypnotic suggestion. Side effects can include nausea, dizziness, crying, anxiety linked to loss of control and, rarely, spontaneous regression of a traumatic event.

Kouguell comments that most side effects can often be stopped by quickly ending the induction or by proceeding with the induction and often the side effects will disappear as the hypnotic state deepens. He claims there are many possible complications linked to hypnosis including tiredness, antisocial acting out, panic attacks, loss of comprehension or concentration, confusion and misunderstood suggestion.

The ASCH, however, states a different point-of-view; for example they say that:

“Dr Julius Grinker states, “The so-called dangers from hypnosis are imaginary. Although I have hypnotised many hundreds of patients, I have never seen any ill effects from its use”.

Clinical hypnotherapist, Gil Boyne, states, “In almost forty years of practice and more than 40,000 hours of hypnotherapy, I have never seen or heard of any harm resulting from hypnosis.””

So does hypnosis have any bad effects? After reading many articles on the web about this topic and using common sense, I think no therapy is 100% safe all the time for everybody. I also think that the safety of hypnosis depends on factors that all interact with each other, such as:

• how good the hypnotherapist is at hypnotherapy
• the physical, emotional and mental state of the person being hypnotized
• the goals the person wants from hypnotherapy
• the accuracy of the post hypnotic suggestions

Should some people be cautious about having hypnotherapy?

Kouguell says, “In the literature, authorities have been urging caution in the use of hypnosis for over 100 years.”

Healthcommunities.com claims that although experts estimate that at least 80% of people can be hypnotized, hypnotherapy is not recommended for everyone.

Hypnotherapists assess how open to suggestion and receptive their clients are by asking questions about their personalities. Hypnotherapists screen out those who are likely to have bad reactions to hypnosis.

Healthcommunities.com believes that only well-trained, experienced hypnotherapists should treat people who:

• consume large amounts of alcohol or other drugs
• have delusions or hallucinations
• have psychosis or borderline psychosis

and only together with the client’s psychiatrist.

Although some very young children can be hypnotized, they lack the attention span needed for hypnosis. Older children, however, can be hypnotized to overcome fears and help treat various problems such as nail biting and bedwetting.

Summary

Hypnotherapy uses hypnosis to help people achieve goals. Hypnosis is a normal and natural state of mind where we are more open to suggestions and ideas than in our usual waking state. Hypnotherapy can help with many problems, although some people can have side effects. If you decide to have hypnotherapy, choose a well qualified hypnotherapist.

written by Nyomi Graef

References:
A Short Guide to Hypnotherapy, 2002, BBC,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/place-london/plain/A1023184

FAQ, 2010, Australian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists,
https://www.asch.com.au/general-public/faq/

Frequently Asked Questions About Hypnosis, 2010, American Society of Clinical Hypnosis,
http://www.asch.net/Public/GeneralInfoonHypnosis/FAQsAboutHypnosis/tabid/161/Default.aspx

Hypnosis: Frequently Asked Questions, n.d., Brookside Center for Counseling and Hypnotherapy,
http://www.brooksidecenter.com/hypnosis_faq.htm

Hypnotherapy, 2010, University of Maryland Medical Center,
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/hypnotherapy-000353.htm

Hypnotherapy, 2010, Wikipedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnotherapy#Research

Is hypnotherapy safe?, 2008, Hypnotherapy Services,
http://www.hypnotherapy-services.com/faq/is-hypnosis-safe

Kouguell, M, Possible Dangers and Complications, n.d., Brookside Center for Counseling and Hypnotherapy,
http://www.brooksidecenter.com/possible_dangers_and_complicatio.htm

Overview of Hypnosis & Hypnotherapy, 2001, HealthCommunities.com,
http://www.healthcommunities.com/hypnotherapy/alternative-medicine/hypnotherapy-overview.shtml