Dr. Karen Olness, author of Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy with Children, conducted an experiment involving immune systems and the subconscious mind at Rainbow Babies’ and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland. A video was shown where one puppet represented a virus; another, which looked like a policeman, represented the immune system. After viewing the video, the children were guided into a relaxed state and asked to imagine lots of policemen puppets running around inside their bodies. When saliva samples were taken, the results showed that their immunoglobulin levels had substantially increased. Their immune systems had been supercharged with their imagination and were working as though they were fighting off real infections. Dr Olness states, “It is still my view that every child with chronic illness should learn self-hypnosis, because of the sense of coping and competence it gives them.”
The mind doesn’t know the difference between what is imagined and perceived reality. The body responds to what the mind is creating. The subconscious mind is not logical or rational. It merely takes what it observes and makes it so. And so it is.