How can the mind be used to affect changes in the body – specifically through the use of hypnosis?

1. How can the mind be used to affect changes in the body – specifically through the use of hypnosis? By Lisa Stanton

2. An Introduction I have spent a large portion of my life being very fascinated by the idea of just what the mind is capable of doing. Some of my earliest memories involve my dad and I talking about the concept. In the beginning, I was skeptical. I would say to Dad, “Prove it!” He would smile his all-knowing smile and say, “Okay.” Immediately, I would start to laugh because I knew where this conversation was going to lead me – straight to a tickling session. We would wrestle on the floor until he had me under control and then he would commence tickling my bare feet. I would laugh and beg him to stop and he would say, “It only tickles if you let it.” I did finally learn to control the laugh reflex. I thought I had won the battle, when really he had. His point about the mind being able to control the body had been demonstrated. ---Lisa Stanton

3. An Introduction Continued There have been many other incidents in my life that kept the fascination for the topic in the forefront of my mind. I watched my mother suffer terribly from migraines for years and was determined not to do the same. My mother would be incapacitated for an entire day. I watched my oldest sister suffer terribly from her menstrual cycles and was terrified that I would be pain-stricken in the same way. Sometimes she would be unable to leave her bed for a day or two at a time. I watched my middle sister go through sleepless night after sleepless night suffering from debilitating growing pains in her legs. Always I wished that they could use their minds to control the pain they suffered the same way I could use my mind to control my laugh reflex. ---Lisa Stanton

4. An Introduction Continued As an adult, I began to experience migraines. For many years, I lived in fear of the next episode. For a while, they disappeared. However, during my second pregnancy, they came back, worse than ever. I had to be hospitalized once because of migraines. I believe it was in that moment that I began to have interior conversations with myself about trying to control and stop the migraines. Eventually, during one episode, I did take control and stopped the migraine within an hour of the onset. I was amazed, thankful, and determined to try the technique again. That was many years ago, about 10 years. I have been about 80% successful in stopping the migraines and 99% successful in lessoning the severity of the migraines. ---Lisa Stanton

5. An Introduction Continued During the past 10 years, I have occasionally stumbled upon TV programs or magazine articles that offered some insight into pain control techniques. I have learned to occasionally lesson the severity of pain in other ways – all mind over matter techniques. I try not to look at an injury too closely and tell myself that it is not bad and it does not hurt. That helps keep the pain to a minimum. I visualize the injury healing itself. Sometimes, instead of trying to stop the pain, I will welcome the pain and create a beautiful image in my mind of the injury and the pain. These techniques do not work all of the time, but enough to motivate me to continue. ---Lisa Stanton

6. An Introduction Finished I have used relaxation and visualization techniques with my students. I am always amazed at how calm and serene the students are afterwards. It just seems as if life has been trying to steer me towards a deeper understanding of the idea of the mind’s ability to affect the body. I have been convinced for years, but somewhat embarrassed by my beliefs. I have tried to pass them on to my family with little success. When I have tried to explain about my experiences, I have been greeted with general skepticism and amusement. This research into the mind’s ability to affect the body through the use of hypnosis has given me some new persuasive evidence to back up my own personal opinion. Maybe now, people will find my ideas more credible. ---Lisa Stanton

7. What I Learned About My Topic Lisa Stanton

8. Hypnosis: Definitions • “Hypnosis is a state of inner absorption, concentration, and focused attention” (American Society of Clinical Hypnosis). • “It is a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation, and heightened imagination. It’s not really like sleep, because the subject is alert the whole time” (Harris, 2001). • ---Lisa Stanton

9. Hypnosis Myths • A hypnotist can make his/her subjects do anything he/she wants the subject to do. • A hypnotist can regress a subject to a past life. • Through the use of hypnosis alone, subjects can cure many of their own diseases. ---Lisa Stanton

10. Hypnosis Myths • Hypnosis causes people to pass out or forget what they experienced during the session. • Hypnosis is simply an instance of enhanced and focused imagination. • Hypnosis is not real – it is an illusion created by the hypnotist and the subject. ---Lisa Stanton

11. Hypnosis Truths • A person’s ability to be hypnotized is directly related to their ability to become completely absorbed in some sort of activity like reading, watching movies, or driving. • A high degree of imagination or motivation does not have to be in place for hypnosis to be effective. ---Lisa Stanton

12. Hypnosis Truths • Hypnosis is an altered state of mind. • In this altered state, people are “active problem solvers who incorporate their moral and cultural ideas into their behavior while remaining exquisitely responsive to the expectations expressed by the experimenter” (Benham & Hamada, 2005). ---Lisa Stanton

13. Hypnosis Truths • Hypnotists can not make you do something that you wouldn’t normally do • Hypnosis and its ability to affect change on the body has been demonstrated numerous times in clinical studies through tests utilizing medical equipment; therefore, it is not always an illusion. ---Lisa Stanton

14. Hypnosis Truths • Here are a few study results: • One theory about how hypnosis helps the mind alleviate pain is that it decreases “the activity of the brain areas involved in the experience of suffering” (Benham & Hamada, 2005). • The test: “PET scans were taken while the hands of hypnotized volunteers were dunked into painfully hot water. (continued) ---Lisa Stanton

15. Hypnosis Truths • The activity of the somatosensory cortex, which processes physical stimuli, did not differ whether a subject was given the hypnotic suggestion that the sensation would be painfully hot or that it would be minimally unpleasant. • In contrast, a region involved in the suffering aspect of pain, the anterior cingulate cortex, was much less active when subjects were told the pain would be minimally unpleasant” (Benham & Hamada). ---Lisa Stanton

