However, there’s a lot of controversy over how hypnosis works, Milling says. Hypnosis has also been found to quiet parts of the brain involved in sensory processing and emotional response. How does hypnosis do this? Spiegel’s research has shown it can act on multiple brain regions, including some linked to pain perception and regulation. Instead of allowing pain, anxiety or other unhelpful states to run the show, hypnosis helps people to exert more control over their thoughts and perceptions. “While most people fear losing control in hypnosis, it is in fact a means of enhancing mind-body control,” Spiegel says. Research has also referred to hypnosis as the temporary “obliteration” of the ego. Both Milling and Spiegel compare hypnosis to losing oneself in a book or movie-those times when the outside world fades away and a person’s mind is completely absorbed in what she’s reading or watching. In some ways, hypnosis can be compared to guided meditation or mindfulness the idea is to set aside normal judgments and sensory reactions, and to enter a deeper state of concentration and receptiveness. The type of suggestions used depend on the patient and his or her unique challenges. Patients are invited to experience imaginary events as if they were real, Milling says. The “suggestion” phase involves talking the hypnotized person through hypothetical events and scenarios intended to help him or her address or counteract unhelpful behaviors and emotions. This stage could last anywhere from a few seconds to 10 minutes or longer, and the goal of induction is to quiet the mind and focus its attention on the therapist or counselor’s voice and guidance. “During the induction, the subject is typically told to relax, focus his or her attention, and that he or she is going into hypnosis,” Milling says. “If you asked 10 hypnosis experts how hypnosis works, you would probably get 10 different explanations,” Milling says.Īlmost everyone in the field agrees that the practice of hypnosis involves two stages, which are usually referred to as “induction” and “suggestion.” Research has found hypnosis can even alter a person’s immune function in ways that offset stress and reduce susceptibility to viral infections.īut what exactly does hypnosis entail, and how does it provide these benefits? That’s where things get a little murky. Hypnosis can also be “very helpful” in treating stress, anxiety and PTSD, Spiegel says. The smoking cessation benefits were even more pronounced among smokers with a history of depression-hinting at an additional potential benefit of hypnosis. “Half the people I see once stop, half of them won’t touch a cigarette for two years.” A 2007 randomized trial of 286 smokers found that 20% of people who received hypnosis managed to quit, compared to 14% of those receiving standard behavioral counseling. David Spiegel, a hypnosis expert and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. “It is very helpful for smoking cessation,” adds Dr.
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