Hypnosis: A Tool For Health Care Professionals

How could health care professionals benefit from learning hypnosis?

Medical professionals know about how the body works physiologically, chemically, biologically and psychologically. They are highly trained in diagnosing problems and prescribing treatment.{{more}} Many medical professionals are aware of the strong mind/body connection and often recommend reducing stress as part of the treatment program.

Stress elevates blood sugar, which can lead to diabetes. Stress prevents weight loss, interferes with sleep, impedes the immune system, elevates blood pressure and creates dis-ease in the body. This can evolve into disease that could be avoided by reducing stress. When your nerves are constantly firing from stress, pain can emerge in the body that has no other medical cause. Fibromyalgia is the name of a condition where stress is the trigger and possibly the cause. Physicians could use hypnosis as a treatment, eliminating the need for drugs.

Hypnosis uses the science of the mind to connect with the subconscious part of the mind in order to change negative thoughts, resulting in the elimination of the feelings that cause stress.

My experience in helping clients with non-organic medical problems using hypnosis has changed lives in many ways. Clients were able to eliminate white coat syndrome, where blood pressure goes up as a result of being at a doctor’s office. Clients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome have drastically reduced their symptoms or episodes after hypnosis by eliminating their negative feelings. Clients lost their fear of needles while others eliminated their fear of being closed in for a cat scan.

I have a special certification in pain management and have helped reduce or eliminate many kinds of pain and discomfort using hypnosis. When clients learn how to relax, their pain or discomfort is greatly reduced. Stress always tightens muscles making pain feel worse. I strongly believe it would be very beneficial if doctors, dentists, therapists and nurses were all skilled in hypnosis techniques.

Recently a client came to me for weight loss but was suffering from a variety of aches and pains and under a lot of stress. I helped her control and eliminate the emotions that were driving her to overeat. As a result, at her follow up session, she reported that her pain was completely gone.

Nurses work directly with patients every day who have a variety of emotions that can affect their condition. If nurses used hypnotic techniques, their patients could feel more calm and in control. Hypnosis has even become very popular to use in place of drugs for women giving birth.

Research has shown that patients who use hypnosis prior to surgery have better and faster recovery.  I experienced this recently with a client who was about to undergo a double mastectomy and reconstruction. A week after her surgery her doctor was shocked at her recovery rate and passed my business cards out to the entire department.

I received a call from a dentist who told me he was very pleased that his patient was no longer grinding his teeth at night after hypnosis.

All hypnosis is self-hypnosis, the hypnotist is just a coach. Hypnosis is a valuable modality and easy to learn. As a Master Trainer, I am offering a hypnosis training class in mid October especially for professionals who want to add hypnosis to the skills they use with their patients.

Call or email me for more information.

Fern is a certified hypnotist, life coach and health educator. She can be reached at 203-283-4567. www.myhealinghypnosis.com.