Conversational Hypnosis Could Save Health Services Millions

Conversational hypnosis is the combination of Ericksonian hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP.) It is the favored technique of hypnotherapists the world over. It works by focusing the conscious mind of the person in therapy on the voice of the hypnotherapist. This is done in such a way that it reduces the effectiveness of the patients normal psychological defense mechanisms. This gives the therapist the opportunity to suggest new ways of thinking to the patients subconscious.

Using conversational hypnosis in this way hypnotherapists have been able to demonstrate how incredibly effective it is for addressing problematic behaviors or self harming psychological factors. For example some forms of depression and personality disorder, irritable bowel syndrome or chronic pain management can all be addressed using this hypnosis technique. However, whilst these treatment techniques are encouraging, the RSM suggests that not enough is being done to realize the full cost benefits of hypnosis for health service providers.

Drug treatments, for a variety of disorders, are extremely expensive. Also the patients management of these disorders can often lead to repeat periods of hospitalization and prolonged illness. All of this is at considerable expense both in terms of human and financial resources. The fact is that many of these expensive medical conditions often have a psychological route cause. Conversational hypnosis can provide the patient with the necessary psychology to better manage, and in some cases, eradicate many of these debilitating conditions.

However, there is neither a single regulatory body for the licensing of hypnotherapy nor a widespread acceptance of its effectiveness amongst some medical professionals. This means that there is both the danger that a rapid increase in its use could result in dangerous malpractice and that opportunities for relatively inexpensive alternatives to prolonged drug treatments are in danger of being overlooked.

Conversational hypnosis is a skill that can be learned by anyone however in order for it to be used successfully within a therapeutic setting the practitioner also needs additional medical knowledge. For example, only a Doctor aruba professional diagnoses of personality disorder would enable the therapist to differentiate between those patients who require anti psychotic medication and those that do not. Qualified hypnotherapists are able to draw this distinction and can use hypnosis to provide a more effective and relatively cheaper treatment for those for whom it is practical. However, in an unregulated market, the danger is that hypnosis, in the hands of non qualified health practitioners, could result in some people with a need for anti-psychotic medication being overlooked.

However, it is the lack of awareness amongst medical practitioners that is perhaps the single biggest reason why conversational hypnosis is not being used as effectively as it might, warns the RSM. There is a massive potential for it to be used as a relatively inexpensive treatment alternative for a large number of patients. However, whilst the medical professions remains wedded to the idea that drug treatments and invasive medical procedures are ‘real medicine’ whilst other therapeutic models are less effective this unnecessary expense will remain.

However, in the UK at least, it is hoped that the deregulation of the medical service provision will free up the market for more treatment options. The RSM state that, if this increased choice for doctors is accompanied with appropriate training and raising of awareness then there is a real opportunity for conversational hypnosis to save health service millions.