Hypnotic, therapeuticuse of hypnosis

The therapeutics of suggestion are based on the fact that a number of diseases can be relieved or cured merely by making the patient believe he will get better, and strongly impressing this belief in his mind. Every capable physician uses this technique to some extent even though he may do so unconsciously. The patient's faith in the doctor and his belief in the efficacy of whatever treatment may be given, is an important factor in all therapy. This use of suggestive therapy is as old as the practice of medicine itself. What hypnotism does is to multiply many times over the force of the suggestion through the greater susceptibility of the patient under hypnosis.

If suggestion is to be successful, the patient must believe he will get well! It is not always possible for the physician to implant this faith and expectancy in the patient's mind. Hypnotism is a means to this end. With the conscious mind in abeyance, the subconscious readily accepts the healing suggestions. No patient under complete hypnosis can resist the influence of the suggestions given by the operator.

In 1880 Berger conducted a series of notable experiments proving the effectiveness of hypnotic suggestion as a therapeutic agent. He reported that a hemiplegic patient easily made movements under hypnosis he was unable to make when awake. He saw locomotor ataxia cases cease to stagger under hypnosis. Other physicians experimenting with hypnosis in this period, reported induction and removal, through hypnosis, of fractures and paralysis. But to Liébault must go the credit of first reducing hypnotic therapy to scientific treatment. His work was carried on and extended by Bernheim, Forel and others who followed.

Thus far, functional neurosis is the chief field for hypnotherapy, i.e. nervous disorders with no organic lesion or derangement. But out of the very considerable literature available, we will indicate some of the other disorders which have yielded to this treatment.

Hypnosis has been employed to cure all types of pains having no anatomical basis, such as: chronic headaches, abdominal pain, ovarian, neuralgic and rheumatic pains, hysterical disturbances with resulting paralysis of the extremities, hysterical vomiting, polyuria, menstrual pains, loss of appetite, nausea in pregnancy, alcoholism, etc.

Brugelmann reports its successful use in cases of nervous asthma: Forel, Bernard and Schmidt in chronic constipation; Mollerup and Clutnoff in nervous ocular disturbances; Krafft-Ebing, Ladame and others in non-congenital sexual perversions; Heim and others in the prevention of sea-sickness; Barband in cases of vaginism. Successful treatment of chronic alcoholism has been reported by Forel, Wetterstrand, Carval and many others.

Hypnotic, therapeuticuse of hypnosis