The practice of hypnosis still stirs up debate among some professionals from the more mainstream fields of health and medicine. But, there have been studies conducted to prove its potency in helping people ease their pain and cope with the debilitating effects of stress.
Hypnosis refers to the artful manipulation of a person’s attention, context, and language to be able to establish a temporary belief that can influence a person’s behavior and perception. This practice is rooted in a belief that an individual’s mind can be manipulated by suggestion, the kind that is powerful enough to affect one’s body.
Hypnosis or hypnotherapy for stress can serve as a powerful tool to change the way people use their minds. Hypnosis has been found extremely helpful for alleviating stress and anxiety.
Hypnosis Results Visible on Brain Scan
Hypnosis has been proven by research conducted at Stanford University which employs the latest and state-of-the-art imaging tools to be able to capture what goes on inside the brain during and after hypnosis. A specialized MRI brain scan revealed decreased activity in two areas of the brain under hypnosis – the one responsible for visual processing and the other one involved in handling conflicts.
Experts say that the decreased activity in these two areas explains why a hypnotized brain becomes more accepting of suggestions. It’s been shown that hypnotic suggestions are powerful ways to influence brain activity which in turn can also influence an individual’s behavior.
How Hypnosis Helps Alleviate Stress
Stress and anxiety are emotional health problems and hypnosis dives into the subconscious mind. Hypnosis actually gets to the root of the problem, which is a great place to start!
Through the power of suggestion, the mind can tell the body how it should respond to stress. If the mind can tell the body to relax and stay calm during a stressful episode, the body will immediately obey.
Hypnosis is also used to find out what the triggers for the stress or anxiety problem are. Once the mind is in a deep, relaxed state and all negative thoughts have dissipated, the brain no longer has room for stress to be in it.
Some people like to try self-hypnosis, while others use the help of a trained hypnotherapist. People that have become adept at using self-hypnosis find it easier to reduce their level of anxiety when stressful situations are imminent. It is also through hypnosis that they have learned how to spot situations that trigger a stress response.