Hypnosis has a branding problem.
“If you watch hypnosis on TV, the subject always ends up clucking like a chicken or getting naked” says Eric Willmorth, PhD, founder of Michigan Behavioral Consultants and past president of American Psychological Association Division 30 (Society of Psychological Hypnosis.
While using hypnosis as entertainment has damaged the public image of hypnosis, a growing body of scientific evidence supports the effectiveness of the technique. As noted by Brendan L. Smith in the January, 2011 issue of the Monitor on Psychology publication of the APA, “Hypnosis can create a highly relaxed state of inner concentration and focused attention for patients, and the technique can be tailored to different treatment methods, such as cognitive behavioral therapy. Patients also can become more empowered by learning to hypnotize themselves at home to reduce chronic pain, improve sleep and alleviate some symptoms of depression or anxiety.”
So what is hypnosis anyway? It is a state in which the body is relaxed, but the mind is active and focused inward. It is similar to that comfortable feeling you experience as you settle down to sleep and later float up to wakefulness. While in this state, your mind is focused and receptive to suggestions. Hypnosis allows you to utilize this receptivity to unblock subconscious obstacles, instill a sense of positivity about achieving your goals and modulate your experience of stress and pain.
But does it work? What does the research have to say about hypnosis? Here is a brief summary of recent research for your review.
Pain: In the Psychology Bulletin, July 2003, Patterson and Jensen conducted a review of randomized controlled studies with clinical populations. A summary of their findings indicated that hypnosis has a reliable and significant impact on both acute procedural and chronic pain.
Jensen and Patterson, in their 2014 article in the American Psychologist, review brain imaging results relative to pain and hypnosis. In short, pain is associated with changes in brainwave activity. The authors note “hypnosis suggestions result in changes in brain activity consistent with those observed in individuals who experience pain relief; with hypnosis, there is a decrease in relative beta activity and an increase in alpha activity.”
Surgery: In their 2002 article in Anesthesia & Analgesia, Guy H. Montgomery, PhD and his colleagues reported on a meta-analysis of research on hypnosis as a means of managing surgical side effects. Their review found that “on average, 89% of surgical patients in previous studies benefitted from adjuctive hypnosis interventions relative to patients in control conditions.”
Stress: In the article “Hypnosis in the treatment of anxiety and stress-related disorders” in the February, 2010 edition of Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, Hammond provided a review of the experimental literature on self-hypnosis in the treatment of stress and anxiety-related problems. The author concluded that the research supports self-hypnosis as an effective treatment for state anxiety, such as test anxiety, surgery and medical procedures as well as anxiety-related disorders, such as headaches and irritable bowel syndrome.
Depression: Michael Yapko explored the uses of hypnosis for depressive symptoms in “Hypnosis and Treating Depression: Applications in Clinical Practice” 2006. In the work, he made a case for the use of hypnosis as part of a comprehensive treatment of depression. He noted that hypnosis can create positive expectancy for treatment as well as address various symptoms of depression, including insomnia and rumination.
Weight Management: In December, 2014 Psychology Today published an article titled “Successful weight loss using hypnosis”. Dr. Traci Stein noted that while 40% of adults in the US are overweight, only 20% of overweight individuals are successful in maintaining weight loss. She goes on to state “We know from the research that hypnosis pairs well with other weight loss and stress reduction techniques, such as mindfulness, relaxation training and cognitive behavioral therapy. Some research has found that adding hypnosis to CBT further increases its effectiveness for weight loss.” Her view was that understanding the subconscious reasons for keeping the weight on makes it easier to let go of the extra pounds.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: According to the National Institutes of Health in the posting “What the science says about the effectiveness of complementary health approaches for IBS”, several studies have documented long-term improvement in IBS symptoms following gut-directed hypnotherapy (GDH). The article cited a 2013 study in which participants received 10 sessions of support consisting of either GDH or supportive talks with a trained physician. The results indicated that 50% of the patients receiving GDH experienced improvement in their symptoms compared to 25% of the control group. Encouragingly, the benefits were documented as lasting for a minimum of 15 months.
Sports Enhancement: The article “The use of relaxation, hypnosis and imagery in sport psychiatry” in 2005 by Newmark and Bogacki, noted how athletes can use aspects of hypnosis to improve performance. They stated that “techniques facilitate learning new information that can be applied in competition, provide general relaxation to enhance performance and assist in the rehabilitation of injury or pain.”