hypno-surrey weblog

Exam results improved with hypnosis

2009-07-27T21:51:00.006+01:00

119 students at a South African University were divided into 4 test groups. One group received hypnosis and relaxation treatment; a second group received hypnosis only. A third group received relaxation only and the fourth group received no special treatment. The treatment was carried out between April and June examinations. The improvement in test results was significantly greater for the two groups receiving hypnosis than for the control groups.
reported in American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis Oct 2006

Research shows effect of hypnosis on weight loss

2009-07-19T21:40:00.004+01:00

In six separate weight-loss studies involving over 100 subjects, weight loss using hypnosis was compared with weight loss without hypnosis. At the final assessment of these studies conducted for various periods of time, the average weight loss without hypnosis was 6 lbs per person compared with an average weight loss of nearly 15 lbs with hypnosis. Moreover, continued weight loss experienced after treatment was significantly greater with hypnosis than without.

Reported in Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 1996

Painless childbirth with hypnosis

2009-07-17T17:19:00.006+01:00

Catharine Fox, wife of hypnotist Patrick Fox gave birth to their third child Chanel on Christmas Day without the need for any pain relief. Patrick says that the basic response to pain is tension, and that magnifies unwanted sensations. Hypnosis can help you to reinterpret pain so that when the feeling of contraction reaches the brain, instead of pain and fear, you feel relaxed and in control.

Reported in the Daily Mail, 7 February 2006 also in the Galway Advertiser 12 January 2006

Controlling fibromyalgia pain with hypnosis

2009-06-08T22:43:00.002+01:00

The effect of hypnosis on the experience of fibromyalgia pain in a number of subjects was studied while using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. Suggestions with hypnosis and the same suggestions without hypnosis were used to increase or decrease the subjective experience of fibromyalgia pain. Patients reported significantly greater pain control and pain reduction when hypnotised. The MRI scan confirmed that activation of brain areas was of greater magnitude when suggestions followed a hypnotic induction.

Reported in the European Journal of Pain, May 2009

Hypnotherapy and ulcerative colitis

2009-05-31T21:08:00.004+01:00

Ulcerative colitis is a nasty gastrointestinal disease that flares without warning and makes it vital for sufferers to find the toilet fast. The disease is often diagnosed when people are in their late 20s and early 30s. The flare-up is like having a severe stomach bug that can drag on for weeks. It ruins vacation plans, causes lengthy absences from work and generally messes up peoples' lives

The National Institute of Health in USA is funding a study of the effect of hypnotherapy on 80 patients over three years. The study is at an early stage, but Laurie Keefer, a clinical health psychologist and assistant professor of medicine, said that the preliminary results look positive. Ten of the twelve patients who have competed a year's treatment have not experienced a relapse and subjects reported a 76 percent increase in the quality of their lives (the improvements were most notable in their bowel symptoms) compared to a 25 percent increase for standard care.

Keefer reported that one patient who was afraid to stand up at a friend's wedding is now going to be a bridesmaid and the patient who was nervous about getting on a plane with the boss is now taking business trips with him.

reported in scienceblog May 2009

Hypnotherapy an effective treatment for IBS

2009-05-25T21:08:00.004+01:00

25 patients suffering from IBS were treated with hypnotherapy and the effect was assessed by comparison with 25 patients suffering a similar degeee of IBS who received no such treatment. Patients treated with hypnotherapy reported significantly less severe abdominal pain, bloating, bowel habit, nausea, flatulence, urinary symptoms, lethargy and backache than the control patients. In addition hypnotherapy profoundly improved the patients' quality of life and reduced absenteeism from work.

Reported in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, February 1996

London Zoo offers hypnosis to cure fear of spiders

2009-05-23T22:52:00.004+01:00

Millions of perfectly rational people are terrified of spiders, according to London's famous Zoo. No matter how much they try to calm themselves the response remains the same: sweating, nausea, panic, rapid, heartbeat and worse. So the Zoo offers a "Friendly Spider Programme" using a combination of cognitive behavioural therapy and hypnotherapy. They
have achieved an 80% success rate in over 2000 people who have taken the course.

