| The power of hypnosis in medicine is greatly | | | | describe a number of psychophysiologic changes that |
| underrated, at least by the general public. | | | | took place. |
| We're all used to seeing the stage hypnotist giving | | | | Among other phenomena were visual hallucinations |
| people commands to trot around the stage on all | | | | and short periods of acoustic and olfactory |
| fours like a dog, or squawk like a chicken. But these | | | | hyperactivity. Not only did his hiccups completely |
| are commands. Hypnosis, as used in medicine, doesn't | | | | disappear, but three months after the session, he |
| rely on commands at all. | | | | realized that he hadn't used his inhalers at all since his |
| Indeed, in a number of research trials, it's been found | | | | visit to the hypnotherapist. |
| definitively that commands have an adverse effect | | | | Seven years later, during a follow-up, it was found |
| on the healing procedure. The question is, though, | | | | that he was still completely free of his hiccups and |
| does it work? Does it produce real results allowing | | | | his asthma. |
| the body to heal at the physiologic level, or is it | | | | The hypnotic trance is physiologically a type of |
| simply a comfort to the mind? | | | | waking state, although it may be induced at many |
| To begin with, the power of hypnosis resides not in | | | | levels. The deepest is akin to somnolence, but in fact |
| the doctor, but in the patient. The modern medical | | | | the patient is never asleep, no matter how deep the |
| hypnotist, as opposed to his distant and authoritarian | | | | trance may be. Doctors say that there may be |
| brother on the stage, is to assist patients with their | | | | involuntary neural or neurochemical control, but admit |
| unconscious powers, powers they have no idea they | | | | with typical caution that even they know very little |
| possess. | | | | about this. |
| One case that was most interesting involved a middle | | | | Again, as we can see, this displays another vast |
| aged doctor who had hiccups that simply never | | | | window to the mind, through which, unfortunately, |
| stopped. The poor man suffered these day and night | | | | we can't see. |
| because of complications with a brain lesion. Not only | | | | Another interesting case was that of a young dentist |
| that, but he suffered from asthma and was forced | | | | from Waterloo, Ontario. He chose self-hypnosis over |
| to use inhalers. | | | | anesthesia when he had his gall bladder removed. He |
| He took a number of medications, but all to no avail. | | | | listened, wrapped in the warmth of Chopin's Nocturne |
| None of them worked. More in desperation than | | | | in E-flat. During the 75 minute operation, he |
| anything else, he went to a highly qualified | | | | maintained a steady blood pressure and pulse rate. |
| hypnotherapist as a sort of last ditch stand, to see | | | | When the operation was completed, he stood up |
| whether he could help. This was two weeks after | | | | from the table, dressed, made his way to the |
| the hiccups began, so you can well imagine what sort | | | | elevators and thence to his room. The fact that |
| of state the poor man was in. | | | | proves the power of hypnosis in medicine as far as |
| The hypnotherapy session last for an hour and a half, | | | | I'm concerned, is that, with luck and a following wind, |
| and immediately after it ended, the hiccups ceased | | | | the major insurance companies will pay for it. |
| for good. Not really too surprisingly, being a doctor, | | | | Now that's power! |
| he didn't believe he'd been hypnotized, but did | | | | |