Hypnosis for C-Section

Here is a link to seeing a C-Section performed under only hypnosis in Iran. http://www.halfvalue.com/playVideo.jsp?kw=Hypno&id=iftWAM1QljU

To see more surgeries under hypnosis go to my website www.hypnotherapyforhealth.com and click on the medical hypnosis videos on the left.

Hypnosis Relieves Years of Fecal Retention Syndrome

This field of medical hypnosis is so powerful!

I was referred a 12 year old girl with years of Fecal Retention Syndrome.
After having batteries of medical testing procedures, biofeedback and working with a psychologist she was told it was a "habit". The parents were besides themselves and finally gave me a call.

After the induction of hypnosis, we regressed to the first time of the bowel incident. She was 2 years old and standing behind the "big chair". Her daddy was in front of the chair. She felt her bowels starting to move and pushed them up. It felt "funny". They started to come down and she pushed them back up. It was a "funny" feeling. It felt different. She liked the "funny" feeling.

We had a talk with the little girl and then did some future pacing. The "habit" was gone.

Upon follow up, the habit is still gone and this little girl is very happy about it.

Hypnosis for Trouble Waking and Eyelash Pulling

I thought I might share this recent note I received. It is what makes this work so gratifying!!After only 1 session, this womans life time struggle with not being able to wake up stopped. She was also able to stop the unconscious pulling out of her eye lashes.

It has been one full week and I am sooooooo pleased! No eyelash pulling and I do the tapping thing every day in the shower to reaffirm that "I grow them lush and long". Also, I have been awakened naturally at 5am every day - you were right this is too early - even on the weekends!

I have beaten my boss into work every day and have referred her to your web-site should she choose to venture.

Thank you one thousand times! I am now freer to do more and have more energy to do it with since I'm not stressed about being late every day. I expect I will make a follow-up appt in about 3 weeks to adjust my waking time to 6:30 from 5am - what was I thinking? Not trusting????? hmmmmm

Alexandra K.

Hypnosis for Sleep Problems

This is National Sleep Awareness Week so I thought it wise to bring up the subject of how hypnosis can help with sleep issues.

Sleep is a natural state of renewal, processing and regenerative functions. It helps in "rewiring" our neural circuits, moving our memory from short term to long-term as well as forming it so to speak, Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is stimulated and restored, your blood pressure drops and all the cells in your body go through a protein synthesis, and your stress level pattern can be changed. Not only is is know that without proper sleep we are more irritable and more prone to both mental and physical exhaustion but we are also more prone to gaining weight.

Hypnosis can help deal with any hidden issues that are keeping you from sleeping as well as learning to use self-hypnosis to naturally fall asleep. In hypnosis we can install positive suggestions to your subconscious mind that all you to easily and effortlessly fall asleep

Hypnosis for an Office Procedure

Good Morning to everyone from absolutely stunning Sunday California morning,

On Friday, I used supplemental hyposis during a Vasectomy. (Husband is the Urologist doing the surgery).

The patient was not prepped beforehand with any hypnosis pre-talk at all.Before the surgery started, I induced trance and got immediate eye flutter. Good!!

The surgeon had to find the vas but it was a little difficult because of the patients anatomy and a little scarring. An air injector was used to inject the skin with Lidocaine 2% mixed with a little Bicarb to elimate any burning from the Lidocaine.During the surgery, hypnotic suggestion of a safe place, letting the hypnotic musics rythmn take you more relaxed (music through head phones at a level where he could still hear me) kept on being repeated.

First side went well!At one point during the surgery, on the second side, the testicle contracted so much that it made finding the vas deferans. The doctor asked to deepen the patient. I took the patient down to level C (told hime he was on level A etc....) The patient went deeper and relaxed, the testicles relaxed, and the doctor was able to get what he needed to get and the surgery went well easily and effortlessly.

After the surgery was done, emerged the patient. He commented that he felt great! The doctor commented how well the hypnosis worked in getting the scrotal area to relax and make his job easier.

Oh yes, Ken, my husband, says anyone wanting info on this needleless no scalpel vasectomy can take a look at his site: http://www.northerncaliforniaurology.com/

Hypnosis in the Dental Office

Here is a portion of the article regarding the use of hypnosis in a dental office in England:

"Graham often uses the following technique for his dental patients, once they are hypnotised.He asks them to imagine they have placed their hand in a bucket of ice until the hand goes numb.Once the patient feels ready, the hand is tested by being pinched or having a needle inserted into it to make sure it really is numb.The patient is then asked to touch the relevant part of their face, to transfer the numbness to that areaGraham then carries out the dental work as if the patient had been anaesthetised."


you can read the whole story at:
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/features/You-wont-feel-a-thing.3825344.jp

IBS and Hypnosis discussed in the N.Y. Times

Last month, The Journal of Family Practice offered a review of the most effective nondrug options for I.B.S. The reason for this is that I.B.S. drug treatments often don’t work for many patients or pose serious health risks. The drug Zelnorm was withdrawn after links to heart problems, and the drug Lotronex has been subjected to severe marketing restrictions because of concerns about side effects.


Here is the link to the article from the NY Times:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/herbs-hypnosis-may-ease-common-bowel-pain/?ex=120408840

Juggling a Schedule

Sometimes it is hard to juggle family, work, and making time for yourself!
World Hypnotism Day brought two seminars at two different hospitals here in the East Bay on one day. I taught my medical hypnosis certification course two weekends ago, February 2-3rd (at Marilyn Gordon's Hypnosis Center here in Oakland, California) then last weekend I took Brian Phillips "Walk-About" Rapid Inductions class in Los Angeles. Come March is the IHF convention in San Pedro, California where I will be moderating a Medical Hypnosis for Professionals discussiona and also presenting a class on "Transforming Pain". I teach again in April a two day "Hypnosis and Pain" course at The Hypnotherapy Center, present at the Health Fair at Summit and Alta Bates Hopsitals and then in May is the IACT convention in Florida. August is the NGH convention. Phew!!!!

