World Hypnotism Day Brings Practice To
Light
Tribune-Review
garbuckle@tribweb.com
© Gwen
Arbuckle
People around the world might find themselves feeling “very, very sleepy” today. Today marks the first World Hypnotism Day, sponsored by hypnotists and hypnosis advocacy groups around the world. Professional hypnotists and trade organizations want to clear up hypnosis myths and drum up some clients.
When most people hear the word “hypnosis,” they immediately think of villainous mind control or crazy after-prom antics. But hypnosis practitioners say the only people who take a ride through a hypnotic landscape are the ones who want to see the sights.
“A person has to be willing to be hypnotized. They have the power to reject suggestions made to them at anytime,” Weir said.
Munhall hypnotist John Weir has been working his clinical magic on patients for 5 years. He said the brain function under hypnosis is similar to normal activities such as daydreaming, getting caught up in a book, or crying during a movie.
Hypnosis is thought to be effective during these suspension-of-disbelief moments because the patients are more receptive to new ideas and behaviors in this daydream-like state of mind.
Research suggests people willing to hand themselves over to hypnotists on a subconscious platter might reap rewards.Weir said he is frequently consulted for help with smoking cessation, weight loss, controlling anxiety, or reducing phobias.
One of Weir’s patients, Robert Kacey, 26, of Los Angeles, used hypnosis to overcome his fear of test taking before he too the Pennsylvania Bar Exam.
Kacey enlisted Weir’s services after his Harvard-ready law school entrance exam score was reduced by 20 points under real test-taking circumstances.
The hypnosis patient said his single session helped reduce his anxiety and made the bar exam feel like any of exam rather than what it was: the test that decided his professional fate.
“I honestly didn’t think it (hypnosis) would work, but I had to do something. It worked though! I didn’t have my stomach full of acid and wasn’t running out of the room before the test,” Kacey said.
Hypnosis is starting to gain acceptance in medical circles as an alternative to commonly prescribed treatments.
The practice was shown to control pain in a recent English clinical study. Researchers found that cancer patients who were hypnotized felt less pain, and anxiety than patients who received standard care while receiving spinal taps.
Another study indicated that irritable bowel syndrome might be mind over matter. Approximately 7 out of 10 patients reported improvement in their condition after undergoing hypnosis.
Whether the application is medical or psychological, more uses are being suggested regularly.The American Medical Association recognizes the power of hypnosis and encourages research. Some practices, such as using hypnosis to recover memories of childhood sexual abuse or other trauma, are frowned upon.
Patients and practitioners insist the technique works if someone truly wants to change his or her condition or behavior – be it quitting smoking or trying to loop someone out of a recurring dream.
Weir estimates his clients are doing 85 percent of the work.“It’s going to be unlikely that someone who uses hypnosis to quit smoking will be successful unless they want to change,” Weir said.
