Published Medical Studies and other Articles on Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy

Wall Street Journal, October 7, 2003
Hypnosis Goes Mainstream

“Hypnosis, often misunderstood and almost always controversial, is increasingly being employed in mainstream medicine. Numerous scientific studies have emerged in recent years showing that the hypnotized mind can exert a real and powerful effect on the body.”…”At the University of North Carolina, hypnosis is transforming the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome…”“it is increasingly being used to help women give birth without drugs, for muting dental pain, treating phobias and severe anxieties, for helping people lose weight, stop smoking or even perform better in athletics or academic tests.”

American Health Magazine
A Survey of Psychotherapy Literature by Alfred A. Barrios, Ph.D.

  (reveals the following):
Psychoanalysis:             38% recover after 600 sessions

Behavior Therapy:         72% recover after 22 sessions

Hypnotherapy:             93% recovery after 6 sessions

Journal for Clinical Psychology January 1985 41(1):35-41
Effectiveness of Hypnosis as an Adjunct to Behavioral Weight Management

“This study examined the effect of adding hypnosis to a behavioral weight-management program on short and long term weight change. One hundred nine subjects, who ranged in age from 17 to 67, completed a behavioral treatment either with or without the addition of hypnosis. At the end of the 9-week program, both interventions resulted in significant weight reduction. However, at the 8 month and 2 year follow-ups, the hypnosis clients showed significant additional weight loss, while those in the behavioral treatment exhibited little further change. More of the subjects who used hypnosis also achieved and maintained their personal weight goals.”

WebMD
Hypnosis: Focusing Subconscious on Change

“Marc Oster, PsyD, a Chicago psychologist, relies on self-hypnosis when he gets dental work done…No one knows exactly how hypnosis works, but scientists have theories Hypnosis helps change our expectations. When a suggestion is made during hypnosis, the mind gains control over the body. Focus your attention on an image that blocks the perception of pain, for instance, and you feel less pain. Your subconscious has grabbed hold of that message, replaying it time and again.  Research from Harvard Medical School and other institutions is showing evidence that hypnosis is indeed a process of mind over body….In fact studies have shown pain related to cancer, surgery, back injuries and migraines may respond well to hypnosis….Growing numbers of insurance companies, including Medicare, have begun covering hypnosis therapy for pain or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).” 

The American Medical Association certified hypnosis as a legitimate treatment tool in 1958.

A National Institutes of Health panel, in 1996, ruled hypnosis as an effective intervention         for alleviating pain and other chronic conditions.   

The University of Washington’s regional burn center uses hypnosis for burn victim’s pain and the University of North Carolina uses hypnosis for IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).

The Journal of Counseling and Clinical Psychology 64(3): 517-9
Hypnotic Enhancement of Cognitive-Behavioral ‘Weight Loss Treatments
The University of Connecticut, Department of Psychology

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