Exciting news!! I have just been invited to present at the 2008 Holistic Healing Conference in Guangzhao, China in June!!!

Hypnosis May Accelerate Recovery

Hypnosis may accelerate recovery from serious injuries and surgeries. A Harvard Medical School study showed that the fractured bones of patients who received regular hypnotherapy were fusing at an advanced rate -- 6 weeks after the break, their bones appeared to have been healing for 8-1/2 weeks. A separate Harvard study also found that the incision wounds of women who were hypnotized before and after breast-reduction surgery healed more quickly. The hypnotized women also had less pain.

Hypnosis Alters Brain Location of Perception Literally

Altering perception using hypnosis actually results in brain changes that literally reduce the pain perception instead of altering the response to pain. By simply changing the wording of ones hypnosis instruction from “You will feel a cool and tingling numbness more than pain” to “You will be aware of touch but the pain will not bother you” there is an alteration in the brain location of analgesia from the somatosensory cortex to the anterior cingulated gyrus. With hypnosis alteration of color perception there is a result of bi-directional change in blood flow in the protions of the visual cortex that process color. What happens, is that, blood flow in this region increases when color is imagined ranther than seen and blood flow in this region decreases when color is drained by the use of hypnosis imagination. It appears that there is an actual neurophysiologally going on and that leads to the reality that hypnosis is a powerful tool to alter the perception of anxiey, tension and pain.

Hypnosis Proven Effective to Stop Smoking in a Hospitalized Setting

Results of a study were presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians in October 2007 that showed that half of hospitalized smokers had success of smoking cessation with hypnosis compared with other approaches tested in a comparison study. The study showed that hypnosis was twice as effective as the next best smoking cessation approach, including pharmacologic treatments The study compared four smoking cessation programs in hospitalised patients who were motivated to quit. Compared were hypnosis, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), hypnotherapy plus NRT, or abrupt cessation without other treatment (cold turkey). All of the patients expressed a desire to stop smoking which as we know is a key component to success.

Interestingly, it was found that men were more likely to choose a "quick fix," going cold turkey or choosing a NRT patch while women were more likely to choose hypnotherapy. All patients received counselling in this study. Patients receiving hypnosis had an initial session while in the hospital and a second session a week after discharge. Patients receiving NRT began therapy during hospitalization and continued with NRT during the month after discharge.

After 6 months, 50% of patients who underwent hypnosis remained smoking-free as were those who received hypnotherapy plus NRT. One quarter of patients who went cold turkey remained successful, while 15.78% of those who received NRT alone continued to not smoke. It was found that, adding NRT did not help the success of hypnotherapy. Patients who had been hospitalised with a cardiac diagnosis were more likely to be successful at quitting than those with a pulmonary diagnosis, with success rates of 45.5% and 15.63%, respectively.

Hypnosis in the Medical Setting

A new Mayo Clinic study shows that massage therapy decreases pain levels for patients after heart surgery. In the study were 58 patients who had undergone surgery and examined the effect of massage on pain after surgery. Of the 30 who received massage, the mean pain scores were less than 1 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 as the most painful. Before the massage therapy, these patients rated their pain at an average of 3 on a 10-point scale. The control group (which consisted of 28) had their pain levels remaining the same over the same period, according to findings published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice.

In 2004, the Mayo Clinic's cardiovascular surgery group began looking at complementary therapies. According to surveys that were conducted the group started to hear from patients that tension, stress, pain and anxiety hampered their recovery.

There is now the "Healing Enhancement Program" for cardiac surgery patients. It offers massage, music and guided imagery. The program combines evidence-based conventional care and evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine.These therapies place are seen as an important addition in helping the patients.

The programs team of health professionals have created pilot studies and research protocols for massage therapy, music therapy and guided imagery for patients, as well as stress education classes for patients and family members.Currently a controlled trial for various music CD's is under way.

This complementary health method teaches patients to use their imaginations along with music to help guide them through recovery. The guided imagery is on CD's which are distributed to patients when they are informed of the need for surgery.

The Mayo Clinic Patient Education Center offers a pilot stress management skill classes to inpatients and their family members. The classes are conducted twice a week on the cardiac surgery units. The Mayo Clinic now has a full-time massage therapist available for patients after heart surgery because of this program.

Now is the time for Hypnotherapists to go out there and spread the word about the use of hypnosis in the medical setting.

Hypnosis, Pain Response, Monoamine Oxidase and Serotonin

Hypnosis influences the workings of our brain and the compounds or “neurotransmitters” we then put out. There is a study that was performed with patients who learned relaxation skills. The researchers checked the subjects’ monoamine oxidase levels-( monoamine oxidase is what metabolizes serotonin, our feeling good chemical, a pain relief chemical) and found changes in those levels consistent with what you would expect with preventive drug therapy! The results of this study suggesed that, it is not only just a matter of feeling relaxed that’s important but actually learning relaxation therapies so as to turn off and on certain pain pathways in the nervous system by changing those monoamine oxidase levels which consequently change the serotonin levels.

Research on Using Hypnosis for Needle Phobia

I am so happy that there is some real research going on regarding the use of hypnosis for medical procedures. Read and enjoy!!

