(This blog was originally posted on May 27,
2014)
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| Photo courtesy of Presentation Pro |
Imagine
you have been taking antibiotics to treat a bad sinus infection. The symptoms
have gone away, but you still have three days’ worth of medication left to
take. Not only have you lost some of your motivation to take the medications now that
you feel better, but you find it very inconvenient to make sure to eat
something first, to prevent getting an upset stomach. Since your physical
discomfort has gone away, you (your conscious mind) may wonder why you need to
finish the prescription, at all. Your subconscious mind might even try to solve
that problem for you when you “forget” to take the next dose.
It
can be even tougher to follow through with a treatment plan when there is no
end in sight. Even if you don’t consciously object to doing something—you know
that you need to keep taking insulin to control your diabetes—your subconscious
mind might not be so willing to go along with the program. Indeed, sometimes
the “remedy” feels or may actually be more uncomfortable than the disease you
are trying to fight. Between the discomfort and/or pain that you experience
from the illness and the perceived inconvenience of all the things you must do
to get better, sometimes the temptation to let everything slide for a day or
two may be incredible. However, hypnotherapy can help you to follow “doctor’s
orders” and provide some physical, emotional and mental comfort, as well.
When I work with
someone to facilitate a medically-related, health-related behavior change,
the first thing I do is obtain a referral from the licensed medical
practitioner or psychotherapist who is treating that individual (Business
and Professions Code 2908). I use my client’s own words or expressions to
create the hypnotic script that will motivate him or her to follow the medical
or mental-health expert’s treatment regimen or advice. Each suggestion that I give
to this client will reflect the person’s physical or emotional suggestibility,
which will enable the person’s subconscious mind to easily understand and accept
the suggestions to easily and comfortably facilitate achieving the stated
compliance objectives.
Some
other examples of when hypnotherapy can facilitate compliance with a
recommended medical, health or addiction-recovery protocol include:
·
Following Alcoholics
Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, etc.
guidelines during rehabilitation from a substance addiction;
· Observing a prescribed
physical-fitness or exercise program to facilitate physical therapy;
· Adhering to a medically-recommended
diet to control non-insulin dependent diabetes.
Remember:
Hypnosis is not and should never be provided as a substitute for medical, psychotherapeutic or
addiction-recovery care from a licensed practitioner. (I also require clients
who have a substance-addiction to currently participate in a 12-step program
while I work with them, because these programs are the most effective tool to
help them recover from their addiction.) However, hypnosis can be and is a
marvelous adjunct and complement to these therapies because the
hypnotherapeutic script will gently and effectively reinforce the client’s
specific motivations and desires to comply with the referring doctor or
psychologist’s treatment recommendations.
© 2015
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