It is only natural that ahead of experimenting with an alternative treatment, such as hypnosis, that anyone would demand to be shown proof that it really works. There have been a number of controlled studies over the last several decades and they all seem to arrive at the same conclusion, hypnosis really does work. In this article I will reveal just a couple of the many pieces of research about hypnosis and how they show that hypnosis works.
Before I begin though I would like to explain how hypnosis worksas many people are unaware of this. Individuals who've not been in a hypnotic trance often imagine it to be a type of sleep where you can be forced to perform certain actions against your will. This belief is brought about by street hypnosis where the hypnotist "manipulates" their volunteer. The keyword in that last sentence was volunteer. A street hypnotist will request volunteers, and merely by volunteering they're already agreeing to do whatever the hypnotist asks of them. It's simple to "hypnotize" a person into acting like a chicken in front of a crowd but if the hypnotist then asked them to murder someone, do you think the volunteer woulddo so? Certainly not since the volunteer is there to enjoy themselves, not commit a serious crime.
Hypnotherapy (therapy from hypnosis) is rather different from stage hypnotism. Prior to a therapeutic hypnosis session starts the hypnotist and the client will talk about the goals of the client and agree on the subjects the session will concentrate on.
It is believed that hypnosis works first by priming the subconscious mind to suggestion. Once the mind is open the hypnotherapist can implant suggestions to assist the client to achieve their goal, whether it be to lose weight, quit smoking or another thing entirely.
By now you should have a strong understanding of how hypnosis works so now I will show the evidence that hypnosis works as a form of treatment.
Hypnosis and Weight Loss
In research to examine the helpfulness of hypnosis on weight loss 109 subjects (who were aged between 17 to 67) completed a behavioral treatment either with or without the addition of hypnosis. The treatment lasted 9 weeks and after follow ups both 8 months and 2 years after the treatment the subjects who used hypnosis showed a long-term weight loss rate much higher than the people who didn't. It was also found that those who used hypnosis were much better at achieving and maintaining their ideal weight goals.
Journal for Clinical Psychology January 1985 41(1):35-41
Effectiveness of Hypnosis as an Adjunct to Behavioral Weight Management
Hypnosis Effects Can Be Scanned
At Hull University in 2009 scientists found that hypnosis had a noticeable effect on brain patterns when scanned. This means that hypnosis is not only a sop treatment as some sceptics say it to be.
Dr. Michael Heap, a psychologist involved in the study, concluded that hypnosis primes the mind for suggestion. This piece of research shows proof that hypnosis works and also exactly how it works.
Once a mind is primed to suggestion a hypnotist can then help their patron achieve their goals. I have just touched upon a couple of the many pieces of research into hypnosis but they have been many more. There is proof that hypnosis works for pain relief, relieving IBS symptoms, skin problems, improving confidence as well as many other problems.
Maybe the ultimate proof that hypnosis works though is to experience it for yourself as personal accounts also appear to fall on the side of hypnosis working. Even A-List stars such as Drew Barrymore and Ben Affleck have gone on the record as saying hypnosis helped them to quit smoking.
If you've ever thought about using hypnosis but not felt sure whether it would work for you, you should now have all the proof you need to use hypnosis with confidence.
If you want to read about more research on hypnosis please visit The Hypnosis Guides.
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