Until the latter half of the 20th century, most scholarly
journals refused to even consider studies on the effectiveness of hypnosis. But
this is changing. Here is just a brief summary of some recent research:
Hypnosis has been shown to alleviate the
subjective distress of patients with asthma: there were less frequent attacks,
and less medication was required.
(1)
In another study comparing Hypnosis and
relaxation therapy the improvement with the Hypnotherapy group was much greater.
And only Hypnosis subjects showed an improvement in physiologic measures of
respiration.(2)
References:
(1) Maher-Loughnan, G.P. (1970). "Hypnosis
and AutoHypnosis for the Treatment of Asthma." International Journal of Clinical
and Experimental Hypnosis, 18, 1- 14.
(2) Maher-Loughnan, G.P., MacDonald, N., Mason, A.A. & Fry, L. (1962).
"Controlled Trial of Hypnosis in the Symptomatic Treatment of Asthma." British
Medical Journal, 2, 371-376.
Following Hypnotherapy, patients with arthritis
achieved significant decreases in pain, anxiety, and depression, and an
increases in beta-endorphin-like immunoreactive material.
References:
Domangue, B.B., Margolis, C.G., Lieberman, D.
& Kaji, H. (1985). "Biochemical Correlates of Hypnoanalgesia in Arthritic Pain
Patients." Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 46, 235-238.
The
Harvard Medical School conducted research on the use of hypnosis to enhance
physical healing. Twelve people with a recent bone fracture were divided into
two groups. One group received hypnosis and the other group served as control.
Both groups received standard orthopedic treatment. The hypnosis group had
individual hypnotic sessions and listened to audio tapes designed to increase
bone healing. Xray and orthopedic evaluations were made during the 12 weeks of
the experiment. The results showed a faster healing for the hypnosis group at
week 9 of the experiment. Xrays revealed a notable difference at the edge of
the fracture at week 6 of the experiment. The hypnosis group also had better
mobility and used less pain killers. The researchers conclude by saying that
"despite a small sample size.... these data suggest that hypnosis may be capable
of enhancing both anatomical and functional fracture healing, and that further
investigation of hypnosis to accelerate healing is warranted.
References:
Ginandes, CS, Rosenthal, DI.1999, "Using
hypnosis to accelerate the healing of bone fractures: a randomized controlled
pilot study", Therapy Health Medicine, March, 5(2), pp.67-75.
Women with metastatic breast cancer who
received group Hypnosis therapy were able to reduce their pain experience by 50%
compared to a control group. (1)
At a 10-year follow-up of these same women, the
Hypnosis treatment group had double the survival rate of the control group.(2)
Both
adolescent and adult cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy have fewer symptoms
of anticipatory nausea and vomiting following Hypnotic interventions. (3)
References:
(1) Spiegel, D. & Bloom, J.R. (1983b)."Group
therapy and Hypnosis Reduce Metastatic Breast Carcinoma Pain." Psychosomatic
Medicine, 45, 333-339.
(2) Spiegel, D., Bloom, J.R., Kraemer, H.,C.
& Gottheil, E. (1989a) "Effect of Psychosocial Treatment on Survival of Patients
with Metatastic Breast Cancer." Lancet pp. 888-891.
(3) Zeltzer, L.; LeBaron, S. & Zeltzer, P.M.
(1984).The Effectiveness of Behavioral Intervention for Reduction of Nausea and
Vomiting in Children and Adolescents Receiving Chemotherapy." Journal of
Clinical Oncology, 2, 683-690. Cotanch, P., Hockenberry, M. & Herman, S. (1985).
"Self-Hypnosis Antiemetic Therapy in Children Receiving Chemotherapy." Oncology
Nursing Forum, 12, 41- 46. Zeltzer, L., LeBaron, S. & Zeltzer, P.M. (1984).
Hypnotherapy has been used successfully to
prolong pregnancy and prevent premature delivery. (1)
In
Britain 55% of birthing women using hypnosis required no medication for pain
relief, compared with 22% of women in non-hypnosis groups. In two other reports
58% of women using hypnotic analgesia required no medication. And five other
reports quoted 60-79% of women using hypnosis required no medication. Check out
www.easybirthing.com/science_and_research . In another study subjects
given hypnosis reported reduced pain, shorter stage 1 labours, less medication,
higher Apgar scores, more frequent spontaneous deliveries than other group. Some
had lower depression scores after birth than the other groups.(2)
References:
(1) Schwartz, M. (1963) The Cessation of
Labor Using Hypnotic Techniques." American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 5,
211-213.
