TITLE
What Can Hypnosis Do for Your Health?
DESCRIPTION
Most of us know about hypnosis from TV and movies that usually show it as a comedic act or perhaps part of a horror movie to control people — hypnosis gets a bad reputation from the media! However…“Today, hypnosis, also called hypnotherapy, has a lot more data to back up its use for mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. It can also be an effective treatment for sleep problems, pain, irritable bowel syndrome and quitting smoking, studies show. And it’s still occasionally used as a way to sedate patients for surgery with little (or no) medication…. The simplest way to describe hypnosis is as a state of both deep relaxation and focused attention, where your mind is more receptive to making subtle changes in feelings and behaviors.” (Each of the blue phrases is an active link to a particular study regarding the topic under discussion.)
The article presents interesting cases wherein individuals have been helped with hypnosis. Note that the work of Dr. David Spiegel is highlighted; he is a leading researcher into the application of hypnosis to individual problems.
(The article also has an audio link that will allow you to listen — approximately 13 minutes.)
SOURCE
New York Times, February 8, 2023, by Hannah See
LINK TO RESOURCE
(Tiny URL) https://tinyurl.com/52z9rsvr
CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
•Reading the article: what is the history of hypnosis? What changed how scientists came to regard hypnosis as a helpful treatment?
•What types of problems can be helped by hypnotherapy? What types of problems should be avoided? Provide examples to both questions.
•Can anyone/everyone be hypnotized?
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