Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy In The News ... Also, other complementary and integrative therapies ...

What the media is saying or covering ...  hypnosis and complementary therapy ...

Remember reading about the good old times when some "clever" people believed the world was square and flat? A few still exist! No matter what they witness, they still maintain their beliefs. They still believe we are just "physical, material bodies" - they don't have any time for mind and spirit. Fortunately, more and more people are beginning to understand there is more to humans than what some "experts" believe.

Let's forget  "a long time ago people believed" - look at very recent history - less than 30 years ago. Take something as logical and precise as Mathematics. The very best mathematicians in the world thought they knew everything there was to know. What they didn't know (and what many clever people still don't know) is that our knowledge at any given time is limited, thus clouding our judgment. Only when we are open minded can we enjoy the opportunity of expanding our experience and our collective knowledge pool. When Benoit Mandelbrot published his work on Fractal Geometry (the geometry of nature), some ridiculed his work.  However, his Mandelbrot set is now an integral part of mathematics, physics, science, the study of nature, etc.

"Many non-conventional therapies ... are not used as mainstream treatments because of social or political reasons." 01 July 2008 Psychiatric Times. Vol. 25 No. 8 FUTURE OF PSYCHIATRY Nonconventional Modalities James Lake, MD

(Patients) distrust drug companies and the government ... Alternative Medicine Is Being Integrated Into The Mainstream, The Huffington Post 08 06 09

Police officer demonstrates hypnotic skills. The Observer Humble Houston Community Newspapers 12 05 08

"Pensioner goes under the knife - using self-hypnosis as her only pain relief ... coping with the one-hour knee operation when she insisted on avoiding drugs to numb the pain of the procedure." Daily Mail, Channel 4 News, Sky News, Talk Sport, and more - Jul 07 2008

Does Hypnotherapy Really Work?

• Psychoanalysis 38 percent recovery after 600 sessions

• Behavior therapy 72 percent recovery after 22 sessions

• Hypnotherapy 93 percent recovery after 6 sessions

in an article/report by Dr. Alfred Barrios, a clinical psychologist (BS Caltech, Ph.D. UCLA) - American Health Magazine

In other equally excellent articles, Dr. Barrios explores why there's a great reluctance to use Hypnotherapy as a mainstream complementary therapy (briefly, ignorance, fear of the unknown, etc.).

Professor David Spiegel, of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at Stanford University, calls for hypnotherapy to be added to the list of approved therapeutic techniques for the treatment of conditions ranging from allergies and high blood pressure to the pain associated with bone marrow transplantation, cancer treatment and anaesthesia for liver biopsy. "There is solid science behind what sounds like mysticism and we need to get that message across to the bodies that influence this area," Professor David Spiegel. Daily Telegraph 07 06 09, Guardian Unlimited 09 06 09

More people opting for hypnosis to try to quit smoking

Singapore: More people are giving hypnosis a shot in their efforts to quit smoking. While this form of treatment has been available here for at least ten years now, more hospital professionals are being trained in it. Channel NewsAsia 04 06 09

Newton Memorial Hospital offers classes

The following classes and meetings will be held at the hospital or the Sparta Health & Wellness Center: Smoking Cessation Through Hypnosis program. The Advertiser-News 04 06 09

Stroke your inner golf game with hypnosis. The Indiana Gazette 28 05 09

Britain's Got Talent: Singing pizza delivery man plans to use hypnosis to conquer his nerves. Daily Mirror 27 05 09

Hypnosis to treat pain of birth and burns 

Child birth using only hypnosis to treat pain may seem quite unusual to most but it is happening. Giving birth using clinical hypnosis as pain treatment is just one example of the ways that the rare treatment has been used. The use of clinical hypnosis when treating patients was discussed in a workshop by James Cook Professor of psychology and mental health academic Professor Russell Hawkins. The North West Star 26 05 09

Patients seeking solutions outside the mainstream. The Lima News 30 0 5 09

Tips for people coping with irritable bowel syndrome ... Useful techniques include self-hypnosis and meditation. Everett Herald 26 05 09