Brief hypnosis for severe needle phobia using switch--wire imagery in a 5-year old.
Pediatric Anesthesia. 2007 Aug;17(8):800-804.
Cyna AM, Tomkins D, Maddock T, Barker D. Department of Paediatric Anaesthesia, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
We present a case of severe needle phobia in a 5-year-old boy who learned to utilize a self-hypnosis technique to facilitate intravenous (i.v.) cannula placement. He was diagnosed with Bruton's disease at 5 months of age and required monthly intravenous infusions. The boy had received inhalational general anesthesia for i.v. cannulation on 58 occasions. Initially, this was because of difficult venous access but more recently because of severe distress and agitation when approached with a cannula. Oral premedication with midazolam or ketamine proved unsatisfactory and hypnotherapy was therefore considered. Following a 10-min conversational hypnotic induction, he was able to use switch--wire imagery to dissociate sensation and movement in all four limbs in turn. Two days later the boy experienced painless venepuncture without the use of topical local anesthetic cream. There was no movement in the 'switched-off' arm during i.v. cannula placement. This report adds to the increasing body of evidence that hypnosis represents a useful, additional tool that anesthetists may find valuable in everyday practice.

Hypnosis Possibilities - Integrative Medicine Consult Service Established at the NIH Clinical Center

Below is an article from PressZoom:
Integrative Medicine Consult Service Established at the NIH Clinical Center


(PressZoom) - The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine ( NCCAM ) has established an Integrative Medicine Consult Service at the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) Clinical Center, the world’s largest hospital devoted to research. This service will provide physicians, nurses, and other members of the Clinical Cnete health care team the ability to discuss complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM ) therapies with knowledgeable medical staff from the consult service and learn how various CAM practices might complement or interact with a patient's care as a research participant at the Clinical Center.CAM is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine, such as herbal supplements, meditation, chiropractic manipulation, and acupuncture. Integrative medicine combines treatments from conventional medicine and CAM for which there is high-quality evidence of safety and effectiveness.The 2002 National Health Interview Survey showed that more than one-third of all American adults use some form of CAM. And a recent consumer survey of older Americans revealed that less than one-third of those who had used CAM discussed this information with their physicians. Since patients at the Clinical Center are participating in research studies, it is important to know what CAM therapies are being used and how they might affect the treatments being studied.“Volunteers who participate in clinical research at the NIH Clinical Center are partners in medical discovery. We are committed to providing excellent care for them,” said John I. Gallin, M.D., Director of the Clinical Center. “This new consult service will help enhance the care they receive and the research conducted here.”CAM is not a new concept at the NIH Clinical Center. The Clinical Center’s Pain and Palliative Care Service and the Rehabilitation Medicine Department offer acupuncture, Reiki, hypnosis, guided imagery, massage therapy, acupuncture, tai chi, and qi gong training. The Pharmacy Department consults on herbals and herb/drug interactions and has conducted research in these areas. The Integrative Medicine Consult Service will coordinate the resources of these existing services to meet the needs of the Clinical Center staff and its patients. In addition to offering clinical consultation regarding CAM therapies, the service will establish a research program embedded in NIH’’s clinical and translational research structure and provide CAM education for NIH staff, patients, and their families.The director of the consult service will be Patrick J. Mansky, M.D., a clinical oncologist and researcher at NCCAM. Dr. Mansky received his medical degree from Witten/Herdecke University Medical School in Germany, where he also gained experience and received instruction in Anthroposophical Medicine including herbal therapies, art therapies, and physical applications. After a postdoctoral research fellowship in immunogenetics at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, he completed clinical residency training in pediatrics and internal medicine at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. Dr. Mansky joined NIH in 1997 as a clinical and research fellow in pediatric hematology/oncology and medical oncology at the National Cancer Institute.“I am delighted that Dr. Mansky accepted the position of head of the consult service. This service will provide a focal point for CAM evaluation, research, and education in the NIH intramural community,” said Robert B. Nussenblatt, M.D., Acting Scientific and Clinical Director of NCCAM’s Division of Intramural Research. “I hope the larger medical community will find this an important new addition to the evaluation and treatment of our patients.”In 2001, Dr. Mansky joined NCCAM as a staff clinician and clinical investigator leading the Oncology Program in NCCAM’s Division of Intramural Research. He conducts research on the application of CAM interventions in the care and treatment of cancer patients and survivors, such as electroacupuncture for nausea from chemotherapy, use of mistletoe in combination with gemcitabine for treating advanced cancers, and effects of tai chi and exercise in cancer survivors.“We are pleased with the creation of the Integrative Medicine Consult Service and the role we hope it will play in providing Clinical Center patients with the best possible integrated care,” said, Ruth L. Kirschstein, M.D., Acting Director of NCCAM. “Dr. Mansky’s blend of clinical and research experience at the crossroads of the CAM and conventional medicine fields makes him an excellent choice to lead this consult service.”The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine’s mission is to explore complementary and alternative medical practices in the context of rigorous science, train CAM researchers, and disseminate authoritative information to the public and professionals. For additional information, call NCCAM’s Clearinghouse toll free at 1-888-644-6226, or visit nccam.nih.gov.The National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases.

For us Hypnotherapists: More Information On Smoking Damaging DNA in Sperm

Below is an article from ScienceDaily.com:

Cigarette Smoke Alters DNA In Sperm, Genetic Damage Could Pass To Offspring

From a news release issued by American Association for Cancer Research new research shows that children could inherit genetic damage from a father who smokes. Researchers in Canada, demonstrated in mice that smoking can cause changes in the DNA sequence of sperm cells, and that these alterations can potentially be inherited by offspring.

The researchers looked at male germline mutations which are mutations in the DNA of sperm. If these mutations are inherited, then they will persist as irreversible changes in the genetic composition of any off-spring. Carole Yauk, Ph.D., lead author of the study and research scientist in the Mutagenesis Section of Health Canada's Environmental and Occupational Toxicology Division said that "We have known that mothers who smoke can harm their fetuses, and here we show evidence that fathers can potentially damage offspring long before they may even meet their future mate."