Hypnosis and Asthma

2009-05-22T22:38:00.003+01:00

A review of the treatment of asthma with hypnosis, published in 2000, found significant data to suggest that hypnosis may be an effective treatment. Studies have consistently demonstrated an effect of hypnosis with asthma but more studies are needed before it can be concluded that hypnosis is always effective. Existing data suggest that hypnosis efficacy is enhanced in subjects who are susceptible to hypnosis, with experienced investigators, when administered over several sessions. Children in particular appear to respond well to hypnosis as a tool for improving asthma symptoms.
Reprted in Journal of Asthma, Feb 2000

From 40-a-day to smoke free

2009-03-01T17:44:00.003Z

A sceptic describes in Time Out Dubai Feb 2009 how hypnotherapy surprised him.
'I felt like a bit of a fraud but I lay there, pretending that I was under, for about 20 minutes. I answered all of her questions before she counted me back.
'I “awoke” feeling refreshed and a bit hazy. I even pretended that I was never going to smoke again, while fully intending to spark up the minute I got outside. But then, something weird happened. I got back to my car, called my friends to tell them what a load of rubbish this hypnotherapy lark was, but I didn’t light up a fag. In fact I chucked the packet I had in the car away. I figured I may’s well try now that I’d been through the session.
'That was four-months ago. I haven’t smoked a cigarette since. I have wanted too. In the first few weeks, I was madly inhaling other people’s passive fumes but I’ve even got over that now - just '

Why are we scared of dentists?

2009-02-23T22:24:00.003Z

A ten week course of hypnotherapy finally got rid of my 35-year phobia where I would faint just sitting in the dentist's chair. I would recommend trying hypnotherapy to anyone as it is drug-free and helps across the board with getting relaxed.
Comment on an article in the BBC News Magazine February 2009

Hypnotherapy for giving up smoking

2009-02-12T17:36:00.004Z

A study was carried out at Texas University with 21 patients each given three sessions of hypnotherapy. 17 patients gave up smoking by the end of the treatment and 10 remained smoke-free after one year.
Reported in Int J Clin Exp Hypn. January 2004

Hypnotherapy an effective treatment for gastric pain

2009-02-10T11:52:00.003Z

126 patients in Manchester suffering from gastrointestinal disorders with pain in the abdomen (functional dyspepsia) were divided into three groups. For 16 weeks, one group received hypnotherapy, another received placebo medication, the third received medical treatment. The best results were achieved with hypnotherapy both in the short and longer term.

Reported in Gastroenterology December 2002

Hypnotherapy for headaches in children

2009-02-08T23:06:00.007Z

Chronic and episodic headaches in children and adolescents are a common problem and this German study looked for treatments other than the use of drugs. Two groups were given five sessions of treatment at weekly intervals. One group received hypnotherapy while the other received behavior therapy and talks to the doctor. Both types of treatments were effective but hypnotherapy was superior in reducing the frequency and intensity of headaches and in the patients' ability to control their headaches and well-being.
Reported in Forschende Komplementärmedizin 1999;6:44-46

Dr Miriam Stoppard on the benefits of hypnotherapy

2009-02-07T21:12:00.006Z

Dr Miriam Stoppard, the well-known expert on health, sex, relationships and family, and author of more than 50 books, describes how hypnotherapy cured her of insomnia. She reports on the medical evidence showing that hypnotherapy helps insomnia, IBS and cancer-related symptoms. And although there is less research evidence, she says that hypnotherapy also looks good for stopping smoking, phobias, headaches and back pain, and probably weight control.
Reported in the Mirror 2 February 2009

Hypnotherapy for a pleasant birthing experience

2009-01-31T12:51:00.007Z

A mother describes how she used hypnotherapy before and during birth. She did not need an epidural and said she did not feel the pain, even though the healthy baby girl was the largest of her children.
Reported 29 January 2009 in StarNewsOnline

English Championship football club uses hypnotherapy

2009-01-25T14:54:00.007Z

Hypnotherapist Rick Collingwood explains what hypnotherapy can do.
"People think about stage hypnotists who get audience members barking like dogs. Hypnotherapy is totally different and the first thing I had to do was convince them I wouldn't turn them into a bunch of zombies, or promise them I could turn them from good players into world-beaters.
"You can’t hypnotise someone who has never kicked a ball and transform him into the best player in the world. But you can give players a vital edge, by convincing them the pain in their muscles is not as bad as they think, and by helping them concentrate better over 90 minutes.
"What hypnotherapy can do is enhance your performance, by tapping into the subconscious mind to remove doubt, banish the fear of failure and boost self-confidence".
Reported in the Sun Newspaper 25 Jan 2009

