Originally published February 18 2009
Integrate Hypnotherapy into the Medical Field
by Steve G. Jones, Ed.S.
(NaturalNews) The United States has very little integration between medical doctors and hypnotherapists. Many studies have shown that people suffering with many disorders greatly benefit from hypnotherapy. However, hypnotherapy is used by less than 10% of people in the United States. Along with many other maladies, hypnosis therapy has been proven to greatly help those suffering from disorders of the gastrointestinal nature but it is only used as a secondary treatment, only if other treatments have failed.
Many barriers must be overcome in order for the benefits of hypnosis to reach people that could truly benefit from it. Currently, those with gastrointestinal problems are only referred to a hypnotherapist if they have been resistant to standard medical treatment. Much research has been done on hypnosis therapy and its efficacy with gastrointestinal problems and most of the research has seen great results.
Because hypnotherapy has slightly higher costs than standard medicine; doctors are discouraged from referring patients to hypnotherapists. But in many cases hypnosis can be a cheaper alternative in the long run. Not just that, but hypnosis therapy, unlike prescription medication, has little to no chance of negative side effects.
Another hindrance between the integration of hypnosis is the separation of the fields. A very small percentage of doctors and nurses are trained in hypnosis. And very few hypnotherapists have medical degrees. There needs to be more widespread training of medical staff to administer hypnotherapy on patients who need it. Hypnosis is not a medical degree of any sort, therefore those interested can simply become certified on the internet. In a small amount of time, you can become a certified hypnotherapist, and after years of intensive practice helping people, you can become a true professional, having perfected the craft.
Collaboration between medical doctors and licensed hypnotherapists should be highly encouraged. Hypnotherapy is an easy technique to learn and medical personnel should be trained in it.
More needs to be done to decrease these barriers between hypnotherapy and traditional medicine. Hypnosis should be available to those who need it and to those who would benefit from it. Countless studies have been performed on people suffering from gastrointestinal related issues and the research has overwhelmingly shown that hypnotherapy, as an adjunct treatment, should be more widely used for medical purposes.
Hypnosis is focused majorly on health and the internal outlook into a situation. Through hypnotherapy, people can change how they feel about themselves and the world around them. With the induction of stress into their environment, gastrointestinal disorders are exacerbated and thereby require more medical attention. Hypnosis works to calm the mind, which can subsequently calm the body and eliminate sickness due to stress.
Source:
Palsson, O.S. & Whitehead, W.E. (2002). The Growing Case for Hypnosis as Adjunctive Therapy for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders. Gastroenterology, 123(6). 2132-5.
About the author
Steve G. Jones, Ed.S. has been practicing hypnotherapy since the 1980s. He is the author of 22 books on Hypnotherapy. Steve is a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, American Board of Hypnotherapy, president of the American Alliance of Hypnotists, on the board of directors of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Lung Association, and director of the Steve G. Jones School of Clinical Hypnotherapy.
Steve G. Jones, Ed.S. is a board certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. He has a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Florida (1994), a master's degree in education from Armstrong Atlantic State University (2007), and is currently working on a doctorate in education, Ed.D., at Georgia Southern University. Learn more at:
http://www.betterlivingwithhypnosis.com/
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