Hypnosis as an Alternative Remedy for Fibromyalgia, CFS, IBS and RLS

[Pauline Perry]

Hypnotherapy is emerging as the leading alternative therapy for all
types of problems, but most people still typically just associate
hypnosis with stage antics and/or getting help with smoking and weight
loss. The reality is very different. Today hypnosis is being applied
successfully to relieve all kinds of troubles from the life stealing
pain of fibromyalgia, the exhaustion of chronic fatigue syndrome,
replacing anesthesia to much, much more.
What exactly is hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a natural state of the human mind. People regularly go in
and out of hypnosis - everyday. A hypnotherapist simply facilitates
you getting in and maintaining that state so that you can be guided
with a healing therapy.
Let's clear up the misconceptions.
You are not asleep or under someone else's control - ever! As a matter
of fact, your mind is extremely alert - and most people who have been
hypnotized for the first time do not even think that they were
hypnotized. You remember everything and you can never, ever be made to
do something that you do not want to do (even stage hypnosis requires
willing subjects).
Hypnosis helps you access your subconscious mind - which is where your
memories and emotions reside. Positive thoughts and will power reside
in the conscious mind. Hypnosis deals with the subconscious mind.
Most hypnotherapists just use direct suggestion. This will plant a
suggestion in your subconscious that you agree you want planted there
- for example "I want to stop smoking". If a person doesn't really
want to stop smoking - it will not work. Also, with direct suggestion,
even if you do want to quit, it will probably only last for a short
period of time - simply because you have not gotten to the root cause
as to why you want to smoke.
A hypnotherapy practice that does regression work is in the minority.
Regression will help you find the emotional memory that has snowballed
over the years and now causes the unwanted behavior/symptom. Once this
is resolved the urge to smoke is gone - completely and forever - there
is no need for ongoing treatment. Whenever the root cause is found
there is no need for ongoing treatments. Most individual problems can
be solved in 1-2 visits if regressed to the root cause (some people
have multiple problems - for example - smoking, weight loss,
depression, phobias, migraines, fibromyalgia and if you have multiple
issues you would need to go more times - but sometimes one session
clears up a few of these at once). Direct suggestion, used after the
root causes have been found, is a wonderful way to supplement healing.
There is but one major obstacle that needs to be overcome in order to
recognize and use this buried treasure of healing. The difficulty is
for people who have fought so hard and so long to show that their
illness is not in their heads. Fibromyalgia is the prime example.
Chronic fatigue syndrome is another. Restless legs syndrome is yet
another .Because of this, many do not want to try hypnotherapy. The
reality is that the physical pains of these syndromes are very real.
Studies do support that the biochemistry of people with fibromyalgia,
for example, is very different than that of people without
fibromyalgia. All the regiments and methods to relieve the symptoms of
this syndrome have varying success because they are all addressing
this changed biochemistry - but from different directions. But even
though the pain is not in the suffering person's head, it is important
to note that science does support the idea that the mind has the
ability to alter a person's body chemistry. There is ample evidence of
this throughout the ages and all over the world (the placebo effect is
one small example).
But while the syndrome does emanate from unresolved emotion, this
emotion is coming from the subconscious mind. It is not the person's
fault and he/she is not crazy. The person is not making it up. It is
just the way the human mind works. It is the way everyone's mind
works. People all manifest unresolved emotion in different ways -
depending on that person and what emotion it is. Some people can't
stop eating. Some people have phobias. Some people get migraines.
Hopefully, this article will encourage people who are suffering from
fibromyalgia and many other conditions to investigate this topic
further. It is a therapy that not only works, but works without
incurring ongoing costs, without having to follow strict lifestyle
regiments, without drugs and without any side effects.