I have used hypnosis to help with sleep disorders for nearly 30 years. It is often very effective. From Israel comes a study using hypnosis as an add-on therapy for patients with chronic PTSD, showing benefit for sleep. Here is the scientific abstract. Enjoy.
This study evaluated the benefits of add-on hypnotherapy in patients with chronic PTSD. Thirty-two PTSD patients treated by SSRI antidepressants and supportive psychotherapy were randomized to 2 groups: 15 patients in the first group received Zolpidem 10 mg nightly for 14 nights, and 17 patients in the hypnotherapy group were treated by symptom-oriented hypnotherapy, twice-a-week 1.5-hour sessions for 2 weeks. All patients completed the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C, Beck Depression Inventory, Impact of Event Scale, and Visual Subjective Sleep Quality Questionnaire before and after treatment. There was a significant main effect of the hypnotherapy treatment with PTSD symptoms as measured by the Posttraumatic Disorder Scale. This effect was preserved at follow-up 1 month later. Additional benefits for the hypnotherapy group were decreases in intrusion and avoidance reactions and improvement in all sleep variables assessed.
Abramowitz EG, Barak Y, Ben-Avi I, Knobler HY. Hypnotherapy in the treatment of chronic combat-related PTSD patients suffering from insomnia: a randomized, zolpidem-controlled clinical trial. Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2008 Jul;56(3):270-80. Israel Defense Forces, Mental Health Department, Israel.
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27 Comments
I vas very disappointed as a child (11-12), and early adolescent, to find I couldn’t be hypnotized, even in therapy. It wasn’t until much later I heard that some people are much less susceptible than others to hypnotic phenomena. If only I had known!
it is true that some people are hypnotizable and others are not. This can be measured and used as a feedback for the person who is interested in getting hypnosis
Can hypnosis help me to eat less, never eat after 9PM and stop procrastination when it comes to billing the work I do.
Right now I always put off billing for weeks and sometimes months.
Find someone certified in Ericksonian Hypnosis. I have seen and been one of 1200 people including Tony Robbins who were ALL Hypnotized for over 2 hours by a Student of Erickson who lived with him,another time a few days later same group, diferent therapist
a one hour session,in which we were told not to recall anything until a certain meeting and phrase was used.3 momths later that did infact happen and everything was remembered.
What can you tell me about the Moringa Tree.
I am starting to drink Ziga which is a powder made from the leaves, flowers and pods of the Moringa Tree.
What percent of people can not be hypnotized?
How would you know that you can or can not be hypnotized before paying for a hypnotist?
PTSD from Vietman VETS have been treatd at Great Lakes Navy Hospital using EMDR with a great success.it is a form of hypnotherapy.
hypo does help w/ weight loss – repeat to yourself 10 times in waking and sleep – ” I am getting thinner, and thinner all the time.” everyday for two weeks. you will make better choices during the day that will help you lose wait.
There is a new form of therapy involving hypnosis called Rapid Trauma Resolution Therapy. It is effective with all forms of trauma from childhood to combat related incidents.
I have been practicing hypnotherapy for over 17 years and teaching hypnosis certification trainings for about 7. When you understand what hypnosis is, you come to understand it is a natural state of concentrated focused awareness which only requires a willingness to follow instructions by a skilled Hypnotherapist. Unless someone is uncooperative, or has a severe mental disorder that renders them unable to understand and follow simple direction, they can learn to go into at least a light hypnotic state, and most people can be trained to enter deeper states with practice. In fact, the hypnotic brain wave state is passed into several times throughout the day, and again upon transition into sleep and upon awakening. The usual reason someone feels they “can’t be hypnotized” is because of a false impression of what hypnosis is, or an experience working with a hypnotist with limited knowledge, skills and/or experience.
EMDR is not a type of hypnotherapy. It is
an Energy Psychology method.
This certainly sounds like an apples vs. oranges study: a short-term, immediate-relief sleep aid compared with a long-term therapeutic process. IMHO, a reasonable design should compare the two week period AFTER completion of the hypnosis tx with the two weeks on ambien. The only effect from the zolpidem that we’d reasonably expect is the patients would have sound sleep nightly for 2 weeks (probably superior to hypnosis since the patient is being “drugged”), and then experience rebound insomnia and probably worsening of PTSD sx for a few nights when the med is stopped.
This might seem like a good tentative study that will lead to further, more careful reasearch, except… This was done by professional hypnotists and published in one of their professional journals–sorry to be negative and suspicious, but this looks more the study’s outcome was planned in advance to show hypnotherapy in a good light. (If the ambien was shown as the more effective sleep aid and the study was published in the International Journal of Corporate Pharmaceutical Reseach, I think we’d all be rather suspicious about how the test design skewed the results in favor of the medication, wouldn’t we?).