(2) Harmon, T.M., Hynan, M., &
Tyre, T.E. (1990). "Improved obstetric outcomes using hypnotic analgesia and
skill mastery combined with childbirth education." Journal of Consulting and
Clinical Psychology, 58, 525, 530, 1990.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy for Depression: An
Empirical Study: To investigate the effectiveness of cognitive hypnotherapy
(CH), hypnosis combined with cognitive behavior therapy (CBT),
on depression, 84 depressives were randomly assigned to 16 weeks of treatment of
either CH or CBT
alone. At the end of treatment, patients from both groups significantly improved
compared to baseline scores. However, the CH group produced significantly larger
changes in Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Beck
Hopelessness Scale. Effect size calculations showed that the CH group produced
6%, 5%, and 8% greater reduction in depression, anxiety, and hopelessness,
respectively, over and above the CBT group. The effect size was maintained at
6-month and 12-month follow-ups. This study represents the first controlled
comparison of hypnotherapy with a well-established psychotherapy for depression,
meeting the APA criteria for a “probably efficacious” treatment for depression.
(1)
Alternative Treatments for Long-Term Depressed
Mood: Meditation and Hypnosis The purpose of this study is to examine the
effectiveness to two alternative treatments for long-term depressed mood:
mindfulness meditation and hypnosis. The need to find effective treatments for
those suffering from long-term low-to-moderate level depression has been known
for over a century. Although, there have been some recent advances in the types
of drug and psychotherapy treatments available for this condition, some people
do not respond to such interventions, have considerable side effects (from the
drugs), or are not satisfied for other reasons with these treatment options.
The present study represents an innovative
investigation into two alternatives to traditional treatments for long-term
depressed mood: mindfulness meditation (plus gentle hatha yoga) and hypnosis in
a group therapy format. Although both meditation and hypnosis have shown success
in treating stress, anxiety, and pain in studies of non-clinical populations,
neither has been systematically investigated as a possible treatment for
long-term depressed mood. (2)
References:
(1) Assen
Alladin and Alisha Alibhai (2000) The International Journal of Clinical and
Experimental Hypnosis; Volume 55, Number 2 - April 2000.
(2) Spiegel, D. MD; Butler, L.D. Ph.D. Xin-Hua Chen; Abramson, M. DDS, Waelde, L.
Ph.D. Mental Insight Foundation
Most clinicians and researchers agree that
stress affects the course of dermatitis and eczema, and reducing stress levels
has a positive effect on the course of the disease. Emotional factors have been
shown to have a strong correlation with onset of the disease and also with
flare-ups. Further more, several documented case studies have revealed that
hypnosis can offer a successful treatment for sufferers.
References:
Kantor, S.D. (1990).Stress and psoriasis. Psoriasis Research Institute,
Palo Alto, California94301. Cutis (USA) Oct 1990, 46 (4) p321-2
Haemophiliac patients taught self-hypnosis
significantly reduced both their level of self-reported distress and the amount
of the factor concentrate required to control bleeding when compared with a
control group of patients who did not undergo Hypnosis.
References:
Swirsky-Saccetti, T.; Margolis,
C.G. (1986)."The Effects of a Comprehensive Self- Hypnosis Training Program on
the Use of Factor VIII in Severe Hemophilia." International Journal of Clinical
and Experimental Hypnosis, 34, 71-83.
Hypnotherapy is one of the most successful
treatment methods, giving 80+% success rate for abdominal pain and distension.
It often results in assisting with other problems such as migraine and tension
headaches. With patients who have severe chronic IBS, it was Hypnotherapy
patients that showed dramatic improvement in all measures, and they maintained
that improvement at a two year follow-up. (1)
Cognitive Behavioral Hypnotherapy in the Treatment of Irritable
Bowel Syndrome–Induced Agoraphobia
There are a number of clinical studies and a
body of research on the effectiveness of hypnotherapy in the treatment of
irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Likewise, there exists research demonstrating
the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
in the treatment of IBS. However, there is little written about the integration
of CBT
and hypnotherapy in the treatment of IBS and a lack of clinical information
about IBS-induced agoraphobia. This paper describes the etiology and treatment
of IBS-induced agoraphobia. Cognitive, behavioral, and hypnotherapeutic
techniques are integrated to provide an effective cognitive-behavioral
hypnotherapy (CBH) treatment for IBS-induced agoraphobia. This CBH approach for
treating IBS-induced agoraphobia is described and clinical data are reported.
(2)
References:
(1) Whorwell P.J; Prior A; Faragher
E.B. (1988 & 1987). Whorwell, P.J., Prior, A. & Faragher, E.B. (1984).
"Controlled Trial of Hypnotherapy in the Treatment of Severe Refractory
Irritable-Bowel Syndrome." Lancet, pp. 1232-1234. Whorwell, P.J., Prior, A. &
Colgan, S.M. (1987). "Hypnotherapy in Severe Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Further
Experience." Gut, 28, 423-425.
