To All the David's Out There

I recently received a comment from someone about my views on hypnosis.  David seems to think I'm being unfair to all the hypnotherapists out there and that I should try it so I don't have to suffer from Fibromyalgia.

To All of the David's Out There:

I have worked very hard at being as pain-free as possible.  If you care to read my blog, you'd know that because it's filled to the gills with a ton of information on daily coping, keeping a pain and food journal, recipes, exercise practices, as well as healing therapies like simple, chakra, and crystal meditations.  All of this is written with the intent of not only helping people cope but to also spread some positivity in an individual's otherwise dark world.

Having said that, I'm sure all the David's out there would say that they are trying to help out society by spreading the word that there is nothing wrong with hypnosis and it can in fact help people.  I'm not going to deny the fact that there are people that proclaim they have been helped by hypnosis.  There are a few studies out there that state subjects were able to alleviate pain better than others who were not under going such therapy.  The studies were small, though and we ALL know how I feel about small studies.  They don't prove a thing.

I'm also not going to argue that hypnosis is spiritually wrong.  Hypnosis is a belief, not a religion.  Some may think that the belief is wrong, but many Christian organizations do not see it that way.  In fact the Roman Catholic Church has no stance on it according to Catholic.org

However, what I can argue about is the fact that hypnotism is nothing more than the power of suggestion.  If I'm considered wrong, the party that is willing to argue with me has looked up one of the definitions.  And if anyone out there is confused by the definitions, it is because there isn't a consistent one. 

Many hypnosis sites claim that all of us can be easily hypnotized because we in fact do it to ourselves often.  They list examples of being extremely engrossed in a television show and not seeing someone enter the room as one example and another as not being able to recall a journey while driving a car.

If this is the case and all of us can be hypnotized then by all means it should be able to help, however not all of us easily fall prey to someone's suggestions.  Some of us happen to want to be observant in life.  By this I mean that we personally seek out the information we need-- that is how we discover our truth.  Some of us are so observant that we can see a person walk in the room while we are engrossed in a program.  And some of us are so observant that certain noises can wake us from sleep.

I don't see hypnotism as something that can cure disease, of course I don't think I could be hypnotized either.  These are my beliefs, just as it is my belief that one can't be possessed by the devil unless they are a willing participant.  Nor do I think that 80's rock musicians were trying to make us head banging teens worship the devil by placing "suggestions" on an album if you played it backwards. 

Am I making hypnotism sound ridiculous?  On the contrary, according to Debbie Hart, a hypnotherapist and life coach , meditation and hypnosis have many similarities.  Both can help with relaxation and both can help with aliments.  I'm a firm believer that meditation can help a person relieve symptoms, as well as lower stress and heart rate. 


The big difference between the two is the fact that meditation doesn't require a lot of expensive tools.  Sure things like candles, crystals, fish, and books about the subject cost money. But the fact of the matter is-- you don't need those to meditate. 

Hypnosis is a lot different in that respect because you need tools or a person to help you do it and the cost is considerably more.  Some hypnosis sites even state that you must pay for your sessions upfront and if you have to miss a scheduled appointment for any reason, you miss it without a refund.  I can't understand why one would have to pay for services rendered upfront and not be able to reschedule an appointment, but I guess that's how some people roll.

Of course, this proves the point that I was trying to make in my previous blog.  It's time we stop allowing people to control us-- be that by the dollar or by hypnosis.  There is no reason for any industry to be charging an astronomical amount of money for a therapy that might work.

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