Hypnosis and Erectile Dysfunction

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Permalink Reply by Susan French on August 11, 2008 at 6:56am

Hi Roxann,

I'm not sure if a medical referral is necessary but it might be a good idea to try to get one.

Make certain that the client has exhausted all physical causes, including medication that inteferes with the sexual arousal process, certain medical conditions, generally aging (in some) and alcohol or drug use.

If you're familar with regression you might get some good information about emotional causation.

In my experience, the sexual response in both men and women is fairly fragile and it doesn't take much to disrupt it and send it "underground" so to speak. Then, the sexual response is very susceptible to reinforcing itself by subsequent failures and then it becomes a cycle. Be aware of that aspect of it. Much like phobic response or panic attacks, they feed themselves...making the problem worse and worse. You have to begin to have the client "interrupt" the automatic response and create a more positive response in its place.

The most important thing you have to create for people who have been caught up in this cycle is to teach them to take their focus off of themselves and their own functioning. Teach them to tune into their partners responses: what turns the partner on and what he finds attractive in the woman.

I also teach these guys that there's nothing wrong with priming the pump but masterbating but not to orgasm before the sexual encounter and there's also nothing wrong with self-stimulation during the encounter or stimulation by the partner, as long as it all becomes a sensual part the erotic experience and the sufferer (and the partner) can take a positiveand even erotic attitude towards it

Also find out how the partner has reacted to the problem Often the spouse or partner, even with the best of intentions, make it worse. Sometimes partners become insecure, as if it means that they are not attractive enough. Sometimes partners are embarassed and sometimes partners are even mean or belittiling. None of that helps, so you have to help your client get comfortable with the whole issue himself.

We don't get embarassed if we have allergies and a snotty nose and we don't get embarassed if we lose range-of-motion or other garden-variety dysfunction. You have to help him to get comfortable with it and see it as just a problem to be solved.

The best scripts are ones that talk also about letting it flow, not trying to force it, putting one's attention on the process and away from the functioning. Not to flip or unsympathetic but no one dies from erectile dysfunction. It's just a problem to be solved. That kind of approach can take it out of the "back room" attitude and create a more clinical feeling to the whole thing.

The big red book "Hypnotic Suggestions and Metaphors" has some good scripts, Scripts and Strategies has some good scripts. I think the American Pacific University has a bunch of free scripts. Why don't you do a search for scripts or scripts for erectile dysfunction?

I hope that helps. Feel free to email me if you have additional questions.

Susan French
hypno4success@socal.rr.com

www.hypno4success.com

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Permalink Reply by Roxann Higuera on August 11, 2008 at 7:06am

Thank you so much for writing. Those are all wonderful suggestions. Thank you for reminding me to look in the big red book for scripts. I have it, but I hadn't gotten to looking there yet.

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Permalink Reply by Roxann Higuera on August 11, 2008 at 7:43am

Actually, I should say more about this. I've talked with the client on the telephone. He has pursued the problem with medical doctors. He did not find the experience very helpful. He was told they no longer do testing; they just prescribe pills. Even so, from what he has told me, physical function is present. He can achieve an erection, but he can't maintain it. My research has indicated that answers to the following questions can help determine emotional causation:

• Do you get an erection while masturbating?
• Do you often awaken with an erection? "Morning" erections are physiological, and are related to blood supply mechanisms during sleep, and not the sexual arousal. The presence of these erections usually mean that no organic disorder is the main cause.
• Do you get an erection while sleeping? Using a ring of postage stamps glued around the flaccid penis during the night is also a simple device to ascertain whether erections occur in the sleep (a broken ring in the morning is the proof).
• Do you get erections with one lover and not another?
• Do you get an erection before penetration?
If you answered yes to ANY of these questions, then the problem is most likely emotional, not physical.

Since he has given me positive information about that last question, a physical problem is unlikely, and therefore medical referral is probably not necessary at this point. (Someone let me know if I'm wrong about that.)

For those looking for reference information on the topic, I found these:
1. According to the Scandinavian Journal of Urology and Nephrology, ED that cannot be linked to physical causes has been successfully treated by hypnosis. In this trial, three out of every four men in the trial were helped.
[Scandinavian Journal of Urology and Nephrology. 31: 271-4, 1997]
2. According to the British Journal of Urology, hypnosis improved the sexual function of men with no organic cause for their impotence at a rate of 80%. The interesting part about this study is that hypnosis outperformed both testosterone and trazodone.
[Aydin S et al. "Efficacy of testosterone, trazodone and hypnotic suggestion in the treatment of non-organic male sexual dysfunction." British Journal of Urology. 77(2):256-60, 1996.]

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Permalink Reply by Seth-Deborah Roth on August 11, 2008 at 7:47am

Susan has many good suggestions.

In my presentation at the NGH this past weekend I gave a 2hr presentation on the subject of Urology Hypnosis and talked specifically about erection problems. You must always make sure that organic impotency has been ruled out since there can be life threatening causes of impotency that can be showing up by the symptom of impotency. (cardiac, diabetes, spinal tumor to name a few). Over the counter medications can also cause changes in erection as well as prescription medication that cannot be discontinued.

Make sure to get a good social history and sexual history and really investigate and use that information to help you in making your own suggestions and metaphors right there. Is the problem partner specific is also a question you will want to include in your sexual history.
Use all the senses (V,A,K,olfactory) . You can even use a physical anchor for increasing control.
Remember that the stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system is what is allowing the erection to occur.

