How to cite this article: Muhammad Saaiq.

HYPNOTHERAPY: A VALUABLE ADJUNCT TO

MEDICINE. Cenna, Khyber Medical College
Peshawar 1999.

TITLE:

HYPNOTHERAPY: A VALUABLE
ADJUNCT TO MEDICINE.

AUTHOR:

MUHAMMAD SAAIQ SELJUKI

Final Year MBBS student,
Khyber Medical College, Peshawar
muhammadsaaiq5@gmail.com

Hypnotherapy, a superb art and science takes its roots

from the spiritual and religious meditation practiced for

centuries in the eastern societies. Through the hard work

of Dr Mysmer and Dr James Braid, hypnotherapy

emerged as a tool of behavioral medicine. The former

named it as mesmerism while the latter called it

hypnotism. Going through the course of its horizon, it

went into the hands of quacks and showman who badly

exploited this noble influence and used it as cunning

device. 1958 was a historical year when the American

Medical Association’s Council on Mental Health

recommended to include hypnotherapy in the curriculum

of medical schools. Since then physicians of all calibers

have been taking keen interest in the clinical applications

of hypnotherapy. Higher courses in the subject are being

offered in the leading universities of USA. Moreover in

Russia, hypnotherapy is now routinely used

preoperatively and postoperatively to prevent

complications, manage pain and enhance the healing

process.

What makes hypnotherapy work? The subject is first

brought under hypnosis by means of systematic physical

relaxation, mental concentration and well-framed

suggestions that put the subject at ease, make him cool

down and eventually close his eyes. The subject just goes

into a state of suspended animation with altered state of

consciousness characterized by powerful concentration

and heightened susceptibility of the subconscious mind to

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accept the operator’s suggestions and act on them. Once

the subject is under hypnosis, the operator verbalizes

therapeutic suggestions that register on the subconscious

mind of the subject and result in the desired behavior

afterwards. The brain shows beta waves on EEG when an

individual is wakeful. The suggestions of the therapist

lull the subject first into alpha state which is meditation

and then deeper into theta state which is hypnosis.

Physiologically the subject shows deep relaxation of

muscles, slight lowering of pulse rate, blood pressure and

respiratory rate etc.

People show wide variations in their susceptibility to

hypnosis. About 15-20% of the population drifts into

deep hypnosis very easily while 75% can be hypnotized

to some extent initially. The remaining show little or no

susceptibility. The individuals who show little

susceptibility initially, usually reach reasonable depth

after receiving positive information about hypnosis and

training session in developing the power of

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concentration. Insane individuals and babies show no

susceptibility to hypnotic suggestions.

Based on the depth of the trance, there are six levels of

hypnosis. By and large more is the depth better are the

results. However as long as the results are favorable, the

depth reached is immaterial. The first three levels are

hypnoidal, light hypnosis and medium hypnosis which

are collectively called mensic. In these depths the subject

remembers whatever the hypnotherapist has suggested to

him during the trance. Most of the hypnotherapy is done

for behavioral modification and habit correction which

can effectively be achieved during mensic. The next three

levels include deep hypnosis, somnambulism and

profound somnambulism. In these levels the subject

doesn’t remember on awakening what the therapist has

suggested during trance. These deep levels are used in

areas such as surgery, childbirth, dentistry, and correction

of criminal behavior such as rape, sodomy etc. these deep

levels are also essential for specialized techniques such

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as age regression, automatic writing and prolonged

trance therapy.

Hypnotherapy has been an effective tool not only in

behavioral medicine but also in the allied disciplines. It

has been used with documented success in the following

areas:

1- Psychological therapy: Hypnotherapy is very

successful in alleviating a variety of psychological

problems such as anxieties, depression, psychoses

etc. it can be used to relieve tension and heighten

relaxation. It is also very effective in correction of

sexual problems of psychological origin.

Depending on the situation it can be used alone or

in combination with pharmacological treatment.

2- Analgesia and anesthesia: Hypnotherapy has been

used with documented success for painless

childbirth and dental and surgical procedures. It

has also been successful in relieving chronic pain,

migraine etc.

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3- Correction of behavioral problems such as naswar

addiction (oral sniff), smoking, drinking,

overeating, masturbation etc.

4- Management of speech problems and learning

disabilities.

5- Abolition of self-defeating habits and cultivation

of good habits.

6- Crime investigation and law enforcement.

7- Hypnotherapy has found its application in certain

other areas that need further research. For

instance, one hypnotherapist has reported success

in controlling glaucoma through self-hypnosis.

Furthermore Dr Neal E. Miller of Rockefeller

University working with a team of medical

researchers, has demonstrated that maintenance of

blood pressure, heart rate, and even control of

blood cholesterol levels can be beneficially

affected in some patients through mental

persuasion.

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Hypnotherapy can be hoped to flourish in the coming

years and play its part in helping the ailing humanity.

Suggested Further Reading:

1-Rachel Copelan Ph. D. How to hypnotize yourself and

others. Wing Books, New York, Avenel, New Jersey

1995.

2- Ingrid Schioler. A to Z hypnotism. Ist ed. Pankaj

Publications, new Delhi, 1984.

3-Robert S. Feldman. Understanding psychology. 3rd

ed. Mc Graw Hill Inc, USA 1993.

4-Dr Mian Muhammad Shah. Hypnotism for common

people (Urdu) Peshawar 1995.

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