Discovered in the late 1700s by an Austrian physician Franz Mesmer, hypnosis had to struggle for approval in the scientific circles.
However today, the treatment method has made its way into the latest medical journals as an effective method of treatment. It seems that, finally, the mind has won over matter. From treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) to helping patients counter the effects of chemotherapy, hypnosis has proved to be quite efficient in healing the body.
How Hypnosis Can Help Relieve Pain
Psychologists believe that hypnosis is an altered state of mind that makes a person’s subconscious available for suggestion.
By communicating directly with this part of the mind, the possibilities of healing are simply endless.
The latest in the brain scan technology shows that hypnosis has the power to change the nature of sensory messages that the brain receives and hence, how they are experienced in the body.
Using brain imaging techniques, the researchers at the University of Iowa concluded that hypnosis is effective in blocking pain signals from reaching parts of the brain that are responsible for pain perception. This means that hypnosis can trick the mind into believing that the pain experienced is, after all, not as painful by inhibiting those receptors in the brain.
According to a University of Adelaide’s survey of women who had undergone delivery, it was found that hypnosis could decrease labor time, reduce pain and lead to quite fewer complications.
Hypnosis and Speedy Recovery
A research was carried out in 2003 by Harvard researchers Ginandes and Patricia Brooks to see if hypnosis had any impact on the recovery of patients who had undergone reconstructive breast surgery.
It was found out that the group that did receive hypnotic suggestions by the therapist for pain reduction and soft-tissue recovery healed much faster than the other groups.
Hypnosis during Surgery
Masked under the name of relaxation exercises, hypnosis can also prove to be very effective during surgery.
Elvira Lang, a radiologist and professor at the Harvard Medical School, published a comprehensive study featuring the results of patients receiving hypnosis, anesthesia and sympathetic care during minor surgeries.
The study showed that hypnosis not only reduced pain in 50% subjects, but also led to 75% of fewer medical complications. It found out that the patients in group that received hypnotic treatment left the surgery room an average of 17 minutes earlier than patients in other groups.
With over 20 years of experience in the field, Rekha Shrivastava is a certified consulting hypnotist. She understands the complex processes of the mind and how hypnosis can be useful in relieving pain. Her pain management has helped many patients in Rochester, New York. Visit the website to know more.
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