Surgery through hypnosis 

A woman from Britain has lost nearly 60 pounds after she was hypnotized into believing she had a gastric band. San Diego6 22 05 09

As a woman is hypnotised into believing she's had surgery: Yes, the power of the mind CAN heal your body. Daily Mail 24 05 09


IBS, Scampi Fries and maggots - weird phobias, addictions and illnesses that hypnosis has cured. Hypnotism is powerful stuff. Daily Mirror 21 05 09

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is calling on interested members to help participate in the development of the proposed Integrative Medicine (IM) Faculty, a proposed sub-faculty of the specific interest faculty of the RACGP. Areas of interest will include mind-body medicine such as hypnosis and meditation, evidence-based nutritional & environmental medicine and evidence-based herbal medicine. 26 June 2008

"Cognitive behavioural therapy is now reasonably well accepted, and so, too, is psychotherapy, but of the three, I would say hypnotism is potentially the most powerful." Professor Peter Whorwell, University Hospital of South Manchester, It's all in the mind, an article on how hypnotherapy helps many issues, Belfast Telegraph, 30 January 2007

Unexplained Mysteries TV Program - The case of the driver involved in a car crash; the doctors said he would never walk again. The driver received help from a hypnotist healer - and recovered fully. The doctor gracefully admitted what happened was beyond medicine.

Sports Enhancement Hypnotherapy - In pursuit of 'unfair advantage,' ... hockey team hires team hypnotherapist. The Flint Journal, 26 July 2008

It is also widely reported Tiger Woods and other top sports personalities use hypnosis to enhance their sports performance ("to go in the Zone").

Pakistan Cricket Team Turn To Hypnotism

Cricket365 reported Pakistan's players underwent hypnotism to mentally prepare for the ICC World Twenty20 2009. "They have now been programmed to bring the trophy to (Pakistan)."

If you watched the matches, you would have noticed that not many commentators gave Pakistan the chance of winning. They won the cup in style!

Thunderbirds use hypnosis

THE Adelaide Thunderbirds have a secret weapon unlike any other in the trans-Tasman netball competition - hypnosis. "There is not one who would say it hasn't been a benefit to them,'' said Thunderbirds coach Jane Woodlands-Thompson. "We've really only tipped the iceberg of what is possible." Daily Telegraph AU 14 07 09 


Class will use hypnosis to help smokers quit 

The Albany Parks & Recreation Department is offering a Stop Smoking with Hypnosis class. Albany Democrat-Herald 11 07 09

Pole vaulter Steve Hooker shows nerves of steel after hypnosis - A hypnotherapist cured Steve Hooker's fear of pole vaulting a few years ago and the success was visible on Friday when the Australian soared to Olympic gold in dramatic fashion. Earth Times, 22 Aug 2008

After accidents and fears until 2003, Hypnotism and visualisation began to help... Steve Hooker Gold Medalist visualises his way to “what every kid dreams of” - an Olympic Gold. International Association of Athletics Federations - IAAF 23 Aug 2008

The man who was once so spooked of vaulting he was hypnotised to allay his fears is Australia's first athletics gold medallist since Cathy Freeman in 2000. The Age, AU, 23 Aug 2008

Can Hypnosis Help Your Golf Swing? " ... it is important to focus on what is in your head. ... train the brain ..." KTNV Las Vegas 29 July 2008

Pack football: Hypnosis used for game-time strategy, [Sports Hypnosis], article by Colby Balkenbush, Reno Gazette-Journal, 10 August 2008

Coach targets mental game in high-pressure sport, "That's where the hypnosis comes in." San Francisco Chronicle, 16 August 2008

When mental games come into play, " ... a form of self-hypnosis really ..."  USA Today 14 August 2008

"... undergoing a competitive hypnosis before its winners' ..." Attitude in it to win it, York Daily Record 3 August 2008

"... two shooting Golds from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. ... anyone can learn to master a skill through mental training and hypnosis." The Herald Standard 19 August 2008

