What if you could use your mind power to heal yourself or eliminate pain? You can! In fact, that mind power is used in the pharmaceutical industry to test drugs for effectiveness.{{more}}
Placebo is the term used for a sugar pill that consistently has a 30% effectiveness rate when used in pharmaceutical trials giving the patient the same result that the real drug should give. CNN reported about the problems the pharmaceutical companies are having because in late stage trials some of their new drugs do not out perform placebo. The discussion was how to market placebo to help people get better using their own minds. That, of course, is called hypnosis and there are no side effects.
Although so much about the brain is still unknown, it is now understood that placebo works because your brain creates a physiological change based on the belief that you are using a drug. With a psychosomatic illness, the mind creates symptoms or pain in places where there is nothing medically wrong. The subconscious mind controls your body and negative emotions are often the source of these problems. A friend relayed a story to me about a guest at his home who was enjoying dinner and commented on how delicious it was. When he asked what it was he was told it was tripe. When he found out what it was, he immediately vomited. His mind played a trick on him!
In a book called Back Sense by Drs. Siegel, Urdang and Johnson, its readers are guided to eliminate chronic back pain using relaxation and mind focusing techniques…also known as hypnosis. My daughter’s friend suffered from back pain for years and is now completely cured using this book and the power of her mind.
Besides placebo, there is “Nocebo.” This is where we expect side effects to be something and therefore we get them. One client came to me complaining of fatigue and anxiety. She researched online to find that her stress and fatigue could make it difficult to work, so she could not work. After a few sessions she was surprised at how her energy level increased and was able to resume work.
In an online article by David Decher, …“ a study of the effects of Nocebo took place in Italy: people with and without lactose intolerance took what they thought was lactose (it wasn’t)… 44 percent of those with intolerance and 26 percent without it developed symptoms of gastrointestinal discomfort…”
“Nocebo” effect regrettably works on those taking real pharmaceuticals as well, as revealed by a study conducted on men taking Finasteride for their enlarged prostates. Half were told by the doctor that erectile dysfunction was a possible side effect and the other half were not. Of the group told about the side effect, 44 percent reported erectile dysfunction compared to only 15 percent of the group that had not been told.”…
When clients come to me to stop smoking, if they believe that nicotine is addictive they have a more difficult time becoming a nonsmoker. Those that see smoking as a habit usually are nonsmokers in one session. However, like placebo, if you believe it is addictive, you really are addicted. It applies also to chocolate or junk food.
Hypnosis works just like placebo in that real changes occur in your mind when you are ready to, and believe you can, change.
I am offering a workshop on reducing stress. You can check it out on my website.
Fern is a certified hypnotist, life
coach and health educator.She can be reached at 203-283-4567.
www.myhealinghypnosis.com.