Warm Regards,
Seth-Deborah Roth CRNA,CCHt,CI
www.hypnotherapyforhealth.com
Urology Nurse Specialist and wife of Urologist LOL :)

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Permalink Reply by Susan French on August 11, 2008 at 8:21am

Hi,

What great information. Thank you for posting it.

I think it's very simplest things that are kind of being overlooked here.

Sexual dysfunction becomes a cycle and you have to interrupt the cycle successfully to interfere with reinforcement.

Two, I think the most important part of the hypnosis should have to do with taking the attention off of the functioning (or nonfunctioning) and focus it on turning on the partner and noticing what turns the client on in the sexual encounter. As was suggested in one book I read: a watched pot never boils...lol. Metaphorically, it was a good point. Good luck with your client and let us know how you do.

It sounds like you've done some really good research and I always think that's a really good part of what we should do.

Susan

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Permalink Reply by Seth-Deborah Roth on August 11, 2008 at 8:34am

Roxanne,

The doctor who told your client this is not a specialist in Urology and obviously does not specialize in Impotency.

You are looking up information and making conclusions that indicate to me that you are going beyond the scope of hypnosis. - You just cannot base his answer to one question and read two articles and make a decision like you are making!!!

This is a subject that is it's own sub-speciality. Some doctors nowadays give out pills because it is what the insurance companies want.

Absolutely, hypnosis works with inorganic impotency and can even help with some of the emotional non-organic impotency problems that add to the organic impotency symptoms. Great that you shared those articles referring to hypnosis and ED !!

I caution you from doing some research and jumping to conclusions. Did you investigate prolactin levels and their implication? In my husband over 30 years of Urology practice he has found 4 life threatening pituitary tumors with men who presented with erection problems. No cardiac disease, no diabetes, no spinal tumors. Only a simple blood test shows this!!! Stanford University has just been able, after many years of struggle, to open up a pituitary clinic that asks for all impotency patients to get a prolactin level done. Yet there are GP's out there who never test for this when they give out the Viagra, Levitra and Cialis. Also, did his doctor do a simple urine analysis and urine culture to look for things that might also be causing symptoms. The postage stamp technique is NOT the definitive test. There is NO definitive test. It is a collection of history, medical exam and medical tests that will give an answer as to if this is organic or not.

With the gentlest of intent, you are going way beyond the scope of hypnosis in making medical conclusions and decision making. A slippery slope indeed.

Warm Regards,
Seth-Deborah
www.hypnotherapyforhealth.com

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Permalink Reply by Roxann Higuera on August 11, 2008 at 8:40am

Point taken. Given the nature of what he has told me about his medical experience, I will pass along the information and require a medical referral, suggesting that he look for another doctor who will perform the necessary tests.

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Permalink Reply by Alan117 on August 11, 2008 at 9:22am

a question. if the problem's organic does that mean hypnosis will have no effect?

if the problem has an emotional basis then it's psychological. if not then using hypnosis to cause emotional arousal would not result in an erection because the problem might be organic ?

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Permalink Reply by Seth-Deborah Roth on August 11, 2008 at 11:27am

Hi Alan,

After a man experiences organic impotency, the emotions usually start to add to the mix making the problem even worse. With that being said, working psychologically with organic caused impotency will not fix the organic problem. Working with a non organic impotency patient with hypnosis or other psychological interventions is the way to go.

If you want below is a simplified physiology description of an erection:

We as hypnotists are stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system influencing the tissue of the penis to fill with blood as the smooth muscle relaxes allowing more arterial blood flow. (The parasympathetic and the sympathetic are balancing each other in a manner of speaking). There is constant ongoing sympathetic nervous system tone in the penis that keeps the arteries and sinusoids of the penis in a little bit of contraction so to let enough blood into the penis for blood supply but not enough for an erection. With stimulation, there is a decrease in that sympathetic nervous system tone that allows for the dilation of the arteries. There is the "tunica albuginea" in the outside lining of the "corpora cavernosa"that exerts pressure on the penile veins which little by little, build up and stops the escape of blood from the penis. There is an increased filling, thus an erection gets hard and is maintained.

Warm Regards,
Seth-Deborah

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Permalink Reply by John Cerbone - The Trance-Master on August 11, 2008 at 11:44am

An additional Major word of caution. In many locales and jurisdictions, working with this condition without fullly approved written medical authorization, would be regarded as practicing medicine.
Last year after a major hypnosis convention, a young colleague from the Chicago area contacted me about placing an ad in the local newspaper. "sexually impotent? Call me" -- then the phone number was listed. potentially a hypnotist With out other collaborating therapeutic licenses, hosting this session could be considered to be skating on thin ice.

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Permalink Reply by Susan French on August 11, 2008 at 2:25pm

Seth-Deborah,

You are always so gentle and sensitive when you pass on information. This quality is so very much appreciated by me.

You have become one of my most favorite people to read.

Susan French

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Permalink Reply by Roxann Higuera on August 11, 2008 at 6:21pm

I saw my client this evening. There's definitely a medical issue involved. For one, he has type II diabetes. It's possible there's something else as well. He already had an appointment set up with his physician for a complete checkup. He'll be getting his medical referral then. I told him I would not see him again without it.

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