Hypnosis: About to go mainstream?

Hypnosis: About to go mainstream?

Just a suggestion, but it might be time to start taking hypnosis seriously. 

A recent report by two British researchers provides compelling evidence that hypnosis is a legitimate technique that will, in the coming years, be used increasingly as a rehabilitation tool to treat both physical pain and psychological disorders.

The report, by David Oakley (University College London) and Peter Halligan (Cardiff University), first debunks myths related to hypnosis (e.g., it is not a form of sleep) and makes clear that hypnosis is a distinct form of consciousness.  Said an article in nature.com, reviewing the Oakley/Halligan report: “These data are consistent with the view that hypnosis involves a 'special' cognitive state in the sense that it is associated with an altered pattern of brain activity.”

Added the UK’s National Council for Hypnotherapy: “This research suggests how hypnotherapy can cause changes in the brain, indicating that hypnotherapy can show genuine, positive results for patients. While more serious conditions should be dealt with by visiting your GP, conditions such as anxiety and depression can be helped through complementary therapy such as hypnotherapy.”

Oakley and Halligan explain that suggestive statements can indeed alter perceptual or bodily sensations. And they’re not taking the participants’ word for it – brain images (while hypnosis is in progress) demonstrate that the effects are real.  Here’s one example, drawn from Christian Jarrett’s article in BPS’ Research Digest: “. . . told that their arm is getting heavier and they cannot move it, a suggestible participant may experience paralysis of the arm.” Adds Jarrett: “Skeptics may wonder about the veracity of these experiences but brain imaging results are indicating they are real and not merely imagined.”

Because the hypnotic state alters brain function, Oakley and Halligan envision a host of potential benefits:  

1.       Hypnosis can serve as a research tool to help us learn more about brain structure, brain function, psychology phenomena (e.g., memory, perception, pain and hallucination) and neurological issues (partial blindness, deafness or paralyses);

2.       Hypnotic suggestion may play a useful role in the emerging study of the neuroscience of emotion; and

3.       Hypnosis can serve as a rehabilitation tool, particularly in the case of “functional pain” (e.g., facial pain or low back pain where the pain persists long after injuries have healed).

Explained Oakley and Halligan, in the report’s abstract:

“For more than a century, hypnotic suggestion has been used successfully as an adjunctive procedure to treat a wide range of clinical conditions. More recently, hypnosis has attracted a growing interest from a cognitive neuroscience perspective. Recent studies . . . can provide insights into brain mechanisms involved in attention, motor control, pain perception, beliefs and volition.”

In 2006, Oakley issued this prediction: "As researchers who are not familiar with hypnosis gain confidence in its strategic use in mainstream psychological and neuropsychological work we can expect to see a resurgence in its popularity as a practical tool."

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