Hypnosis reduces distress in children undergoing medical procedures

2009-01-23T22:32:00.007Z

A voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) is a commonly performed procedure in children suffering kidney problems in which a catheter is inserted into the urethra and can be painful, frightening and embarrassing. In California, 44 children with an average age of 7.6 undergoing VCUG were divided into two groups, one receiving hypnosis before and during treatment, the other receiving routine care. Parents and children in the hypnosis group reported significantly less fear and trauma than the other group and medical staff found the procedure could be completed on average 14 minutes faster.
Reported in January 2005 in Pediatrics, the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics

More Hypnotherapy research planned

2009-01-22T12:53:00.003Z

The Medical School Hypnosis Association plans to bring medical specialists and students together with hypnotherapists to conduct coordinated national trials of the effects of hypnotherapy. The first trials will examine the effect of hypnosis on stress reduction using standardised questionaires and measuring levels of stress hormones in trial participants. The Association believes it is time for clinical hypnosis to take its proper place in medicine. New Scientist 18 October 2008 p18

Using Hypnosis to treat nausea in cancer patients

2009-01-21T19:42:00.004Z

Many cancer patients experience nausea and vomiting before chemotherapy – so-called anticipatory nausea. An Italian study of 16 adults receiving hypnosis showed that anticipatory nausea disappeared in all cases and many also saw a reduction in vomiting after chemotherapy. Oncology 2000

Hypnosis and Ulcerative Colitis

2009-01-18T23:06:00.005Z

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammation of the colon that can lead to chronic abdominal pain and diarrhoea, most common between the ages of 15 and 25 or in the 50s. Researchers in several London hospitals found that signs of inflammation decreased significantly among those who had undergone hypnosis, but not among those in the control group. American Journal of Gastroenterology 2008

Lily Allen drops two dress sizes thanks to hypnotherapy

2009-01-13T15:00:00.002Z

The singer looked fantastic as she returned from a New Year holiday in St. Barts this week – and it’s all down to hypnotherapy. In recent months Lily's weight has been up and down, as the singer has gone from a size 8 to 14. Now she is looking better and healthier than ever. During the hypnotherapy sessions Lily learned to want and choose healthy, low-fat meals instead of junk food. Celebrities such as Geri Halliwell and Sophie Dahl are also big fans of 'hypno-dieting' which is currently taking America by storm. Reported in Marie Claire, Hello Magazine, and Female First

Hypnotherapy cures Kent MP of his fear of heights

2009-01-12T22:00:00.009Z

Derek Wyatt, MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, has been afraid of heights for over 37 years, but overcame his fears after just one session of hypnotherapy. "I couldn’t go up ladders, I didn’t like open lifts and I would have to be blindfolded on ski lifts. It got to the point where I knew I had to do something about it" Mr Wyatt said. "At my age I’d try anything to get over my fear and I was delighted when hypnotherapy worked. I went on the Peak 2 Peak Gondola (which links the two mountains of Whistler and Blackcomb, and is the largest ski lift in the world) and there wasn’t so much of a wobble from me". Kent News 12 January 2009

Dentist gets to the root of pain

2009-01-08T17:57:00.009Z

A young dentist who has taken the fear out of fillings by using hypnosis has been named Britain's best. Dr Mike Gow from Glasgow, became the first in the world to replace a woman's front teeth with implants using ony hypnotism to control the pain. He was awarded the title Best Young Dentist at the dentistry Awards 2008 held in Leicester
from the Sunday Telegraph 21 December 2008 p2

Hypnotherapy for bed-wetting in boys

2008-12-04T22:44:00.006Z

Research published in the Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association in 2004 showed the effectiveness of hypnotherapy for bedwetting (nocturnal enuresis). 12 boys aged between 8 and 16 who suffered from bedwetting almost every night were treated with 2 to 8 sessions of hypnotherapy. Nine of the twelve boys were virtually dry at 3 months and 1 year after treatment. Natural News

Hypnotherapy for Children With Abdominal Pain or IBS

2008-12-03T16:40:00.016Z

Hypnotherapy, already known to be an effective treatment for adults with IBS, was also highly effective in the treatment of children with longstanding abdominal pain or IBS. This study was carried out in the netherlands with 53 patients aged 8-18 years. Journal of the American Gastroenterological Association 2007

The Possibilities of Hypnosis

2008-11-12T18:04:00.009Z

The New York Times reports on the successful use of hypnotherapy for smoking, fear of flying and many other conditions The New York Times 2008

Hypnotherapy for dermatitis in adults and children

2008-11-10T15:46:00.009Z

A study at the Department of Dermatology in Barnsley District Hospital showed that hypnotherapy had a significant and lasting benefit. British Journal of Dermatology 2006