What is Hypnotherapy & Does It Really Work?
Hypnotherapy, also referred to as guided hypnosis, is a form of psychotherapy that
uses relaxation, extreme concentration, and intense attention to achieve a heightened state of consciousness or mindfulness. In other words, it places the individual into a “trance” or altered state of awareness.
This form of therapy is considered alternative medicine with the purpose of utilizing one’s mind to help reduce or alleviate a variety of issues, such as psychological distress, phobias, and unhealthy, destructive, or dangerous habits (i.e. smoking and/or drinking). The aim of hypnotherapy is to create a positive change in an
individual, while he/she is in a state of unconsciousness or slumber (sleep).
Surprising Health Benefits Of Hypnosis
1. Trouble Sleeping, Insomnia, and Sleepwalking
Hypnosis may be a helpful tool if you sleepwalk or struggle with falling and staying asleep. If you
have insomnia, hypnosis can relax you enough to get you to sleep more easily.
If you’re a sleepwalker, hypnosis can also train you to wake up when you feel your feet hit the floor
and help you avoid sleepwalking escapades.
And if you just want to sleep a little better, hypnosis can help with that, too. Learning self-hypnosis
techniques can increase the amount of time you sleep and the amount of time spent in deep sleep
— the type of sleep you need to wake up feeling refreshed.
How it works: Verbal cues put you in a trance-like state, similar to how it feels when you’re so
involved in a book or movie that you don’t notice what’s going on around you. After hypnosis — or
even during — you’ll fall asleep.
2. Anxiety
Relaxation techniques — including hypnosis — can sometimes ease anxiety. Hypnosis tends to be
more effective in people whose anxiety stems from a chronic health condition — such as heart
disease — rather than from a generalized anxiety disorder.
Hypnosis may also be able to help if you struggle with a phobia — a type of anxiety disorder where
you are intensely fearful of something that does not pose a significant threat.
How it works: Hypnosis works to help anxiety by encouraging your body to activate its natural
relaxation response through the use of a phrase or nonverbal cue, slowing breathing, lowering blood
pressure, and instilling an overall sense of well-being.
3. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Symptoms
The effectiveness of hypnosis on IBS has been consistently supported by clinical studies. IBS is
abdominal pain created by your bowels, and hypnosis can help improve symptoms such as
constipation, diarrhea, and bloating.
Dr. Grant explains that, “sometimes IBS can cause secondary symptoms, like nausea, fatigue,
backache, and urinary problems. Hypnosis has shown to be able to help with these, too.”
How it works: Hypnosis leads you through progressive relaxation, providing soothing imagery and
sensations to combat your symptoms.
4. Chronic Pain
Hypnosis can help with pain — like what’s experienced after surgery or from migraines or tension
headaches. And it can help with chronic pain, too. People with pain related to conditions like
arthritis, cancer, sickle cell disease, and fibromyalgia, — as well as people who have lower-back pain
— may experience relief from hypnosis.
How it works: Hypnosis can help you cope with pain and gain more self-control over your pain.
Additionally, studies indicate that hypnosis can do this effectively for long periods of time.
5. Quitting Smoking
“Giving up cigarettes is not easy. There are many methods to help you quit, such as nicotine patches
or prescription medications. While the research is still out, many people have found that hypnosis
has helped them kick the smoking habit,” explains Dr. Grant.
Hypnosis for smoking cessation works best if you work one-on-one with a hypnotherapist who can
customize the hypnosis sessions to match your lifestyle. How it works: In order for hypnosis to work for smoking cessation, you need to truly want to quit
smoking. Hypnosis can work in two ways. The first is to help you find a healthy, effective
replacement action, and then guide your subconscious toward that habit, rather than smoking. This
could be something like chewing a piece of gum or taking a walk. The second is to train your mind to
associate smoking with undesirable feelings like a bad taste in your mouth or a foul odor from
smoke.
6. Weight Loss
As with smoking cessation, there aren’t many studies yet that can confirm the effectiveness of
hypnosis on weight loss, though some studies have found modest weight loss — about 6 pounds
over 18 months – through hypnosis. It is usually most helpful when hypnotherapy is used in
combination with diet and exercise changes.
How it works: When you are hypnotized, your attention is highly focused. This makes you more likely
to listen and respond to suggestions for behavior changes, such as eating a healthy diet or getting
more exercise, which could help you lose weight.