“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today". Franklin D. roosevelt
Snow-globes and marshmallows.
10 years ago
Monday, July 6, 2009
Great Article
Posted April 2008
Media constantly astonished whenever hypnotherapy is shown to be clinically successful
When British hypnotherapist Alex Lenkei in April 2008 underwent bone surgery without conventional anaesthetics it made headlines and webcasts around the world.
Reports suggested doctors at Worthing Hospital in West Sussex were “amazed” or “stunned” – describing with awe how hammers, chisels and saws were used without the patient feeling any pain.
Undoubtedly it was a remarkable achievement. But what most news reports ignored was that this was the second time Alex Lenkei had experienced a major operation while in a hypnotic trance. Surgery using hypnosis is very far from being unique.Almost twelve years earlier Mr Lenkei underwent a hernia repair at Kingston Hospital while fully conscious. The main difference being the first time he was assisted into trance by a colleague while the second time he induced himself.So though it is highly unusual for surgery to be performed with hypnosis rather than conventional anaesthesia, it has been done many times.
Nevertheless, whenever hypnosis is shown to be effective, even proved to be efficacious in helping within certain clinical situations, it is consistently presented as though this was something bizarre or new. It is though the media were trapped in a time warp. A journalistic Groundhog Day.
You've got to hand it to 'em
Hammer in hand, consultant surgeon David Llewellyn-Clark with bandaged patient, hypnotherapist Alex Lenkei
Surgery under hypnosis – heart rate and breathing remained constant
For instance less than a week after worldwide coverage of Alex Lenkei, the American media reported with apparent surprise how Chicago surgeon Dr. William S. Kroger hypnotised a patient undergoing breast cancer surgery at St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan and she had felt no pain.
The demonstration was watched on closed-circuit TV by physicians attending an international meeting of anesthesiologists in Manhattan.
But the US media felt it necessary to quote Dr Kroger as insisting this was “no stunt but a serious demonstration of the wider use to which medicine should make of hypnotism.”
Reports of the Worthing operation described how Mr Lenkei could feel the surgeon pulling and manipulating him and how he heard the cracking of bones but was undisturbed. In the past he has taught students at the Royal College of Nursing to induce hypnoanaesthesia.
His surgeon, David Llewellyn-Clark confirmed Mr Lenkei showed no reaction during the operation and explained: "If he had been grinning and bearing it we would have known - but his heart rate and breathing remained constant throughout.
That corresponds closely to the way many other hypnotised patients have responded during surgery. It is exactly how a hypnothised patient is expected to respond – except it seems to most of the media.Nor is it only when hypnosis is employed within surgery that it tends to be reported as something new and surprising.
Fairly regularly research teams publish reports on the successful use of hypnotherapy to help with conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome.
Each and every time it is reported as though this was brand new, extraordinary or astonishing. It's a pity but what is really astonishing is the constant surprise shown by the media at any and every successful use of clinical hypnosis.
2008 James Braid Society
Media constantly astonished whenever hypnotherapy is shown to be clinically successful
When British hypnotherapist Alex Lenkei in April 2008 underwent bone surgery without conventional anaesthetics it made headlines and webcasts around the world.
Reports suggested doctors at Worthing Hospital in West Sussex were “amazed” or “stunned” – describing with awe how hammers, chisels and saws were used without the patient feeling any pain.
Undoubtedly it was a remarkable achievement. But what most news reports ignored was that this was the second time Alex Lenkei had experienced a major operation while in a hypnotic trance. Surgery using hypnosis is very far from being unique.Almost twelve years earlier Mr Lenkei underwent a hernia repair at Kingston Hospital while fully conscious. The main difference being the first time he was assisted into trance by a colleague while the second time he induced himself.So though it is highly unusual for surgery to be performed with hypnosis rather than conventional anaesthesia, it has been done many times.
Nevertheless, whenever hypnosis is shown to be effective, even proved to be efficacious in helping within certain clinical situations, it is consistently presented as though this was something bizarre or new. It is though the media were trapped in a time warp. A journalistic Groundhog Day.
You've got to hand it to 'em
Hammer in hand, consultant surgeon David Llewellyn-Clark with bandaged patient, hypnotherapist Alex Lenkei
Surgery under hypnosis – heart rate and breathing remained constant
For instance less than a week after worldwide coverage of Alex Lenkei, the American media reported with apparent surprise how Chicago surgeon Dr. William S. Kroger hypnotised a patient undergoing breast cancer surgery at St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan and she had felt no pain.
The demonstration was watched on closed-circuit TV by physicians attending an international meeting of anesthesiologists in Manhattan.