Males, be they mouse or man, keep on generating a constant supply of new sperm from self-renewing spermatogonial stem cells. McMaster University researchers studied the spermatogonial stem cells of mature mice that had been exposed to cigarette smoke for either six or 12 weeks to look for alterations in repeated portions of Ms6-hm DNA, which does not contain any known genes. The exposed to smoke mice were exposed to the equivalent of two cigarettes per day.

It was found that the rate of Ms6-hm mutations in the exposed to smoke mice were 1.4 times higher than that of non-exposed to smoke mice at six weeks, and 1.7 times that of non-exposed to smoke mice at 12 weeks. "This suggests that damage is related to the duration of exposure, so the longer you smoke the more mutations accumulate and the more likely a potential effect may arise in the offspring," Yauk said.

According to Yauk, other studies have shown that Ms6-hm and similar locations of non-coding DNA are sensitive to damage from radiation, mutagenic chemicals and intense industrial air particulate pollution. Yauk notes that previous studies correlate mutations in non-coding regions with those in coding regions, and that some repetitive regions of DNA (not exam-ined in this study) are associated with genes.

"It stands to reason that mutations could also interfere with genes, but our ongoing research looks to clarify the severity of DNA damage throughout the genome," said Yauk. "So, while some men say they'll quit smoking after their child is born, this represents a good reason to quit well in advance of trying to conceive."

IBS and Hypnosis News Today from the BBC

Below is an article from todays BBC:
Hypnosis 'can ease bowel illness' Hypnotherapy could help people with severe irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), researchers say.

Doctors should consider using this and other "psychological" treatments such as antidepressants to help sufferers, King's College London experts say in the British Medical Journal.
Experts said there is growing evidence that IBS cases have psychological as well as biological elements.

Conventional medicines prescribed for IBS often ease symptoms partially, or not at all.

Many scientists now believe that the cause of IBS in many of the cases is a combination of mental and physical factors, and that the drugs commonly used to tackle it may be aiming at the wrong target.

Patients with IBS are more likely to be diagnosed with depression. Dr Ian Forgacs, a consultant gastroenterologist from Kings College, says that doctors are often reluctant to prescribe anti-depressants, especially in patients who, apart from their IBS, show no outward signs of being depressed. He urged them to consider other forms of psychological therapy, including hypnotherapy, as an alternative in some cases. Patients with irritable bowel syndrome should be made aware of the existence of these treatments so that they can make informed choices," he said. "Specifically, they should be made aware that using a psychological treatment does not mean that the disease is 'all in the mind'."

He found that one of the most effective treatments for IBS in research studies were so-called "talking therapies", such as cognitive behavioural therapy, particularly for people whose symptoms were causing them the most distress and that severe cases of IBS could be improved by using hypnotherapy to target the links between the brain and the gut.

Dr Nick Read, adviser to the IBS Network, feels that the majority of IBS patients have a psychological element to their condition. He said: "There's now a lot of evidence that psychological therapies can be effective, but a lot of doctors remain sceptical, and carry on treating with drugs which have side-effects, and which basically don't work. "I work with patients with IBS trying to understand what, for each patient, lies behind the illness."

News Release Regarding IBS and Hypnotherapy by the American Gastroenterological Association

Hypnotherapy for Children with Functional Abdominal Pain or Irritable Bowel Syndrome

As hypnotherapy has demonstrated effectiveness in adults with IBS, researchers sought to compare its effects in children to standard medical therapy commonly used for the condition as an alternative to drug therapy.

The study involved 53 patients between eight and 18 years old with FAP or IBS, who were administered six half-hour hypnotherapy sessions over a three-month period. Endpoints were pain intensity, pain frequency and other symptoms, such as nausea, headache and appetite, which were recorded at baseline, one, two, and three months after randomization and six and 12 months after therapy. Researchers defined "cure" as those who experienced greater than 80 percent improvement in pain.

The study revealed that hypnotherapy was superior to conventional therapy for children with longstanding functional abdominal pain (FAP) or IBS, curing 59 percent of the patients, versus just 12 percent of patients who received conventional therapy. After one year, the figures were 85 percent and 25 percent, respectively. Patients who received hypnotherapy also experienced less pain after treatment compared to the group that received conventional therapy.

"Our team was pleased to learn that the demonstrated benefits of hypnotherapy on IBS complications appear to be translatable to children," said Arine M. Vlieger, M.D., Ph.D., of St. Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein, Netherlands, and lead author of the study. "Hopefully, these findings will be confirmed with additional research so that more children can experience relief from the symptoms of IBS without adherence to a medication regimen."
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by American Gastroenterological Association.

Thoughts on Visualization for Cancer Patients

I feel that we can take advantage of real life guided imagery when working with our clients and various health issues. In regards to helping our patients with cancer, I believe we should utilize the idea of shutting down the blood supply to the tumor or tumors.

There are a class of drugs that are called anti-angiogenic therapeutics, (this includes the drug Avastin) because they target the numerous small blood vessels that supply tumors with oxygen and nutrients and therefore ensuring their continued growth. Anti-angiogenic drugs target a protein that plays an important role in the formation of new blood vessels in tumors. These drugs are called targeted therapeutics because they have far fewer side effects than chemotherapy drugs because they spare healthy tissues and can zero in on the cancer cells they seek to destroy. You may see patients in your practice recieving these drugs.

Avastin, which was developed by Genentech, works well in combination with chemotherapy for a number of reasons. The reason is because the blood vessels in tumors normally do not allow the chemotherapy drugs to diffuse into the tumors. What the drug Avastin does is that besides choking off the tumor blood supply, it also makes the remaining blood vessels healthier which enables them to diffuse the chemo drugs into the tumor better.

