hypnosis / hypnotherapy

[HerMajesty]

Ezer, It doesn't discourage me as I am down to a 0-3 and just looking to maintain or improve that with less meds.

I classify labor as a 10, maybe because I went through both of mine with severe undiagnosed joint dysfunction and PFD, but if anyone were to have suggested that I "self hypnotize" during labor I am sorry to say I probably would have perpetrated some sort of physical violence against them.

I am still planning on trying hypnosis, and in fact did find some interesting leads by searching for hypnobirthing practitioners (thanks Celeste!), but I have not yet had any reasonable amount of time during business hours to choose a practitioner and make an appointment. I'll get to it eventually.

[Violet M]

Just curious Calluna, if you have encountered people like me who are uncomfortable with the thought of allowing someone else to control their mind and therefore would not be good candidates for hypnosis.

I saw a chiro who specialized in neurology and he attempted to "talk down" my autonomic nervous system. Not sure why I allowed him to try this other than the fact that I was desperate but it was totally useless on me -- maybe because I felt like he was trying to control my mind so I fought it. At any rate, it did nothing for my pain which really surprised him.

[HerMajesty]

Is the "talking down" of the autonomic nervous system considered a kind of hypnosis? I don't even know how hypnosis is done clinically. I went to a team of nurse midwives for my 1st pregnancy and they had REQUIRED childbirth classes run by this crazy nut of a woman who had 5 kids and said, "labor feels like a strong hug". Anyhow, she had us do this dumb meditation thing while she talked to us about imagining our baby floating in the womb and relaxing and it drove me nuts. If Medical hypnosis is somebody trying to make me meditate and visualize stuff forget it.
What the (apparently unethical) guy at that party did to me was, He started to tell me a long sentence in a perfectly normal and logical tone as if it made sense. Like imagine the tone I might use with you if I were to tell you,
"I flew to San Francisco to see Dr. Weiss but I really stayed in Berkeley in a big house my brother was renting a room in, and i drove my rental car into San Francisco just for the appointment."
He used the same kind of tone and inflection, but the words he was using were nonsense like,
"I trotted to kangaroo military to eviscerate Mao Washington but I really withered in charisma in a charming ammunition my notebook was slicing a grenade in, and I angled my sentient lizard into triagular mushrooms just for the stress".
My mind was trying to follow the sentence and the less sense it made, the more dissociated I became, It felt kind of like I had just drank a couple of six packs of beer. It was a very interesting trancelike feeling and I immediately thought "how cool!"
So, Calluna, is that the kind of technique you are familiar with to make people more suggestible, or is it a meditation type thing? Meditation / relaxation / guided imagery honestly make me crazy but the weird sentence technique was neat-o

[calluna]

Calluna,
I reckon it is very difficult to find words to describe hypnosis. It has to be experienced. But for me the bottom line is that using hypnosis and self hypnosis did not have a lasting effect on this constant gnawing pain thus I eventually abandoned (and in fact I experienced diminishing return after each session). I do not think my case is unique but you may have a more positive experience. I had 6 sessions and the practitioner also trained me to do self-hypnosis.
I don't mean to discourage anybody to try but my experience was overall quite mediocre.

I am so sorry that you didn't have a good experience ezer. I would expect you to have increasing returns after each session, I could speculate about what happened there but it wouldn't be constructive. I would emphasise that it is important to see a therapist who is experienced in dealing with pain management.

Just curious Calluna, if you have encountered people like me who are uncomfortable with the thought of allowing someone else to control their mind and therefore would not be good candidates for hypnosis.

I saw a chiro who specialized in neurology and he attempted to "talk down" my autonomic nervous system. Not sure why I allowed him to try this other than the fact that I was desperate but it was totally useless on me -- maybe because I felt like he was trying to control my mind so I fought it. At any rate, it did nothing for my pain which really surprised him.

Violet, there isn't any element at all of control. All that most people know of hypnosis is what they see on stage shows, where people are told to believe they are Elvis or a chicken, stuff like that. It is a real pity, because what is presented there is not quite all that it seems. Nobody can be made to do anything at all under hypnosis that they would not be comfortable doing without hypnosis - those stage shows say more about the people participating than they realise.

There really is no 'mind control'.

I am not surprised that your chiro's 'talking down' had no effect - you were not comfortable with what he was doing, for a start.

And the only person who is not a good candidate for hypnosis is someone who is mentally handicapped or drunk. The more intelligent the person, the better subject they will make.

Is the "talking down" of the autonomic nervous system considered a kind of hypnosis?

Yes, very definitely.

I don't even know how hypnosis is done clinically. I went to a team of nurse midwives for my 1st pregnancy and they had REQUIRED childbirth classes run by this crazy nut of a woman who had 5 kids and said, "labor feels like a strong hug". Anyhow, she had us do this dumb meditation thing while she talked to us about imagining our baby floating in the womb and relaxing and it drove me nuts. If Medical hypnosis is somebody trying to make me meditate and visualize stuff forget it.

Nope, nothing like that at all. Should be all totally focussed on what you need.

