Here it comes, the megapost on hypnosis for breast enhancement. We’ve discussed this subject before . . . here and here but once again it raises it’s head as a member of the Hypnosis Technique Exchange writes that in her opinion any hypnotist who does this sort of work is giving all professional hypnotists a bad name as it is impossible to enhance breasts via hypnosis and that "any claim by any professional hypnotist/hypnotherapist that they can perform that miracle, is not only misleading, it is completely false". Uh, that would be a complete and utter false statement in itself. There is ample evidence that hypnosis can and does affect physical systems (look in the Hypnosis in the News category on this site for references to a number of research studies that show just that).
Of course, anyone is welcome to their opinion regarding the comparative efficacy of hypnosis for breast enhancement (certainly, surgery is the quickest and easiest way to grow bigger breasts overnight but the side effects, pain, and negative issues related to invasive methods certainly outweigh the speed advantages for most persons presented with the choice). However, there is ample evidence that for some women their current breast size is due to emotional issues that retarded their development. Milton Erickson found that when the emotional issues are dealt with the breasts can indeed "enhance" . . . I have worked with women for this issue with success. In my experience, I have had more successes than non-successes for hypnotic breast enhancement. The typical success I have had with women has been two cups but one young woman – twenty five years of age – was very highly motivated and increased three inches and three cup sizes within a year and a half.
In their own work, Wendi Friesen, Mark Cunningham, Victoria Wizell, and many others refer to an old medline stack that references a number of medical and academic studies on the subject.
I have direct experience when it comes to hypnotic breast work. The average is 2 to 3 cup size enhancement measured to discount for water gain or simple obesity. I use the term enhancement instead of enlargement for breasts because the suggestions should include body image visualizations and firming and strengthening in the muscles to support the breasts as well as a shapely form. I strongly suggest folks look to emotional issues and that have found that positive changes only occur when the desire is genuinely from the person requesting the hypnosis . . . not a boyfriend or other. Work on self-esteem and other issues as well.
Please feel free to do a search for "breast enhancement" or "breast hypnosis" both in the archives of the Hypnosis Technique Exchange">Hypnosis Technique Exchange archives and here at Life of Brian for more on this.
Now that I have said that I believe this is possible and that I have indeed worked with folks for this issue with success (not always, some folks have other issues that need to be addressed or are not responsive to this sort of suggestion, but usually with good success), I hope folks don’t consider me a liar . . . although I certainly felt umbrage when the poster on the exchange used the blanket statement that anyone making such claims must be one.
The most common method for breast enlargment is surgery. There are a number of reasons why this is so . . . for one, hypnosis still hasn’t gained general acceptance within the medical community for this sort or work and despite being an accepted modality for some time and there being a large number of studies demonstrating very compellingly that it works well for physical as well as emotional issues, a number of doctors would rather get cash butchering . . . er, carving into . . . er, performing unnecessary elective surgery on women than using non-invasive procedures. The breast enlargement surgery business is extremely lucrative. Every year women are mutilated or even die from complications related to breast surgery. No one dies from hypnotic visualizations.
The first documented work with hypnosis and breast enhancement was done in the early 1920s. There were a number of case study reports in academic journals as well as studies that showed positive results. However, the first major formal study was done in 1971. The following list is mostly from an Medline search on the topic with incidental additions that do not show up in those results. While many of these studies are related to hypnosis and breast enlargement, most have shown that even simple imagery is enough to gain some results. Gerald Kein cites sources that show somnambulism or deep hypnosis is not necessary for this sort of work but that simple imagery is sufficient and that even post-menopausal women have reported positive results.
- Erickson, Milton H. Breast Development Possibly Influenced by Hypnosis. Two Instances and the Psychotherapeutic Results. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 1960, 2, 157-159. See also The Collected Papers of Milton H. Erickson on Hypnosis, in E.L. Rossi (ed.), Hypnotic Alterations of Sensory, Perceptual and Psychophysical Processes. New York: Irvington Publishers, 1980. The journal articles by Erickson include fine measurements and process descriptions. Both simple suggestion imagery and analysis are found effective.
- LeCron, Leslie M. Breast Development Through Hypnotic Suggestion. Journal of the American Society of Psychosomatic Dentistry and Medicine, 1969, 16, 58-61.
