Power over mind...

by Jim Clarke
irishhealth.com

Hypnotism to most of us is a variety act - a man in a shiny suit convincing gullible people from an audience that they are a chicken, or naked, or even a naked chicken. Practitioners like Barry Sinclair or Paul McKenna can be very entertaining, but beyond such staged shenanigans, hypnotism can offer people a drug-free method for overcoming health problems by harnessing the power of their own mind. But there is controversy over whether it actually works and should only be performed by doctors.

Hypnotherapy, as clinical hypnotism is known, has become increasingly popular in Ireland as a treatment for everything from smoking to phobias. It is said to be especially useful in treating those complaints, like weight loss or shyness, that can be solved by the person themselves undergoing a small lifestyle change. One person's small lifestyle change is often another's personal trauma, however and many people arrive at the hypnotherapist's door after conventional treatments have not worked out.

"People would probably have tried everything else and often come to us as a last resort", explains Dr Joe Keaney who is head of the Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy, based in Cork. He is not a medical practitioner.

"That's one aspect of our attendees. Another is people who attend their family doctor with exam nerves and the GP will refer them to us. With concerns over people becoming addicted to medication, people come to us for a therapy that does not involve drugs".

Many people come to hypnotherapy with anxiety problems, something that is out of their control, he adds. "Many have uncontrollable fear. Anxiety covers a lot of symptoms. When a doctor realises that medication is not the way out for a person's problems, he may direct a patient to me".

Equally, that doctor might refer the patient to another GP. Dr Anthony Hussain, a GP who practises in Knocklyon in Dublin, has been treating patients with hypnotherapy for over 20 years. He believes that hypnotherapy can be a powerful tool when it comes to treating a range of different conditions.

"What attracts some GPs to train in hypnosis is the ability to treat stress and habit related conditions", he explains. "There are certain conditions that can benefit from hypnotherapy - habit problems such as smoking, nail biting, blushing, insomnia or weight gain and stress conditions which include free-floating anxiety, stress related anxiety, phobias of all kinds and panic disorders. Given this range of conditions, there is a huge pool of patients who can benefit from hypnotherapy".

Many people are undoubtedly put off by the stigma of hypnotism as a bastion of tricksters and charlatans. The effect of stage hypnosis as an entertainment also serves to put its more respectable therapeutic brother in its shadow. Hypnotism's poor reputation stems from the nineteenth century.

Following the discovery of the hypnotic technique by Franz Mesmer (hence hypnotism's early alternative name - mesmerism) in 1770, hypnotism has attracted controversy from conventional medical practitioners and wariness from much of the general public.

Hypnotism's poor public image can be attributed in part to the technique's versatility. Different types of hypnosis occur in environments as diverse as a police station, a theatre or a therapist's consultation room. In the public mind, the showman who makes people think they are naked is the equivalent of the hypnotist who helps a crime witness recover their memory of the event.

The clinical hypnotherapist can get lost in the muddle. For this reason, stage hypnotism has been banned in countries like Israel and Australia, where the benefits of clinical hypnotherapy are appreciated. In Australia, hypnotherapy forms part of medical training.

Even when people understand that a hypnotherapist is better compared to a psychoanalyst than to a variety act, members of the public can still be wary. Controversies over false memories and past life regression have added to an inaccurate impression of the work of most hypnotherapists. While it is always possible to find a hypnotist who is keen to tell you about your being Cleopatra in a previous existence, many practising hypnotherapists eschew the therapy. Dr Keaney practices it, though he is not himself a believer.

"We don't know about past life therapy", says Dr Keaney. "Many people on the planet believe in reincarnation. If some of those are in my clinic, past life therapy will work for them because it is in their belief system. Personally, I'm a Christian and I only believe in one life. From a therapeutic point of view whether I believe in it or not doesn't impair my ability to conduct the therapy".

But is it really therapeutic to indulge some people with delusions of grandeur? What possible therapeutic benefit can it be to encourage housewives that they were once Marie Antoinette or someone equally famous in a previous lifetime?

"It's rare that they turn out to be Cleopatra", Dr Keaney says. "Many believe they were soldiers from the First World War who were cut off in their prime. We never normally use this therapy unless people come asking for it. Often the people who undergo this therapy can confabulate the experiences".

He explained how a man with psoriasis visited his clinic. "We did the work and I thought I had found all the problems but the psoriasis was still there after six months. He asked for past life therapy and I did it with him. He was convinced he had seen his skin redden while he was burnt at the stake during the middle ages. His complaint cleared up after that. It does not matter to me whether he really lived before or not. The fact is that it cleared his psoriasis".

