Hypnosis And Pain Case Study

“What is Hypnosis?” Describe the psychological and physical aspects of hypnosis and discuss the role of relaxation in Hypnotherapy.

The content of this essay will explore how hypnosis has been defined in both the past and the present. I will explain my understanding of hypnosis as well as exploring the history of hypnosis, its origins and how it was first practiced. I shall also detail some of the techniques used and the psychological and physical changes which occur during hypnosis. Finally I will discuss the role of relaxation in hypnotherapy and look at some of the reasons that individuals wish to undergo hypnosis and the benefits they may experience.

It can be used to make patients less nervous before a surgery and can comfort them during recovery. It can also be used to combat the side effects of chemotherapy, radiation, or a chronic illness (World Book). Hypnosis can also help the 25% of Americans who avoid and fear the dentist. After a five minute hypnosis session, patients can be relaxed enough to receive novocaine and the treatment they need inexpensively and without medication (healing power). Finally, hypnosis can help burn victims. These people must have their dead skin removed every day for up to a few months. The process is so painful that most patients must be given powerful painkillers that can be addictive and can cause confusion, gastrointestinal problems, and breathing trouble. Hypnosis can relax the patient and can allow them to go through the treatment without experiencing pain. The hypnosis session is inexpensive and does not require addictive medication (healing power). Despite the evidence that supports the fact that hypnosis is a legitimate approach to treating conditions, many graduate schools have little hypnosis training in their psychology programs (Smith). This needs to change so that more people can become trained hypnotists so the approach can become more widespread. As previously stated, it would benefit hospitals financially and patients physically. It is free, can treat a variety of conditions, has no side effects, and is not addictive. Dr. Spiegel believes that it could even be used in place of addictive opiates. More time and money must be put into research on hypnosis and its practice as it could save hospitals and patients money in the long run and could help a variety of patients heal

Hypnosis is widely used in therapy for a number of reasons. The promotion of hypnosis as a cure for weight loss, smoking, exam nerves and other such

Hypnosis can be defined as a form of highly focused concentration with relative suspension perplexed awareness used to lessen pain experience. (King.B, 2001) It can also be used alongside analgesics such as morphine. (Bamford.C, 2006) This paper will be discussing the effectiveness of its use to manage pain and related areas based on the benefits and limitations highlighted by various methodologies. These methodologies include decade long observations of case studies, testing on amputees and cancer patients whilst comparing use of pharmacological medicines to use of hypnosis itself. Some of the advantages of hypnosis include how it increases self efficacy by actively allowing patient to control pain symptoms, (Williamson.A, 2004)

So, I will now move onto describing the psychological and physiological effects of hypnosis. Robin Waterfield provides a valid list of this when he describes ‘a high degree of rapport between the hypnotist and subject’, use of the ‘imagination’ and also the generation of ‘expectations’ within the subject’s mind. As we can see in Linnenkamp Doyle’s case study of hypnotherapy as a cure for blindness below, these expectations ideally relate to the suggestions imposed upon the subject of hypnosis. The suggestions and expectations will often relate to factors such as the cure or severity of a disease suffered by the subject or the lack of pain during dental procedures undergone by the subject.

The results of this experiment include the inability of the participants to recall their specific hypnosis was discovered as the likely factor in the self-report error (Younger et al., 2005). A general tendency to the

“I shall use hypnosis to turn you into my slave!” roared Dr. Drake, as a bolt of lightening split the sinister sky behind him, to his defenseless victim who curled into a quivering ball at his fearful threat. This is a common theme in many horror movies involving hypnosis. Not only is “Dr. Drake” over-exaggerating on his statement, his declaration is simply ridiculous in the reality of hypnosis! It is essential to wipe out those common misconceptions of hypnosis encouraged by those fictional tales, and get down to the truth of hypnosis, its real power, its techniques, its role in the medical field, and its relationship with hypnotherapy.

According to S. Horowitz the benefits of hypnosis "stress induced disorder, pain management (example: oncology care), anesthesia, addiction and behavior change (example: smoking cessation, weight loss), insomnia and other sleep disorders, fear of invasive medical procedures, neuromuscular relaxation" (horowitz, 2006)

Suggests that there may be cultural differences involved, since it seems that in Britain a lower proportion of patients show a useful response to hypnosis than in the USA. We find that perhaps one out of three patients will respond satisfactorily to a first induction and score satisfactorily on assessment scales at this point. Rather more will show signs of (beneficial) relaxation, but no real response to suggestion or evidence of anything more than feeling rested.

In this article researchers posed the question of whether or not hypnosis treated pain more efficiently than pain medication or sedation. This study specifically focused on burn victims, who experience very painful treatments to help them heal. These burn victims had been in the hospitals burn unit for longer than 2 days and were required to talk in English. These participants were separated into two different groups, one of these groups actually receiving hypnosis pain treatment and the other group receiving non-hypnosis care, more relaxation focused, from a therapist. Participants were unaware of which care they were receiving (Askay, Patterson, Jensen, & Sharar, 2007).

When you are anxious or depressed, it feeds into your pain level. By improving your mental outlook, hypnosis can reduce the pain that you experience. In addition, hypnosis can limit the perception of pain by working with your subconscious. Pain is experienced when receptors in your mind receive signals from your body. Hypnosis helps to reroute these signals so that your mind does not hear the pain messengers. As a result, you experience a lower intensity and duration of pain. Since nausea and many other side effects operate on the same principle, you can also reduce the severity of symptoms that you

What is psychological hypnosis; rather it is what we have perceived it to be since we were young children. Some think of hypnosis as swinging a pocket watch back and forth in front of someone’s face and they automatically fall into a deep sleep. Hypnosis is one of the most misunderstood and controversial methods of psychological treatment. The myths and misconceptions associated with hypnotherapy mainly come from people’s ideas about what we know as “stage hypnotism”. (Barrett, 2001) Hypnosis can produce changes in perception, memory, thoughts, and behavior. Most often, speaking in a calm, monotonous voice, suggesting that the person is becoming drowsy, sleepy, and progressively more relaxed, induces hypnosis. Someone being

Hypnosis is explained by two processes: a divided state of consciousness and social cognitive behavior.In a divided state of consciousness, as Ernest Hilgard explains, the consciousness is divided into separate parts. One constitute acts as a hidden observer while the other follows the command of the hypnotist. In a bucket of ice-cold water he placed one hand of the individual hypnotized and told him that he will not feel pain but the hidden part would be aware of the events happening by pressing a key with the other hands not sub-merged in water. The individual after hypnosis revealed that he did not experience any pain, while his hands had been inside the water, they had pressed the key with their non-submerged hand, and they pressed it more frequently as long as their hand was in cold water. Hilgard came to a conclusion that consciousness has a hidden part which remains in contact with the reality and thus feels pain but the other part does not feel any pain. Critics of Hilgard argue that the hypnotized person is never in an altered state of consciousness. From this view, the observer which is hidden is the person himself or herself, having the permission to

Although the aim of both domains is the study and respectively the practice of inducing lasting changes in feelings, perceptions, thoughts and behavior, the two domains are approaching the process of change from two completely different perspectives. The experimental hypnosis has a mostly biological and neurological approach, while the clinical hypnosis has a mainstream cognitive approach.