01.09.11 - 12:16 -
According to some healthcare experts, better use of an unlikely treatment could potentially save health services much needed cash.
The Hypnosis and Psychosomatic Medicine Section of the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) think hypnosis should be used more widely to help those suffering with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), depression and even cancer.
Hypnotherapy is said by some to be particularly helpful in treating anxiety-based conditions. In June, the Hypnosis and Psychosomatic Medicine Section of the RSM stated that “millions of pounds” could be saved by helping treat those who suffer from stress-related illness. As one in ten people will experience depression at some point in their lives, this could mean substantial savings further down the line.
Trance
In hypnotherapy, patients are encouraged into a state of trance, during which new ideas and suggestions are given to facilitate beneficial change. So if a patient has stored stress or self-destructive behaviour in their unconscious, this can be resolved or reprogrammed by hypnosis, resulting in better health when they wake.
“Through hypnotherapy it’s possible to get a better rate of healing among patients and so limit the amount of time they spend in treatment,” says Dr Peter Naish, president elect of the Hypnosis and Psychosomatic Medicine Section.
That said, hypnotherapy is not often available through state health services, but experts agree it could be very useful. Advisory bodies have recommended the technique be used to treat IBS patients whose symptoms persist after 12 months of using medication, and making dietary and lifestyle changes.
“When it comes to treating IBS, the focus is on relieving the symptoms, such as bloating, abdominal pain and altered bowel habit, as well as managing distress associated with the condition, and also factors that may maintain the symptoms,” says Dr Raj Sharma at the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine. “There is not one definitive cause for IBS, and there currently is not a specific cure, but various treatments are available to help alleviate symptoms. Dietary change, medications such as antispasmodics and anti-depressants that help regulate the gut, and peppermint capsules can help reduce symptoms,” adds Dr Sharma. “But if they persist, a doctor can recommend a treatment such as hypnosis.”
Sufferers also have to cope with the emotional effects of IBS. “ The impact of the condition can be very distressing. You may feel embarrassment about needing to go to the loo all the time, worry about it happening when you can’t control it, which can cause shame, embarrassment and anxiety in social situations.”
Patients tend to have a weekly hypnotherapy treatment for up to 12 sessions, tackling the symptoms and their impact.
“We teach self-hypnosis as well,” he explains. “For example, someone with diarrhoea might imagine a river transforming into a calmer stream. Or we might recommend audio CDs for them to listen to. We’ll also tackle issues of stress that might stem from the IBS, or be a contributing factor to it, with hypnosis.”
Paul Howard, marketing director for the UK National Council for Hypnotherapy, adds: “This treatment for IBS has zero side effects, which you can’t say for many other drugs. It’s 80 per cent effective according to more than 250 clinical studies and is frequently being used in medical practices in Belgium and other countries,” he continues.
He also believes, when it comes to IBS, hypnosis is more cost-effective than pills: “Hypnotherapy can treat this anxiety-based disorder at a lower cost than with anti-depressants,” says Howard.
Breast cancer
Advances are being made in other fields too. Scientists in Belgium are even looking at using the technique to help breast cancer sufferers. Researchers at the Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, found in June this year that those who underwent hypnosis before procedures were discharged after surgery up to a day earlier than those who had not, without using as many pain killers.
Finding a professional
But before people rush out to find a hypnotist, they should do their research and find a fully trained professional rather than a “hypno-cowboy”, the Hypnosis and Psychosomatic Medicine Section of the UK’s Royal Society of Medicine warns. Dr Naish suggests the safest route is to ask for a referral from your doctor.
While private practitioners are easy to find, hypnotherapy is currently unregulated in the UK and many other countries, says Dr Len Brann, who works within a genaral practice as a hypnotherapist in the UK. “I feel very strongly that hypnosis should only be carried out by doctors, nurses, midwives, psychologists or appropriately trained counsellors. Not someone who answered an advert, went on a course and says ‘I’m a hypnotherapist.’ Non-medically trained hypnotists frequently lack the understanding of the disease processes involved in the patients they are treating, so can cause real harm,” he explains.
“Look for qualifications you know and understand. Many people simply add the word hypno before another word - but they’re not professionals,” continues Dr Naish. “And remember hypnosis isn’t always effective for everyone.”
For more information on hypnosis, visit the British Society of Clinical Hypnosis at www.bsch.org.uk
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Treating problems with hypnotherapy can be less intrusive than drugs.