- Elman, Dave. Elman reports in his audio recordings of trainings (1960s) he conducted for doctors that he had successfully worked with a number of women for breast enhancement. The method used was hypnoanalysis and results were typically two cup size increase.
- Peter H.C. Mutke, M.D. (UCLA) performed the first study. He presented his results as a research paper to the Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles, February 28, 1971. As of 1994, Dr Mutke was still with UCLA and has been active in the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners.
- Williams, J.E., Stimulation of Breast Growth by Hypnosis. Journal of Sex Research, 1974, 10(4):316-326. His thirteen volunteers averaged 2.11 inch increase in the circumference of their breasts (2 cup sizes). (Method = age regression and age progression).
- Williams, J.E., Physiology of Induced Breast Growth, Journal of the American Society of Psychosomatic Dentistry and Medicine, 1979, 26(3), 93-105.
- Honoites. G.J. Hypnosis and Breast Enlargement–A Pilot Study, Journal of the International Society for Professional Hypnosis 6:4 (1977):8-12.
- Staib, A.R., and Logan, D.R., Hypnotic Stimulation of Breast Growth. The American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 1977, 4:201-208. They repeated Dr. Williams’ protocol with similar results. They also found women’s waist size decreased by 1.4 inches. Their follow-up study showed that 81 % of the breast enlargement was retained several months after the women stopped their visual imagery. (Method = Williams + general health/vitality)
- Willard, R. D., Breast Enlargement through Visual Imagery and Hypnosis. The American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 1977, 4:195-200. Dr Willard used a different technique than Dr. Williams (who used age regression and age progression) and achieved an average 1.44 inch increase in breast size for his 22 volunteers. Every woman had an increase in their breast circumference. (Method: Direct suggestion, rational framework for belief)
Excerpt of the RESULTS section of the Willard study:
At the end of 12 weeks, 28% had reached the goal they had set at the beginning of the program and desired no further enlargement. There were 85% who could tell a significant enlargement in their breasts had been accomplished, and 46% found it necessary to buy a larger brassiere. Forty-two percent had a loss in weight of greater than 4 pounds and still had enlargement of their breasts. The average increase in circumference was 1.37 inches; the average increase in the vertical measurement was 0.67 inches and the average increase in horizontal measurement was 1.01 inches…. [note: the study was continued past 12 weeks to let those who hadn’t reach their goals to do so].
In this study, 63% of the subjects had had children and complained of pendulous breasts. These subjects expressed a desire to reclaim the fullness and contour of the breasts which they had before the pregnancies. All of these subjects reported they were very pleased with the increase in fullness and firmness of their breasts at the end of the study…. The only two subjects who subjectively felt there had been no significant increase, did have a measurable increase in size. Both subjects had difficulty obtaining the visualizations. All of the subjects reported an increase in firmness of their breasts. All of the subjects who began the study with one breast smaller than the other found them to be equal in size at the end of the twelve weeks.
- Wilson, Donald L. MD, Natural Bust Enlargement with Total Mind Power: How to Use the Other 90% of Your Brain to Increase the Size of Your Breasts. 1979 Book. Has the scripts and a great bibliography. Dr Wilson ran a clinic in California with great success. This book (a small hardback) is available thru Hypnosis Institute of Texas.
- Beran, Roy (a neurologist at Adelaide Children’s Hospital, England) presented the results of his study to the February 1979 National Convention of Hypnotherapists in Adelaide. Dr. Beran showed that the breast volume (he measured the breast’s cubic displacement of water) more than doubled during the three-month hypnosis program.
- Friesen, Wendi. Hypnotic Breast Enhancement, 1998. Also does work with adapting hypnotic techniques to penis enlargement in men. Friesen uses general visualization, age regression, stimulation, timeline, and trigger response conditioning.
- Body Beautiful magazine in the UK reports on the case of a 32 year old woman who uses hypnosis to go from a 32A to a 32C in a period of six months.
