If you recognized yourself as a fantasizer, you're not alone: Fantasizers are almost twice as common in the general population as dissociaters. Still, dissociaters are more common in the clinical population, since they're more likely than fantasizers to have psychological problems. That's good news for those who related to the dissociater profile, since not only are you more likely to go into a trance, but you're more likely to benefit from it, too. Even if neither group seems similar to your own personality, take heart: About 95% of all people are susceptible to hypnosis, to varying degrees. Whether you use it to relieve stress, stop a headache or get over a bad habit, hypnosis is a tool for better health that practically everyone can use--some to dramatic effect. How well it will work depends on you.
Hypnosis Heals
SURGERY Hypnosis given during surgical radiology not only diminishes patients' pain and anxiety, but also shortens surgical time and reduces complications from the procedure. (Lancet, 2000)
CANCER Many cancer patients suffer nausea and vomiting not only after chemotherapy, but before treatment. In a study of 16 subjects who normally experienced these symptoms, hypnosis alleviated prechemotherapy sickness in ail of them. (Oncology, 2000)
IMMUNITY Hypnosis seems to significantly raise the activity of B-cells and T-cells--both key to immune response--in highly hypnotizable subjects. (American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 1995)
SMOKING Of almost 3,000 smokers who participated in one group hypnotherapy session, sponsored by the American Lung Association, to kick the habit, 22% reported not smoking for a month afterward. (The International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 2000)
ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER (ADD) Research shows that hypnosis is as effective as Ritalin in treating ADD in children. (Presented at the American Psychological Association Meeting, 1999)
PAIN In 169 patients, self-hypnosis was largely successful in alleviating chronic tension headaches. (International Journal of Clinical Experimental Hypnosis, 2000)
If You're Looking for a Hypnotherapist...
Seek out a licensed psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker who can administer hypnotherapy. Locate someone trained in the appropriate medical specialty if you want hypnotic pain control for, say, cancer, dentistry or childbirth. Most states don't regulate the use of hypnosis, and anyone can call himself a "hypnotist," "hypnotherapist," or even a "certified hypnotherapist." Two organizations keep lists of qualified hypnotherapists:
The Society for Clinical and
Experimental Hypnosis (SCEH)
3905 Vincennes Rd., Suite 304
Indianapolis, IN 46268
Phone: (800) 214-1738
E-mail: cricketle@aol.com
The American Society for
Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH)
2200 East Devon Ave., Suite 291
Des Plaines, IL 60018-4534
Phone: (847) 297-3317
READ MORE ABOUT IT
The Pregnant Man and Other Cases from a Hypnotherapist's Couch and The Committee of Sleep, Deirdre Barrett, Ph.D. (Times, 1999, and Crown, 2001)
Trance and Treatment: Clinical Uses of Hypnosis. Herbert Spiegel, Ph.D., and Daniel Spiegel, Ph,D. (American Psychiatric Press, 1987)
Adapted by Ph.D.
Deirdre Barrett, Ph.D. is a clinical assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. She is author of The Pregnant Man and Other Cases from a Hypnotherapist's Couch (Times Books, 1999) and The Committee of Sleep: How Athletes, Artists and Scientists Use their Dreams for Creative Problem Solving--and How You Can, Too (Crown, 2001).
