Hypnosis
Ronald Schneeweiss, MBChB
Professor, Family Medicine
MHE 501 2008
History (1)
Primitive tribes have shamans, healing
rituals, sleep cures
Egyptians, ancient Greeks and Romans had
sleep temples.
Genesis 2;21-22 … G-d caused a sleep to come
over Adam and he removed a rib and created
Eve.
Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) “animal
magnetism”; Bacquet; glass harmonica.
History (2)
Esdaile (mid-1800‟s) 3000 surgeries, 300 were
major, solely under hypnosis. Presented to the
Royal Academy of Physicians---booed out of the
room, accused of blasphemy.
“G-d intended for people to suffer”.
James Braid (1785-1860) coined term„Hypnosis‟
in 1841 ---later „monoideism‟
1955 hypnosis accepted by the BMA and in 1958
by the AMA
1957 Dr. Erickson established the ASCH
HYPNOSIS (trance)
Definition
Hypnosis is an altered state of
consciousness. (between sleeping and
wakefulness). Relaxation and imagery are
used to achieve a fixed narrow
attention with a high degree of
concentration. In this state of trance
one is more open to suggestions.
HYPNOSIS (trance)
Characteristics of Hypnosis
Narrow focused attention
Dissociation
Time distortion
Primary process thinking (e.g., falling
up, floating down, chased in slow
motion)
HYPNOSIS (trance)
Hypnosis may act as the therapy
itself (e.g., pain control) or as a
means to facilitate therapy.
Practitioners should apply hypnosis
within the boundaries of their clinical
training.
In the Matter of
Mind over Matter
“The Power which a man‟s imagination has over his
body to heal it or make it sick is a force which
none of us is born without.” Mark Twain
“A man is most likely to use the half (of the force)
which invents imaginary ailments for him
and…scoff at the beneficent half of the force and
deny it‟s existence.”
Adapted from: James C. Whorton. Nature Cures: The
History of Alternative Medicine in America, 2002; Oxford
University Press
Process of Hypnosis
1. Prepare
2. Induction
3. Deepening
4. Therapeutic suggestions
5. Self-hypnosis (post-hypnotic suggestion)
6. Re-alerting(return to a state of awareness
or wakefulness)
SOME USES OF HYPNOSIS
Obstetrics & Gynecology
- hyperemesis gravidarum
- labor & delivery
- relaxation during gynecologic
procedures
Anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, insomnia
Pain (e.g., headaches, back pain, cancer,
treatment of burns)
SOME USES OF HYPNOSIS (cont.)
Smoking cessation
Dermatologic conditions (e.g., pruritus,
eczema, warts)
Medical conditions with a high level of
anxiety: e.g. asthma, migraine headaches.
Cancer: anxiety, nausea & vomiting, pain
visualization for cancer regression
To facilitate psychotherapy
Myths
and
Misconceptions