- Phillips, Brian David. Hypnobreasts: Hypnotic Language and Guided Imagery for Breasts and Body Image, 2001. Part of a pilot study on imagery and breast enhancement. The program uses trigger response conditioning supplementing general visualization, age regression, stimulation, and timeline visualization. Participants had best results with weekly hypnosis sessions supplemented by listening to a brief recorded session daily. The trigger-response exercise was very helpful for most participants. Results were very successful with an average increase of two to three cup sizes for most of the women participating in the study. This particular pilot study lasted over a three month period and involved twenty-five women at the onset (with two dropping out due to relocation or illness before the completion) compared to a smaller group of women who did not undergo hypnosis but who did measure breast and other marker points over the same period. It was not just listening to recordings as is more typical of programs of this sort, although participants also listened to recordings. Results were typically higher than average.
- In 2002, the BBC investigated researchers at the University of California who were conducting trials on breast increases. They found the results were very positive. Other studies have shown similar results dating back to the 1960’s. Results are often seen of increases of at least one cup size. In one study of over 800 women, 80% saw gains of over one and a half inches in breast size.
- Kein, Gerry. Hypnotic Enhancement of Breasts, Omni Hypnosis Center, 2003. Average increase of one to two inches and one cup size. The general procedure outlined involved direct suggestion (Direct Drive), age regression to puberty, imagination and future pacing desired results. Kein says that only in a small/limited number of cases you have to do some regression to cause to remove any blockages.
- William Henningsen outlines the following criteria for breast enhancement programs: Create a compelling future and link it to an every day activity of theirs (for reinforcement, Towards Propulsion). Create an anchor of pleasurable or desired feelings for completing the daily exercises of listening to the recorded induction. Make the act of doing the exercises reinforce the compelling future image. Link their ‘away from’ criteria to not doing the exercises. (Away From Propulsion)
Of course, when doing work on body image or body sculpting of this type, it is also very important to work with clients on the answer to the question of why they seek this sort of work in the first place. Self-esteem, acceptance, and other issues need to be addressed in a comprehensive program. While some programs address only the breast imagery aspect of the program, I strongly advocate a more holistic approach that addresses the client’s life and beliefs and self-acceptance.
Often it is someone who is unfamiliar with the subject who posts on this or that forum as an expert stating that it is impossible to affect body functions via hypnosis or for breast tissue to change. However, those who have done their homework know that hypnosis has been shown to be very helpful in affecting physical systems (cancer, IBS, and more) and as breasts have been shown to be very heavily tied into emotional response sets, they do respond to suggestion for some people.
Of course, you should deal with the self-esteem or self-worth and other emotional issues before just jumping into breast set suggestions. We have discussed this in the past but the current discussion was not prompted by questions on how to approach those issues but was related to whether or not hypnosis can indeed help women who wish that sort of change.
I would STRONGLY suggest that a woman’s self-worth and self-esteem and the realization that breast size is not the sum of a person’s selfhood . . with a client I would certainly respect the person’s headspace and help them learn that the greatness of their "womanhood" is not really attached with the size of their breasts so to speak.
Once someone has learned to focus on who they are and not the size of the bumps or lack thereof on their body they may indeed still choose to move forward with breast enhancement "for themselves" and not for an outside force or because of dysfunctional thought processes. Not all decisions to "enhance" are based upon low self esteem or no self worth . . . and certainly not all hypnotists who do this sort of work with clients are unprofessional . . . many are actually as competent and as professional as one could come across . . . in fact, some programs handle the emotional issues and sensuality responses with more regard and more systematically professionally than many folks who clamor that breast hypnosis is charlatanism. I recall Rick Brown used to do work of this nature for free with women in abuse shelters and his program was extensive and worked on the whole person in a way that goes far beyond what most folks doing the work ever touch upon. In fact he found that the "breast hook" was a way to help women who formerly would not open up to the sort of changes within that led to them dropping the personality sets that led to them being habitual victims. Some folks would come in to do the "breast work" but in so doing found themselves changing deeply and positively in far more meaningful ways.
Personally, when I am approached for this sort of thing, I just tell ’em straight up if they request this sort of work that it won’t work if it’s for someone else or less than holistic or ecologically sound reasons so we do the clearance work along with the breast visualization, trigger sets, and other work.
