How Does Hypnosis Work? What is Hypnotherapy? What about Self-Hypnosis?

If you're a doctor, researcher, or technical person - here is a site that shows how hypnosis works in clinical situations...e.g. depression, irritable bowel syndrome, etc. 

If you're a patient and find an article you like, take it to your doctor.  See what they think.  If you don't like the answer you get, explore the topic on your own, and find another doctor or professional hypnotherapist.  You are in charge of your own health and happiness.  Find a way that works for you.  

Your local library can also help you get free copies.  Lots of these are also probably on the Internet.

You might find this an excellent networking tool, also.  Find the articles you like and contact the authors.  Find places that do your kind of research.

Please see link below...

Hypnosis research papers - http://www.hypnosisandsuggestion.org/hypnosis-research-papers.html

Contact with the organization associated with the link below might help you also.

Good Luck and Best Wishes!

Dr. Oz Introduces the World to Hypnosis

"Recently on the Dr. Oz show, hypnosis was brought to the public as the easiest, fastest, most effective way to lose weight and change your bad habits. Hypnosis has been around for hundreds of years, but Dr. Oz has made it mainstream." - http://www.prlog.org/11815368-dr-oz-introduces-the-world-to-hypnosis.html

The "Ugly Step Sister of Medicine" is back!!!  Stay tuned on this blog as I and others coax this little used medical tool out of hiding.

Yes, it is unpopular, yet still effective.  See what the  American Medical Association (AMA)   and other professionals say about hypnosis at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnotherapy#Systematic_reviews.  Sherman, start up the Way Back Machine to see back to 1958.

Stay tuned for how others combine Hypnosis with the Placebo Effect to make a superb healing tool.  If you want a start, please see The Virtual Healing Machine associated with this blog.

Best Wishes to you all and a very good night.

Can Hypnosis and The Placebo Effect be Combined?

Have you ever felt better after watching a movie?

Maybe the movie put you in a dream-like state.  Maybe the movie touched you on a healing level.

Maybe Hypnosis can be combined with The Placebo Effect to achieve low-cost health care for many common maladies.  


Is this an opportunity waiting to happen?  Topic for Open Innovation?  

Start Materials....

Hypnobo: Perspectives on Hypnosis and Placebo - http://jgh.ca/uploads/Research/razLab/Hypnobo.pdf

Neuropsychoanalysis Vol.12 No.1 by Oliver Turnbull

The Virtual Healing Machine -  https://sites.google.com/site/thevirtualhealingmachine/

How to Make Your Own Healing Machine - http://voices.yahoo.com/how-own-healing-machine-10302427.html?cat=5
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnosis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocebo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Kirsch

Resources used in making The Virtual Healing Machine

Here's the resources I used in making The Virtual Healing Machine - https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0ByxQMXIbYsLcN2ZkNjk1NGQtM2Y2Yi00YzM4LWIwNDEtMWZjMDZlNDg1NGU2&hl=en_US

This list might be particularly helpful for those researching Placebo Effect, Nocebo Effect, Mind-Body Healing, Integrative Medicine, Self-Hypnosis.

Please let me know of other resources as time goes on....and I'll do the same. :-)

Comment if you want.  Good health to you!

For a free mind/body healing tool, please see “The Virtual Healing Machine” - https://sites.google.com/site/thevirtualhealingmachine/

Any and all of my communications is not medical advice. See full disclaimers at site above.

Cancer Relief module now on YouTube

The Cancer Relief Module has just been uploaded -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_CAkvHZyzc

Now working on Depression Relief module.  Coming soon to a YouTube near you.

Comment if you want.  Good health to you!

For a free mind/body healing tool, please see “The Virtual Healing Machine” - https://sites.google.com/site/thevirtualhealingmachine/

Any and all of my communications is not medical advice. See full disclaimers at site above.

“Poems in the Waiting Room”

Have you ever heard of “Poems in the Waiting Room”?    

Well, I hadn’t either until I read about it in Mental Floss May-June 2011.

Poetry in the waiting room sounds to me like a combination of placebo effect and hypnosis to achieve a better current situation and encouraging a positive outcome.

Snippets from the link below I found interesting….

…. make the patient's wait more pleasant.

…. The readers are patients - the worried well and the worried sick.

…. The readers are patients - the worried well and the worried sick. The poems selected draw from the springs of well-being. In time of trouble, a measure of comfort is welcome".

…. The essential is that they all contain positive images of hope, home, security, safe journey and arrival, beauty and transcendence, love and loving.

 

Sounds to me that these poems are relaxing the patient and helping them focus on expecting a positive outcome – i.e. hypnosis & placebo - just like The Virtual Healing Machine.

Please see below for more information –

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poems_in_the_Waiting_Room

Comment if you want.  Good health to you!

For a free mind/body healing tool, please see “The Virtual Healing Machine” - https://sites.google.com/site/thevirtualhealingmachine/

Any and all of my communications is not medical advice. See full disclaimers at site above.

