Like any other therapy, hypnosis can be helpful to some people and not to others. It seems to work best when you're highly motivated and your therapist is well trained.
According to Mayo Clinic, preliminary studies show that hypnotherapy may be used to:
- Change negative behaviors, such as smoking, bed-wetting and overeating
- Reduce or eliminate fears, stress and anxiety
- Treat pain during childbirth and reduce labor time
- Control pain during dental and surgical procedures
- Lower blood pressure
- Control nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy
- Reduce the intensity or frequency of headaches
- Improve your immune function
- Increase relaxation
Like other relaxation techniques, hypnotherapy decreases blood pressure and heart rate and alters certain types of brain wave activity. In this relaxed state, a person will feel very at ease and relaxed physically, yet fully awake mentally.
**Contrary to popular belief, as you may have seen on television, hypnosis used as entertainment in a stage act depicts the most common myth about hypnosis. Legitimate clinical hypnotherapy practiced by a qualified professional is not the same process as that performed on stage.
