If I could offer you or someone you care about a drug that could:

• Dull, even evaporate, pain but leave you free of drowsiness (1),
• Improve your immune function (2)
• Help you be calm and relaxed pre-surgery and heal quicker after surgery (3)
• Help reduce the side effects of chemotherapy (4)
• Lift phobias, quickly and comfortably cure post traumatic stress disorder (5) and help lift clinical depression (6)
• Sooth and improve even cure irritable bowel syndrome (7),

A med whose only side effect was increased well being, calm and confidence. A palliative costing millions perhaps hundreds of millions less than the vast majority of drugs currently used; what might you think of such an offer? Perhaps a piece of too good to be true quackery? Maybe a head in the clouds panacea? “Get real!” you might say or “get me some quick!”

This week British newspapers have been running a story about experts from The Hypnosis and Psychosomatic Medicine Section of the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) believing and suggesting that the widespread use of hypnosis by well trained medical staff could both dramatically improve service and potentially save the tax payer millions of pounds annually.

That the mind and body are intricately linked and influence one another directly and continually is undisputed.

Hypnosis is a way of directly appealing to parts of the brain that directly or indirectly influence physical processes which are not usually controlled though the conscious use of the mind. I think every doctor, nurse and health professional that ever has contact with a potentially worried or pessimistic public should learn how to communicate hypnotically.

After all the medical establishment recognises the power of placebo to heal (all drugs coming to market are supposed to be tested against that most hypnotic of processes-placebo) so surely learning to use placebo verbally should be a staple training for anyone who needs to master perfect “bedside manner” for the benefit of patients everywhere.

Don’t hold your breath for change rather breathe nice and evenly, let your eyes close and envisage a healthier future for all. Then go do something proactive like write to your MP or start a volunteer hypnosis service for patients.

All the best

Mark

(1) See: Chaves, J. F. (1989). Hypnotic control of clinical pain. In N. P. Spanos & J. F. Chaves (Eds.), Hypnosis: the cognitive-behavioral perspective. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus.
(2) This from Robert Ornstein MD book ‘The healing Brain.’: ‘Kiecolt-Glaser and colleagues have found that relaxation training can also enhance cellular immune function. Forty-five geriatric residents of an independent-living facility were taught progressive relaxation and guided imagery techniques three times a week for one month. Relaxation was presented to these residents as a way to gain some control over their world. By the end of the training period the group showed a significant increase in natural killer cell activity compared to a control group and a group that merely had “social contact” visits from a college student. The relaxation group also showed significant decreases in antibodies to herpes simplex virus, possibly because the herpes virus was being controlled better by the immune system. These relaxation-induced improvements in immune function were accompanied by self-reports of less psychological distress.’
(3) For example according to a study cited in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Sept. 5, 2007 (J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007 Sep 5;99(17):1304-12. Epub 2007 Aug 28) Women about to have surgery for breast cancer who received a an hypnosis session before their operation needed less anesthesia and anti-pain meds both during and after surgery,reported less nausea, pain, fatigue, and and higher levels of comfort after surgery than women who did not receive hypnosis. The financial cost of surgery was also significantly lower for women in the pre-operation hypnosis group.
(4) See for example: Hypnosis in the prevention of chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting in children: A prospective study. Jacknow, Dale S.; Tschann, Jeanne M.; Link, Michael P.; Boyce, W. Thomas Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Vol 15(4), Aug 1994, 258-264. doi:
(5) We at Uncommon Knowledge favour The Rewind Technique when seeking to lift phobias and PTSD http://www.rewindtechnique.com/
(6) See: Yapko, M. (1992). Hypnosis and the treatment of depressions. New York: Brunner/Mazel.Yapko, M. (1997). Breaking the patterns of depression. New York: Random House/Doubleday.Yapko, M. (2001). Treating depression with hypnosis: Integrating cognitive-behavioral and strategic approaches. Philadelphia, PA.:Brunner/Routledge.
(7) See: Visceral sensation and emotion: a study using hypnosis. 2002 Nov;51(5):701-4.Houghton LA, Calvert EL, Jackson NA, Cooper P, Whorwell PJ. SourceDepartment of Medicine, University Hospital of South Manchester, Manchester M20 2LR, UK. lahoughton@man.ac.