To read the full articles click on the title. Hypnosis has 'real' brain effect16th November 2009 BBC News An imaging study of hypnotised participants showed decreased activity in the parts of the brain linked with daydreaming or letting the mind wander. The same brain patterns were absent in people who had the tests but who were not susceptible to being hypnotised. One psychologist said the study backed the theory that hypnosis "primes" the brain to be open to suggestion. Hypnosis is increasingly being used to help people stop smoking or lose weight and advisers recently recommended its use on the NHS to treat irritable bowel syndrome.
Jennifer Saunders fizzes over hypnotherapy2nd March 2013 The Independant Jennifer Saunders has revealed that she is undergoing hypnotherapy to help her overcome procrastination and complete the script for the long-delayed Absolutely Fabulous film.
Hypnotherapy 'can help' IBS18th March 2010 BBC News Greater use of hypnotherapy to ease the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome would help sufferers and might save money, says a gastroenterologist. Dr Roland Valori, editor of Frontline Gastroenterology, said of the first 100 of his patients treated, symptoms improved significantly for nine in 10.
Hypnotherapy cures fear of heights BBC Derby Last week when I was asked to be hypnotised against my fear of heights, all manner of pre-conceptions entered my head; I was convinced they would make me believe I was a goat in a Paul McKenna-style way.
BBC star Evan Davis: My bedtime secret is addiction to hypnotherapy23rd June 2011 BBC News Sleep is an important issue for Evan Davis, who needs to get up at 3.15am. Now, the presenter of Radio 4’s Today programme has revealed his bedtime secrets, and they are just as unconventional as other aspects of his life
Hypnosis 'eases cancer op pain' 29th August 2007 BBC News Breast cancer patients need less anaesthetic during operations if they have been relaxed by hypnosis beforehand, US research suggests. Patients in the study of 200 women by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine also reported less pain afterwards. Breast cancer surgery patients often suffer severe side-effects such as pain, nausea and fatigue during and after their operations.
Hypnosis for the people By Caroline Ryan in Boston23rd December 2003 BBC News All doctors should know how to perform hypnotherapy on their patients, according to a US expert. Professor David Spiegel, of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at Stanford University, said the therapy had been shown to help patients deal with pain, and could potentially be used in many other situations, such as helping people cope with long-term illnesses. Professor Spiegel told BBC News Online: "We have more and more people living with these illnesses who need help coping with them, and hypnosis is a safe and effective way to teach people how to manage their own response, how to take the edge off their pain, how to think through their anxiety and not let it overwhelm them." The Stanford scientist made his comments at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston. He teaches self-hypnosis to help people manage their symptoms themselves. Different colours "If they have pain, I'll have them imagine they're doing to the part of their body that hurts what they actually do in the real world when it hurts, whether it's using a bag of ice cubes or applying heat." Professor Spiegel said studies had shown hypnosis did help patients. In a study of women with breast cancer his team is due to publish later this year, those given support plus self-hypnosis had half the pain of those not given that combination. His team has also found evidence that the brain's reaction can be changed under hypnosis. A study of people classed as highly receptive to hypnosis looked at how colour was processed in their brains. Real viewThey were shown patterns, either in colour, or in shades of grey. But if they were hypnotised to see colour, when in fact they were looking at the grey pattern, they believed they were seeing colour and their brain reacted as if that were true. Professor Spiegel said that studies showed hypnosis was a distinct psychological state, and it was not simply that the person under hypnosis was adopting a role suggested to them. He added: "People who are hypnotised see what they believe. They don't just tell you that's what it is - it actually looks that way to them." He is still looking for a "brain signature" which will show what happens in the brain when people are hypnotised. Hypnosis used in dental procedure Leslie Mason was facing a £400 bill for the procedure to be performed privately as his local surgery in Colchester, Essex, had exhausted its NHS budget. Mr Mason, 54, instead chose to play the role of guinea pig to a Hertfordshire dentist's unorthodox form of treatment, using hypnosis as the only painkiller.
The father-of-seven said: "It was incredible. I felt no pain at all."