Just as with cosmetic surgery where many women have an unhealthy and erroneous idea that a change in their face or body will change their lives but after the surgery their lives are the same – or worse – as they still see or believe they are the same "broken" person beneath the plastic. You have to get under the hood and fix what ails you at the emotional level and not just throw a new coat of paint over the rust.
"New" breasts mean nothing if the person hasn’t changed at a deep and worthwhile level and many women will find that if they make the appropriate positive changes their lives will get on in positive wonderful directions without the need for cosmetic changes.
Some critics of breast hypnosis work use the gambit that the effectiveness is not common knowledge or that hypnotists who do it should be millionaires if it works and the like. Actually, the studies have been done and they have been published. Of course, in the current environment there is some pressure not to do this sort of work (some institutions consider it to be frivolous research) but for the most part it is not highly publicized which is a true enough critique . . . however, those who claim there are no studies are shooting blanks. A better argument would have been that there are no studies they are aware of. I remember watching an episode of Penn and Teller’s Bullshit program where they attempt to debunk breast enhancement hypnosis in part by showing what was a mere portion of a process taken out of context and then ridiculing it and also having general practitioners make statements that there are no studies. The experts had not done their homework but their statements were taken as fact.
As has been pointed out, there have been research studies and other pieces published. Some references were given in this essay. However, critics are correct that there aren’t that many peer-reviewed studies. This is in part due to a tendency to minimize "fringe" associations. Most of the peer reviewed journals see hypnosis as a fringe or new-age type process, despite reputable institutions backing it the reputation is still there. Even in journals where hypnosis is indeed accepted, the association with breast enhancement is seen as spurious. Even folks who do work on hypnotic approaches to fertility and cancer have difficulty getting published merely because of spurious preconceptions regarding hypnosis among the editors. A number of highly respected academic researchers on hypnosis have reported similar anecdotes of when they were staring out that they shouldn’t do work in hypnosis as it would kill their careers and cause them to lose any chance of respectability later on. Also, quite a bit of the innovative and successful work in this area is done by folks in clinical environments who work on a case-by-case basis but case studies are not seen as compelling evidence and clinical environments require tailoring processes to the client’s needs which is an unsuitable approach for quantitative research results as there are too many individual characteristics of the treatment that cannot be factored out of the conclusions. Of course, while WE know the mind-body connection is real, and current research into the subject by "reputable" centers of higher learning is confirming much of this (albeit, often focusing on things other than "hypnosis" but obviously investigating related phenomena), there is a great deal of resistance to hypnosis as a construct that affects physical systems.
However, despite it being a relatively minor chunk of the "breast enhancement" market, the fact of the matter is that hypnotic suggestion for enhancement of breasts works and it works well. The proof is in the pudding and the results of studies, particularly those that combine processes that deal with emotional releasement, growth imagery, and the like, show that it works for many women.
When I have worked with women for breast enhancement using hypnosis, the program has been very successful. There is definite growth – with real measurements – and the woman feels better about herself without the risks or side-effects that surgery or drugs might entail.
I would strongly encourage any woman considering breast enhancement to consider why she is wanting it . . . if her reasons are for anyone other than herself, then forget it. She should also first address those reasons and work up her self-esteem as needed (contrary to popular misconceptions among a number of feminist critics, not all women who seek breast enhancement do so because they feel unworthy, the body may be political sometimes but it is not always the case) . . . she should then consider the non-surgical and non-drug-based alternatives . . . as these have been very effective for a number of women and are completely safe.
The breasts are very very responsive to suggestion . . . . . . in terms of enhancing structures . . . and . . . in terms of enhancing sensitivity and response (here is one such process, just for fun that very vividly demonstrates the mind-body response chain and here is another take on the same subject).
I hope this has been helpful. I have done a bit of work in this area and I do periodically offer training for hypnotists in just how to appropriately and effectively provide this service to clients.
Would you like to order our Breast Enhancement Hypnosis Audio CD? Click the “add to cart” button below and then check out in the right sidebar.
Feel free to consult my webpages at Brian David Phillips Waking Dreams for more information on products and services related to this issue. Those in Taipei with an interest in professional services can feel free to contact me for consultation.
All the best,
Brian David Phillips, PhD, CH
http://www.briandavidphillips.com
9 comments for “Hypnosis and Breast Enhancement”