"... a combination of programs used in performance coaching including hypnosis, NLP, visualization, breathing exercises and nutrition." Valley native helps Olympians win gold, The Valley Independent 23 Aug 2008

ABBA star tries hypnosis to restore lost memory, News Interactive, article from The Daily Telegraph (AU) July 17, 2008

Birth Day: A second-time mom chose hypnosis over pain medication during labor and delivery. Health TV Highlights, Star Telegram

Children ... Without fear (use of hypnosis) at a dentist's of their very own, by Kirsty Robinson, Daily Mail

Soothe Your Stomach - irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): Psychotherapy—cognitive behavioral therapy, stress management, relaxation therapy, and hypnosis — are helpful for severe symptoms. Psychology Today Magazine, May/Jun 2008

Hypnosis as mainstream medicine, not magic - article in The Wellesley Townsman and Metrowest Daily News

Health Tip: Understanding Autoimmune Diseases - When the body begins to attack itself (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.) Meditation and self-hypnosis also have helped some people. U.S. News & World Report

Want to know about hypnosis? Burlington Times-News

Dr. Jay Granat has been called one of America's top ten mental gurus by Golf Digest Magazine; he has been featured in The New York Times, Tennis Magazine, Good Morning America, The BBC, and The CBC. He has been asked to lecture on Sports Psychology, Hypnosis and Golf at Mercedes Benz Trophy Golf Tournament in Instanbul, Turkey.

From labor to smoking, hypnotists offer help. The New Britain Herald 24 Mar 09

Mel B the former Spice Girl singer is being hypnotised to calm her stage nerves. Bang Media Int. 15 Mar 09

Hypnosis seminars at Magruder Hospital - A study presented Oct. 22, 2007 at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians found that hypnosis was more than twice as effective as quitting "cold turkey," and over three times as effective as “the patch” or any nicotine replacement therapy. Port Clinton News Herald 3 Apr 09

A new presented at CHEST, the 73rd annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), shows that smoking patients who participated in one hypnotherapy session were more likely to be nonsmokers at 6 months compared with patients using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) alone or patients who quit “cold turkey”. American College of Chest Physicians 22 Oct 2007

Try hypnotherapy to help a troubled teen, Healthy Alternatives: Health and fitness options, article in Orange County Register

Hypnotherapy: The science behind the hype, "Hypnosis is taught in medical schools and is recognized by medical associations worldwide. It requires more time, however, than most medical practitioners want to invest." article in Lodi News-Sentinel 

Haven't got time for the pain? Alternatives to medication exist for chronic sufferers, Courier-Post

Hypnotherapy for bedwetting, "... overcame his bedwetting by means of hypnotherapy, which involves using hypnosis to treat medical and psychological problems." The Times

Bid to reopen case another twist for RFK archive "... whether his client can have his memory restored through hypnosis ..." The Standard-Times

"Hypnotherapy is effective in several diseases with a psychosomatic component. ... Hypnosis reduced several components of the systemic and mucosal inflammatory response in active ulcerative colitis (UC) toward levels found previously in the inactive disease. Some of these effects may contribute to the anecdotally reported benefits of hypnotherapy and provide a rationale for controlled trials of hypnotherapy in UC." Source: American Journal of Gastroenterol 2008;103:1460–1469

"... there is no doubt that hypnosis is starting to garner powerful supporters in the medical establishment. 

Dr Martin Wall, President of the Royal Society of Medicine’s Hypnosis and Psychosomatic Medicine division, says: ‘Pain is a construct conjured up by the brain. In other words, it’s not real. It’s simply a series of electrical impulses travelling to the brain. 

‘Hypnosis is a powerful technique with a great many benefits for the patient. It’s a great way of relieving anxiety and boosting confidence.’ " The article also refers to a New Scientist report about an operation/surgery under hypnosis. Could hypnotism be the future of surgery? This dental patient certainly thinks so, an article in the Daily Mail June 2008

You may also recall Live Surgery on the BBC. There are many other examples - but that doesn't stop some "experts" from saying hypnosis may or may not work!

