Hypnotherapy-is-More-Mainstream-Than-You-Think.jpg

The world is catching on to how effective hypnotherapy can be for treating an astounding range of medical and mental health conditions.

Hypnosis and hypnotherapy are now recognized as valuable tools in the medical field, expanding previous ideas about whole-patient care. Hypnotherapy is being used to help the patient orient toward healing, and create a positive outlook and intention. Hospitals and medical centers all over the country now have integrative medicine clinics, such as Stanford Health Care in California, Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York, and Mercy Hospitals in Missouri. Many include hypnosis in their comprehensive programs for pain management (like Swedish Medical Center), surgical care, and cancer treatment. Additionally, many medical schools now include courses on medical hypnosis.

You are probably already familiar with the use of hypnosis and hypnotherapy for weight loss and smoking cessation. But Hypnobirthing has grown in popularity since the early 1990s, helping women achieve a comfortable, natural childbirth experience without medications or surgery.

Even the U.S. Veterans Administration now includes an integrative health model in many of their hospitals, such as this one in Salt Lake City. Hypnotherapy is being used to help with pain control and symptoms of PTSD.


Hypnotherapy in the Media

Even the mainstream media has caught on to the fact that hypnosis is a valuable healing technique. Many people are learning about the benefits of hypnotherapy through television doctors, on shows such as the Dr. Oz Show, The Doctors, and Dr. Phil.

Each of these shows has featured hypnotherapists, primarily to demonstrate the benefits of hypnosis for weight loss (it is TV, after all), but also to show its effectiveness in treating addictions, phobias, sleep disorders, and anxiety.


Hypnotherapy in Medical Journals

Multiple professional associations have been promoting hypnotherapy for decades, and have been funding research that continues to show the efficacy and benefits of hypnotherapy in myriad applications.

The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (founded in 1957 by Milton Erickson himself) is the largest, and publishes the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis. The International Journal of Clinical & Experimental Hypnosis is also well known, in publication since the 1950s, and jointly produced by three professional organizations: the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, the American Psychological Association’s Society of Psychological Hypnosis, and the International Society of Hypnosis.


Last but not least, The Wellness Institute is home to the Heart-Centered Therapies Association, offering professional membership, opportunities, and new research and education through the Journal of Heart-Centered Therapies, published twice per year.