|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A hypnotic "trance" is not something that is foreign to us--we've all been so absorbed in thought while reading a book or watching a movie that we fail to notice what is happening around us. These focused states of attention are similar to hypnosis. Simply put, when our minds are concentrated and focused, we are able to use them more powerfully. In this condition, we can tap into normally unused mental powers to create new possibilities of experience.
People typically experience both mental tranquility and physical relaxation under hypnosis. Various changes in perception are also common under hypnosis. Some people feel great heaviness coming over their bodies, others feel very light or numb. Subjective feelings of floating, sinking, spinning, and tingling sensations are also reported.
Contrary to a popular belief, people under hypnosis are neither captive nor spellbound. For the most part, a subject can resist direct instructions that he or she feels will undermine their wishes or compromise his or her moral standards. Still, there are rare cases of misconduct in which hypnosis is deliberately misused by a skilled hypnotist. This is one of several good reasons to seek a reputable professional when it comes to choosing a hypnotherapist. A good guideline for finding a qualified clinical professional is this fact---the only people qualified to treat your mental or physical problems with hypnosis, are those who are also qualified to treat the same problems without hypnosis.
Psychiatrists use hypnosis in treating patients to overcome negative habits, anxiety, phobias and other fears, and depression. They use hypnosis for exploration of the unconscious, to better understand underlying motivations or identify whether or not past events or experiences are associated with causing a problem. Psychiatrists have also had positive results in helping patients control appetite and reduce the levels of drugs necessary in the treatment of chronic illnesses.
Hypnosis, while effective, may not be for everyone. It appears to be of the greatest benefit when a patient is highly motivated to overcome a problem and when the hypnotherapist is well trained in both hypnosis and in general considerations relating to the treatment of the particular problem. Also, some patients seem to have higher native hypnotic "talent" (increased suggestibility) and capacity which may allow them to benefit more readily from hypnosis.
Hypnosis can be a powerful tool for healing-so powerful that it can completely remove or distract people from feeling pain. For this reason it is important that a physician or other state-licensed medical or psychological specialist assess the underlying medical or psychological condition prior to hypnosis. Also, because there is no medical degree required for the practice of hypnotherapy, persons wishing to undergo hypnosis should make certain that the therapist is well trained. This bears repeating: it is safest to look for a hypnotherapist who is a licensed professional in a field where hypnotherapy is part of their normal practice, such as psychiatrists (MD's) and psychologists. It is essential to check credentials and background when choosing a hypnotherapist.
Finally, it is important to keep in mind that hypnosis is like any other therapeutic treatment: it is of major benefit to some patients with certain problems, and it is helpful with many other patients, but it can fail, just like any other clinical method. For this reason, trained clinical hypnotherapists emphasize that they are not "hypnotists,", but instead health care professionals who use hypnosis along with the other tools of their professions.
Debra S. Gorin, M.D. received her medical degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She has been in private practice as a Psychiatrist for the past sixteen years in the Fort Lauderdale area. Dr. Gorin treats all types of stress-related, emotional and psychiatric problems of children, adolescents, and adults. She is also a trained hypnotherapist. Visit her website (http://www.doctorgorin.com) to view her growing library of psychiatric and health-related articles. Dr. Gorin's weblog can be viewed at http://debragorinmd.blogspot.com She can be contacted at couchdoctor415@yahoo.com
Comment by Gary Chaison Prof. of Industrial Relations, Clark University

Lunesta may be the only sleeping pill that is FDA approved for long-term use, but it still has some of the same effects as other sleep aids.... Read More
We have a marvelous array of medical tests available to us. Many of them-typically blood-tests-even come with results expressed in numbers signifying the exact quantity of something... Read More
At the urging of the Food and Drug Administration, the drugs Vioxx and Bextra have both been voluntarily withdrawn from the market by their manufacturers. Studies show... Read More
1. Seeing a doctor who's not board-certified or a doctor who isn't really an arthritis specialist. A lot of doctors will tell you they're "board-eligible." That's nonsense!... Read More
Save Up to 93% by Asking for a Generic - Use generics whenever they are available. Both brand name and generic drugs contain the same active ingredients,... Read More
Today there are about 70 million Americans with arthritis?that's one person out of every four who suffer both pain and the expense of this crippling disease. In... Read More
While the recent Lamisil commercial featuring Digger, a disgusting cartoon fungus, is still fresh in our mind (who could forget the imagery of a toenail being pulled... Read More
Pfizer is currently marketing Neurontin as an oral medication for managing postherptic neuralgia, the pain that lingers after shingles has healed. This is an FDA-approved use, and... Read More
Pill Proof LLC introduces the first, easy to use medication compliance kit for consumers and medical professionals. Owner, Jane Langdon, has a sister in law with Parkinson's... Read More
If you are like many Americans, you are without health insurance. And the ranks of the uninsured are growing. According to the National Coalition on Health Care... Read More
In a recent survey on pain conducted by the Stanford University Medical Center, arthritis pain was cited as the chief complaint among America's seniors, with thirty-two percent... Read More
Irritable bowel syndrome can be a nightmare?constant diarrhea and terrible stomach pains, or unbelievable constipation and never-ending gas. While it's good to stay positive and keep looking... Read More
If your back aches when you're loading groceries in the car or your hands cramp up with arthritis when you sit down at the computer, you're not... Read More
Another Vioxx-like occurrence may be on the rise, as warnings about Pfizer's arthritis pain drug, Bextra, continue to mount.According to a study of more than 1,500 patients... Read More
