Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy refers to the use of hypnosis in the treatment of various health conditions. The Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders defines hypnosis as a trance state in which the hypnotized person is in a heightened, more receptive state of mind. According to the Wikipedia, the word “hypnosis” is an abbreviation of James Braid's term “neuro-hypnotism” which means sleep of the nervous system.

Braid was one of the pioneers in the field of hypnotherapy. He accidentally discovered that one of his patients began to enter a trance-like state while staring at a fixed light as he waited for his eye examination to start.

Hypnotherapy has been recommended by the National Institutes of Health as a treatment for chronic pain since 1995. Besides pain management, most researches on hypnotherapy revealed that it is effective in the treatment of anxiety, insomnia and psycho-somatic disorders, such as stress-related illness. Other conditions for which hypnotherapy may be used include phobias, sleep disorders, grief, depression, overeating, smoking and addiction.

Hypnotherapy is typically used in two ways: suggestion therapy and analysis. Upon entering a hypnotic state, a person is better able to respond to suggestions. Thus, as a suggestion therapy, hypnotherapy is used to help some people modify certain behaviors, including smoking and nail-biting. It can also help change sensations and perceptions. As an analysis, hypnotherapy uses the trance state to find the root cause of a disorder or symptom.

Hypnotherapy is performed by a licensed mental health professional trained in this technique.