Hypnosis: The Original Mind/Body Medicine

By Guest Blogger, Roberta Temes, Ph.D

Hypnosis is the original mind/body medicine. In fact, there is proof, from NIH clinical trials, that patients hypnotized before surgery have an easier time and their surgeons complete their operations quicker! If you have pre-surgical hypnosis you will need fewer pain pills and you probably will be discharged from the hospital days earlier than someone who had the same operation, but no hypnosis.  Women who’ve been hypnotized before childbirth actually enjoy the experience. Millions of people don’t get regular dental care because they are fearful; hypnosis can quickly take away that fear.

When you are hypnotized you are very suggestible. It is a good idea for you and your hypnotist to decide, ahead of time, what suggestions should be said to you while you are in the suggestible state. That suggestible state is called a hypnotic trance.

Everyone can be hypnotized to some extent or another. You are born with a talent for hypnosis and you’ll never know how talented you might be until you try it. It’s like piano playing. If you never sit in front of a keyboard you’ll never know the extent of your inherited talent. A small percentage of people are so hypnotizable that they can actually have an operation with hypnosis as their only anesthesia.

Clients come to a hypnotist’s office to get rid of a bad habit – e.g. smoking – or to establish a new habit – e.g. enjoying public speaking. Most issues are taken care of in just one session. I like my clients to bring a recording device to the office and thus they can replay their session at home if ever they need reinforcement.

Don’t let a hypnotist persuade you to come back multiple times. Even stopping smoking requires just one session. If it doesn’t work the first time most likely it won’t work the second time or third time, either. The only issues which require several visits are pain control and weight loss. Confronting food all day long often disrupts the hypnotic suggestions so I recommend weight loss hypnotic CDs or repeated visits.

Some clients come to a hypnotist to achieve peak performance –on a ball field or on stage or in the bedroom. While you are hypnotized you visualize yourself reaching your goal and accomplishing your feat. When you are challenged in real life your brain already has experienced that situation and tends to do it remarkably well.

And don’t forget about your kids. Children are naturals at hypnosis because they easily imagine and fantasize. Hypnosis can help them do better at school, cooperate at home, play a better game of soccer, and look forward to getting shots at the pediatrician’s office.

Medical/clinical hypnosis should not be confused with stage hypnosis which is entertainment. Learn more about hypnosis by reading my book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Hypnosis.

Roberta Temes, Ph.D. has been practicing clinical hypnosis for more than 30 years. She is a faculty member at Downstate Medical School in NYC and is the author of the popular book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Hypnosis. Dr. Roberta can be reached at rtemes@aol.com and at www.DrRoberta.com.