A to Z of MS Hypnotherapy
Hypnosis or hypnotherapy belongs to a branch of medicine known as complementary and alternative medicine.
Hypnotherapy aims to work on the mental processes rather than the physical processes at work in an individual. In a typical hypnotherapy session, the hypnotist will induce a deep state of relaxation so that the individual enters into a trance-like state. With this dream-like state comes a heightened susceptibility to suggestion. The therapist will then make suggestions that are of therapeutic value to the individual with the expectation that the individuals' thought and behavioural patterns will be sufficiently modified on waking to effect some positive changes.
People with MS look to hypnotherapy in search of relief for a wide range of symptoms including pain, spasm, anxiety and depression. Though no large-scale studies have evaluated the effectiveness of hypnosis as a form of treatment for people with MS, its effect on related symptoms such as anxiety and pain has been investigated. Limited research suggests that hypnosis-induced relaxation can help reduce anxiety and pain, two symptoms commonly experienced by people with MS.
Although some small studies have looked at the effect of hypnotherapy on the function of the immune system (not in MS), more research is needed in this area.
Reference
Bowling AC.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Multiple Sclerosis. 2nd ed.
New York: Demos Medical Publishing; 2007.