Hypnosis As Complementary Medicine: Making the decision to add hypnosis to medical treatments

It can be a difficult, even scary decision to choose what treatment is best when facing a medical emergency or new diagnosis. Hypnosis is often considered to be part of what is called alternative or complementary medicine. When it is deemed alternative, it is used instead of the more common medical procedures. When hypnosis is used as complementary medicine it is a part of the overall treatment which may include drugs, surgery and hypnotherapy.

The decision of how to use hypnosis in your health care can be complex. It is not a black and white answer. It has many shades of gray that go between completely traditional treatments to relying solely on hypnosis. Just to summarize the decision making process, look at the following questions:

Is the condition I am facing a matter of life or death?

Will hypnosis be used to cure or heal or will it be used to reduce symptoms only?

Will hypnosis give me a way to handle physical and mental stress associated with the diagnosis?

What do my doctors feel about hypnosis as a complementary treatment?

By educating yourself about what hypnosis can and cannot do, you will be able to make a better decision about how it can help your medical condition. There are some known facts about the power of hypnosis that even the medical community is starting to embrace. Hypnosis has been found to boost the immune system which helps in fighting disease. Hypnosis has also been used in numerous conditions to ease pain. This includes during surgery, childbirth or other medical procedures and chronic illnesses.

Hypnosis as a complement to other medical procedures can do a great deal emotionally. It has been observed in many medical situations that state of mind and attitude can speed the healing process.

Hypnosis gives patients:

- A sense of empowerment over their condition
- A feeling they are being proactive in their treatment
- A personal, holistic approach to their own health care
- A greater feeling of well-being when dealing with a chronic illness

Some people are reluctant to use hypnosis or other forms of complementary health care because insurance doesn’t cover the cost or there has not been enough research done on the practice. Hypnosis is one of the few forms of complementary health care that doesn’t have any possibility of interacting negatively with conventional medicines. There are no herbs taken causing any physical alterations to body chemistry that would interact with drug therapies. There are no physical additives accept those brought on by the healing power of the mind which naturally occur in a healthy body.

None of these benefits from hypnosis necessarily treats the illness, but can speed the healing process by putting the patient in a better frame of mind. As more research is conducted by the medical community, they will also find that the mind has such power over the body that directing thoughts through hypnosis may become just what the doctor orders.

Steve G. Jones, Clinical Hypnotherapist
http://www.betterlivingwithhypnosis.com/