Subliminal learning demonstrated in the human brain

"Although the idea that instrumental learning can occur subconsciously has been around for nearly a century, it had not been unequivocally demonstrated. Now, a new study published by Cell Press in the August 28 issue of the journal Neuron used sophisticated perceptual masking, computational modeling, and neuroimaging to show that instrumental learning can occur in the human brain without conscious processing of contextual cues."

The researchers include Mathias Pessiglione, University College London, London, UK, INSERM U610, Universite´ Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France; Predrag Petrovic, University College London, London, UK Jean Daunizeau, University College London, London, UK; Stefano Palminteri, INSERM U610, Universite´ Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France; Raymond J. Dolan, University College London, London, UKand Chris D. Frith, University College London, London, UK

Cell Press  Aug 2008

"Hypnosis used in dental procedure," ... Dr Bhatt said: "The hypnosis was 100% effective." BBC News June 2008

University of Buffalo professor uses hypnosis to help others reduce stress, overcome disabilities. Tonawanda News, Greater Niagara Newspapers, June 2008

Hypnosis, relaxation can ease some illness symptoms. The San Angelo Standard-Times 18 06 09

The University of New Mexico's Center of Life, an Integrative Medicine Specialty Clinic offers Hypnotherapy (some indications: pre/post-op preparation, pain management, accelerated healing, post op, smoking cessation, weight loss).

25 of Dubai’s finest spas offer premium treatments (including Hypnotherapy)
"Dubai Summer Surprises is providing visitors 25 possibilities of cooling off this summer. The DSS Spa Packages, into its third successful year, is an arrangement between 25 of the finest spas in Dubai and DSS where exclusive promotions are being offered on treatments to visitors and residents.
The modern-day spa is not just a relaxation centre but a well-being concept as many Spa managers will tell you. Treatments on offer include: Swedish, Japanese Shiatsu, and Thai massage, European facials, acupuncture, Dead Sea salt scrubs, aromatherapy, reflexology, endermologie, reiki, rasul, hypnotherapy, classes in nutrition, meditation, yoga and Tai Chi, state-of-the-art fitness centres with personal trainers, and much more."

Powers of the Paranormal ...

Did you catch the last episode? It had two excellent segments on hypnosis and hypnotherapy. The first one featured a demo on age regression / past life regression. The second one featured the removal of the fear of spiders / insects and distance hypnosis (two thousand miles away).

"A woman's tonsils were removed under hypnosis and without painkillers or anaesthetics at Milpark Hospital." News 24 South Africa

"Hollywood hot shots Matt Damon and Samuel L. Jackson kicked the habit with hypnosis and now a study at a North Shore hospital shows that the alternative therapy helps make quitters out of smokers better than the patch or nicotine gum." Boston Herald

"A group of acrophobics conquered their fear of heights yesterday by taking part in a session of mass hypnosis." The Scotsman

"... growing number who use hypnosis to modify behavior or control pain. ... hypnosis has become so mainstream that some hospitals offer sessions to help treat eating disorders, promote weight-loss and help smokers quit." Pittsburgh Tribune Review

"Hypnosis proves an effective tool in cancer fight." San Antonio Express-News

"... hypnotherapy is changing the lives of millions of people." WTVO/WQRF Rockford

Millions across the country cope with chronic pain - Dr. Cynthia Marske, Touro University Department of Primary Care chairwoman said, "... others are trying behavioral therapy and hypnotherapy, spinal manipulations and chiropractic care." Vallejo Times-Herald

From BBC News

• A small study found that hypnotherapy helped psychological treatment in reducing anxiety and feelings of helplessness in students. 
  

• Breast cancer patients need less anaesthetic during operations if they have been relaxed by hypnosis beforehand, US research suggests. 
  

