January 4th, 2008   reference: BBC News On Line    Health Watch

The effects of hypnotherapy were found to be greater than those of more traditional relaxation techniques.

The research, conducted at Hampshire Hypnotherapy Centre, was revealed to the British Psychological Society.

David Byron, a senior specialist educational psychologist for Hampshire County Council studied 10 pupils, aged 11 to 16, being treated at the centre for emotional behavioural difficulties related to anxiety.

The students received psychological treatment in sessions with their parents during which they set things about which they wanted to change their lives. They were then taught how to self-hypnotise and work towards these targets.*

Mr Byron said the hypnotherapy acted as a useful vehicle for the psychological treatment, and he found it produced greater effects than were seen in students using more traditional relaxation techniques.

He said hypnotherapy could be used to influence the treatment process and could be used by psychologists as "an adjunct" to their professional training.

He said: "It seems to empower the students to change their lives and it's not me doing it, it's them."

Mr Byron said hypnotherapy could also be useful to help with a number of other treatments, and that he would like to see the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services nationwide employing people to offer a hypnotherapy service to patients.

He said: "There is no doubt it has a tremendous amount to offer."

Anxiety common

Ian Goodyer, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge said anxiety is a significant problem in children aged 11-15. He said: "Children may have symptoms such as panic attacks, they may show avoidance behaviours, or they may have sensitivity and worry about what other people may be thinking about them."

He said standard treatments included educating them about their anxiety, and methods such as cognitive behavioural therapy.

He said hypnotherapy had been used widely as a relaxation technique to reduce anxiety, and the idea that it could aid other psychological treatments was "interesting", but he called for more research into the area.

He said: "It is an interesting thought that now requires proper randomised controlled trials."

Interestingly, in this trial the students' teachers said they had seen more changes in the students using the relaxation techniques. But Mr Byron speculated this may be because the hypnotherapy produced cognitive and emotional changes.

He said: "I think there was a direct contrast between the pupils and parents' observations with those of the teachers because the teachers have less time to become aware of the changes going on inside the pupils' minds, especially in the teenage years."

The results of this research into the Hypnotherapy Centre were revealed at The British Psychological Society's Division of Educational and Child Psychology annual conference in

Glasgow.

*(See link Hypnosis Therapy and Cognitive Repatterning services available in Marbella on the home page of this site.)  

A hypnotist from West Sussex has undergone surgery on his right hand without a general anaesthetic.

Alex Lenkei, 61, from Worthing, chose to sedate himself by hypnosis before undergoing the 83-minute operation.

He said he was fully aware of everything going on around him during the procedure but was free from pain.

The operation at Worthing Hospital involved removing some bone in the base of the thumb and fusing some joints in an attempt to improve his arthritis.

Consultant orthopaedic surgeon David Llewellyn-Clark said he was happy in agreeing to the unusual sedation on Mr Lenkei, a registered hypnotist  who has been practising since the age of 16.

At one stage a hammer and chisel was used as well as a surgical saw, but I felt no pain Alex Lenkei

Mr Lenkei said Wednesday's surgery "went amazingly well".

"It took between 30 seconds to a minute for me to place myself under hypnosis, and from that point I felt a very deep relaxation.

"I was aware of everything around me, from people talking and at one stage a hammer and chisel was used as well as a surgical saw, but I felt no pain."

Throughout the operation, an anaesthetist was on standby to administer an anaesthetic if necessary.

Mr Llewellyn-Clark said he had been confident that Mr Lenkei was a skilled hypnotist and was "delighted all went well".