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Alternative medicine spotlight: Hypnotherapy in the news
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There have been a few reports recently putting hypnotherapy in the spotlight as another alternative medicine practice. What is hypnotherapy? When hearing the term hypnosis, it may conjure images of stage entertainers causing audience volunteers to bark like a dog or waddle around the stage quacking like a duck. You might even envision old movies where a therapist swings a watch back and forth like a pendulum while the patient watches intently, quickly slipping into a deep trance. So how is that therapeutic? Actually, true hypnotherapy is nothing like the staged shows that you might find in night clubs or old movies.
Hypnotherapy, by definition is a form of therapy that "utilizes hypnosis as a primary tool for assisting clients to achieve their goals". It is akin to guided meditation. During a session, the client is brought into a state of deep relaxation, while a trained therapist guides them using the power of suggestion to help the client modify certain behaviors or thought patterns.
The history of hypnosis actually goes back to the middle of the eighteenth century when German physician Franz Mesmer first developed the technique of "mesmerism", which he employed as a spiritual practice. He had a number of followers, and many associated mesmerism with the occult. The concept of using a similar technique therapeutically was introduced by Scottish physician James Braid, who coined the term "hypnotism". He adamantly opposed the spiritual or occult associations of mesmerism. The British Medical Association also distinguishes hypnosis from mesmerism.
As stated above, during a session of hypnotherapy, the therapist brings the client into a state of deep relaxation. He or she may use one of several techniques to help the client modify behaviors or facilitate healing, including: guided meditation, repetition of ideas, age regression or revivification (reliving past experiences), and visualization. The client may also be given mental queues or triggers to help them relive the experience later, once the session is over.
Freud and Breuer used hypnotherapy to help patients regress back into childhood in order to uncover repressed memories. Pierre Janet of France was using this same technique even before Freud. In modern times hypnotherapy has been used to help some combat veterans overcome problems from shell-shock. More commonly, hypnotherapy can be used to help individuals lose weight, stop smoking, overcome depression, relieve pain, induce sleep, and even as a therapeutic measure in cancer treatment.
As early as 1892 the British Medical Association documented hypnotherapy as effective in the treatment of anxiety, insomnia, pain management, post traumatic stress disorder, and other stress-related illnesses. More recently, in 1995 the National Institute of Health stated, "the evidence supporting the effectiveness of hypnosis in alleviating chronic pain associated with cancer seems strong. In addition, the panel was presented with other data suggesting the effectiveness of hypnosis in other chronic pain conditions, which include irritable bowel syndrome, ... and tension headaches". More research has been published in 2001 and 2003.
In order to use this modality practitioners must be certified in the state of Florida. There are a number of local practitioners in the Central Florida region. In Orlando you will find the following hypnotherapists and hypnotherapy centers:
- Diane L. Ross, MA, Certified Hypnotist - www.dianeross.com - (407) 898-7918
- Roland Hypnotherapy Clinic -(407) 425-2090
- Dill Susan Certified Hypnotis - (407) 648-8774
- Grant George E - (407) 226-6883
- Hypnotic Research Society Inc - (407) 970-0243
- Hypnosis Institute | Hypnotherapy And Self Hypnosis - hypnosisorlando.net - (407) 740-6090
- Bogart Karen MS LMHC: - www.karenbogart.com - (407) 629-1775
- Hypnosis Institute- Daniel Olson - www.danielolson.com - (407) 740-6090
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