Hypnotherapy: A Complementary Medicine that is Integrative and Doctor Approved
There is a lot of buzz around hypnotherapy as a complementary and integrative medicine. Integrative medicine is defined by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health as "a comprehensive, whole-person approach to care that considers the mind, body, and spirit." This holistic approach means that hypnotherapy can be used to treat a variety of conditions. In this blog post, we will explore some of the research on hypnotherapy and see why it has been approved by Duke University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins Hospital.
One of the most comprehensive studies on hypnotherapy was conducted by Duke University. The study found that hypnotherapy is an effective treatment for a variety of conditions, including pain, anxiety, and addiction. In particular, the study found that hypnotherapy is especially effective for treating chronic pain. A review of the research on medical hypnosis found that it is also effective treatment in many cases for a variety of conditions, including anxiety, trauma and PTSD, fertility, pain management, among many others!
Stanford University has also conducted research on hypnotherapy and their research found that hypnotherapy can be an effective treatment for reducing hot flashes in breast cancer survivors. Additionally, Johns Hopkins Hospital has also approved the use of hypnotherapy for the treatment of pain, anxiety, and smoking cessation.
Hypnosis is An Easy and Effective Way to Boost Your Healing
So why is hypnotherapy so effective? The answer lies in the way that it works with the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is responsible for our habits, behaviors, and emotions. It is also responsible for our body's healing processes.
Because of research and improved training and certification, hypnosis is no longer considered a fringe treatment and is now promoted by the American Psychological Association as a therapy beneficial for pain, anxiety, and mood disorders. Along with helping people make positive changes to the way they think, feel and behave!
Research continues to show that Hypnosis is a powerful way to treat psychological and physiological problems including the following conditions. More and more it's being used to help people overcome their fears and phobias, reduce post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), anxiety in children with epilepsy, and other conditions that require intense concentration.
It's also being studied as a treatment for depression which is on the rise among young adults--in some cases replacing medication more effectively than traditional methods do.
While researching ways to help patients that don't involve pharmaceuticals, researchers discovered that hypnotized volunteers have been able to withstand painful stimuli up to 50% better than those who haven't been hypnotized. Scans show that hypnosis can lower activity in your brain's anterior cingulate cortex, linking sensory stimulus with emotional responses and behavior patterns all while cancelling out any pain signals being sent from this area of our brains! Some studies suggest it is more effective at reducing discomfort during labor & childbirth when compared against standard medical care.
The use of hypnosis has been endorsed by some of the largest major Medical Associations including:
1955 – The British Medical Association endorses the medical use of hypnosis.
1958 – The American Medical Association approves hypnosis as a therapeutic procedure.
1958 – The Canadian Medical Association endorses hypnosis.
Since 1995, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has recommended hypnotherapy as a treatment for anxiety, headaches, chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, smoking cessation, and hot flashes in breast cancer survivors.
New branches of science such as psychoneuroimmunology and psychoneuroendocrinology are unravelling the mysteries of the mind-body connection. In the meantime, hypnotherapists are out in the world using well-established techniques to direct the body's resources for healing.
Hypnosis has been proven to be effective with a wide variety of medical conditions, thanks to research by well-respected medical institutions.
Click on individual medical conditions below to see what research has been done. (New research is always coming out, so this list and the abstracts in the sub-pages are not complete.)
Allergies
Anaesthesia
Arthritis
Asthma
Cancer
Chronic Pain
Dentistry
Headaches/Migraines
Eczema
Heart Conditions
Immune Function
Insomnia
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Neuropathy
Obesity
Post-menopausal hot flashes
Sexual dysfunction and sex-related anxiety/stress
Warts
In the above pages, you will find abstracts from the following English-language medical journals, all of which have reported positive research results on the medical uses of hypnosis: