Hypnosis & Cancer
From: The National Cancer Institute
Hypnosis Before Breast-Cancer Surgery Reduces Pain, Discomfort, and Cost
Women undergoing surgery for breast cancer who received a brief hypnosis session before entering the operating room required less anesthesia and pain medication during surgery, and reported less pain, nausea, fatigue, and discomfort after surgery than women who did not receive hypnosis. The overall cost of surgery was also significantly less for women undergoing hypnosis.
To read the entire Study, please go to:
http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/results/hypnosis0907
Hypnosis & Weight Reduction
Research indicates that medical hypnosis supports weight loss and more importantly supports long term weight loss. Here are four studies for your review:
Study One: Bolocofsky, David N.; Spinler, Dwayne; Coulthard-Morris, Linda (1985). Effectiveness of hypnosis as an adjunct to behavioral weight management. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 41 (1), 35-41.
The first study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, divided 109 people into two groups for a 9 week study. The first group were treated with changes in diet and exercise habits (the only way to lose weight) without the addition of hypnosis. The second group was given the same diet and exercise treatment and was also given hypnosis for reinforcement.
After 9 weeks, not surprisingly, both groups lost weight due to the changes in diet and exercise while under supervision. What happened after the 8 month and 2-year follow-ups might surprise you. The group that did not have hypnosis did not lose anymore weight and in fact most gained most of their weight back. The hypnosis group, however, continued to lose weight during both intervals and the studies showed that far more people in the hypnosis group met their long term weight loss goals.
The take home is that the hypnosis group continued the eating and exercise habits learned in the experiment while the non hypnosis group did not.
There is no magic pill for weight loss and you simply have to follow a healthy eating and exercise plan — from this study, I believe it is clear that hypnosis supports diet and exercise adherence.
Study Two: Cochrane, Gordon; Friesen, J. (1986). Hypnotherapy in weight loss treatment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 489-492.
The next study, published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, investigated the effects of hypnosis in weight loss for 60 females at least 20% overweight and not involved in other treatment. The researchers interviewed each participant this time about their family background, educational background, and their belief as to their hypnotizability.
The group was split into hypnosis and non hypnosis groups with both groups being given weight loss behavioral treatments and counseling. The results were very interesting. The group using hypnosis lost an average of 17 pounds at the 6 month follow up. The group that did not receive hypnosis only lost a half of a pound. They also found that “hypnotizability” and social and educational backgrounds had nothing to do with the results.
Study Three: Kirsch, Irving (1996). Hypnotic enhancement of cognitive-behavioral weight loss treatments–Another meta-reanalysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64 (3), 517-519.
In the studies of hypnosis versus no hypnosis the average short term weight loss was 6 pounds for those not using hypnosis and 11.83 pounds with hypnosis. with hypnosis it jumped to 14.88 pounds — indicating again that the effects of hypnosis seem to continue Even more importantly, over the long term the average weight loss without hypnosis remained at 6 pounds, but over time.
What is impressive about these results is that doing hypnosis under controlled conditions is extremely difficult, and to have the research indicate that people are losing anywhere from about 2 to on average 16 1/2 times more weight under hypnosis than when they do not use it, I believe clearly indicates that hypnosis should be used by anyone who is serious about weight loss.
Study Four: In a comparison of the results of adding hypnosis to weight loss treatment across multiple studies showed that adding hypnosis increased weight loss by an average of 97% during treatment, and even more importantly increased the effectiveness POST TREATMENT by over 146%. This shows that hypnosis works even better over time (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1996).
George Mezinko, CHt.
Certified Hypnotherapist
Serenity Health & Wellness Center
1685 Lance Pointe Dr.
Maumee, OH 43537
George@SerenityHealthMaumee.com or gmezinko@changingyourfocus.com
Visit the Serenity Website at: www.SerenityHealthMaumee.com
Call today for your free 30 minute consultation – 419.290.0476