Utilize these physical factors if your clients find such an approach appealing to them. Try to find out what vusualization works for them.

National Guild Of Hypnotists Prepares for Record Attendance at Convention

National Guild of Hypnotists Prepares for Record Attendance at Convention
The National Guild of Hypnotists expects largest attendance ever as convention celebrates twentieth year, and convention programs expand to include new training, more speakers, a larger international format, and new Certified Education Units.
Merrimack, NH (PRWEB) April 18, 2007 --
For the twentieth year, the National Guild of Hypnotists will host their annual convention, exhibition, and educational conference. The NGH convention offers intensive trainings, recertification, Certified Education Units, networking, and marketing opportunities for professionals who utilize hypnosis in their work. The convention is also open to the public for people with a sincere interest in learning more about hypnotism for themselves, as a career, or as an addition to professional services they already offer.
Our training programs are conducted by award-winning speakers, published authors, and trainers and authorities on professional hypnotism. Twenty-seven of our speakers are from outside the United States. We may be the National Guild of Hypnotists, but this is truly an international event.
The 2007 NGH convention is scheduled for August 10, 11, and 12, at the Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center in Marlborough, Massachusetts. Convention organizers are preparing for the largest attendance ever in the event's twenty-year history. National Guild of Hypnotists president, Dr. Dwight F. Damon, says, "Every year the National Guild of Hypnotists convention surpasses the previous year in the number of dynamic speakers, programs, and attendee benefits offered. Each year the NGH convention finds new ways to educate, support, and reward the attendees, but this year will definitely top all others."
The National Guild of Hypnotists has over 10,000 members, representing 65 countries around the world. There are NGH certified trainers in 44 US states and 27 countries. With 280 seminars and workshops scheduled during the three-day event, convention attendees can customize their participation, allowing them to take advantage of exactly the topics that benefit them most. NGH president Damon explains, "Our training programs are conducted by award-winning speakers, published authors, and trainers and authorities on professional hypnotism. Twenty-seven of our speakers are from outside the United States. We may be the National Guild of Hypnotists, but this is truly an international event."
This year's National Guild of Hypnotists twentieth anniversary convention will be held at the Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center in Marlborough, Massachusetts. For registration information, call the NGH Registrar at (603) 429-9438. For hotel reservations, convention attendees should call (508) 460-0700. To learn more about NGH, visit their website at http://www.ngh.net Daily convention and NGH news is updated on the National Guild of Hypnotists blog: www.nghconvention.com The National Guild of Hypnotists, Inc. is a not-for-profit, educational corporation. Founded in Boston, MA, in 1951, the Guild is a professional organization comprised of dedicated individuals committed to advancing the field of hypnotism. National Guild of Hypnotists president, Dr. Dwight F. Damon, is available for media interviews at (603) 429-9438.

Using Hypnosis to Attain a Sense of Optimism

Being Positive

Pessimism has been linked to a higher risk of dying before age 65. When you express and FEEL positive emotions you can acesss a variety of health benefits: lowered production of the stress hormone cortisol, better immune function, and reduced risk of chronic diseases.

If you are stressed-out or anxious you can use hypnosis or hypnotherapy as a way to perhaps emotionally heal the unaware reasons for your sense of pessimism or to help yourself to obtain a sense of optimism.

Blood samples taken after hypnosis actually showed an increase in the white blood cell count of our immune system.

Hypnosis and Fertility Make the News

Finally, the idea that hypnosis can help with fertility has been recognized by the news media. Below is the link to the CBS news video.

You may want to read one of the testimonials of an infertility client of mine on my website at www.hypnotherapyforhealth.com

http://cbs5.com/health/local_story_047200506.html

Hypnosis in the Management of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

I just came across this abstract from 2005 that I thought I would share with everybody.

Chronic fatigue Complimentary therapies Clinical effectiveness
Source: Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 26 October 2005; 12 (4) p37-46

During the past 30 years hypnosis has become recognised as a useful adjunct to traditional medical therapies, and has become part of mainstream medicine. Hypnosis societies provide training for health professionals to obtain registrable qualifications. The modality has been incorporated in the management of many medical conditions and diseases, with opportunities for symptom control, building confidence and enhancing the benefits of regular therapies. There are many opportunities for using hypnosis as an adjunctive therapy in the management of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, despite some early difficulties. Problems likely to be encountered are discussed and the structure of the hypnosis session is outlined. Suggestions are given for practitioners to construct useful scripts, which can be used to teach self-hypnosis.

Some Studies on the Power of the Mind on The Body

Mindful Meditation Increases Antibodies

Researchers performed a randomized, controlled study to discover the effects of an 8-week training program of mindfulness meditation on brain and immune function with healthy employees in a work environment. The study concludes that a short program of mindfulness meditation produces demonstrable positive effects on brain and immune function and further research is indicated.

Source: Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine 65: pp 564-570 (2003).

Motor Imagery Helps Stroke Recovery

Two survivors of embolic middle cerebral artery stroke that resulted in chronic hemiparesis received training consisting of 12 one-hour sessions, 3 times a week, for 4 consecutive weeks, of imagining wrist movements (extension, pronation-supination) and mental simulations of reaching and object manipulation, making use of a mirror box apparatus.

The study suggests that these results demonstrate the potential for using motor imagery as a cognitive strategy for functional recovery from hemparesis. The researchers felt that the intervention targeted the cognitive level of action processing, while its effects may be realized in overt behavioral performance.

Source: Using motor imagery in the rehabilitation of hemiparesis. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2003 July; 84 (7): pp. 1090-2. j-stevens3@northwestern.edu

Hypnosis Doubles Weight Loss Research

Researchers from the University of Connecticut at Storrs ran an analysis of the effect of adding hypnosis to a behavioral program for weight reduction.

