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Over the last few decades hypnosis is becoming more and more recognised as a valuable therapeutic tool, not just by the public but also by the medical profession. As a result, research funds have been made available to run clinical tests to investigate the workings of hypnosis. Most research still comes from the USA, but tests under laboratory conditions have also been carried out in Canada, Australia, Germany and other European countries.
Research has focused on a variety of physical functions which are measured before and during hypnosis. It has been found that, while a subject is in hypnosis, the breathing rate and heart beat slow down, the bronchi of the lungs dilate, blood pressure drops and the production of stomach acid is reduced In addition, no stress hormones are released into the bloodstream.
Scientists at the University of Constance have observed that, even with subjects only in a light trance, white blood cells cling more firmly to blood vessels, which is thought to increase the efficiency of the body’s immune system. The body also seems to produce more of these immune enhancing lymphocytes while under hypnosis, which could explain why hypnosis has been used successfully in the treatment of several health issues.
These scientific findings make it clear why hypnosis is an ideal tool to help alleviate physical problems such as asthma, tension headaches, stomach disorders, high blood pressure and many other stress related problems.
Thanks to further research carried out over recent years, it’s been shown that hypnosis is not the same thing as sleep. Scientists at Stanford University in California tested the brain waves of hypnotised subjects, using an electroencephalograph (EEC), which records the electrical activity of the brain. As the nerve cells of the brain generate rhythmic electrical impulses, the EEC records these as peaks and troughs on a line graph. In hypnosis the brain emits alpha waves, which is a mentally alert but physically relaxed state. This contrasts strongly with the type of waves emitted when the subject is actually asleep, in this case, the waves become notably slower, proving that sleep is a very different state to a hypnotic trance, perhaps a reassuring finding for anyone who is concerned about becoming unconscious during hypnosis.
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