How Pets Can Be Used in Hypnotherapy
Pets, real or imaginary, can be powerful allies in hypnosis, helping patients relax and access inner calm through their comforting presence.
Thinking About the Box: Muscular Relaxation for Abdominal Pain
Clinical hypnosis is a highly effective method to treat abdominal pain in children, with a response rate of roughly 80%. Most people have experienced a clear connection between emotions and abdominal sensations, and it seems intuitively obvious that a treatment that modulates the brain-gut connection can help resolve these symptoms. But at the same time, […]
Getting on the Right Track with Hypnosis
A lot of people with chronic pain tell me that they get some relief when involved with creative work like painting or playing music. Until they have the language for it, they usually don’t realize that the mental state they are in at those times is the same one we call “trance.” Most of my […]
ADHD, Chronic Pain, & Hypnosis
Hypnosis involves a state of focused attention. So, one might think that children with ADHD would not be able to use it. In fact, kids with ADHD can be very talented and skilled in the use of hypnosis. Many people with ADHD have a “superpower” hyper-focus. Although hyper-focus is not a criterion for an ADHD […]
Clinical Hypnosis for GI Conditions
Clinical hypnosis is a research-proven medical treatment used for many years. It relies on a deeply focused mental state, which helps open people’s minds to helpful ideas and suggestions. In other contexts, people often call this a state of flow or “being in the zone.” People are awake when using hypnosis and in control of which suggestions they accept.
How to Get Your Child to Do Hypnosis
If you could resolve your school-age or teenage child’s anxiety, chronic pain, insomnia, bedwetting, or other health issues with a treatment that has no side effects, would you use it? Most people would jump at an option that is both safe and effective. Clinical hypnosis is such a treatment. It’s evidence-based (Anbar, 2021; Kohen & Olness, 2023) and leads to […]
Sports, Dance & Hypnosis
Children and teens with chronic pain are often accomplished athletes or dancers. Their pain may even be related to a sports injury or prevent them from participating in their sport. So, one might think that sports have a negative association for them or are better left unmentioned, to avoid causing distress. Taking that train of […]
Pathway or Stream? A Metaphor for Non-directive Hypnosis
This painting is the most recent addition to my office walls. I don’t even know the name of the artist who painted the original – it’s from the company Winston Porter, bought on the Wayfair website. It came straight to the office in a cardboard box and has been greeting patients ever since. What I […]
Can A Hypnotherapy App Work For IBS?
I often recommend clinical hypnosis for management of a child’s irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or other form of chronic pain. Invariably, the parents’ first question is, “How can I find a provider?” Their second question is, “How can I get an appointment?” Most practitioners of gut-directed clinical hypnosis are psychologists who are already spread thin […]
Hypnosis and Healing Touch (HT)
At the hospital where I used to work, there was a Healing Touch (HT) program, which sometimes reserved free spots for employees. Always curious, I went to check it out. What could it hurt? I did not expect to be impressed by the way it made me feel — deeply peaceful, as well as physically […]