• Man hypnotises himself before an operation - A hypnotist from West Sussex has undergone surgery on his right hand without a general anaesthetic. "At one stage a hammer and chisel was used as well as a surgical saw, but I felt no pain." Alex Lenkei
  

• Hypnosis 'can ease bowel illness' - Hypnotherapy could help people with severe irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), researchers say. Doctors should consider using this and other "psychological" treatments such as antidepressants to help sufferers, King's College London experts say in the British Medical Journal.

"When You Wake Up ... Delving into Hypnosis-Aided Self Improvement ..." Santa Barbara Independent 23 Aug 2008

"... hypnotising their way to a sounder sleep, healthier diet and less stressful life." The New Straits Times Oct 11 08

Hypnosis workshops offered. East Brunswick Sentinel Oct 09 08

Hypnosis, Memory and the Brain. "A new study points to specific areas of the brain affected by hypnosis. ... Hypnosis Is Real. ... hypnotic suggestions influence brain activity, not just behavior and experience." Scientific American Oct 07 08

A randomized clinical trial of a brief hypnosis intervention to control side effects in breast surgery patients.
Montgomery GH, Bovbjerg DH, Schnur JB, David D, Goldfarb A, Weltz CR, Schechter C, Graff-Zivin J, Tatrow K, Price DD, Silverstein JH. Department of Oncological Sciences, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Sept. 2007

"Hypnosis was superior to attention control regarding propofol and lidocaine use; pain, nausea, fatigue, discomfort, and emotional upset at discharge; and institutional cost. Overall, the present data support the use of hypnosis with breast cancer surgery patients."

"New cancer center a high-tech marvel - Nearly $11 million in high-tech cancer machinery will coexist in a building with a variety of complementary or integrative medical therapies, such as yoga and hypnosis. These alternative treatments are now requested by up to 75 percent of cancer patients. ... Dr. Andrew Weil, a Harvard Medical School graduate, brought national attention and legitimacy to the role of complementary medicine in health care ..." Everett Herald

"... the witnesses were flown to ... undergo hypnosis to help jog their memories." Casper Star-Tribune

The Wellness Community Valley/Ventura offers a workshop for cancer patients and their families, harnessing the power of hypnotherapy; using hypnosis to reduce stress and foster healing. TwcVv.org

"... The pre-race hypnosis worked. ... a personal record and a personal triumph." The Valdosta Daily Times

"I can't stop sweating, ...Treatments for hyperhidrosis [excessive sweating ] include hypnotherapy ..." article in The Times, 2 August 2008

"How to fly without fear. ... Hypnotherapy - This highly effective treatment ..." The Independent 28 July 2008

"... Hypnosis has been used to 'anaesthetise' patients. One ... aged 19, had her appendix removed following hypnosis in 1961." BBC News Health

"Hypnotising the pain away. Hypnosis can help to cut down the use of general anaesthesia in surgery." BBC News

"Another popular way to quit is by undergoing hypnotherapy treatment. Hypnosis helps smokers to deal with all of the emotional and psychological aspects of quitting." Mirror, 26 March 2007

HypnoSurgery Live, "Live hernia operation being performed under hypnosis with no anaesthetic at all." 10 April 2006, Channel More4 

"Hypnosis is the most effective way of giving up smoking, according to the largest ever scientific comparison of ways of breaking the habit. Willpower, it turns out, counts for very little" New Scientist, 31 October 1992

"The hypnotism was a remarkable experience." BBC Four, Time - Lifetime, Professor Michio Kaku (theoretical physicist, tenured professor, co-creator of string field theory, a branch of string theory).

Psychological approaches during conscious sedation. Hypnosis versus stress reducing strategies: a prospective randomized study. Faymonville ME, Mambourg PH, Joris J, Vrijens B, Fissette J, Albert A, Lamy M. Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital of Liège, Belgium, Dec. 1997

"Stress reducing strategies are useful in patients undergoing surgery. Hypnosis is also known to alleviate acute and chronic pain. We therefore compared the effectiveness of these two psychological approaches ... This study suggests that hypnosis provides better perioperative pain and anxiety relief, allows for significant reductions in alfentanil and midazolam requirements, and improves patient satisfaction and surgical conditions as compared with conventional stress reducing strategies support in patients receiving conscious sedation ..."

