Thoughts on hypnotherapy?

King Damager · 24 May 2012 at 18:13

I don't think this is a medical thread, as I'm not asking for advice regarding any issues.

Anyway, I'm wondering, what so people think about hypnotherapy... Is it voodoo rubbish, or is it a great cure for some stuff...

Personally there's some stuff I don't see it fixing, but I can't see why it couldn't fix addictions or the such like if it can altar your sub-concious/psyche....

No doubt we've also had some people with experience of it, how have you found it? Success/failure stories?

kd

Dr House · 24 May 2012 at 18:16

estebanrey · 24 May 2012 at 18:16

If you 'believe' in it, it can work. However if you know it's bull then it won't.

Basically, there's nothing magical about it and ultimately it is no more impressive than me asking you to pass the salt and then claiming I 'hypnotized you to do it' when you do.

In short, it's just persuasion.

G-MAN2004 · 24 May 2012 at 18:24

Another thing for idiots, just like homeopathy...

(placebo)

platinum87 · 24 May 2012 at 18:32

People are easily manipulated and controlled so yes, it will work.

One · 24 May 2012 at 18:42

It's just a case of altering your state of mind, of course it works but you have to let it. It's a way of embedding thoughts into your brain so when you see something that memory will be triggered which may help you decide to change your course of action thus rendering the therapy a success.

n3vrmind · 25 May 2012 at 00:39

Now when you wake up, you will feel refreshed and happy, you will have an undesirable urge to hand me £200 from your wallet and will constantly recommend me to people you meet... ill now count backwards from 5 and when i get to 1 you will be wide awake
5
4
3
2
1
And your back, oh whats this.. £200, well thats very generous!

dirtychinchilla · 25 May 2012 at 01:13

Dr House said:
Placebo nothing more

Even if it is a placebo, which it probably is, that still means it works if you are susceptible to it.

Tefal · 25 May 2012 at 01:26

i think mythbusters did an episode o nit.

it didn't work

Skillmister · 25 May 2012 at 01:35

I prefer the heavily diluted urine of the afro-alaskan poision swamp leech.

Reaper 392 · 25 May 2012 at 02:47

Tefal said:
i think mythbusters did an episode o nit.

it didn't work

mythbusters have done two episodes with hypnotherapy myths tha i can remember. they have shown that self help hypnotherapy CDs cannot change your eye colour, that the self help CDs are marginally helpful for helping you overcome phobias and that proper hypnosis from a trained professional can help you remember stuff you wouldnt have normally remembered.

under hypnosis they actually remembered far more details about a scenario they witnessed compared to just normal memory.

based on this i would say that, if you are willing to believe in hypnotherapy, then it can help you give up something you're addicted to. however, it wont be a magical cure that suddenly removes an addiction

AshD93 · 25 May 2012 at 08:31

But maybe that was the placebo effect. Because they believed the session would give them a better memory.

I could probably get the same effects with a "pill that makes you remember".

Paul11 · 25 May 2012 at 08:32

it works for a lot of people

people are quick to rubbish it, but it has its place

atpbx · 25 May 2012 at 08:32

Yeah, it's nonsense.

Freefaller · 25 May 2012 at 08:33

Phate on here, has done it to help him lose weight (I think by tricking him not to eat as much). IT seems to have worked.

Paul11 · 25 May 2012 at 08:35

i wonder all the people that say its nonsense , how many times they tried it

Admiral Huddy · 25 May 2012 at 08:38

Hypnotherapy is very different from the hypnosis you see on the TV. From what I understand it's about relaxing you deep enough to the subconscious part of the mind that is otherwise in background. If you can change your subconscious behaviour then you can change habits.. it's like when you goto bed.. you start thinking of all kinds of rubbish because your relaxed and your subconscious thoughts come through which otherwise wouldn't get a look in.. From what i understand.

joxang · 25 May 2012 at 09:11

People are confusing hypnosis and hypnotherapy.

Hypnosis is rubbish. The latter has demonstrated value beyond placebo, especially in pain conditions, insomnia, IBS and some psychiatric problems. Because of the research evidence, I believe you can get it on the NHS.

RetiredGreyFox · 25 May 2012 at 09:33

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but it's down to the placebo effect and if the person wants it to work.
I personally know 3 stage hypnotists and 2 of them work as hypnotherapists and all 3 have tried to put me under but I won't go.
None of them have had success with smokers because they are the weakest willed people in the world anyway BUT if you're a smoker who really wants to quit and want that magic placebo then try it.
I thought it was all complete bull until 1988 when I was at a Pontins Nightclub and the hypnotist was going through his pre-show tests.
He'd got his stooges on stage and 5 minutes into the show my wife was in la la land and my Sister was fast asleep so I called the hypnotist down and he took my wife onto the stage and left my Sister asleep.
My wife was useless on stage and sat there doing nothing but you could see she was somewhere else.
After the show he spent a bit of time with both of them and we took them both home in a daze.

King Damager · 25 May 2012 at 09:50

joxang said:
People are confusing hypnosis and hypnotherapy.

Hypnosis is rubbish. The latter has demonstrated value beyond placebo, especially in pain conditions, insomnia, IBS and some psychiatric problems. Because of the research evidence, I believe you can get it on the NHS.

Yeah, this is what I was thinking.

The thread came about really because I know of someone who has had their IBS cured by hypnotherapy. I wouldn't call them a susceptible person either. Addiction I could understand, but dealing with something like IBS did quite surprise me...

kd