Averaged across post treatment and follow-up assessment periods from all the studies, the mean weight loss was 6.00 lbs. (2.72 kg) without hypnosis and 11.83 lbs. (5.37 kg) with hypnosis.
The mean effect size of this difference was 0.66 SD (standard deviations) Correlational analyses indicated that the benefits of hypnosis increased substantially over time (r = .74).
Citation: Kirsch I. Hypnotic enhancement of cognitive-behavioral weight loss treatments--another meta-reanalysis. Journal of Consulting Clinical Psychology. 1996 Jun; 64(3): pages 517-519.

Another Reason to Make That New Years Resolution Really Happen and Use Hypnosis to Stop Smoking

A reanalysis of nicotine from a brand name cigarette sold in Massachusetts from 1997 to 2005 confirmed that manufacturers have steadily increased the levels of this agent in cigarettes. This independent analysis which was based on data submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) by the manufacturers, found that increases in smoke nicotine yield per cigarette averaged 1.6 percent each year, or about 11 percent over a seven-year period (1998-2005). Remember, nicotine is the primary addictive agent in cigarettes

Guided Imagery for Cancer Patients - Hypnosis

Guided imagery is a visualization technique that helps clients to focus on positive images to heal their bodies. The Simonton method of guided imagery, was developed by thr oncologist O. Carl Simonton and his wife, to help patients that wereundergoing treatments for cancer. This method taught cancer patients to picture their immune system cells as "gobbling up" cancer cells like "Pac Man," and destroying them.

Guided imagery is based on the idea that the mind can affect the functions of the body. We as hypnotherapists know this can be true. Stimulating the brain through imagery can have a direct effect on both the endocrine and nervous systems, which lead to changes in immune system function. Guided imagery is used to promote relaxation, reduce stress and help the mind influence the body in positive ways.

"A review of 46 studies conducted from 1966 to 1998 by the American Cancer Society found that guided imagery was effective in managing stress, anxiety, depression, pain and the side effects of chemotherapy. A recent randomized clinical trial involving women with early stage breast cancer found guided imagery was also useful for easing anxiety related to radiation therapy, including fears about the equipment, surgical pain, and recurrence of cancer. Although one uncontrolled, exploratory study suggested that guided imagery can increase survival rates for people with cancer, there is no scientific evidence these techniques can cure cancer or any other disease.

Carol L. Baird, an associate professor of nursing at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., recently tested guided imagery with a relaxation component among older women suffering from osteoarthritis. Half of the 28 volunteers in the pilot study listened to recordings that described a pleasant scene and guided listeners to engage all of their senses. After 12 weeks, the experimental group experienced a significant reduction in pain compared with women in the control group. The guided-imagery group also had increased mobility, the study showed. Interestingly, a separate study involving the same volunteers found that guided imagery with relaxation seemed to improve their quality of their life. "

With hypnosis, we can take guided imagery even further and help our clients to release negative feelings and emotions and get a different perspective.

Let's Use Hypnosis to Help With Negative Emotions

In a study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings medical journal, December 2006, researchers found that of nearly 7,000 adults followed since their college days in the 1960s, those who were optimistic in their youth had a lower risk of dying over the next 40 years than their more pessimistic peers.

The most pessimistic study participants were 42 percent more likely to die of any cause than the most positive participants.

There have been past studies on personality factors and health, that have linked optimism to longer life. One study of elderly adults found that those with a positive view of the future were less likely than pessimists to die over the next decade -- regardless of their health at the start of the study.

Led by Dr. Beverly H. Brummett of Duke University Medical Center she says that
optimists are less likely to suffer from depression than are pessimists, which could, in turn, affect their physical health. They may also maintain a healthier lifestyle, paying more attention to their diet and exercise habits.

These findings are based on a 40-year follow-up of 6,958 men and women who entered the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in the mid-1960s. At the start of the study, they took a standard personality test that gauges a person's tendency to be optimistic or pessimistic.

In general, optimists believe negative events are only temporary and don't let them affect their overall attitude about themselves and the world. Pessimists, take such events to heart, often blaming themselves and believing that the bad times will last forever.

In this study, 1,630 were deemed pessimists and 923 optimists, while most were judged to be somewhere between a pure optimist or pessimist.

It is difficult to change the basic constructs of your personality, Brummett told Reuters Health. However, she added, "there are many aspects of personality that can be modified to a certain degree if an individual is motivated to do so."

For example, Brummett said, people with a hostile temperament -- a trait linked to heart disease and premature death -- may be able to change their ways with the help of anger management therapy.

On the other side of the spectrum, people might try injecting some positivity into their lives. As an example, Brummett pointed to meditation, which, according to some research, may boost positive emotions.

This is where I feel hynotherapy can be of extreme benefit! We can help people to see things differently experience things differently, and feel empowered.

Another Reason to use Hypnosis for Childbirth

A new study of more than 1,200 women suggests that those who receive epidural anesthesia during childbirth with fentanyl (a very very strong narcotic) may have trouble breastfeeding.

Women who got a fentanyl epidural reported more difficulty with breastfeeding in the first week and they were also twice as likely to give up breastfeeding within the first six months.

Other research has suggested that fentanyl can also interfere with infants' ability to suckle.

Experts recommend that babies be fed only breast milk for the first six months, and that partial breastfeeding continue until the baby is 1 year old.

