Pain Research and Hypnosis

I found this abstract from a research paper on pain and hypnosis and thought it may be of interest to people who are in pain and finding it difficult to find ways to manage it.

Research around the clinical utility of hypnosis for controlling pain was undertaken by Patterson, David R.; Everett, John J.; Burns, G. Leonard; Marvin, Janet A in 1992.  They studied the levels of pain of patients being treated with burn wounds.   30 hospitalized burn patients and their nurses submitted visual analog scales (VASs) for pain during 2 consecutive daily wound debridements. On the 1st day, patients and nurses submitted baseline VAS ratings. Before the next day's wound debridement, the patients received hypnosis, attention and information, or no treatment. Only hypnotized patients reported significant pain reductions relative to pretreatment baseline. This result was corroborated by nurse VAS ratings. Findings indicate that hypnosis is a viable adjunct treatment for burn pain.

Hypnosis for the treatment of burn pain.

Patterson, David R.; Everett, John J.; Burns, G. Leonard; Marvin, Janet A.

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Vol 60(5), Oct 1992, 713-717. 

Hynotherapy in Brisbane

There are a number of people providing hypnotherapy in Brisbane, but how can you tell if they are any good?

The first thing to look at is their website to see what qualifications and registrations they hold.  Most trained and qualified hypnotherapists belong to an association.  Each of these associations requires their members to have completed an approved training program and to have undertaken a number of years of supervised practise before being allowed full Professional Clinical membership.

The associations themselves will also have their own website. You can also check up on them.  They usually have a list of members and the level of their membership.

If you are having trouble locating members, please let me know and I'll try and help.

What is hypnosis and hypnotherapy

Many people are interested in hypnotherapy and wonder if this is for them.  Or perhaps you're just curious. I find the following definition helpful:

What is Hypnosis?

There are many different definitions of hypnosis and hypnotherapy. The following extract is taken from Dr Hilary Jones' book 'Dr, What's the Alternative?', which describes and assesses different types of alternative therapies. Dr Jones is a GP who has become well known through his TV appearances and many books on the subject of family health.

A definition of hypnotherapy

Contrary to popular belief, hypnosis is not a state of deep sleep. It does involve the induction of a trance-like condition, but when in it, the patient is actually in an enhanced state of awareness, concentrating entirely on the hypnotist's voice. In this state, the conscious mind is suppressed and the subconscious mind is revealed. The therapist is able to suggest ideas, concepts and lifestyle adaptations to the patient, the seeds of which become firmly planted.
The practice of promoting healing or positive development in any way is known as hypnotherapy. As such, hypnotherapy is a kind of psychotherapy...hypnotherapy aims to re-programme patterns of behaviour within the mind, enabling irrational fears, phobias, negative thoughts and suppressed emotions to be overcome. As the body is released from conscious control during the relaxed trance-like state of hypnosis, breathing becomes slower and deeper, the pulse rate drops and the metabolic rate falls. Similar changes along nervous pathways and hormonal channels enable the sensation of pain to become less acute, and the awareness of unpleasant symptoms, such as nausea or indigestion, to be alleviated.
The chapter continues by attempting to answer the most difficult question of all and the one which is the most debated within scientific research into hypnosis.

How does hypnosis work?

Hypnosis is thought to work by altering our state of consciousness in such a way that the analytical left-hand side of the brain is turned off, while the non-analytical right-hand side is made more alert. The conscious control of the mind is inhibited, and the subconscious mind awoken. Since the subconscious mind is a deeper-seated, more instinctive force than the conscious mind, this is the part which has to change for the patient's behaviour and physical state to alter. For example, a patient who consciously wants to overcome their fear of spiders may try everything they consciously can to do it, but will still fail as long as their subconscious mind retains this terror and prevents the patient from succeeding. Progress can only be made be reprogramming the subconscious so that deep-seated instincts and beliefs are abolished or altered.
Dr Hilary Jones (1998) Doctor, What's the Alternative?
Hodder and Stoughton: London

If you have a special interest or issue with hypnotherapy, please contact me and I will find the information you require.