You may
have been recommended hypnotherapy in the past for many different reasons, yet
you wouldn’t be blamed for turning it down due to a lack of knowledge on the
subject. So what exactly is hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy
is a complementary therapy that takes advantage of an altered state of
consciousness, or hypnosis. Hypnosis is promoted as a treatment for many
different long-term conditions, as well as for stopping certain habits. While
hypnotherapy is readily utilized and praised for its effects, there is still no strong evidence to support its use as a treatment for certain specific
conditions.
Scientists
have debated hypnotherapy for many years, from its impact to how it works, yet
there seems to be very little debate as far as hypnosis having some effect on
patients is concerned.
Some
experts relate to hypnotherapy as relaxation therapy, while others see it as
reliant on the placebo effect. Ultimately there are varied opinions you can
refer to, so here are some of the conditions hypnotherapy could potentially
treat.
Quitting
Smoking and Weight Loss
It’s
difficult to be sure of the benefits of hypnotherapy with regards to losing
weight or quitting smoking, as there isn’t any evidence to support the claim
either way.
However,
hypnotherapy has been used in the past to help people quit smoking, possibly as
the treatment focusses on identifying the root cause of the addiction.
Hypnotherapy could also be used as an intervention to obesity by promoting
active performance and exercise.
IBS
(Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
There
has been research conducted in the past on the effect of hypnotherapy on
patients suffering from IBS. It was found that some symptoms of IBS, including
abdominal pain, may be treated with the help of hypnotherapy.
While
these studies fail to provide any strong evidence to suggest hypnotherapy
should be a clinical recommendation for IBS, the National Institute for Health
and Care Excellence has recognized hypnotherapy as a possible treatment for
those who are not responding to other forms of treatment.
Skin
Conditions
Hypnotherapy
has also been included in studies attempting to find beneficial treatments for
childhood eczema. The findings from these studies also suggested that
hypnotherapy could be used to treat other minor skin conditions, according to
the NHS website.
Skin
conditions commonly associated with a rise in stress levels are likely to
benefit the most from hypnotherapy treatment when used alongside medicine, with
standard hypnotherapy sessions often focusing on relieving stress and anxiety.
Anxiety
& Childbirth
Hypnotherapy
is widely promoted as being an effective form of treatment for anxiety,
although a systematic review of the effectiveness of hypnosis for treating
anxiety found there was little evidence to support this claim.
However,
hypnotherapy can still be pursued to treat anxiety and has had a positive
effect on many patients in the past. There has been promise with regards to
preventing anxiety during pregnancy and relieving pain during childbirth,
although this is unlikely to be clinically recommended by your doctor.
Overview
While
it seems the lack of clinical evidence would be enough to put you off
hypnotherapy, don’t be too quick to judge this widely debated form of
treatment.
The
truth is that there is very little evidence available to come to any solid
conclusion, so hypnotherapy may actually benefit your specific issues after
all. All kinds of medication are responded to differently by each of us, so
it’s always difficult to ascertain whether a ground-breaking form of treatment
can be widely promoted.
Remember,
hypnotherapy is practiced by professional psychologists, doctors, dentists and counselors on a considerable scale, yet the infancy of this form of treatment
means that there are many non-professionals offering the same service.
ARTICLE SOURCE: http://theselfimprovementblog.com/self-improvement/featured/is-hypnotherapy-the-answer-an-introduction-to-hypnotherapy/