Source: International Breastfeeding Journal December 11, 2006

Hypnosis, Guided Imagery and Cancer

In one study, researchers at Harvard Medical School found that more than 30 percent of U.S. adults have used some form of mind-body medicine, a category that includes imagery, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Guided imagery is a visualization technique, which helps patients to focus on positive images to heal their bodies. Hypnotherapists guide patients and help them build detailed images in their minds. Patients are encouraged to picture their tumors shrinking in one local area or their whole body freeing itself of cancer. The Simonton method of guided imagery, developed by oncologist O. Carl Simonton and his wife, was designed to help patients undergoing standard treatments for cancer. This method teaches cancer patients to picture their immune system cells "gobbling up" cancer cells like "Pac Man," and destroying them.

Guided imagery is based on the idea that the mind can affect the functions of the body. Stimulating the brain through imagery can have a direct effect on both the endocrine and nervous systems, which lead to changes in immune system function. Guided imagery helps the mind influence the body in positive ways.

A review of 46 studies conducted from 1966 to 1998 by the American Cancer Society found that guided imagery was effective in managing stress, anxiety, depression, pain and the side effects of chemotherapy. A recent randomized clinical trial involving women with early stage breast cancer found guided imagery was also useful for easing anxiety related to radiation therapy, including fears about the equipment, surgical pain, and recurrence of cancer.

In a 2004 study in the journal Pain, researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center found that children who used guided-imagery tapes before and after routine surgery had significantly less pain and anxiety than a control group. More recently, researchers examined how children used these tapes, which suggested that they imagine going to a park, at least in their mind. Many, though, put their own spin on the image, such as a swimming pool, a lake or an amusement park.

Our imagination and its accompanying imagery is the language of the autonomic nervous system, the part of the nervous system that regulates involuntary body functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure and digestion. Therefore, when you're working with images, it is just as if you are giving a set of instructions to the system.

There was published the results of a 10-week guided imagery intervention study in the January 2006 in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Invoolving a small group of patients with fibromyalgia, a condition involving chronic pain and fatigue. In the study, one group of patients received usual care and used a set of guided-imagery audiotapes. The other group received only usual care. Compared with the controls, the patients who participated in guided imagery were better able to perform activities of daily living and had a greater sense of being able to manage their pain and other symptoms.The pain did not change, but the ability to cope with the pain was improved.

The advantage of using hypnosis and guided imagery is that we can also help to diminsh pain!

When Teaching Hypnosis Classes Check Your Students Intent

In the December 2006 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers, using the MRI, found that when a person watches someone else perform a task with the intention of later replicating the observed performance, motor areas of the brain are activated in a fashion similar to that with accompanies actual movement.

Teaching a physical skill often usually involves someone demonstrating the action and its components after which the learner then tries to reproduce what he or she has observed.

In this experiment, 19 college-aged, healthy adults watched a series of digital videos of another person who was putting together or disassembling objects using toy parts. In one condition, participants simply watched the activity; in another, they observed clips with the intention to be able to reproduce the actions in the correct sequential order minutes later.

Despite lying completely still during these tasks, observing with the intention to learn actions and subsequently reproduce them engages areas of the brain known to contribute to motor learning thorough actual physical practice. It is of particular attention that the amount of activity occurring in the intraparietal sulcus (the part when watching to learn accurately) predicts how well these actions are reproduced minutes later.

The researchers concluded that it appears to be vital that the intention of the observer is important rather than simply the visual stimulus that is being viewed. Therefore, if the student has the goal to be able to do what you are seeing, then it appears that activity through your motor system is up-regulated substantially.

So, perhaps when teaching our hypnosis classes we should emphasize to our students to have the intention while they watch a "demo" to learn all they can so they can duplicate the process.

Using Hypnosis to Counter Sleep Deprivation and its Accompanying Health Risks

Hypnosis sessions and learning self-hypnosis techiniques can be useful in dealing with insomnia. Hypnosis sessions with a trained clinical hypnotherapist can help you to realize and release old reasons for insomnia that may be hanging around. When you learn self-hypnosis techniques you begin to feel in control and reach a stage of feeling more resourceful.

Researchers believe that sleep deprivation contributes to various health risks, such as obesity and diabetes. Lack of sleep or sleeping at odd hours may also increase your risk of developing cancer or heart disease.

Studies of humans have shown that the levels of hormones responsible for appetite regulation are profoundly influenced by sleep duration. Sleep loss is associated with an increase in appetite.
Cortisol,a hormone secreted by the adrenal gland, is elevated in stress states. Levels of cortisol were about six times higher in subjects who had undergone six days of sleep restriction than in subjects who were fully rested. Elevated cortisol levels are believed to promote the development of insulin resistance, a risk factor for obesity and diabetes. Elevated levels of cortisol can trigger a person to snack on junky foods which can be high in sugar, fat and calories.

Sleeping and feeding are both intricately related. Animals faced with food shortage sleep less. Also, animals that are subjected to sleep deprivation for prolonged periods of time increase their food intake dramatically.

Leptin, is a hormone that signals satiety to the brain. It reduces our appetite. Studies demonstrate it is dependent on sleep duration. In one study, after six days of restricting sleep to four hours a night, the blood levels of leptin were very much decreased. The drop was comparable to what is seen after three days of eating only 900 calories a day. The subjects in the sleep-restriction condition received identical amounts of caloric intake as when they were fully rested. Their leptin levels were signaling a state of famine in the midst of plenty. Sleep loss seems to alter the ability of hormones to signal caloric need accurately and could lead to excessive eating when food is freely available.

In a research study conducted by Boston University School of Medicine, there was found a connection between insomnia and diabetes. Study participants who reported sleeping fewer than six hours or more than nine hours a day had an increased incidence of diabetes, compared to those who reported sleeping seven to eight hours.

Clearly, sleep is essential not only for the brain but also for the rest of the body.

