In movies, hypnosis is often portrayed as a way to control people, perhaps to make them commit crimes or fall in love. People often think of hypnotists as wacky magicians who put people on stage and get them to neigh when they hear the word “horse.”There’s more to hypnosis than its entertainment value, as hypnosis is increasingly shown in the media. Consequently, hypnosis can provide a number of health benefits.
In healthcare, hypnosis can be used as a psychological treatment to change feelings, perceptions, thoughts, or behaviors. This service is provided by a licensed healthcare professional, such as a psychologist or physician, in a clinical setting.”
Hypnosis usually involves suggestions for relaxation, calmness, self hypnosis for sleep and well-being, which may only last for the session but may be reactivated later by the patient. Often, you will be instructed to think about pleasant experiences or given verbal cues to induce a trance-like state.
Hypnotherapy – which uses hypnosis as a standalone or supplementary treatment – has a variety of benefits for health.
Benefits of Hypnosis
Insomnia, trouble sleeping, and sleepwalking
If you sleepwalk or have trouble falling or staying asleep, hypnosis may be helpful to you. Hypnosis can help you fall asleep more easily if you have insomnia.
A hypnosis session can help you gain a better understanding of what sleepwalking is and be able to avoid it.
Hypnosis can also help you sleep better if you just want a little more rest. With self-hypnosis techniques, you can get more sleep and sleep deeper, which is essential to feeling refreshed the next day.
A verbal cue puts you in a trance-like state, similar to when you’re so engrossed in a book or movie that you lose track of time. You’ll fall asleep after hypnosis – or even during.
Anxiety
The use of relaxation techniques – including hypnosis – can sometimes help ease anxiety. The effectiveness of hypnosis tends to be greater among people with chronic health problems – such as heart disease – rather than among those who suffer from a generalized anxiety disorder.
In addition, hypnosis may also be able to help if you suffer from phobias – a type of anxiety disorder in which you are frightened of something that does not pose any significant threat to you.
Using a phrase or nonverbal cue, hypnosis works to stimulate your body’s natural relaxation response, slowing your breathing, lowering your blood pressure, and promoting an overall sense of well-being.
Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
A consistent body of clinical evidence supports the effectiveness of hypnosis for IBS. Symptoms of IBS, including constipation, diarrhea, and bloating, can be improved by hypnosis.
Secondary symptoms of IBS include nausea, fatigue, backache, and urinary problems. These can also be helped by hypnosis.
The therapy involves hypnosis, which offers soothing imagery and sensations to help you relax.
Chronic Pain
In hypnosis, pain can be reduced, such as the pain experienced after surgery or from migraines or tension headaches. It can also help with chronic pain. Hypnosis can provide relief to people suffering from conditions such as arthritis, cancer, sickle cell disease, and fibromyalgia, in addition to those suffering from back pain.
In hypnosis, you can gain control of your pain and cope better with pain. Hypnosis can also do this for a long time.
Losing weight
In contrast to hypnosis for smoking cessation, not many studies have confirmed hypnosis’ effect on weight loss, though some studies have found modest weight loss through hypnosis – about 6 pounds over 18 months. Diet and exercise changes are usually most effective when used in conjunction with hypnotherapy.
When you are hypnotized, your attention is focused. By doing this, you are more likely to listen and respond to suggestions for behavior changes, such as eating a healthy diet or exercising more, which could lead to weight loss.