NIH Grant - The Placebo Effect: Mechanisms and Methodology (R01)

Evidently, the U.S. government is interested in enhancing the placebo effect by offering a research grant.  I’m not interested in the grant, but maybe my work might be helpful to others working on this.  See below.  I sincerely hope they study the nocebo effect also, and how to diminish it.

The Placebo Effect:  Mechanisms and Methodology (R01) -
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DA-12-003.html

Plug the search string below into Google to see the universities that might be working on this...

"The Placebo Effect Mechanisms and Methodology R01" site:.edu

  

Some snippets from above I thought were particularly interesting…

… stimulate basic research to elucidate the underlying biological pathways that lead to placebo effects and to better understand how to recognize and enhance the therapeutic benefits of placebo effects in clinical research and practice.  

… to stimulate clinical research that can improve detection of placebo effects, as well as an understanding of how to manipulate(i.e., reduce or enhance)  and control them.  

The Virtual Healing Machine consists of a series of free videos available on the internet.  The videos provide a healing ritual to enhance the placebo effect, plus provide healing hypnotic suggestions.  I'm hoping this will help others, especially those who are hopeless and/or where professional healthcare is not possible.

Comment if you want.  Good health to you!

For a free mind/body healing tool, please see “The Virtual Healing Machine” - https://sites.google.com/site/thevirtualhealingmachine/

Any and all of my communications is not medical advice. See full disclaimers at site above.

New Healthy Habits

One of the foundation books in my work is “The Everything Self-Hypnosis Book: Learn to use your mental power to take control of your life” by Rene A Bastarache.

What I particularly like about this book….

• Easy to read and to apply.
• Many hypnosis scripts
• Introducing advanced concepts, that I could follow up on in other books.
• The concept of daily reinforcement of a new healthy habit.

Please see below for more information –

http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Self-Hypnosis-Book-mental-control/dp/1598698354

Comment if you want.  Good health to you!

For a free mind/body healing tool, please see “The Virtual Healing Machine” - https://sites.google.com/site/thevirtualhealingmachine/

Any and all of my communications is not medical advice. See full disclaimers at site above.

Make your own Virtual Healing Machine with "Virtual Hypnotist"

 “Virtual Hypnotist” helped me develop the working foundation for The Virtual Healing Machine. 

From link below….“Virtual Hypnotist is a free, open source, interactive hypnosis program…..It includes features such as voice recognition, speech synthesis, subliminal messages, completely customizable scripts (featuring a unique scripting language), videos, audio, and lots more. Its purpose is to simulate a real hypnosis session as much as possible.”

If you don’t like what I’ve done in The Virtual Healing Machine, you might try “Virtual Hypnotist”.  Check on the internet or libraries for self-hypnosis scripts for your particular health condition.

Please see below for more information - 

http://vhypno.sourceforge.net/

Comment if you want.  Good health to you!

For a free mind/body healing tool, please see “The Virtual Healing Machine” - https://sites.google.com/site/thevirtualhealingmachine/

Any and all of my communications is not medical advice. See full disclaimers at site above.

Secondary Gains can delay healing

It is known that sickness can provide benefits and can delay recovery.  This is known as Secondary Gain or Secondary Handicap.  Some examples are below.

• get extra attention
• others treat you special
• make people do what you want them to do using sickness
• get extra benefits or money
• excused from doing things

The words spoken in The Virtual Healing Machine are suggestions to decrease secondary gains and increase healing.

For more information, please see below

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_and_secondary_gain

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_resistance

Comment if you want......Good health to you!

For a free mind/body healing tool, please see “The Virtual Healing Machine” - https://sites.google.com/site/thevirtualhealingmachine/

Any and all of my communications is not medical advice. See full disclaimers at site above.

"Reinventing Medicine" and The Virtual Healing Machine

About 5 years ago, I was attracted to (led to?) a book that got me to thinking of The Virtual Healing Machine.  This book was "Reinventing Medicine: Beyond Mind-Body to a New Era of Healing" by Larry Dossey.  

In that book, Mr. Dossey describes three historical eras of healing.  

Era 1 medicine (mechanical medicine), 

Era 2 medicine (psychosomatic medicine), and 

Era 3 medicine (nonlocal medicine).

The Virtual Healing Machine provides Era 2 and Era 3 concepts.  Self-hypnosis and the placebo effect are Era 2 concepts.  Era 3 concepts are portrayed with the little antenna on the top of The Virtual Healing Machine.

Era 1 concepts are provided by healthcare professionals, medicines, and treatments, etc.  

Sometime, I hope we see a true integration of Eras 1,2,3 in total health care.  Integrative Medicine is a big step in that direction.  I also predict there will be an integration of healthcare professionals and patients working much closer together. (mind to mind communication?)

For more information see -  

http://www.amazon.com/Reinventing-Medicine-Beyond-Mind-Body-Healing/dp/0062516221

http://www.dosseydossey.com/larry/book.html

Comment if you want......Good health to you!