Lunesta is a newly released sleeping pill. Marketed as a revolutionary sleep aid, Lunesta is the only medication approved by the FDA for long term treatment of... Read More
Zicam is a homeopathic intranasal zinc remedy that is intended to reduce the length of a cold. It is either taken in a spray or a swab.... Read More
I am not sure where I'm at with this subject of cloning, it sounds a bit cheesy to me; you know the old saying: something smells in... Read More
This is very sensitive area of your body. Too private. Nobody likes when something is wrong over there. However it happens.Hemorrhoids occur practically in everyone. Though hemorrhoids... Read More
Irritable bowel syndrome is a debilitating and distressing condition, which affects 10-20% of the population. IBS is characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel function such as... Read More
Michael Richardson, MD has some suggestions on maximizing your next doctor's visit.?Find a primary care doctor you can talk to and start building a relationship. Make a... Read More
Neck pain afflicts many people at some point in their life - two-thirds of American adults report having experienced at least one incidence of neck pain in... Read More
The American Heart Association estimates that one of three Americans have have hypertension. And yet many of us don't know what it is, why it's dangerous, and... Read More
Heartburn is a by-product of digestion, specifically affecting the esophagus and the stomach. The esophagus is a tube that delivers food into the stomach, and it has... Read More
When was the last time you enjoyed a good night's sleep? I'm talking about feeling tired, heavy, and relaxed - the times when you might say "wow!... Read More
When you ask what arthritis is, professinals will tell you it's inflammation of one or more joints. But you know it better as pain, swelling, stiffness, deformity,... Read More
Ever given a piece of thought to how actually one feels that a part of his/her body is paining? Majority of the response to this question will... Read More
Hernia repair is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures worldwide. In fact, there are over 600,000 hernia repair surgeries performed each year in the U.S.... Read More
Zyprexa is an antipsychotic medication that works by changing the actions of chemicals in the brain. Zyprexa is used to treat the symptoms of psychotic conditions such... Read More
The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis (OA). This type of arthritis is commonly referred to as wear and tear arthritis or degenerative arthritis."While this condition... Read More
The news has been full of the recent FDA findings on a new set of drugs to help relieve pain. These drugs have been approved for re-release,... Read More
Lamictal, or lamotrigine, is an anti-seizure medication that has been prescribed to treat epileptic seizures for about 10 years. In addition to its mood stabilizing effects, Lamictal... Read More
The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is responsible for overseeing the testing, manufacturing, and distribution of prescription drugs in the United States.Drug companies in the United States... Read More
Of all the places in the body that can hurt, the face might seem the strangest. But for some people, that's exactly where the agony occurs, and... Read More
Equine Cushings disease is caused by a tumor in the pituitary gland, which is responsible for the production and regulation of hormones. Symptoms include a long, shaggy... Read More
You probably know the drug isotretinoin by its trade name, accutane. Accutane is a powerful drug often used to treat acne. Unlike other acne treatments, which are... Read More
"It's a chemical imbalance." I've heard those words so many times in the last decade, it's becoming routine for Doctors to blame everything on it.Have you been... Read More
Our modern preservatives and other pollutants like yellow dye no. 5 have caused bodily responses which detract or impair the natural process of our system. It is... Read More
It is very interesting this hypochondriac attitude which permeates our society? The power of suggestion is alive and well? "Do not feel good today, take a drug?"... Read More
Zyprexa is a prescription drug that treats schizophrenia, acute mania and bipolar disorder. It is a psychotropic drug that treats the psychotic disorders of the mind but... Read More
Chemical dependency recovery provides with positive changes in reactions and behaviors. Residential Treatment Centers can be accommodate those suffering from alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling addiction, and more.... Read More
Doctors have been encouraged to prescribe the cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins quite liberally. Patients who suffer heart attacks often have elevated levels of cholesterol, so statins like... Read More
Notice friends getting contact lenses and pulling out eye glasses?"What do you recommend?"I find myself asking people what looks good to them, what do they recommend or... Read More
Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is a severe and deadly allergic reaction to certain drugs, some proscription and some over the counter, which causes the severe burning of... Read More
If you are missing a tooth or a group of teeth, you may find that you are afraid to smile, you don't like to speak because you... Read More
The pharmaceutical industry is a tremendously profitable one, as anyone who reads the business pages of their newspaper can see. Although it can take years to develop... Read More
Phenylpropanolamine, or PPH, used to be an active ingredient in many over the counter nasal decongestants and weight control drug products. The FDA pulled phenylpropanolamine off the... Read More
Would you buy groceries without knowing their prices? I suspect not. You probably compare the costs of different boxes of cereal in order to get the best... Read More
As any dialysis patient will tell you, keeping your fluid gain between dialysis sessions in check is not only important to your long term health, it is... Read More
I am not sure where I'm at with this subject of cloning, it sounds a bit cheesy to me; you know the old saying: something smells in... Read More
According to ongoing research about the needs of patients with emotional problems misinformation or shame to speak about the problem with the doctor or psychotherapist is a... Read More
Infant acid reflux is quite common. People of all ages, especially infants because they consume only liquids or soft foods, suffer from mild heartburn or acidic regurgitation... Read More
I have been swallowing three varieties of blood pressure pills for 10 years. In another month, I expect to be off of them entirely. And that's with... Read More