IS HYPNOSIS REAL?
There is a growing body scientific evidence that proves there is a hypnotic state. Studies involving PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans have clearly demonstrated that something unusual happens in the brain of people who are hypnotized.
PET scans of the human brain have shown that when we see an image in colour, specific areas in our brain are activated. Whereas, if we see that same image in black-and-white, other areas, become active. As a result, one study focused on finding out if hypnosis had any scientifically measurable effect on this process.
Here volunteers were hypnotized, given a PET scan & then shown either black-and-white or colour images. When the hypnotized subjects were shown a colour image, and then given the suggestion to only see black and white, there was decreased activity in the part of the brain that perceives colour. A fact that clearly demonstrates that hypnosis involves something more than just pretending.
SOME SCIENTIFIC STUDIES ON HYPNOSIS
As "The Toronto Hypnotherapist" Allan has summarized the findings of over 150 scientific studies that conclusively prove that hypnosis really works.
He has compiled these studies in a booklet that you can read or download.
In order for any prescription drug to be approved for use by the government, the drug must be measured against the Placebo Effect. This is usually done by splitting the subjects of the drug being studied into two random groups: one that receives the drug and the other that receives a placebo (often a sugar pill). Numerous studies have shown that slightly more than 30% of those receiving the placebo show an improvement (and closer to 50% when dealing with pain control). This means that for a drug to be approved it must be clinically proven to have a greater effect.
Now one of the charges often levelled against hypnosis is that all it really does is to harness the power of the Placebo Effect. Fortunately, numerous studies have been conducted on the power of hypnosis to relieve pain and they have demonstrated that its ability to relieve pain is much greater than it would be if it were merely the result of the Placebo Effect.
Other studies have also shown that when hypnosis is used to deal with pain it has a different effect then a placebo, because rather than simply allowing you to tolerate more pain (as happens with placebos), hypnosis will actually prevent you from feeling pain in the first place.
Another study focused on the fact that pain causes a specific area of the brain to be activated (the anterior cingulate cortex). When subjects were then hypnotized and zapped with a small electrical current, PET scans revealed that there was a statistically significant decrease in the activation of this area of the brain.
Somehow hypnosis was able to affect the circuits that relayed the pain signals to the brain.
Hypnosis has been endorsed by the British, American and Canadian Medical Associations because it has been proven over and over to really work.
TO READ ABOUT THESE SCIENTIFIC STUDIES CLICK HERE
PET scans have also revealed that different parts of the brain are activated when we hear a sound, while other parts are activated when we simply imagine we hear a sound. As a result, researchers realized this would allow them to determine which area of the brain is activated when someone is hypnotized and then simply given the suggestion to hear a sound.
The results of this study prove that when a hypnotized subject is given the suggestion to hear a sound, the area of the brain that hears real sounds becomes activated and not the area one would expect if the sounds were simply imagined.