Dr. O.P Yadav, CEO, National Heart Institute, “It was sheer ignorance on the part of doctors in denying this great world of medication open to mankind. We were always wrong in thinking that the two practices of medicine [conventional, alternative] are at loggerheads, when actually they are complementary to each other.”  The Times of India, 31 Jul 2008

' "We were so used to treating the disease that we had forgotten to treat the patient." He founded and directed the hospital's new Cardiac Complementary Care unit and began using Reiki touch therapy, massage and hypnosis.' Article by Heidi Brown in Forbes about Dr Mehmet Oz, the renowned heart surgeon. 4 August 2008.

Hypnosis evolves into therapeutic process, article by Steve Marroni for Public Opinion, 3 August 2008

Aussies turning in droves to alternative therapies, New Kerala,  25 July 2008

"...More medical professionals and health insurance companies are realizing the value of hypnotherapy as a complementary health service ..." Former ER nurse ventures into new trend in healing, Seacoast Media Group 26 Aug 2008

"Hypnotherapy gaining popularity ... a legitimate form of treatment...." KETK News 18 August 2008

"Hypnosis works by implanting suggestions in your unconscious mind. ..." Guardian Unlimited 18 August 2008

"...hypnosis has been used in medicine since the 1950's to treat pain and, more recently, as a treatment for anxiety, depression, trauma, irritable bowel syndrome and eating disorders...." This Is Your Brain Under Hypnosis, article by Sandra Blakeslee, New York Times, 22 November 2005

Sick children learn self-hypnosis to fight pain, article by Carol Lawson, New York Times, 7 September 1985

"Hypnotists today most commonly use their talents to help people stop smoking, lose weight or reduce stress. Other fields, such as “hypno-birthing,” fertility counseling, and pain management — particularly for athletes — also are also becoming popular. ... the stress of flying ..." Hypnotists say their profession has arrived, by Valerie Franchi, Worcester Telegram and Gazette, 12 August 2008

"She says she can help you quit smoking, lose weight, perfect your memory, sleep better, think more clearly, gain confidence and become more successful." Hypnotist utilizes power of suggestion, article by Dennis Taylor, The Monterey County Herald, 8 August 2008

Hypnotic Relaxation Therapy Minimizes Hot Flashes

USC School Of Dentistry teaches Hypnosis as an alternative to Novocain 

What if it were possible to undergo a root canal filling or tooth extraction without feeling the pinch of a needle or the after affects of general anesthesia? Hypnosis could uncover a new world for patients seeking dental care.

Source: USC School of Dentistry 

Hypnotist Gives Kids Skills To Succeed. Eyewitness News 3

Become thinner through hypnosis. Whittier Daily News

Helping you help yourself ... hypnosis as a way to help people conquer fears and relieve post-traumatic stress. The Janesville Gazette

Patients in Need Have a Deep Regard for Hypnosis. The Acorn 

My baby was born through hypnobirthing. Philippine Daily Inquirer 

Let the mind help an irritable bowel (with Hypnotherapy). The Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Arthritis sufferers can alleviate their pain by using mental imagery and hypnotherapy. This is the finding of Bryan Bennett and colleagues from Bangor University who presented their findings at The British Psychological Society’s Division of Health Psychology Annual Conference held at the University of Bath.

Also Be Aware:

There are some programs where "researchers" try to investigate whether hypnosis works. They come with preconceived ideas and half baked research. Their aim is to put on a show. You can't do justice to hypnotherapy in a "show" - especially when your research is extremely limited.

More Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy News ...

Concise Encyclopedia

Complementary therapies are offered in conjunction with our fellow professionals. Where beneficial to you, we may suggest a “combo” program, combining all or some of the therapies below:

For more details or to book an appointment for Hypnosis, Reiki, NLP, contact: us (some out of office hour appointments may be available from time to time) 

With best wishes ...