Hypnotherapy & Psoriasis - A Case Study

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kora Klapp on January 12, 2012 at 8:46am

Hi Bill,

as all clients experienced a shift in their attitude towards psoriasis (i e that they feel better about themselves even with those symptoms), I would suppose that the very biological program still serves a function for them. This might often be to deal with loss of contact, or desire to reinforce boundaries, both on the physical level and/or in relationships.

Kora

Permalink Reply by Bill Kennedy on January 14, 2012 at 5:45am

Thanks, Kora!  I'm also wondering if it makes a difference how active the psoriasis is at the time of hypnotic intervention.  I noticed with my own skin that there were times when it was much more active than others.

Permalink Reply by Barry Neale on January 18, 2012 at 5:34am

Hi Bill,

 

I think you are right to consider that there maybe other causes. The reality is some people get better with nutrtional approaches, others with chinese medicine and others with hypnosis. Others just grow out of it!

 

I have had several clients who have come in just for emotional problems and then on their follow up sessions reporting that their psoriasis had gone.... and I never addressed it all. It was never even mentioned by the clients in the previous sessions. So no placebo effect here because it was never even considered to be something we were working on.

 

How I think about it is to use a metaphor of a rain barrel.. Food interlerances might add a couple of inches to the amount of rain in the barrel. Past events add a few, current events add a few and then when it fills up and overflows then you get a symptom.

 

If you lower the level on any of the stressors then the symptoms abate. I learned this rain barrel idea from Sandy Radomski who works a lot with allergies and food intolerances and I find it useful,

 

Barry

 

 

 

 

 

 Bill Kennedy said:

Thanks, Kora!  I'm also wondering if it makes a difference how active the psoriasis is at the time of hypnotic intervention.  I noticed with my own skin that there were times when it was much more active than others.

Permalink Reply by Kelley Woods on January 18, 2012 at 5:52am

Hey Bill,

Some issues clear up "magically" with just a single course of hypnotherapy, some take several sessions and others just don't respond at all (or perhaps they do, just beyond our radar like Barry mentioned). One point I emphasize to my clients, those with skin problems included, is that daily application of the soothing,healing and restorative power of mindful meditation/hypnosis is crucial to continued improvement and maintenance.

When a client is instructed how and when to apply that remedy on their own, they usually find success. Unfortunately, not everyone is either taught this nor has the motivation to do so.

Kelley

Permalink Reply by Melissa J. Roth on January 18, 2012 at 8:05am

Possibly, the suggestions/approaches he used were not tailored to the needs/issues/etc. of those 3 clients.  Since he was doing a semi-controlled case study he more than likely used the same suggestions/approaches for all 7 clients.  That would be the only way the study was valid.  However, in doing that he may have missed what was needed for those 3 specific clients.  

Permalink Reply by Michael Ellner on January 18, 2012 at 9:03am

Hi Bill,

Great discussion-

These types of problems are bound to pop up if researchers are using rigid protocols for studying hypnosis... The effectiveness  of hypnotic inter-actions can be increased or decreased depending on if the approach fits the subject or not.--

This free e-book is an excellent resource:

www.grossbart.com/SkinDeep.pdf

 

Permalink Reply by Bill Kennedy on January 18, 2012 at 10:24am

Hi Melissa - good point.

Hi Michael - Great resource!  I also hear what you're saying about rigid protocols.  You can't pop the same recording into each patient's ears the way you can pop a pill in their mouth!