What the (apparently unethical) guy at that party did to me was, He started to tell me a long sentence in a perfectly normal and logical tone as if it made sense. Like imagine the tone I might use with you if I were to tell you,
"I flew to San Francisco to see Dr. Weiss but I really stayed in Berkeley in a big house my brother was renting a room in, and i drove my rental car into San Francisco just for the appointment."
He used the same kind of tone and inflection, but the words he was using were nonsense like,
"I trotted to kangaroo military to eviscerate Mao Washington but I really withered in charisma in a charming ammunition my notebook was slicing a grenade in, and I angled my sentient lizard into triagular mushrooms just for the stress".
My mind was trying to follow the sentence and the less sense it made, the more dissociated I became, It felt kind of like I had just drank a couple of six packs of beer. It was a very interesting trancelike feeling and I immediately thought "how cool!"
So, Calluna, is that the kind of technique you are familiar with to make people more suggestible, or is it a meditation type thing? Meditation / relaxation / guided imagery honestly make me crazy but the weird sentence technique was neat-o

Well, that's certainly one way to do it - and very impressive at a party! It is actually possible to hypnotise someone with a handshake, if you've been talking to them beforehand. There are many many ways. A good therapist will choose a way that both she and the client are comfortable with. Guided imagery suits some people, and that would be a good choice for them. I think in your case I might choose to read you the Financial Times backwards, possibly!

[ezer]

Hypnosis is to put you in a state where the practitioner can talk directly to your subconscious.
The state is the same as when you drive sometimes, when you are close to falling asleep, or when you practice relaxation. Once you are in this state the hypnotist will say some affirmation that should be registered by your subconscious (that you hurt less etc...).
One word about hypnosis done in public. The key for the hypnotist is to select the right people. They will pick intentionally people that respond enthusiastically when there is a call for volunteers. They also will use their psychology to reject people they think are not good candidates once on stage.

[Celeste]

I'm pretty sure that the point of hypnosis training is to teach you to do it to yourself--to get your own mind there when you feel you need it. In other words, self-hypnosis. Maybe it does have a connection to a certain kind of dissociation. I know that Zen meditation does something along the same lines. What little reading I've done on meditation for pain control says to learn a different way of thinking about it, a sort of acceptance, without putting value judgements on it about how negative it is. Jack Harich is one who told me he's found his way to something along these lines. He remains in pain post TG, yet he is happy in his daily life.

[Griff522]

I classify labor as a 10, maybe because I went through both of mine with severe undiagnosed joint dysfunction and PFD, but if anyone were to have suggested that I "self hypnotize" during labor I am sorry to say I probably would have perpetrated some sort of physical violence against them.

HM, I literally laughed out loud when I read this I too classify labor (well maybe I should say delivery) as a 10 and I had an epidural both times. Could've had something to do with fact that the babies I was pushing out were 8 and 9 pounders!

I'm finding this thread very interesting. Where does one learn to be a hypnotist? I'm thinking it might come in handy with my two teenagers

[HerMajesty]

I classify labor as a 10, maybe because I went through both of mine with severe undiagnosed joint dysfunction and PFD, but if anyone were to have suggested that I "self hypnotize" during labor I am sorry to say I probably would have perpetrated some sort of physical violence against them.

HM, I literally laughed out loud when I read this I too classify labor (well maybe I should say delivery) as a 10 and I had an epidural both times. Could've had something to do with fact that the babies I was pushing out were 8 and 9 pounders!

I'm finding this thread very interesting. Where does one learn to be a hypnotist? I'm thinking it might come in handy with my two teenagers

Griff,

The teenagers are a lost cause, remember the key is that the subject must be RECEPTIVE

I didn't have the benefit of epidurals...1st 20 hour labor the anesthesiologists had me sit on the edge of the bed for 3 1/2 hours while they stuck me over and over trying to get one in. Finally, they did get it in, I had one blessed hour of sleep, and then it fell out. 2nd labor was 2 hours and I spent the whole labor sitting on the edge of the bed while they stuck me trying to get the epidural in, and then I told the nurse that I felt like I was about to deliver and she checked me and started screaming "OMG! Hold it in while I get the Doctor!".

Later my pain Doc demonstrated to me on a skeletal model why I couldn't get an epidural: due to the pelvic joint dysfunction I had excesive lumbar lordosis, which effectively closes the spaces between the vertebrae that they are trying to thread the catheter into.

My 1st was born 2 weeks early at 8lb 11oz and was sucking down whole bottles within minutes of birth...he just turned 13 and is 6 feet tall already. My 2nd was a little more reasonable: a week early at 7lb 15oz.

OK, I admit this post has nothing to do with hypnosis, I am just trading war stories with Griff about labor and teenagers. I never tried to hypnotize my teenager. I always told him that since I am not a bully I would never spank him until he got bigger than me. He's been bigger than me for more than a year now, BWAHAHAHAHA!

[Griff522]

Laughter is the best medicine

[calluna]

The only thing I ever hypnotised my lot for, was when one of them got hiccups that wouldn't stop. Very effective!