(2) Golden W.L. (2000) The
International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis; Volume 55, Number
2 - April
2000
Hypnosis is highly effective in the treatment
of chronic migraine headaches. All Hypnotic methods appear to be superior to
standard treatment relying on pharmacological approaches alone. Patients treated
with Hypnosis had a significant reduction in severity and the number of attacks
compared to a control group treated with traditional medications. At the one
year follow-up the number of patients in the Hypnosis group who had no headaches
for over three months was significantly higher. (1)
Review of the Efficacy of Clinical Hypnosis with Headaches and
Migraines
The 12-member National Institute of Health
Technology Assessment Panel on Integration of Behavioral and Relaxation
Approaches into the Treatment of Chronic Pain and Insomnia (1996) reviewed
outcome studies on hypnosis with cancer pain and concluded that research
evidence was strong and that other evidence suggested hypnosis may be effective
with some chronic pain, including tension headaches. This paper provides an
updated review of the literature on the effectiveness of hypnosis in the
treatment of headaches and migraines, concluding that it meets the clinical
psychology research criteria for being a well-established and efficacious
treatment and is virtually free of the side effects, risks of adverse reactions,
and ongoing expense associated with medication treatments. (2)
References:
(1) Anderson, J.A.,
Basker, M.A, Dalton, R. (1975). "Migraine and Hypnotherapy." International Journal
of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 23, 48-58.
(2) Hammond C. (2000)
The International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis; Volume 55,
Number 2 - April 2000
Hypnosis was found to be effective in reducing
pain and discomfort associated with repeated unpleasant medical interventions in
a study of children with cancer. (1)
A significant reduction of pain and dysphoria
was found following Hypnosis in a study of 19 patients with a variety of
musculoskeletal disorders. (2)
References:
(1) Hilgard, E.R. (1977). "Divided
Consciousness: Multiple Controls in Human Thought and Action". NY: John Wiley.
1977
(2) Domangue, B.B., Margolis, C.G.,
Lieberman, D. & Kaji, H. (1985). Biochemical Correlates of Hypnoanalgesia in
Arthritic Pain Patients." Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 46, 235-238
In a recent stop smoking study, where smokers
attended individual hypnotherapy for stop smoking over three sessions, 81% had
stopped smoking after the treatment ended, and at a 12 month follow-up nearly
50% remained smoke free. And 95% of the people were satisfied with their
treatment.
References:
(1) Elkins GR, Rajab MH.
(2004) "Clinical hypnosis for Smoking Cessation: preliminary results of a three
session intervention." International Journal of Clinical and Experimental
Hypnosis 2004 Jan; 52 (1):73-81
A trial compared Hypnosis with biofeedback or a
combination of both. All groups had significant reduction in blood pressure. (1)
However, at six-month follow-up only patients
receiving Hypnosis had maintained the reduction. (2)
References:
(1) Friedman, H. & Taub, H. (1977).
"The Use of Hypnosis and Biofeedback Procedures for Essential Hypertension."
International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 25, 335-347.
(2) Friedman, H. & Taub, H. (1978).
"A Six Month Follow-up of the Use of Hypnosis and Biofeedback Procedures in
Essential Hypertension." American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 20, 184-188
Patients trained with Hypnosis before surgery
had significantly shorter stays in hospital. Research shows that Hypnosis
methods have been used successfully for anxiety associated with medical
procedures.
References:
(1) Rapkin, D.A., Straubing, M.,
Singh, A. & Holroyd, J.C. (1988). "Guided Imagery and Hypnosis: Effect on Acute
Recovery from Head and Neck Cancer Surgery" Paper presented at the Annual
Meeting of the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, Asheville, N.C.
Spiegel, D, (1998). Report in the Harvard Mental Health Letter, September 1998,
vol. 15, p. 5-6.
Warts
Prepubertal children respond to Hypnotherapy
almost without exception, although adults sometimes do not. Clinically, many
adults who fail to respond to hypnotherapy will heal with individual
hypnoanalytic (combination of hypnotherapy and psychotherapy) techniques. By
using hypnoanalysis on those who failed to respond to hypnotherapy, 33 of 41
(80%) consecutive patients were completely cured. Self-hypnosis was not used.
(1)
There was a particularly interesting report of
hypnosis used to treat a 7-year-old girl who had 82 common warts. The warts had
been present for 12-18 months and were not amenable to any of the routine
medical treatments. Hypnotic suggestions were given for the facial warts to
disappear before warts from the rest of the body. After 2 weeks, eight of 16
facial warts were gone, with no other changes. After three additional biweekly
sessions, all 82 warts were gone. This was, to our knowledge, the first reported
case of systematic wart removal in children and the researchers concluded that
there is an intimate relationship between psychological mechanisms and the
immune system. (2)
References:
(1) Ewin DM Hypnotherapy for warts
(verruca vulgaris): 41 consecutive cases with 33 cures. TulaneMedicalSchool, New Orleans, LA. Am J Clin Hypn (UNITED STATES) Jul 1992, 35(1) p1-10
(2) Hypnotherapy of a child with
warts.Noll RB Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, Michigan State
University,East Lansing 48824.J Dev Behav Pediatr Apr 1988, 9 (2) p89-91
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