NHS say Hypnosis could save them money...but only Doctors, Dentists, Nurses, Psychologists, Physiotherapists etc should treat people

It is great that after years of poo-poo-ing hypnotherapy, then accepting it for IBS that the Royal Society of Medicine are saying that hypnosis works for depression, pain and IBS, according to Monday's Daily Telegraph:

And the president of that association's hypnosis and psychosomatic medicine section (Mrs Jacky Owens) is more than suggesting that 'lay' hypnotherapists should be put out to grass - to quote the newspaper "If doctors were able to refer patients to properly trained hypnotherapists it would save the NHS a great deal of money" and she was reported to have said "making hypnosis a standard part of NHS treatment would also mean that vulnerable people would be less likely to turn to 'unqualified practitioners' whose work was not properly monitored" further she added that "The group fears non-medically trained hypnotists often lack the understanding of the diseases their patients have and can cause real harm" and that "We need doctors, dentists, nurses, psychologists, physiotherapists, radiotherapists the whole gamut of people who treat patients - trained in hypnosis"

No 1 Re IBS it is a disorder not a disease - I am not a clinician Mrs Owen, but I can get that right..and you don't actually 'cure' diseases by hypnosis/hypnotherapy, you have a positive impact on the mind-body link therefore the mind to immune and endocrine pathways and the effects of 'stressors' so you help people cope with the symptoms of chronic disease and the way it affects their quality of life and perception of pain...

No 2 Most hypnotherapists are 'properly' trained these days - and actually minimum standards of training can be applied by statute

No 3 Doctors doing hypnotherapy in 10 minute GP sessions? (Shurely shome mishtake - Ed) - and considering that their pay has increased in real term by 150%+ in the past 30 years (even more than lawyers and accountants) that is not particularly cost effective...

The NHS have generally and historically dismissed hypnotherapy as a circus trick (apart from recently IBS and also Henxy's forward looking PCT at Sandwell) and now it is being suggested that clinicians some of whom can hardly write legibly (any one tried to read their doctor's handwriting?) should be stringing together complex linguistic patterns - now that is a big ask!

Having decried us and suggested that we are charlatans with snake oil and mirrors - I love it that now there is increasing scientific evidence for the efficacy of hypnosis the medical profession want to have it all for themselves....

Grrrrr...rant...rant!!

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Permalink Reply by Michael Ellner on June 9, 2011 at 6:07am

In a past life, I dated the publicist for the Oscar winning movie "Gandhi" and I became very interested in Gandhi's world view - I mention that because that quote you shared helped me become aware of how much Gandhi influcenced how I practice and the way I teach advanced hypnosis

"Be the model and technique - Become the model and technique"

Thanks -

Absolutely Don,

There is another Gandhi quote...

'At a political rally a man came up to Gandhi and said "Mahatma, I am a simple man, I don't understand many things, can you tell me please, what is your message?"

Gandhi looked at him for a moment before replying "I am my message." '

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Permalink Reply by Duncan Murray on June 9, 2011 at 8:01am

Gandhi was a man of wisdom and peace - he could say more in a few words than many politicians have said in a lifetime...

Michael Ellner said:

In a past life, I dated the publicist for the Oscar winning movie "Gandhi" and I became very interested in Gandhi's world view - I mention that because that quote you shared helped me become aware of how much Gandhi influcenced how I practice and the way I teach advanced hypnosis

"Be the model and technique - Become the model and technique"

Thanks -

Absolutely Don,

There is another Gandhi quote...

'At a political rally a man came up to Gandhi and said "Mahatma, I am a simple man, I don't understand many things, can you tell me please, what is your message?"

Gandhi looked at him for a moment before replying "I am my message." '

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Permalink Reply by Duncan Murray on June 9, 2011 at 8:08am

Michael,

Another one of my favourites from Gandhi: -

“You must be the change you want to see in the world”

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Permalink Reply by Duncan Murray on June 9, 2011 at 8:13am

Sad - isn't it Anthony...

In this age of enlightenment...

"Now where is that 'Witch-Finder General' there are a few 'lay' hypnotists to burn!" RSM and BMA Annual Reports 2012 !!

Anthony Jacquin said:

My father was at the meeting for the full day.

According to him, the lectures were appauling. The guy giving the lecture on his quit smoking approach confessed to having seen three smoking clients!!! And he is lecturing at the RMS!

When my father mentioned he ran a hypnotherapy training school the psychiatrist he was talking to pointed to fingers at his eyes and suggested he was the devil incarnate as far as those running the day were concerned.

They do not seem interested that he may have learnt something as a lay hypnotherapist with 25,000 sessions under his belt.

The article in the Independent was terrible lazy journalism.

Anthony

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Permalink Reply by Henxy on June 9, 2011 at 8:41am

Poor Dad!

The real problem is that in such a closed club, 'outsiders' never get the opportunity to demonstrate their wares (or their capability, integrity etc etc) so the job falls to whichever 'insider' feels sufficiently strongly to talk about it, and by default becomes the 'expert'.

One of the 'medical and dental' training schools (not the really dodgy one which has nothing to do with either doctors or dentists and passes other people's work off as their own) awards a university-accredited higher diploma; yet their students 'just' have to write a few assignments and do a viva. There is never any assessment of their capability or their aptitude or attitude. Someone with the lowest of morals and the poorest of considerations for their client could pass that course with flying colours by blagging it- oh look, one just did.

My friend the gastroenterologist has all sorts of people with all sorts of backgrounds attending and being guest speaker at his patient classes, which are a mix of mindfulness, yoga, and anything else which someone wants to share (including Henxy trancing the room!). If I could clone him, I'd put one of him in every GP surgery and every hospital department. Then, we'd get somewhere. Respectful of others, and wide-open minded. Now that's a rare thing indeed.

Anthony Jacquin said:

My father was at the meeting for the full day.

According to him, the lectures were appauling. The guy giving the lecture on his quit smoking approach confessed to having seen three smoking clients!!! And he is lecturing at the RMS!

When my father mentioned he ran a hypnotherapy training school the psychiatrist he was talking to pointed to fingers at his eyes and suggested he was the devil incarnate as far as those running the day were concerned.

They do not seem interested that he may have learnt something as a lay hypnotherapist with 25,000 sessions under his belt.

The article in the Independent was terrible lazy journalism.

Anthony

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Permalink Reply by Bill Kennedy on June 9, 2011 at 9:32am

The real issue here is how to get time-poor medical people to treat hypnotherapists as a member of the team, part of the healthcare tool box? In my jurisdiction, it was difficult for midwives to get accepted by the medical establishment either, until a doctor's strike made that question moot.

It would really help if hypnotherapy were truly a self-regulated profession with publicly enforced standards.

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Permalink Reply by Henxy on June 9, 2011 at 10:13am

I did have to giggle though: the shoe's on the other foot in that article. So many times I comment on here that posters are talking about all doctors, as if they could possibly know all doctors professionally, let alone know all doctors' views on hypnotherapy...

So here is Peter Naish, doing exactly the same thing, and we're annoyed by it!