Hypnosis effective for alleviating menopausal symptoms

The North American Menopause Society studied various non-hormonal therapies for alleviating hot flashes. They found solid evidence using randomized controlled trials that hypnosis and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) were effective treatments for these symptoms.  Strong evidence was found that  exercise, yoga and acupuncture did not work; studies of over-the-counter herbal therapies show that they were unlikely to be effective and were not recommended. In their report of September 2015, the investigating panel recommended the two mind-body approaches hypnosis and CBT as effective treatments for menopausal symptoms.

Hypnosis and stress - research results

In 2013, research at UCLA in Los Angeles studied the effect of an hypnosis programme designed to improve reactions to work and life stress. To monitor the effect of hypnosis, the level of the cytokine IL-6 in the blood was measured in eleven participants before and after the programme. IL-6 is a protein released in response to stress including infection burns and trauma. Over a period of 12 weeks a significantly lower level of IL-6 was observed. Participants also reported a significant decrease in negative and pessimistic thinking and an improvement in eating/nutritional habits. 

Reported in Complementarytherapies in clinical practice 19:2 2013 May pg 83-8

Research shows effect of hypnosis on weight loss

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

Controlling fibromyalgia pain with hypnosis

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

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

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

Hypnotherapy for giving up smoking

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

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

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

Hypnosis reduces distress in children undergoing medical procedures

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

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

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

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

Hypnotherapy for Children With Abdominal Pain or IBS

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