Smoking cessation is probably the most frequent reason for consulting a hypnotherapist. Many approaches exist and research identified some of the factors pertinent to success.

Many hypnotherapists in private practice deal with clients trying to overcome their addiction to smoke tobacco products. Methods vary considerably, ranging from the use of direct suggestion hypnotherapy by repetition through to hypnotherapy combined with cognitive behavioural theory.

Despite advances in molecular biology and therapeutics, cancer continues to be a major source of morbidity and mortality. The diagnosis and treatment are often stressful, and high levels of psychological and psychiatric disorders have been reported consistently over the last 20 years. However, there is evidence that much of this distress is preventable by providing a support service that is open-access and fully integrated functionally and geographically with other parts of cancer services. One study has a proven evidence that relaxation therapy, guided imaginary and hypnotherapy can be very beneficial in helping patients cope with the diagnosis and treatment. Intriguingly, there is some evidence that they may prolong life, although further studies are required to clarify this. In the meantime, however, it is clear that much can be done to prevent, as well as treat, cancer-related problems.

Helping a client to stop smoking is one of the most difficult challenges for a hypnotherapist. In some cases, an ego state therapeutic structured method should be applied to assist in smoking cessation. Every time a client comes to a hypnotherapist to stop smoking there is at least one ego state wanting to quit, and one ego state wanting to smoke, otherwise the client would be happy either smoking or not smoking.  An internal dissent exists among the states. The goal of the hypnotherapist is to empower the states that can assist the client in not smoking, while at the same time give new roles and meanings to the states that had previously smoked. In this manner, the client can achieve an internal peace in relation to being a non-smoker.

Hypnosis and hypnotherapy in handling Unfinished business in Bereavement.

For many years hypnosis and hypnotherapy are used to help people to overcome their grief and sorrow triggered by the loss of their loved ones.

Kim suffered from complicated bereavement due to her husband’s sudden death in a traffic accident and her mother’s suicide a within a few months. Hypnosis was used with deep relaxation and grief psychotherapy to achieve imaginative involvement, subjective reality, and constrictive memory to help her to complete the unfinished business. After only two hypnotic sessions, there was significant improvement in her emotional distress and fixation. On the grief journey, Kim was able to achieve a psychological closure to the multiple losses. She learned to let go of sorrow and to divert energy to other positive life aspects. (Ho, Salina. Nov.2007)

There are more and more medical institutions and private practises around the world apply hypnosis and hypnotherapy to help its patients to fight their unhealthy habits- “HaysMed, part of The University of Kansas Health System, will offer hypnotherapy programs aimed at tobacco cessation and weight release starting in January.

Hypnotherapy uses guided relaxation, intense concentration and focused attention to achieve a heighten state of awareness. In this naturally occurring state, a person may focus his or her attention, with the help of a trained profession, on specific thoughts or tasks such as quitting tobacco or releasing weight.” (Hays Post, 2017)

Alcohol dependence can be broadly divided into physiological dependence and psychological dependence. The physiological dependence can be successfully controlled with the appropriate medical treatment. Nowadays, with the introduction of some of the effective hypnotherapy techniques such as guided imaginary, visualization techniques, dream induction, rational emotive behavior therapy and aversion therapy, phycological dependence can be successfully managed. When dealing with alcohol dependents, it is an essential prerequisite to determine whether the patient is sincerely motivated to abstain totally from all forms of liquor for the rest of his/her life. If not, Hypno-Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REPT) has to be applied to properly motivate the patient. Hypnotically induced dreams too can enhance the patient’s potential to utilize his/her internal resources to motivate positively.

Many are wondering if there is any difference between stage hypnosis and clinical hypnosis.
In the next serious of blogs we will try to answer most of those questions related to clinical hypnosis and hypnotherapy as a powerful and safe tool to tackle many foibas, bad habits and stress.

Stage hypnosis is usually done for entertainment and happens in front of an audience. So, participants have social pressure on them which is leading them to follow the hypnotist’s commands and pretend they are in a trance, even if they are not.
However, clinical hypnosis can be used therapeutically to reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety, and to study the human mind and mental health.
Clinical hypnosis is done in a private setting. The hypnotherapist does not give ‘commands,’ but rather gives suggestions and invites the patient to experience them.
The hypnotic experience is purely internal; despite feelings of deep relaxation, the mind and body remain alert. The hypnotherapist cannot control an individual’s actions.
If a person doesn’t want to do something in real life, they will not do it under hypnosis. There is no element of pressure in clinical hypnosis, unlike in stage hypnosis.
Although being under hypnosis may offer similar feelings of relaxation as taking a nap, you never lose consciousness under hypnosis—making it a safe practice.

This case study describes the use of hypnosis in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, resulting from exposure to wartime atrocities and social media events. It demonstrates the effectiveness of hypnosis as an adjunct to cognitive–behavioural therapy in the management of a patient who was proving to be resistant to treatment. Therapy was aimed at stress management, trauma focus, relapse prevention and maintenance, with the client reporting improvement within seven sessions.

Read More Here

The following case demonstrates how hypnosis can be used as an adjunct in the treatment of a stress-influenced physical spasm of the cricopharyngeal muscle. Hypnosis was used first to explore precipitating contextual events related to the spasm and second to induce a relaxation response and related soothing of the spasm-prone muscle when tense . This provided a sense of control and mastery for the patient and insight was gained into the circumstances surrounding the muscle spasm.

Self-defeating thoughts which increased the stress and anxiety the patient experienced were explored and related to the cricopharyngeal spasm through cognitive–behavioural therapy. Alternative ways of managing stress and anxiety were addressed and encouragement to use social support actively provided. Treatment resulted in a decrease in voiced discomfort and occurrence of cricopharyngeal spasm making hypnosis an easy adjunctive treatment to swallow.

Read More Here

Part 5 of this series concentrates on the practical use of hypnosis as an adjunct to therapy in the treatment of specific phobias, focusing on animal and situational subtypes. The author evaluates the effectiveness of a range of interventions which have been shown to have been valuable in treatment. The report shows how hypnosis may be employed effectively in conjunction with behavioural approaches, including cognitive restructuring and systematic desensitization, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and dental treatment.

There are a surprisingly large number of advertisements in the media which claim that phobias can be treated quickly using behavioural therapy; however, although in vitro desensitization and imaginal exposure have been employed successfully by clinicians, when the source of the phobic anxiety is in early childhood further psychological investigation is often required. This study discusses the implications of using a number of hypnotic techniques which have been employed in clinical practice.

Read More Here