Dr Hussain is less convinced by the argument in favour of what he calls 'lay' hypnotherapy. He believes that many of those practising hypnotherapy are not fully qualified to establish the true underlying problems of the patients they see. As a doctor, he would like to see hypnotherapy practised only by those with some form of medical qualification.

"It is all very well to train people in hypnosis. Some courses, such as those run by the Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy, are nice with good lectures and a lot of training. But I cannot see how anyone with no basic medical or psychological training can treat patients properly", he argues. "Lay hypnotherapy is a different thing altogether. If a patient comes with a headache, how can you know that it is psychologically caused and not organically caused unless you are a doctor?"

The idea that only the susceptible can be hypnotised has been killed off by research over the last three decades. The state of hypnotic trance is said to be part of our biorythmical cycle - the hypnotic trance induces the ultradian part of the circadian rhythms which regulate our sleeping patterns.

In other words, it is said that all of us have experienced hypnosis, on several occasions each day. We refer to it as zoning out or spacing out. Hypnotherapy harnesses the openness to new information that the trance state offers in order to program the mind with new patterns of behaviour.

Although hypnosis is commonly associated with breaking bad habits, such as smoking or weight gain, its proponents claim that any minor psychological condition can be treated to some degree through the use of hypnosis. A well-trained hypnotherapist can help patients suffering from depression, anxiety, grief, low self-esteem, stress, insomnia, drug abuse, phobias, memory loss and some learning disorders.

The medical applications range from pain control and anaesthesia to the more generalised use of stimulating the overall healing process.

I have personally undergone hypnosis on three occasions, once as the befuddled object of amusement at a stage hypnotism show and twice in order to quit smoking. So what does hypnosis feel like? Actually, it is extremely relaxing, but there is no one moment when I was able to tell that I had become hypnotised.

Some people report of feeling a tingling on their face, or a heaviness in their limbs, but for the vast majority, there is a sense of anti-climax. Dr Keaney says that most of his clients seem disappointed and many will argue, despite the evidence to the contrary, that it can't have worked as they remained conscious the whole time.

Should only doctors be allowed to perform hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy, due to its ability to treat or assist the treatment of many different complaints, is seen as the ultimate complementary therapy. Hypnotherapists such as Dr Keaney see themselves as complementing the orthodox primary care system and feel aggrieved when GPs rubbish hypnotherapy without considering its potential benefits.

"Doctors sometimes advise patients not to attend a hypnotherapist, because they say we are not medically qualified", he says. "We feel that we are the experts on hypnotherapy and they are the laymen. GPs' scepticism can be dangerous, as it makes the patient wary and nervous when they do attend for hypnotherapy. I'm a great believer in complementary therapy. I see the family doctor as the primary carer, who knows the patient's history and would often contact a doctor to find out more about a patient's condition".

Dr Hussain does not agree. He insists that hypnotherapy is a tool to be used by qualified healthcare professionals who are members of recognised professional bodies. For example, he points out that speech therapists can use hypnosis to unlock a child's stuttering, dentists and physiotherapists can use it to relax their patients, midwives to reduce pain during labour and doctors to treat a range of conditions.

"If the therapist cannot check for organic causes of the symptoms, it can have serious ramifications for the patient", Dr Hussain explains. "You can get people who want to give up smoking but actually they smoke because of a deep-seated anxiety. Attempting to treat the smoking will not help the patient unless the anxiety can be diagnosed".

Hypnosis is too good a tool to be abused by people without the correct expertise, he warns. "If a patient goes to a lay hypnotherapist who causes them injury, their only recourse is a civil law suit. A doctor, psychologist, speech therapist or nurse is a member of a professional body which can prevent them from practising and pursue any patient complaint".

There are over 200 hypnotherapists practising in Ireland, of whom over 80% belong to the Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy (ICHP) founded by Dr Keaney. When choosing a hypnotherapist, the best recommendation is your GP's referral - both Dr Hussain and Dr Keaney agree with this advice.

Nevertheless, it is necessary to check that your hypnotherapist is insured and Dr Keaney warns against undergoing treatment with any hypnotist who performs stage shows, as they are not likely to have much clinical experience.

It is also a good idea to interview your hypnotherapist in an introductory consultation about their training, experience and methods of treatment. Ask them how they deal with symptom substitution and ensure that any treatment received will be followed up with a self-hypnosis audio cassette, that can reinforce the treatment afterwards.

Dr Hussain suggests that the Irish School of Psychology can also recommend a list of suitable hypnotherapists, as many psychologists are trained in hypnotherapy.

Any therapist who suggests that you come off prescribed medication or cease medical treatment that you are currently engaged in is to be avoided.