But the US media felt it necessary to quote Dr Kroger as insisting this was “no stunt but a serious demonstration of the wider use to which medicine should make of hypnotism.”
Reports of the Worthing operation described how Mr Lenkei could feel the surgeon pulling and manipulating him and how he heard the cracking of bones but was undisturbed. In the past he has taught students at the Royal College of Nursing to induce hypnoanaesthesia.
His surgeon, David Llewellyn-Clark confirmed Mr Lenkei showed no reaction during the operation and explained: "If he had been grinning and bearing it we would have known - but his heart rate and breathing remained constant throughout.
That corresponds closely to the way many other hypnotised patients have responded during surgery. It is exactly how a hypnothised patient is expected to respond – except it seems to most of the media.Nor is it only when hypnosis is employed within surgery that it tends to be reported as something new and surprising.
Fairly regularly research teams publish reports on the successful use of hypnotherapy to help with conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome.
Each and every time it is reported as though this was brand new, extraordinary or astonishing. It's a pity but what is really astonishing is the constant surprise shown by the media at any and every successful use of clinical hypnosis.
2008 James Braid Society
Monday, June 22, 2009
Brain imaging studies investigate pain reduction by hypnosis
Although hypnosis has been shown to reduce pain perception, it is not clear how the technique works. Identifying a sound, scientific explanation for hypnosis' effect might increase acceptance and use of this safe pain-reduction option in clinical settings. Researchers at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and the Technical University of Aachen, Germany, used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to find out if hypnosis alters brain activity in a way that might explain pain reduction. The results are reported in the November-December 2004 issue of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. The researchers found that volunteers under hypnosis experienced significant pain reduction in response to painful heat. They also had a distinctly different pattern of brain activity compared to when they were not hypnotized and experienced the painful heat. The changes in brain activity suggest that hypnosis somehow blocks the pain signal from getting to the parts of the brain that perceive pain. "The major finding from our study, which used fMRI for the first time to investigate brain activity under hypnosis for pain suppression, is that we see reduced activity in areas of the pain network and increased activity in other areas of the brain under hypnosis," said Sebastian Schulz-Stubner, M.D., Ph.D., UI assistant professor (clinical) of anesthesia and first author of the study. "The increased activity might be specific for hypnosis or might be non-specific, but it definitely does something to reduce the pain signal input into the cortical structure." The pain network functions like a relay system with an input pain signal from a peripheral nerve going to the spinal cord where the information is processed and passed on to the brain stem. From there the signal goes to the mid-brain region and finally into the cortical brain region that deals with conscious perception of external stimuli like pain. Processing of the pain signal through the lower parts of the pain network looked the same in the brain images for both hypnotized and non-hypnotized trials, but activity in the top level of the network, which would be responsible for "feeling" the pain, was reduced under hypnosis. Initially, 12 volunteers at the Technical University of Aachen had a heating device placed on their skin to determine the temperature that each volunteer considered painful (8 out of 10 on a 0 to 10 pain scale). The volunteers were then split into two groups. One group was hypnotized, placed in the fMRI machine and their brain activity scanned while the painful thermal stimuli was applied. Then the hypnotic state was broken and a second fMRI scan was performed without hypnosis while the same painful heat was again applied to the volunteer's skin. The second group underwent their first fMRI scan without hypnosis followed by a second scan under hypnosis. Hypnosis was successful in reducing pain perception for all 12 participants. Hypnotized volunteers reported either no pain or significantly reduced pain (less than 3 on the 0-10 pain scale) in response to the painful heat. Under hypnosis, fMRI showed that brain activity was reduced in areas of the pain network, including the primary sensory cortex, which is responsible for pain perception. The imaging studies also showed increased activation in two other brain structures - the left anterior cingulate cortex and the basal ganglia. The researchers speculate that increased activity in these two regions may be part of an inhibition pathway that blocks the pain signal from reaching the higher cortical structures responsible for pain perception. However, Schulz-Stubner noted that more detailed fMRI images are needed to definitively identify the exact areas involved in hypnosis-induced pain reduction, and he hoped that the newer generation of fMRI machines would be capable of providing more answers. "Imaging studies like this one improve our understanding of what might be going on and help researchers ask even more specific questions aimed at identifying the underlying mechanism," Schulz-Stubner said. "It is one piece of the puzzle that moves us a little closer to a final answer for how hypnosis really works. "More practically, for clinical use, it helps to dispel prejudice about hypnosis as a technique to manage pain because we can show an objective, measurable change in brain activity linked to a reduced perception of pain," he added. In addition to Schulz-Stubner, the research team included Timo Krings, M.D., Ingo Meister, M.D., Stefen Rex, M.D., Armin Thron, M.D., Ph.D. and Rolf Rossaint, M.D., Ph.D., from the Technical University of Aachen, Germany. University of Iowa Health Care describes the partnership between the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and UI Hospitals and Clinics and the patient care, medical education and research programs and services they provide. Visit UI Health Care online at uihealthcare.com.
STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa Health Science Relations, 5135 Westlawn, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1178
Although hypnosis has been shown to reduce pain perception, it is not clear how the technique works. Identifying a sound, scientific explanation for hypnosis' effect might increase acceptance and use of this safe pain-reduction option in clinical settings. Researchers at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and the Technical University of Aachen, Germany, used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to find out if hypnosis alters brain activity in a way that might explain pain reduction. The results are reported in the November-December 2004 issue of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. The researchers found that volunteers under hypnosis experienced significant pain reduction in response to painful heat. They also had a distinctly different pattern of brain activity compared to when they were not hypnotized and experienced the painful heat. The changes in brain activity suggest that hypnosis somehow blocks the pain signal from getting to the parts of the brain that perceive pain. "The major finding from our study, which used fMRI for the first time to investigate brain activity under hypnosis for pain suppression, is that we see reduced activity in areas of the pain network and increased activity in other areas of the brain under hypnosis," said Sebastian Schulz-Stubner, M.D., Ph.D., UI assistant professor (clinical) of anesthesia and first author of the study. "The increased activity might be specific for hypnosis or might be non-specific, but it definitely does something to reduce the pain signal input into the cortical structure." The pain network functions like a relay system with an input pain signal from a peripheral nerve going to the spinal cord where the information is processed and passed on to the brain stem. From there the signal goes to the mid-brain region and finally into the cortical brain region that deals with conscious perception of external stimuli like pain. Processing of the pain signal through the lower parts of the pain network looked the same in the brain images for both hypnotized and non-hypnotized trials, but activity in the top level of the network, which would be responsible for "feeling" the pain, was reduced under hypnosis. Initially, 12 volunteers at the Technical University of Aachen had a heating device placed on their skin to determine the temperature that each volunteer considered painful (8 out of 10 on a 0 to 10 pain scale). The volunteers were then split into two groups. One group was hypnotized, placed in the fMRI machine and their brain activity scanned while the painful thermal stimuli was applied. Then the hypnotic state was broken and a second fMRI scan was performed without hypnosis while the same painful heat was again applied to the volunteer's skin. The second group underwent their first fMRI scan without hypnosis followed by a second scan under hypnosis. Hypnosis was successful in reducing pain perception for all 12 participants. Hypnotized volunteers reported either no pain or significantly reduced pain (less than 3 on the 0-10 pain scale) in response to the painful heat. Under hypnosis, fMRI showed that brain activity was reduced in areas of the pain network, including the primary sensory cortex, which is responsible for pain perception. The imaging studies also showed increased activation in two other brain structures - the left anterior cingulate cortex and the basal ganglia. The researchers speculate that increased activity in these two regions may be part of an inhibition pathway that blocks the pain signal from reaching the higher cortical structures responsible for pain perception. However, Schulz-Stubner noted that more detailed fMRI images are needed to definitively identify the exact areas involved in hypnosis-induced pain reduction, and he hoped that the newer generation of fMRI machines would be capable of providing more answers. "Imaging studies like this one improve our understanding of what might be going on and help researchers ask even more specific questions aimed at identifying the underlying mechanism," Schulz-Stubner said. "It is one piece of the puzzle that moves us a little closer to a final answer for how hypnosis really works. "More practically, for clinical use, it helps to dispel prejudice about hypnosis as a technique to manage pain because we can show an objective, measurable change in brain activity linked to a reduced perception of pain," he added. In addition to Schulz-Stubner, the research team included Timo Krings, M.D., Ingo Meister, M.D., Stefen Rex, M.D., Armin Thron, M.D., Ph.D. and Rolf Rossaint, M.D., Ph.D., from the Technical University of Aachen, Germany. University of Iowa Health Care describes the partnership between the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and UI Hospitals and Clinics and the patient care, medical education and research programs and services they provide. Visit UI Health Care online at uihealthcare.com.
STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa Health Science Relations, 5135 Westlawn, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1178
Saturday, June 20, 2009
EXCELLENT ARTICLE
The Mind Prepared: Hypnosis in Surgery
Correspondence to: David Spiegel, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, 401 Quarry Rd, Ste 2325, Stanford, CA 94305-5718 (e-mail: dspiegel@stanford.edu).
| The first 10% of the full text of this article appears below. |
In 1846, a Scottish surgeon named James Esdaile reported 80% surgical anesthesia using hypnosis as the sole anesthetic for amputations in India. His work caused sufficient stir that when ether anesthesia was demonstrated in what is now called the Ether Dome at the Massachusetts General Hospital on October 16 of that same year, a surgeon strode to the front of the amphitheater and said, "Gentlemen, this is no humbug," to distinguish hissurgical team's demonstration from Esdaile's report. It has taken us a century and a half to rediscover the fact that the mind has something to do with pain and can be a powerful tool in controlling it: the strain in
Monday, June 15, 2009
Parts of the Mind
Subconscious or Unconscious - that part of our mind which is the seat of imagination, emotion, artistic abilities (and other skills), and which takes care of bodily functions without our conscious awareness, such as automatic functions of our organs, etc. Everything is learned by association and identification. The subconscious mind stores images, thoughts, ideas, concepts, and emotions.
Conscious - generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and one's environment. The conscious mind can reason, judge, analyze and criticize. It can accept or reject information based on the beliefs held within the subconscious mind. The conscious mind is where a person has willpower.
Critical Factor - An area of the mind that is part conscious and part subconscious. (If a suggestion is given to a client that is detrimental to their well-being or in total opposition to the client's beliefs, it will affect the critical area of the mind, and the client will reject it by abreacting.)
Subconscious or Unconscious - that part of our mind which is the seat of imagination, emotion, artistic abilities (and other skills), and which takes care of bodily functions without our conscious awareness, such as automatic functions of our organs, etc. Everything is learned by association and identification. The subconscious mind stores images, thoughts, ideas, concepts, and emotions.
Conscious - generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and one's environment. The conscious mind can reason, judge, analyze and criticize. It can accept or reject information based on the beliefs held within the subconscious mind. The conscious mind is where a person has willpower.
Critical Factor - An area of the mind that is part conscious and part subconscious. (If a suggestion is given to a client that is detrimental to their well-being or in total opposition to the client's beliefs, it will affect the critical area of the mind, and the client will reject it by abreacting.)
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
What conditions can be addressed with hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy can be a tool to address a number of issues. Listed below are some of the most common reasons people seek to do hypnotherapy.
- Abuse/Co-Dependence
- Acute/Chronic Illness
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Fertility
- Pregnancy
- Birth Preparation
- Post Partum Adjustment
- Grief/Loss
- Healthy Body Image
- Health Self Esteem
- Life Transitions
- Personal/Spiritual Growth
- Relinquishing Habits/Addictions
- Surgery/Medical Procedure Preparation
- Trauma Release
- Women's Health
- bed wetting (children)
- nail biting
- self confidence
- And Much More!
What are the benefits of therapy?
As a result of therapy, clients have experienced
- Change in physical, mental, and emotional patterns that leads to greater peace and happiness
- Increased self awareness and acceptance
- Forgiveness of the past
- Greater connection to the Self
- Increased calm and confidence
- Improved clarity and creativity
- Feelings of being “lighter” and experiencing more self love
Thursday, May 28, 2009
WHAT IS HYPNOSIS...
Hypnosis is a natural, yet altered, state of mind where the critical factor (which facilitates communication between the conscious and subconscious mind) is relaxed and selective thinking is maintained. Once you have open communication with your subconscious, you can discover any limiting ideas/beliefs that may be holding you back.
Many people fear hypnosis because of the way hypnosis has been portrayed in books, movies, and television and by stage hypnotists. Medical Hypnosis is very different from those portrayals. In fact, using hypnosis the way it is sometimes presented in popular media would be a violation of a therapist’s ethical standards.
Hypnosis is very similar to daydreaming or being so completely engrossed in a book or TV program that you will pay no attention to someone speaking in the same room. Yet when a person is in hypnosis they are aware of their surroundings and at a moments notice are able to cope with an emergency if one was to come up.
Hypnotherapy is a modality for communicating positive ideas and understandings. That is, the client, hearing the words and delivery by the practitioner, begins a line of thought and forms new associations. Each set of association is then further linked and associated to new ideas, understandings, and possibilities. Consequently, bypassing or breaking conditioned clusters of negative experiences and beliefs help the client construct a new map of reality and facilitate cure. In the words of Milton Erickson, “It is this experience of reassociating and reorganizing his own (Client’s) experiential life that eventuates in a cure”.
What is NLP?
Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a theory of language, communication and thought together with an associated therapeutic method, which holds that people can improve the way they interact with the world by means of certain principles and techniques concerned with their use of language. People can use NLP’s principles and techniques to represent their world better, learn and communicate better, and ultimately have better, fuller, and richer lives.
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