Mr Mason was put in contact with dentist Dr Bhavin Bhatt, by mutual friend John Ridlington, a qualified hypnotist. With the offer of free treatment he agreed to the procedure performed at the Smile and Wellbeing dental practice in Bishop's Stortford.
Mind over matter Mr Ridlington, 59, from Dunmow in Essex, said: "We all have the ability to control pain with our brains.Our brains control everything about our bodies and our subconscious is the most powerful part - it controls our breathing and the blood pumping through our veins. Hypnosis taps into the subconscious mind. It's all about mind over matter."
Mr Ridlington got Mr Mason into a relaxed state of mind and taught him to visualise his favourite pastime - historic battle re-enactments - to distract his mind from the pain. Whilst wielding an imaginary medieval sword, Mr Mason visualised a dial numbered one to 10 - one for no pain and 10 for excruciating pain. As soon as he felt a twinge he mentally turned the dial back to one.
100% effective He remained conscious throughout the two-hour procedure and felt nothing more than "a bit of a sting". Mr Mason, a former farmhand, said: "It was incredible. There is no worse pain than that inflicted by dentists but I didn't feel any. The dentist had to dig away at the rotten roots that were right up into my jaw. There isn't anything I wouldn't have done under hypnosis now. It's incredible."
Dr Bhatt said: "The hypnosis was 100% effective. "With Leslie we used hypnotherapy to remove a seriously infected tooth and some deeply embedded roots. Ordinarily this would involve surgery and such cases are usually referred to hospital. We're now exploring the possibility of offering tooth transplants under hypnosis." Mr Mason has previously undergone hypnosis to quit his 40-a-day smoking habit.
Woman under hypnosis for surgery7 July 2008 BBC News At a hospital in Peterborough, Bernadine Coady, has been having routine knee surgery. But unlike most patients, she was not given any anaesthetic - instead, the 67-year-old claimed she used self-hypnosis to control the pain.
Tapping therapy (EFT) 'cures' woman25th Julu 2008 A former dancer from Kidderminster has used a form of tapping therapy to help overcome the incurable illness, ME.
Hypnotherapy seems to be an effective long term treatment for irritable bowel syndrome, research finds. IBS is a very common disorder affecting up to 15% of the population at any one time, but is difficult to treat. Researchers from Withington Hospital, Manchester, found hypnotherapy helped 71% of patients - and its effect lasted up to five years after treatment. The research, based on 200 patients, is published in the journal Gut.
The patients were given one hour sessions of hypnotherapy for up to 12 weeks. They were asked to assess their symptoms, quality of life and levels of anxiety and depression before and after treatment - and for up to six years after completing the course.
The majority of patients found that hypnotherapy reduced the severity of their IBS symptoms, and continued to do so for years. Even those who said the effect began to wear off with time, found that the deterioration was slight. Cost effective Hypnotherapy also seemed significantly to reduce levels of anxiety and depression - however, the effect here did begin to tail off slightly over time. But patients also said they took fewer drugs and did not need to see their doctors as often after they had had a course of hypnotherapy.
Visualising your digestive system as a river may not seem the most obvious way of treating an illness. But that is exactly how hypnotherapists at a unique centre in Withington Hospital, Manchester, have been helping people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). The condition can leave people in constant discomfort and can cause severe pain. And it can prevent them from working or socialising normally. Dr Peter Whorwell, the gastroenterologist who founded the centre, devised the "river" concept. The aim is to make the river flow smoothly. If there is a blockage or a flood, they are asked to visualise a way the problem can be solved.
Sessions with a therapist, interspersed with home practice using a CD, are aimed at "retraining" a patient's gut and eradicating their problems. Since IBS affects everyone differently, the therapy is tailored to each patient. So someone with constipation may visualise rocks which are blocking the river and have to be removed, while someone with diarrhoea may want to shore up the banks to prevent the river running so swiftly. The therapy has proved highly effective, with a recent study showing it had helped 71% of patients for up to five years after their course of treatment. Vivien Miller, one of the team of hypnotherapists at the centre, said: "We are helping people control what's going on in their bodies, and telling them they can control their symptom"sread more......