For a free mind/body healing tool, please see “The Virtual Healing Machine” - https://sites.google.com/site/thevirtualhealingmachine/

Any and all of my communications is not medical advice. See full disclaimers at site above.

Subliminal Messages that assist in Healing.....Replacing sickness with health

The mind can listen to multiple conversations, similar to being at a party.  The mind absorbs all the conversations yet focuses on the words of most meaning at the time.  This is the basis for recording multiple simultaneous voices with hypnosis.  This principle is also used in subliminal messages.   

The Virtual Healing Machine uses multiple voices in some of the modules.

For more information, please see below….

• The Everything Self-Hypnosis Book: Learn to use your mental power to take control of your life by Rene A Bastarach - pages 72-74 - http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Self-Hypnosis-Book-mental-control/dp/1598698354

• Subliminal Stimuli - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subliminal_stimuli

 

Comment if you want......Good health to you!

For a free mind/body healing tool, please see “The Virtual Healing Machine” - https://sites.google.com/site/thevirtualhealingmachine/

Any and all of my communications is not medical advice. See full disclaimers at site above.

Hypnosis help Coma Patients?

Perhaps the Virtual Healing Machine could help some coma patients in the future.   

I’m interested and doing research.  I'll keep you posted.

I found “Coma: Awakening Loved Ones with Hypnosis” by Iris K. Barratt - http://www.amazon.com/Coma-Awakening-Loved-Ones-Hypnosis/dp/1893087166

I got my copy of the tape by contacting Ms. Barratt.

  

Good health to you!

 

For a free mind/body healing tool, please see “The Virtual Healing Machine” - https://sites.google.com/site/thevirtualhealingmachine/

Any and all of my communications is not medical advice. See full disclaimers at site above.

“The healing power of belief can be very strong.”

The book “Where there is no Doctor”, Chapter 1 discusses Popular Beliefs.   

See quote “The healing power of belief can be very strong.” on page 2 for book above.  I think this is the essence of mind-body healing.  Some call this placebo effect if it helps.  On the other hand, if it hurts it might be called the nocebo effect.  

For more information on this book, see - http://www.hesperian.org/index.php

Some beliefs help, beliefs hurt.   

Placebo Effect (good stuff) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo

Nocebo Effect (bad stuff) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocebo

Good health to you!

For a free mind/body healing tool, please see “The Virtual Healing Machine” - https://sites.google.com/site/thevirtualhealingmachine/

Any and all of my communications is not medical advice. See full disclaimers at site above.

Mind over matter to heal paralysis

Did you know that Milton Erickson healed himself of polio paralysis using his mind?  Mind over matter.  Below are some excerpts from the link below.

"Erickson frequently drew upon his own experiences to provide examples of the power of the unconscious mind.....At age 17, he contracted polio and was so severely paralyzed that the doctors believed he would die. In the critical night when he was at his worst, he had another formative "autohypnotic experience"...."

See link for more information - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_H._Erickson#Personal_history

This story is one of many mind-body healings to give me confidence in going ahead with The Virtual Healing Machine.  

Good health to you!

For a free mind/body healing tool, please see “The Virtual Healing Machine” - https://sites.google.com/site/thevirtualhealingmachine/

Any and all of my communications is not medical advice. See full disclaimers at site above.

How to learn to relax via biofeedback

You might know that stress causes or aggravates some health conditions.  It makes sense to relax to improve health, but the average person might not know how.  Here’s a little device to help you learn to relax.  Available for the general public – prescription not needed.  I got mine from Amazon.

GSR-2 Stress Monitor  http://www.thoughttechnology.com/gsr.htm

GSR explained - https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Galvanic_skin_response

Good health to you!

For a free mind/body healing tool, please see “The Virtual Healing Machine” - https://sites.google.com/site/thevirtualhealingmachine/

Any and all of my communications is not medical advice. See full disclaimers at site above.

Subconscious as a “hidden observer”

Did you know your subconscious could be viewed as a “hidden observer”?  This part of you can learn to block pain…or ignore useless noise…etc.  Fascinating!  Here are some links to learn more….

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Ernest_Hilgard

http://www.camden.rutgers.edu/~bwhitlow/Courses/Consciousness/pochypnosis3rev.pdf

The Virtual Healing Machine - https://sites.google.com/site/thevirtualhealingmachine/ All this is not medical advice. See full disclaimers at site above.

Healing from the Inside Out

Hello All -

Instead of just reading, talking, and writing about the mind-body connection, I thought it would be handy to have an actual tool - a free tool available to anyone - just click and play anywhere in the world - anytime of the day or night.  Here is what I made....The Virtual Healing Machine.   

This is a one-year experiment.  As time goes on, I'll share my learnings and progress.  

Let me know if you have similar interests.  Comment if you want.
  

Best Wishes

Tom