Online sessions expanded during Covid lockdowns. The lockdowns and other restrictions encouraged the use of online resources, in new and creative ways such as, online meetings and for a variety of therapies. This wasn’t completely new though, in 2018 a study that focused on the effectiveness of treating IBS via Skype found no difference in outcome between online and face to face sessions. Add the benefits to clients, of the convenience of not having to travel to another location, timesaving, and the comfort for the client of being in their own environment, online hypnosis is a winner.
Stage Hypnosis is primarily entertainment. The dramatic and often humorous scenarios can reinforce the idea that hypnosis is not a serious therapeutic tool due to association with the exaggerated antics of performance. Some individuals, may worry about losing control or being manipulated which can deter them from seeking hypnosis as an option for dealing with a wide variety of issues. It is important to realize, participants in a stage show have agreed to behave as they do under hypnosis. A Hypnotist cannot make you do anything that you do not wish to do. Hypnosis is not mind control and even while under Hypnosis you can reject any suggestion that does not align with your ethics or values.
Group sessions work as well as when delivered to one individual participant. Smoking cessation and Weight management protocols are two of the more common hypnosis sessions where groups are used. This isn’t a new phenomenon, I participated in a smoking cessation session 35 years ago with roughly 300 hundred other people and became a non-smoker that evening. The advantage is service delivery to a larger number of people at one time and a lower cost for each participant. Group sessions will be scheduled when a number of contact forms are received requesting inclusion in one of these sessions.
HOT FLASHES!!! Hypnosis and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy are the two recommended interventions for managing Hot Flashes. A recent review of available studies, with the objective of comparing the effectiveness of both in terms of symptom reduction, found that while CBT did offer a benefit, only Hypnosis was found to result in significant reductions in the frequency and severity of Hot Flashes.
Pain is a signal that there is a problem. Any pain that lasts three months or beyond the expected healing period is chronic pain. It can be continuous or intermittent. It can be part of a medical condition such as Fibromyalgia or it can be pain that exists without a cause that can be identified. This can have a significant impact on the life of the person experiencing the pain and on their families. Hypnosis is one of modalities identified as a method of effective pain management.
Physical and Emotional Conditions listed on the website of The Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK, that can be helped by Hypnotherapy are conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia, and Eating disorders. Also, Functional disorders such as headaches, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and backaches. Other conditions listed are pain, cancer treatment side effects, dental procedures, childbirth and menopausal symptoms.