Hypnosis is a process during which an individual allows him or her self to become more suggestible. The patient is fully conscious and tunes out most of the stimuli in the surrounding area. You can be hypnotized by a professional or by yourself.

Hypnosis can be used to block the awareness of pain, to substitute another feeling for the pain, and to change the feeling to one that is not painful. Hypnosis may also be effective in reducing fear and anxiety, reducing the frequency and severity of headaches. Available scientific evidence does not support the idea that hypnosis can influence the development or progression of cancer or other disease. However, it may help to improve quality of life for some people with a serious illness.

Hypnosis can be considered to be a complementary treatment.

What Hypnosis Is

Unlike the image of hypnosis we have from movies or t.v., people who have been hypnotisted do not lose control over their behavior and are not slaves to their "masters." They have absolute free will. Instead of being in a sleep state, patients are hyper attentive. Patients remain aware of who they are and where they are, and unless amnesia (the inability to recall past events, in this context the inability to recall what has occurred during the hypnotic session), has been specifically suggested, they usually remember what transpired during hypnosis. Tthe only exception to this is what is called a somnambulist.  A somnambulist is an individual who has the ability to go very deeply into hypnosis. A somnambulist will have total amnesia. 

Hypnosis makes it easier for people to experience suggestions. It does not force them to have these experiences. 

In conventional hypnosis, you approach the suggestions of the hypnotist, or your own ideas, as if they were reality. For example, if the hypnotist suggests that you are drinking a chocolate milkshake, you'll taste the milkshake and feel it cooling your mouth and throat. 

People respond to hypnosis in different ways. Some describe their experience as an altered state of consciousness. Others describe hypnosis as a normal state of focused attention, in which they feel very calm and relaxed.

Safety of Hypnosis

Hypnosis done under the care of a professionally trained hypnotherapist is generally considered safe. Like other complementary treatments, it should not be relied upon to delay or replace conventional medical treatment. 

To Find A Certified Trained Hypnotist

To find a hypnotist experienced in helping people with a serious health condition who have the goals you do, ask your doctor, a doctor who specializes in treating pain, a local treatment center, or go to the website of an accrediting hypnotist organiztion such as the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis  www.asch.net , click on "Public," then "Member Referral Search" or American Psychotherapy and Medical Hypnosis Association, www.apmha.com

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