An article by Jean Weiss in Prevention magazine cites approval of many complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) to prevent and treat a variety of common ailments. This approval comes from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institute of Health. The sole aim of this agency is to rigorously assess the restorative powers of natural products, such as herbs and supplements, as well as mind/body therapies, like hypnosis and acupuncture. The therapies are gentle on your body and can often replace prescription medications. New research says that these treatments are “extraordinarily effective”.
Thousands of studies and more than a decade later, “the science shows which approaches work,” says Josephine Briggs, MD, director of NCCAM.” One such therapy is hypnosis, which can literally change the way the brain receives signals from the body and from outside stimulus.
A recent study showed that women who were hypnotized for five weekly sessions, found improvement in symptoms and occurrence of hot flashes. After the sessions, they reported a reduction in both the frequency and the severity of their hot flashes.
“Hypnosis teaches us that we have more control over how we process both internal and external information, like temperature, than we usually give ourselves credit for,” says David Spiegel, MD, associate chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and medical director of the Stanford Center for Integrated Medicine. “For instance, hypnosis can suggest to the brain that it should tamp down its sensitivity to heat; when it does just that, women with hot flashes have an altered perception of their body temperature.”
The body doesn’t know the difference between what the brain perceives as reality and what is imagined. Your body responds to your thoughts. You can change your perceptions.
Hidden benefit: Hypnosis can decrease anxiety and depression and improve your quality of sleep.