16. Hypnosis Truths • Another theory about how hypnosis helps the mind alleviate pain is that “the hypnotized brain is consciously able to manipulate pain perception” (Elkan, 2005). • The test: “In a study to be published later this year, a team led by Stuart Derbyshire of the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania hypnotized patients with fibromyalgia, a rheumatic condition that causes chronic pain in the extremities. (continued) ---Lisa Stanton

17. Hypnosis Truths • Derbyshire asked the patients to imagine a dial representing their pain. • When they turned this imaginary dial down, the patients reported feeling less pain, and the fMRI images confirmed that there was less activity in the brain areas responsible for pain” (Elkan). ---Lisa Stanton

18. Hypnosis Truths • The mind, through the use of hypnosis, can affect change on the body in numerous ways such as: • Controlling gastrointestinal disorders including ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, etc. • Controlling skin disorders including eczema, herpes, psoriasis, warts, etc. • Various types of pain control including back pain, migraines, arthritis, cancer pain, rheumatism, etc. ---Lisa Stanton

19. Hypnosis Truths • The mind, through the use of hypnosis, can affect change on the body in numerous ways such as: • Controlling the pain and affects of burns including the reduction of inflammation, the promotion of healing and decreasing the degree of the initial burn. ---Lisa Stanton

20. Hypnosis Truths • The mind, through the use of hypnosis, can affect change on the body in numerous ways such as: • Decreasing the nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy. • Decreasing the pain and nausea associated with childbirth. • Controlling the affects of Hemophilia. ---Lisa Stanton

21. Hypnosis Truths • Currently, patients in major hospitals all over the worlds are using hypnosis as an effective alternative to anaesthesia. • Numerous patients are using hypnosis as an effective addition to psychotherapy for some conditions like obesity, insomnia, anxiety, and hypertension. • Studies have been inconclusive as to its ability to be an effective element in the treatment of drug addiction, smoking, and alcoholism. ---Lisa Stanton

22. The nuts and bolts of how the mind affects the body through hypnosis • The Logic • Hypnosis relaxes the conscious mind and focuses the subconscious mind. • Once this happens, the subconscious mind is in control. • You are not unconscious or unaware during hypnosis – you are being controlled by the subconscious. • The subconscious mind wants to let you have whatever you want, be whoever you want to be, do whatever you need to do. ---Lisa Stanton

23. The nuts and bolts of how the mind affects the body through hypnosis • The Logic • The subconscious is the seat of your senses: sight, smell, touch, sound, and taste and that sixth sense – emotions. • Hypnosis allows for a high degree of suggestibility. • A therapist can use this suggestibility and access your senses to help with many problems of the body. ---Lisa Stanton

24. The nuts and bolts of how the mind affects the body through hypnosis • The Physical/Physiological • Hypnosis directly affects the brain. • fMRIs, PET, and EEG scans have measured and demonstrated that certain areas of the brain experiences decreased activity during hypnosis and certain areas of the brain experiences increased activity during hypnosis. ---Lisa Stanton

25. The nuts and bolts of how the mind affects the body through hypnosis • The Physical/Physiological • These areas are responsible for conscious and subconscious functions. • Hypnosis somehow stimulates one area of the brain (subconscious) and relaxes another area of the brain (conscious). ---Lisa Stanton

26. My Conclusions So, here I am trying to decide if I have found some good solid answers to my research question. Honestly, I have found more solid answers than I expected. The amount of articles, clinical trials, research studies, professional associations, scholarly journals, and websites devoted to the concept of the mind affecting the body specifically through the use of hypnosis is astounding. I have had some of my initial ideas proven incorrect – a hypnotized person is not completely under the control of a hypnotist. I have had some of my initial ideas proven correct – the mind, through hypnosis, can control and/or stop pain. ---Lisa Stanton

27. My Conclusions In fact, I have read multiple articles and information from credible websites like The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis that convinces me that the mind is very capable of affecting the body. I have read about the logical theories behind the how and why of hypnosis and I have read about the physical/physiological research and studies behind the how and why of hypnosis. In many cases, the articles and websites duplicated information. This duplication goes a long way towards giving weight and substance to what each has stated. Don’t get me wrong, there have been some contradictions along the way. Wherever there is contradiction, I accept that some kernel of untruth is embedded in the information and I become more skeptical. However, if most of my information sources agree in a particular area, I feel fairly secure in its truthfulness. ---Lisa Stanton

28. My Conclusions This research has been difficult at times and a breeze at others. The webbing was fairly easy, the prenotetaking charts were a little more difficult, and the DDEs were downright complicated. This final product is a little easier than the DDEs because the hard work has already been completed. At this point, I am simply trying to find a coherent way to state what I have learned from my research. I now know many of the hows, whys, and ways the brain can affect the body through the use of hypnosis. ---Lisa Stanton

29. References American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. (2005, March 25). Information for the general public. Retrieved March 6, 2006 from http://asch.net/genpubinfo.htm. Benham, G. & Hamada, K. (2005). The truth and the hype of hypnosis. Scientific American Mind, 16(2), 46-53. Retrieved March 7, 2006, from Academic Search Premier. Elkan, D. (2005). Trance, scalpel, action! New Scientist, 187, 34-37. Retrieved March 7 from Academic Search Premier. Harris, T. (n.d.). How hypnosis works. Retrieved March 6, 2006 from the Howstuffworks Web Site: http://www.howstuffworks.com/hypnosis.htm. Jaret, P & Martin, A. (2004). Hypnosis can help you heal – really. Health, 18(4), 41-44. Retrieved March 7, 2006, from Academic Search Premier. Noonan, D. (2004). Altered states. Newsweek, 144(13), 76-77. Retrieved March 5, 2006 from Academic Search Premier.