I find some people have a hard time taking hypnosis seriously as a therapeutic approach. And it certainly has a somewhat “spooky” reputation, particularly as portrayed in popular culture.
But science shows it can be a powerful tool for helping to change deep-seated behaviors. It can also work for mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression, and physical problems, such as insomnia, irritable bowel disorder, obesity, tinnitus, and Type II diabetes.
The key is finding out if it will work well for you…
Hypnosis doesn’t work for everyone
Even in the mainstream medical world, practitioners know that individuals don’t always respond in the same way to therapeutic approaches. Some may respond well to a certain treatment. Whereas others don’t respond at all.
Of course, this same principle applies to mind-body approaches like hypnosis.
In fact, 20 years ago, my colleague Mike Jawer and I found that most people fall along a spectrum when it comes to the effectiveness of hypnosis and other mind-body approaches, including acupuncture, biofeedback, guided imagery, massage/bodywork, relaxation therapy, and stress reduction.
Which is why practitioners should always assess which therapies will work best for which patients—before randomly designing a treatment plan. (Unfortunately, in far too many mainstream practices, treatment plans are developed based on which kinds of treatments the clinic offers or who has a slot open on their schedule.)
Now, let’s focus on hypnosis, specifically…
80 percent of people fall on the hypnosis spectrum
We all know someone who insists they’re immune to hypnosis. And they may be right.
Hypnosis works by the “power of suggestion.” But not all people are susceptible to suggestion.
In fact, a psychiatrist at Stanford created the Spiegel Hypnotic Suggestibility Scales, which uses simple questions and answers to assess the degree to which people are susceptible to hypnosis.
It turns out, just 10 percent of people are highly hypnotizable, 10 percent are completely impervious to it, and the other 80 percent fall on a spectrum in between.
And this finding confirms what Mike and I found 20 years ago!
For those folks who do respond even mildly to hypnosis, it can be a powerful tool…
Hypnosis: A powerful tool for change
We know hypnosis can lead to powerful behavioral changes. For example, some people just can’t lose weight, despite rigorous dieting and exercise. And we now know that in order to maintain a healthy weight, you need a healthy mental attitude.
And that’s where hypnosis can come in to help change deeply rooted behaviors.
In fact, it puts a receptive patient into a state of deep relaxation where they can see and confront some of the emotional and mental barriers that may be standing in the way of reaching their weight-loss goals.
Hypnosis can also help break down barriers of “over-thinking,” called “the mistake of the intellect” in Ayurvedic medicine. For example, a hypnotic suggestion is made that losing weight is easy and effortless. It can even be as simple as incorporating positive phrases into thought patterns, such as, “I easily and effortlessly lose weight.”
To learn more about whether hypnosis may be an effective tool for change in your life, I suggest taking this short quiz to help analyze your personality. You can also discover which natural therapies will work best for your personality in my book with Michael Jawer, Your Emotional Type. Our book also includes a list of resources for finding the right hypnotherapist for you.
You can also learn more about how hypnosis can harness your body’s own power to heal itself in the July 2012 issue of my monthly newsletter, Insiders’ Cures (“Getting hip to hypnosis: Taking the mystery out of a centuries-old medical marvel”). Subscribers have access to this and all of my past content in the archives. So if you haven’t already, consider signing up today. Click here now!
P.S. I’m still excited about the launch of my brand new Breathe Better Lung Health Protocol. This innovative, online learning tool discusses all of the science-backed ways to prevent and reverse lung disease—naturally. So in case you missed it, take some time to learn more or enroll today!
Source:
“Can Hypnosis Help You Lose Weight?” U.S. News & World Report, 8/13/2018 (https://health.usnews.com/wellness/mind/articles/2018-08-13/can-hypnosis-help-you-lose-weight)