Medical Hypnosis

When I explain hypnosis, I often have to explain how my procedures differ clinically and ethically from amateur stage hypnosis. Stage hypnosis depends on a certain amount of peer pressure and a given individual’s conscious or unconscious wishes to perform. Frequently it is not done with consideration for the subject’s needs or vulnerabilities. I see hypnosis as a specific medical or psychological procedure that should be done within the context of a therapeutic relationship.

Brian Alman, PhD stated in the Permanete Journal: Medical hypnosis is an underutilized therapeutic modality which can be learned easily for everyday use in medical practice, especially when taking the medical history. In this era of emphasis on cost-effectiveness, both medical hypnosis and certain parahypnotic techniques (e.g., closed-eye history taking) may be of special interest to physicians.

Even Stanford Medicine has started to integrate medical hypnosis into its programs.

Topics Included Here:

Indications for Medical Hypnosis (top)

Pain: Some patients worry that if hypnosis helps their pain that it means that the pain in “all in my head.” Actually, that is true because ALL pain is mediated through the brain. Pain related to surgery or medical conditions such as shingles can respond well to hypnosis. I help my patients with learning to manage their pain, dialing it down when they need to, but remaining aware of what their body is trying to tell them.
Habit Disorders: Hypnosis has been shown to be effective bruxism (repetitive teeth grinding) I have used it successfully to help individuals stop smoking, lose weight, and remove bad habits. For individuals with alcoholism or other chemical dependency, I strongly suggest that if they are seeing me for hypnosis, they also attend 12 step meetings.
Pregnancy: I have successfully used hypnosis during pregnancy and feel that it truly allowed me to remain calm and in touch with my baby so that I recognized when things ‘weren’t quite right’. I have seen several successful Hypnobirths and have been teaching the techniques one on one to soon to be moms.
Relaxation: Hypnosis induces a state of relaxation. This can be short term, as when used to interrupt panic. When used with self-hypnosis, a motivated individual can often achieve longer-term results.
Anxiety states: Hypnosis can help anxiety disorders in more than one way. It can directly decrease anxiety and panic by inducing a state of relaxation. The therapist can also use the hypnotic state to help the patient focus more clearly on issues that might be causing the anxiety. Often the use of fictional stories, used as metaphors, can give the patient a new way of looking at his or her problems. Story telling is more permissive than direct suggestions. It gives the patient a chance to accept or reject the suggestion without feeling that he is being “non-compliant.”
Interruption of strong emotional state: Individuals in crisis are often more susceptible to suggestion. Susceptible individuals may actually dissociate spontaneously during a trauma or crisis. This tendency may be used therapeutically in emergency situations.
Psychotherapy: Hypnosis can be a useful part of exploratory psychotherapy. The therapist often makes use of metaphorical stories to help the patient develop another way of looking at certain situations.

Hypnotizability (top)

Some, such as the Speigels, feel that each individual has an innate capacity for achieving trance state. They see this capacity as relatively stable over time. They suggest that there may be inheritability of this capacity. Thus, they do not use deepening techniques as much as other clinicians. They do note that expectations and rapport with the therapist can influence the success of the hypnosis.

Milton Erickson emphasized less a biologically determined capacity for hypnosis. He attempted to find metaphors suitable for each individual. He also would use deepening techniques. He felt that individuals who seemed to have a limited capacity for trance could still achieve trance states with proper technique. Many clinicians approach their hypnotic work from a middle ground. It is useful to get a sense of the patient’s capacity to easily achieve trance. However, much can be done to deepen and enhance the trance state. Additionally, a great deal of productive work can be done while an individual is in a light trance state.

Hypnotic Induction (top)

The induction is essentially a ritual that helps formalize a transition to a more focused state of consciousness. Deep or light trance states can occur spontaneously. The formal induction process serves to organize and structure the process so that the trance state can be more efficiently used in therapy. There are a wide variety of types of hypnotic inductions. Some therapists tend to use a particular type of induction most of the time. Others vary the type of induction depending on the personality type and preferences of the patient. Brief induction techniques can be more practical because the patient can often learn to use it himself in “real world” situations.

Contraindications for Hypnosis (top)

This is a controversial subject. Different clinicians have varying opinions about the appropriate uses of hypnosis. I do not use hypnosis for public entertainment. I also do not work to induce hypnosis in a patient who does not want it; it’s not going to work anyway when the patient doesn’t want it to work. The mind is a powerful tool and protector.