Growing 22, March 1998
Can Hypnosis Be Helpful?

Featured Writer: Denise Casey, Psy.D., CADC, CHT, Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Have you ever wondered if hypnosis could be useful to you? Could it help you lose weight, stop smoking, or feel less stressed? Maybe you’ve known someone who has tried hypnosis or have seen a staged hypnotism. In order to evaluate whether or not hypnosis can be useful to you, it is important to understand what hypnosis is and is not. The following are the most commonly asked questions.

Will you make me cluck like a chicken?
The therapeutic use of hypnosis is not the same as stage hypnosis. Stage hypnosis is used for entertainment rather than therapeutic purposes. The suggestions given while a person is “trance” will be related to the presenting problem or treatment goals. So, you will not be made to cluck like a chicken unless your therapeutic goal is to do a good fowl imitation. An individual who undergoes hypnosis will not engage in any behavior that is in violation of his/her ethics or values. The individual will also remember everything that occurs during the hypnotic procedure and will embrace the suggestions given only if they are consistent with his/her beliefs. There is no loss of control over behavior while under hypnosis or afterward.

Will I remember the session?
Contrary to popular myth, a person under hypnosis does not experience a loss of consciousness. While maximizing their focal awareness, people regularly enter into altered states of awareness. The most common everyday trance is daydreaming or undivided attention to a movie or novel. Another natural trance is “highway hypnosis,” when an individual is so engrosssed in a thought process that he/she is no longer conscious of attending to the process of driving and may even miss an exit. People who practice meditation are entering into a form of hypnosis.

What if I can’t be hypnotized?
It is extremely rare that a person cannot be hypnotized. Most all individuals can be hypnotized, but may differ in their level of responsiveness. Science has developed “hypnotizability tests” which can be administered to measure a person’s ability to be hypnotized.

Will it fix me?
While hypnosis proves to be a useful tool, it by no means is a “magic pill.” All change requires commitment, motivation and action. Hypnosis is not a substitute for traditional medical, dental or therapeutic procedures, but it can serve as an adjunct to treatment. The use of hypnosis can greatly support the changes a person wishes or needs to make.

How long will it take?
The number of hypnosis sessions will vary depending upon the goal. For example, someone wishing to quit smoking may attend between 3 and 5 sessions, while someone who is learning pain control may attend regular sessions over a period of weeks or months.

What exactly is hypnosis?
The American Psychological Association identifies hypnosis as a procedure in which a trained qualified professional induces a deep state of relaxation and suggests to the subject that he/she experience changes in sensations, perceptions, thoughts, or behavior (1993). In other words, hypnosis is a state of highly focused concentration.

Hypnosis has been utilized by professionals since 1843 and has proven to be a successful modality across many disciplines - psychology, gynecology, and dentistry. Hypnosis was approved by the American Medical Association in 1958. As paradigms begin to shift in the medical and mental health fields with the realization of the mind body connection, the use of hypnosis is gaining mainstream recognition. Currently hypnosis is being used in dentistry to reduce patient anxiety toward dental procedures. It is used in obstetrics for preparation of childbirth and used in oncology to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy treatment and to enhance immune function. Chiropractic care often uses hypnosis to assist the recovery of those involved in automobile accidents. Hypnosis can also be successful in treating gastrointestinal disorders such as colitis or irritable bowel syndrome. Psychology is using hypnosis for anxiety reduction, phobic reactions, improvement of self-esteem and resolution of psychic trauma.

Hypnosis is not a type of therapy. It is a tool that is used as an adjunct to treatment of medical or psychological problems. Hypnosis is useful in the treatment of stress, pain and weight management, smoking cessation, generalized anxiety, specific phobias, and depression. In its most profound application, hypnosis has been used to forgo anesthesia in surgical procedures. The most useful application is in teaching clients self-hypnosis which they can readily use on their own for stress management, pain or habit control.

So, can hypnosis be helpful? Probably. Hypnosis can be used as a treatment adjunct to many disciplines. However, it is not recommended for everyone. Only a consultation with a qualified professional can help you decide if it may be helpful to you.

Academic References for this issue of Growing are available upon request.

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