“Hypnosis. What comes to mind when you hear the word? A caped magician swaying a pocket watch before his subject's eyes? Someone barking like a dog? What should come to mind is this: A smoker chucking the cigarettes forever; a dieter finally losing those persistent pounds; a woman giving birth without drugs or severe pain.”

“The word hypnosis comes from the Greek word for sleep, but actually, you are not asleep, you are focused and have more self-control. Researchers have done EEGs of persons in trances that showed their brains were highly alert and focused.”

Complementary Medicine Clinic at Stanford University “In the past few decades the phenomenon has enjoyed an increasing amount of scientific interest, as well as widespread clinical applications for an array of medical and psychological purposes, from removing warts to retrieving memories long buried in the unconscious.”

“Hypnosis is effective in alleviating chronic pain associated with various cancers.”

“Hypnotic intervention diminishes the need for anaesthesia during invasive procedures such as angioplasty and breast reconstruction and can accelerate postoperative wound healing” , Department of Psychology, Harvard Medical School “As a relaxation technique, hypnosis can help reduce your stress. It's also used to relieve phobias, lessen anxiety, break addictions and to ease symptoms of conditions such as asthma or allergy. Using hypnosis can help patients control nausea and vomiting from cancer medications and morning sickness, reduce bleeding during surgery, steady the heartbeat and bring down blood pressure.”

Why does it work? “Because the patients are in an altered state, solely focused on the message, soaking it up, rather than in a psychological mode in which they can trivialize or ignore it...”

“Many patients suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and Fibromyalgia, painful disorders that do not generally respond well to conventional treatments, have often found relief through hypnotherapy.”