The Norwich Bulletin discovers that hypnosis aids the medical world for relaxation, accellerating healing, and pain relief . . .

Hypnosis aids the medical world Practitioners and their patients say the suggestion of relaxation speeds the process of healing and can deflect pain. Andrea Dameron is a mother of three. For the birth of her third child, a girl, Dameron took a unique approach. Not only did she refuse pain medication during the five hours she was in labor, she made sure she felt every sensation while giving birth. “It was the most relaxing, enjoyable experience of my life. I was able to feel each sensation for what it was,” she said. “Pressure, tightening, molding, crowning. No pain, no fear, just exhilaration.” Dameron of Norwich, used hypnosis during childbirth. Through a series of relaxation techniques, Dameron, a labor and delivery nurse at The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich, remained coherent and awake during the entire process. She says doing so enabled her to form a mother-child relationship during her baby’s first few hours that she never experienced before. “It leaves no doubt as to how effective and wonderful having a baby naturally (while) relaxed and using self-hypnosis really is. Your body is allowed to do what it needs to do without fear and tension causing pain,” she said. Dameron took classes with a trained professional who guided her through self-hypnosis to completely relax her muscles to eliminate the pain women expect during labor. Maureen Loughrey, the clinical director of the birthing center at Backus, said the obstetricians and gynecologists she works with request alternatives to conventional pain management techniques used for labor and delivery. “It’s very encouraged by all of our doctors. They’ve had very positive things to say about alternative pain relief,” she said. “We try to offer options. Anything that can help the women to relax is sound medicine.” A growing number of people are turning to alternatives for relief from sickness, pain and addiction. Hypnosis and hypnotherapy are gaining popularity over traditional psychotherapy or counseling, and an increasing number of health facilities are offering other options to traditional health care. Not only is treatment per session less expensive than traditional psychiatry visits, but hypnotherapy requires fewer visits to a professional, said Jane Percy, certified hypnotherapist and owner of the River Light Wellness Center in Mystic. Percy works with clients on a number of issues, from quitting smoking to post-traumatic stress disorder. She also teaches a group therapy class at Backus that focuses on weight loss. “This isn’t long-term therapy,” Percy said. “For most people, I don’t see them for more than two sessions. Hypnosis accelerates the process of healing emotional wounds. It’s not like typical therapy — it bypasses regular consciousness.” Percy said her weight loss group at Backus compels clients to think differently about their eating habits. Participants undergo hypnosis that encourages them to learn to address emotional concerns rather than temporarily satisfy problems with food. “They have to be ready to do it. More than anything, it’s a helping hand. It becomes all about personal empowerment,” she said. Paul Davis is a certified hypnotist and owner of the Davis Institute of Hypnosis in Gales Ferry. Aside from the usual vices, Davis said hypnosis and hypnotherapy can be used to help clients with terminal illnesses, problems at work, and even assist with improving athletic performance. Davis offers a class to emergency medical personnel on practical hypnosis that can be administered at the scene of an accident. The technique can lessen or eliminate pain, avoid shock and even slow bleeding, Davis said. “It’s positive suggestion given during a chaotic time, and they’re really simple techniques,” Davis said. “These things can make the difference between survival and death, and yet it’s really easy. The power of the positive mind is incredible.” The technique Davis teaches to emergency first responders employ “slight of hand” tactics to guide a wounded person’s mind to focus on the parts of the body that aren’t injured. “It works quicker, so it’s more cost effective, even for insurance companies,” Davis said. “Compare the costs of 200 visits to a psychiatrist as compared to six to a hypnotherapist. In California, some companies will have people visit hypnotists before physicians because it’s so much less expensive. They have to knock through the conscious mind, and we don’t. It’s just smart.”

Good stuff.

If you would like to experience hypnosis for yourself, you know where to go.

All the best,
Brian