The American Association of Professional Hypnotherapists is a worldwide organization that provides knowledge, tools and resources to professional hypnotherapists in order to support their success in small business and in the hypnotherapy industry.
Hypnosis in Contemporary Medicine
Submitted by aaph-admin on Wed, 01/20/2010 - 2:55am.
doi: 10.4065/80.4.511
Mayo Clinic Proceedings April 2005 vol. 80 no. 4 511-524
by James H. Stewart, MD
Abstract
Hypnosis became popular as a treatment for medical conditions in the late 1700s when effective pharmaceutical and surgical treatment options were limited. To determine whether hypnosis has a role in contemporary medicine, relevant trials and a few case reports are reviewed. Despite substantial variation in techniques among the numerous reports, patients treated with hypnosis experienced substantial benefits for many different medical conditions. An expanded role for hypnosis and a larger study of techniques appear to be indicated.
Read this article in PDF form, free, at the Mayo Clinic Proceedings web site, here. (If needed, Click the "PDF Free" link the right-side box).
A very good article to know as a hypnotherapist, one that you might expect a medical doctor to read when he researches hypnotherapy. Sections are included on the history of hypnosis, distinguishing hypnosis from sleep and placebos, and clinical studies. The article also comments on the usefulness of hypnosis for allergies, anesthesia for surgery, hypertension, oncology, obesity and pulmonary medicine. The PDF version has tables included, with specific conditions for the studies such as home hypnosis tapes usage and more.
Notable sections include:
In 1958, the American Medical Association (AMA) published and approved a report from a 2-year study by the Council on Mental Health. The report indicated that there can be "definite and proper uses of hypnosis in medical and dental practice" and recommended the establishment of "necessary training facilities" in the United States. The British Medical Association had issued its report on hypnosis in the British Medical Journal in 1955, with which the AMA's Council on Mental Health indicated "essential agreement." The American Psychiatric Association, in a position statement approved by the Council of the Association in 1961, indicated that "hypnosis has definite application in the various fields of medicine" and that physicians would be seeking psychiatrists for training in hypnosis. A National Institutes of Health panel issued a statement published by the AMA in 1996 indicating that there was "strong evidence for the use of hypnosis in alleviating pain associated with cancer."
If you have ever wondered where exactly the AMA talked about hypnosis in 1958, the source is mentioned in the bibliography as:
Council on Mental Health. Medical use of hypnosis. JAMA. 1958;168:186-189.
As a professional hypnotherapist, go read this article. It is a strong medical source explaining the acceptance (albeit gradual) of hypnosis for medical uses. You can quote a paragraph or two and cite sections of it for your office literature, but don't print out and reproduce the entire article as that is expressly forbidden by the copyright holder. You can purchase reproduction rights for general business and office use US$2 per copy made, if you like.
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