When some people think about hypnosis, they picture a night club act where the hypnotist puts his subject in a hypnotic state and gives him commands to do silly things like bark like a dog or cluck like a chicken. This has, unfortunately, tarnished the reputation of hypnotherapy, and it is an inaccurate representation of this profession. A lot of people have heard about hypnotherapy and hypnosis being used as a way to help people lose weight and stop smoking, which are 2 of the most common reasons the average person decides to contact a hypnotherapist. Their primary concern is does hypnotherapy work?

The fact is, hypnotherapy is becoming more and more accepted in the medical community as an effective alternative to treating things like anxiety, stress, pain and psychosomatic disorders. In 1958, the American Medical Association recognized that hypnotherapy has a place among the treatment techniques used by medical professionals in certain illnesses. Certain health issues may require a referral from a physician or mental health profession before the hypnotherapist can begin working in areas normally reserved for licensed professionals.

Hypnotherapy can be seen as an alternative to many traditional treatment situations. A report from the British Psychological Society was published in 2001 stating that hypnotherapy has produced benefits in a wide range of health issues relating to stress, anxiety, and pain. Issues such as headaches and migraines, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, and even various types of skin conditions responded positively to hypnotherapy. Problems around weight loss also received benefits. This report was done by a group of expert psychologists commissioned by the British Psychological Society.

In 2007, American Health Magazine published a study comparing the effectiveness of hypnotherapy against behavior therapy and psychoanalysis, and concluded that hypnotherapy was more effective in many cases. This claim was supported by an independent analysis done by a German university of over 400 studies. They reported that hypnotherapy had a success rate of 64 percent when used to treat chronic pain, anxiety and stress.

Hypnosis is a method of getting access to the subconscious mind. The activities in the subconscious mind influence thought and action 90 to 95 percent of the time. When a person is under hypnosis, he cannot be directed to do anything that he does not want to do.

Hypnotherapy can help an individual make lifelong changes by getting to the root of the behavior. In hypnotherapy, the client is put into a state of mind similar to how the mind is right before the client falls asleep. It is in this sleep/wake consciousness that the sub-conscious mind is ready to receive input under hypnotherapy. The mind will remember and record this new information and will direct the body to act on it. Thus, positive changes, healing and growth in one’s life can be achieved.

So, for those who are still wondering does hypnotherapy work, they can see that there is widely supported evidence that it does. Hypnotherapy is gaining more respect as a method of treatment for many health conditions. Many medical professionals agree that this can be a powerful form of therapy for ailments of the mind and the body. It is important to seek hypnotherapy only from specialists with the appropriate certifications. This will ensure that the client and the hypnotherapist work together to obtain the best results possible.