I have had a severe triple sleep disorder since my Traumatic Brain Injury, 22 years ago. I have gone through all the sleep meds, till none of them work for me any longer. I would love to try hypnosis, but am not sure if I can be hypnotized.
I have heard of a type of machine that can ‘learn’ what frequency your brain will respond to, that will definitely hypnotize you. Are you familiar with this? Where can I find a treater who has access to this?
Ambien CR, and Lunesta do not work in the suggested potencies any longer. I have gained over 50 pounds from various meds since my head injury. The pounds go on from the drugs, but they do not come OFF after ceasing the drugs. I am no longer willing to ‘try’ any more drugs that put weight on. Believe me, I have tried them all. All except for the ‘date rape drug’, which I will not take. Sorry. Enough is enough.
Do you have hypnotherapy tapes for sleep?
I have paid to be hynotised about six times with no results. I would love to be hyponotised! It is not an unwillingless to follow directs or lack of desire for positive results. I would love to try it for my insomnia, but don’t want to spend the money to be disappointed again. Any suggestions?
I think that resolving past traumas (physical and emotional), any way you can, will probably help sleep. Anything that helps your body to relax will help sleep. I have tried hypnotherapy a few times and was not able to be hypnotized, but I would be willing to try it again with someone else. I have had EMDR and it was helpful for trauma. I would like to do more of it. EMDR is a type of therapy that helps the brain to process trauma, it is not hypnotherapy or Energy Psychology, as people have stated above. You can read about it here: http://www.emdr.com/briefdes.htm
Do you have a sample audio tape for sleep.
I am going in for a first session with a hypnotherapist this evening. What questions should I be asking so I can best understand and realize maximize benefits from hypnotherapy? My main symptoms are extreme anxiety/fear, depression and ADD/focus. I have the inattentive version of ADD. This has been going on for years and has really begun to impact my life severely.
I was a smoker and I tried every way to quit that was available and failed everytime. I tried hypnotherapy in 1999. It worked, I haven’t smoked for 10 years. Hypnotherapy can not make you do something you don’t want to do. If I didn’t really want to quit smoking I wouldn’t have. It can stengthen your willpower. I now have a daughter with sleep issues, migraines and chronic daily headaches. I would love to find a good hypnotherapist in my area to help her. It’s probably the only thing I haven’t tried.
I am a Traumatic Brain-injury survivor, post 22 years. I wrote a note in May’09, talking about my triple sleep disorder, my dissappointment with popular drugs, and my interest in hypnotherapy. Yes, I DO use Melatonin, 5- HTP, GABA, Lithium Orotate, and a “hypnotic sleep tape” every night. Along WITH either Lunesta, or Ambien, which I alternate weekly so as not to get too used to either drug. The drug works for 2-5 hours. I am currently going to begin EMDR tratment soon. I really am “tired of being tired” all the time. Any hints, anyone???
Sybil – you should also look into doing alpha-theta neurofeedback, which I believe can help with hypnosis and sleep.
Sybil,
If you haven’t considered it, you might also ask to be evaluated for Sleep Apnea….a common cause of daytime sleepiness/tiredness and poor sleep patterns. My apnea was causing frightening, startled wake-ups with severe anxiety…when the body stops breathing, it goes into an adrenaline state to arouse/wake for survival. Good luck.
Try Spring Forest Qigong the healing results are amazing and it’s simple
i need help with my daughter, she has Trich (the hair pulling disorder. can hypnosis help her get over it?
Terresa-There is an very successful expert on Trich in Dallas, TX. by the name of Faithrose. She probably has a website because she is not only a clinical hypnotist but also a well known keynote speaker. A websearch might find her. Good luck.
I’m wondering how to find a suitable hypnotherapist – after reading the article on its’ effect on sleep etc., I wondered how to go about the search. I think it is very important to trust the therapist – it would be unsafe to allow certain people to hypnotize you. Any advice?
I have been using Dr Amen’s sleep hypnosis cd nightly for about 2 months now…and I am sorta confused what is happening…perhaps someone can answer for me. Many time (probably most of the time I am asleep soon after I am done deep breathing, sometimes not even making it to the 3rd deep breath. (Wow!) I love that! But am I being hypnotised, or am I asleep? or both???? If I wake up in the night and feel like I can’t go back to sleep, the cd usually works then too….I am also taking an herbal sleep remedy as well as kava kava…So things have dramatically improved in the area of sleep for me. I am not really asking for medical advise….but I really would like a response to what is happening here….Thanks, Barbara