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BBC news articles, research on hypnotherapy, hypnosis EFT for IBS, ME, dental work, fear of heights, dementia, surgery

Research & Articles On Hypnosis

Hypnosis for the people

AAAS Boston 2002, BBC



By BBC News Online's Caroline Ryan in Boston

All doctors should know how to perform hypnotherapy on their patients, according to a US expert.

Professor David Spiegel, of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at Stanford University, said the therapy had been shown to help patients deal with pain, and could potentially be used in many other situations, such as helping people cope with long-term illnesses.

Professor Spiegel told BBC News Online:

"We have more and more people living with these illnesses who need help coping with them, and hypnosis is a safe and effective way to teach people how to manage their own response, how to take the edge off their pain, how to think through their anxiety and not let it overwhelm them."

The Stanford scientist made his comments at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston. He teaches self-hypnosis to help people manage their symptoms themselves.

Different colours

"If they have pain, I'll have them imagine they're doing to the part of their body that hurts what they actually do in the real world when it hurts, whether it's using a bag of ice cubes or applying heat."

Professor Spiegel said studies had shown hypnosis did help patients. In a study of women with breast cancer his team is due to publish later this year, those given support plus self-hypnosis had half the pain of those not given that combination.

His team has also found evidence that the brain's reaction can be changed under hypnosis. A study of people classed as highly receptive to hypnosis looked at how colour was processed in their brains.

Real view

They were shown patterns, either in colour, or in shades of grey. But if they were hypnotised to see colour, when in fact they were looking at the grey pattern, they believed they were seeing colour and their brain reacted as if that were true.

Professor Spiegel said that studies showed hypnosis was a distinct psychological state, and it was not simply that the person under hypnosis was adopting a role suggested to them. He added:

"People who are hypnotised see what they believe. They don't just tell you that's what it is - it actually looks that way to them."

He is still looking for a "brain signature" which will show what happens in the brain when people are hypnotised.

Hypnosis used in dental procedure

A dental patient underwent hypnosis to have two rotten teeth removed because he could not afford private treatment.

Leslie Mason was facing a £400 bill for the procedure to be performed privately as his local surgery in Colchester, Essex, had exhausted its NHS budget. Mr Mason, 54, instead chose to play the role of guinea pig to a Hertfordshire dentist's unorthodox form of treatment, using hypnosis as the only painkiller.

The father-of-seven said: "It was incredible. I felt no pain at all."

Mr Mason was put in contact with dentist Dr Bhavin Bhatt, by mutual friend John Ridlington, a qualified hypnotist. With the offer of free treatment he agreed to the procedure performed at the Smile and Wellbeing dental practice in Bishop's Stortford.

'Mind over matter'

Mr Ridlington, 59, from Dunmow in Essex, said: "We all have the ability to control pain with our

brains.

"Our brains control everything about our bodies and our subconscious is the most powerful part - it controls our breathing and the blood pumping through our veins. Hypnosis taps into the subconscious mind. It's all about mind over matter."

Mr Ridlington got Mr Mason into a relaxed state of mind and taught him to visualise his favourite pastime - historic battle re-enactments - to distract his mind from the pain. Whilst wielding an imaginary medieval sword, Mr Mason visualised a dial numbered one to 10 - one for no pain and 10 for excruciating pain. As soon as he felt a twinge he mentally turned the dial back to one.

100% effective

He remained conscious throughout the two-hour procedure and felt nothing more than "a bit of a sting".

Mr Mason, a former farmhand, said:

"It was incredible. There is no worse pain than that inflicted by dentists but I didn't feel any. The dentist had to dig away at the rotten roots that were right up into my jaw. There isn't anything I wouldn't have done under hypnosis now. It's incredible."

Dr Bhatt said: "The hypnosis was 100% effective.

"With Leslie we used hypnotherapy to remove a seriously infected tooth and some deeply embedded roots. Ordinarily this would involve surgery and such cases are usually referred to hospital. We're now exploring the possibility of offering tooth transplants under hypnosis."

Mr Mason has previously undergone hypnosis to quit his 40-a-day smoking habit.