Researchers from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford's Warneford Hospital in the UK, studied people with insomnia versus "good sleepers", to see if various ways of managing unwanted thoughts affected sleep quality, anxiety and depression. What they found out was that with the exception of cognitive distraction, the people suffering from insomnia, compared to good sleepers, more frequently used thought control strategies. Strategies of aggressive suppression and worry appeared to be entirely unhelpful. The use of these "control" strategies were actually predictors of sleep impairment, anxiety and depression. Which is why I recommend writing down our thoughts and problems in a journal before sleep and "giving them" to our "Dear Subconscious Mind". The strategy of cognitive distraction (guided imagery) also appeared to be helpful in predicting better sleep quality.

Here are some good "SLEEP HYGIENE" ideas:

• Keep a regular schedule. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on the weekends and holidays.

• Incorporate bedtime rituals. Soft music or sipping a cup of decaffeinated tea cues your body that it’s time to slow down. Mediatiation or other relaxation is helpful. Or a warm bath! No T.V.

• Don’t eat a large, heavy meal before bed. This can cause indigestion or slow digestion and can interfere with your normal sleep cycle. Drinking too much fluid before bed can cause you to get up to go "potty".

• Certain bedtime snacks can help because of the amino acid called tryptophan, found in milk, turkey and peanut butter. It helps the brain produce serotonin, a chemical that helps you relax. Try drinking warm milk or eat a slice of toast with peanut butter or a bowl of warm cereal before bedtime. The warmth just may temporarily increase your body temperature, hastening sleep.

• Keep a journal at your bedside were you can write down your worries. Tell your subconscious mind to allow yourself to wake up in the morning with any answeres that you need. Then just decide to let your mind do want it needs to do as you release the need to figure it all out.

• Go to sleep when you are sleepy. When you feel tired, go to bed. There is a good reason your body is asking you to go to sleep!!

Research: Ree MJ, Harvey AG, Blake R, Tang NK, Shawe-Taylor M.Attempts to control unwanted thoughts in the night: development of the thought control questionnaire-insomnia revised (TCQI-R). Behavioral Research and Therapy. 2005 August

Researchers Talk About Hypnosis for Back Pain

Researchers from the VA Connecticut Healthcare System looked at data from 22 studies published between 1982 and 2003. Participants had low back pain for at least three months and the average duration was seven and a half years.

The researchers found that psychological interventions alone or combined with other care were better than standard treatments for pain-related outcomes. The largest and most consistent effect was in reducing the intensity of pain. The interventions uses included behavioral and cognitive-behavioral techniques; self-regulatory techniques such as hypnosis, biofeedback, and relaxation and counseling.

What was surprising was that interventions were originally developed to help patients live with their pain more successfully, not to actually reduce pain. An added benefit was an improvement in the health-related quality of life, work-related disability, and depression.

Dennis Turk, Ph.D., professor of anesthesiology and pain research at the University of Washington in Seattle reports chronic pain patients don't always see the value of psychological treatments because they have been set up to expect a cure. Sometimes, cures just don't happen even when using the latest and greatest treatments. These interventions "are not cures, but they do reduce pain and improve function and they are important components in the treatment of people with chronic pain."

SOURCE: Health Psychology, 2007;26

Let's Use Hypnosis to Take Advantage of Pain Relief Being Connected to Our Mind Set

Research by the Human Pain Research Group at The University of Manchester suggests that people's responses to placebo pain relief varies according to their way of thinking.

In the study a group of 40 pain-free volunteers took part in an experiment using an artificial pain stimulus. They were led to expect reduced pain after the application of a cream which was actually a placebo. Twenty four of the volunteers initially received a moderately painful heat stimulus to both arms. The placebo cream was then applied to the skin. They were led to believe that the cream on one of their arms may be a local anaesthetic.

After the application of the cream, the intensity of the heat stimulus was turned down on one arm without informing the volunteer. Then the intensity was returned to its previous level, but ( in contrast to the 16 people in the control group) 67% of the treatment group continued to perceive the heat as less painful.

The expectation of pain relief leads to a release of endorphins, which are the brain's natural pain killers, which is likely to contribute to a sensation of reward and well-being.

There was a split in the range of responses to the placebo; a third of people reporting a reduction in the pain intensity in the "treated" arm only, a third in both arms and the last thirds intensity-ratings were not being influenced by the application of the cream. The different responses can be related to the different levels of pain relief the volunteers expected, which may have allowed their individual suggestibility to influence their assessment of the pain experience.

The findings suggest that different individuals may have different styles of placebo response, which is likely to affect how they respond to real treatments also. So, if the mind is so powerful, shouldn't we be practicing how to harness it with self-hypnosis?

Hypnosis as a Type of Biofeedback

Hypnosis can be like a biofeedback mechanism which helps you use your mind to control your body. A trained practitioner guides you in using imagery, abdominal breathing , and sometimes uses music to relax your muscles, slow your heart rate or blood pressure, or achieve the desired brain-wave frequencies of alpha as you slip into the hypnotic state,. The goal is to learn to control your body on your own.

Hypnosis has been shown to be helpful in treating medical conditions, including headaches, asthma, hot flashes, high blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome, incontinence, and nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy. Unlike medicine, hypnosis has no side effects. It offers people a way to take some control over their own health.

Did you know that blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract drops when anxiety increases. That is why people feel a knot in their stomach when they are feeling anxious. Learning to relax allows the blood to flow better and relieves pain.

The concept is the same as practicing the multiplication tables or like playing the piano. The more you praqctice the better you get. With more and more practice you are teaching your body how to do it better, more frequently and at your control. The more you use the muscle or your mind the stronger it gets.

The mind has a lot to do with how we're feeling!

Breath Training: One More Tool to Include in Self-Hypnosis