The Transparent Hypnotist

Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Newton, MA (from their website)

(Guest poster:  Michael Raugh)

Good morning.

First things first:  Ellie is okay.  She’s run into a serious time crunch because of some of the changes she alluded to in her real-world life, and that’s what has kept her from the blog.  When she returns I’m sure she’ll share as much of the story as she can.

My sweetheart, Julie, had day surgery recently at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, which involved a different sort of pain than Ellie’s.  Often as a hypnotist I feel a little out of place in a medical facility.  So many real doctors tend to see hypnotists, especially “lay hypnotists” like myself, as a nuisance at best or charlatans at worst.  The staff at Newton-Wellesley gave me none of that vibe, I rush to say.  They are delightful people and made us feel very comfortable.

In the 19th century James Braid performed hundreds of amputations and other surgeries using only hypnosis for anesthesia.  A number of modern hospitals welcome hypnosis in childbirth (talk to my friend Dee Bitner about that) but it’s not often seen in other forms of surgery.  And Julie was no exception.  She is capable of reaching very deep trance states up to and including the Esdaile state, so in theory she could have had her procedure that way, but there’s a time and a place for experiments and this wasn’t it.

We did make ample use of hypnosis both before and after the procedure, though.  Before, for example, I put Julie in a moderate trance to help her remain relaxed and distracted while the nurse tried twice to establish a good IV and then had to yield to the anesthesiologist because Julie’s veins were hard to pin down.   The nurse commented on how soothing my voice was.

After the procedure Julie was in a fair amount of pain despite the medications still in her system.  We worked on that and were able to  lessen the pain somewhat, but the narcotics interfered with her concentration.  It wasn’t until that evening when she could focus well enough to really take control of her body’s responses again.  I’m proud of my honey, though, because she made it through the next few days needing nothing but hypnosis and a little Advil to keep herself comfortable.  As a result she felt good enough that we spent Memorial Day weekend out and about, within reasonable limits, and that helped us both feel worlds better.

<MR>

You may notice there is not a 10 Question interview here today like most Fridays. (Never fear - it shall return soon). There are many reasons for this, but suffice to say - I am tired. Really tired. I have had to make some big decisions in my personal life and after a week of running about here and there…it has caught up with me.

At some point, I will write a post dedicated to some of the responses that I receive when I ask people to consider being part of the 10 Questions - but again I am tired and my wrist hurts. So, instead of a rant, I’ll dedicate this post to my wrist.

Dearest Left Wrist,

I know I have taken you for granted. I have assumed you would always be there for me, unnoticed in the background. But alas, I have neglected you and I am sorry. I should have paid more attention to you, listening to your unhappiness about needing a new wrist pad for the mouse (and the perils of power dropping with the entrecard crowd). I know, I know - its time to look at places for carpal tunnel relief and be more responsible in how I care for you.

You see, I know you think a bout with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome will prove to me that you do indeed need more from me in our relationship. I know with the new brochure and materials I have been working on day and night, your tendon sheaths have become irritated (believe me, I would be irritated, too), so much so that they are swelling up and are not allowing the rest of my hand to receive it very much needed blood supply. You can be so cruel. Yes, I know what that tingling sensation means. How I long for the days when my fingers moved gracefully, tendons happy and peaceful. Why must you incite me to a state of pain management?

Okay, I am listening. What do you want? Surgery - I don’t think so. Injections? Really, that seems extreme. What if I give you some rest time? How about a splint at night so I do not clench you? I would even consider the IMAK Smart Glove® since it has a flexible splint. How about that? I could wear it while we work and be reminded that I need to keep you positioned properly. It even has massaging ergoBeads™ - imagine it - a massage all the time.

So, before you grumble and throw another stabbing pain moment my way, please consider what I am saying. I’ll take better care of you and you can give me some carpal tunnel relief. Would you please give me another chance?

Love,
Ellie

(TM) Twentieth Century Fox Corporation

This Sunday Question is posting late, I know. Like many others this weekend, I have company at the house and it’s made for a highly enjoyable but slightly hectic day.

This does, on the other hand, bring up a question that I get from time to time: “So, do you hypnotize your kids to do their homework?” No, I don’t, though I have to admit to a certain level of temptation in that area. ;^)

Joking aside, there are certainly times when it comes in handy to be a hypnotist. Today my girlfriend Julie accidentally touched a hot pan handle in the kitchen and received a small but painful burn. We did all the usual first-aid things — a bag of frozen broccoli applied immediately for a form-fitting cold pack, for example — but when it came to the pain I was without any of the usual topical anesthetics that people normally stock for that. Instead, I used hypnosis to remove the pain and gave her suggestions for rapid healing (something that worked marvelously for my teacher, Marcia Proctor, when her daughter had a burn on her face) and all was well.

It occurred to me during all this that I have never used hypnosis with a family member. I’ve taken my children to Marcia in their younger days and have, once or twice, induced trance in someone with a family member around (usually a quick demonstration), but nobody in my immediate family has ever asked me to hypnotize them. I wonder whether they believe I can do it, since they’ve known me for so long as just plain Michael the computer geek and dad.

So with all that in mind, my Sunday Question for you is:

Do you use hypnosis on members of your own family? If not, why not?

<MR>

Good Monday morning to you! The wrist is feeling better, thank you very much and the world is aligning itself simply. Even the news in the hypnotic world has improved, since the ickiness of last Thursday

Once again, we have a brave hypnotist who faced the surgeon’s scalpel. Notice that the pioneers in non-anesthesia seem to be hypnotists these days, like Liesl van Dreau and her tonsillectomy. Well, good for us. Faster healing, less side effects. The other wonderful and timely thing about this recent surgery is that it involved total self-hypnosis. He did it himself.

In case you have not heard about this, here are the details:

• Who: Alex Lenkei, Age 61
• Where: Worthing Hospital in West Sussex, UK
• What: Used self-hypnosis opposed to anesthesia for Orthopaedic surgery to remove a walnut-sized growth and adjusting a tendon on his hand.
• Surgery Purpose: To improve his hand mobility that had been decreased due to arthritis.
• Length of the Procedure: 81 minutes.

Pretty amazingly wonderful. There was an interesting quote:

“The anesthetist Dr. Richard Venn, believes Lenkei managed by way of the hypnosis to get his own body to release large amounts of pain-killing chemicals that prevented him from feeling pain during the procedure.”

I would love to know what self-suggestions Lenkei did use. It sounds wonderful.

Sources:
news-medical.net
www.thesun.co.uk

As a hypnotist I occasionally run into things that I would rather not know. This ranges from people growing up in abusive households to certain medical procedures. Just the idea of these procedures is enough to turn my blood cold, but then I have to remind myself I am too far into this to turn my back on a few queasy moments.

Today is a case in point. I had a consultation with a young woman whose mother is dealing with Parkinson’s disease. It is not so much the disease that requires my services but to assist with another therapeutic procedure called Deep Brain Stimulation (this is the part I almost would rather not know about). According to an article on Bettercare.com about Parkinson’s disease, this procedure is a form of brain surgery, where electrodes are implanted into areas of the brain to stimulate it. A battery runs this and is placed under the skin in the patient’s chest. The battery creates electrical signals. These signals are there to block any abnormal nerve signals that cause the Parkinson tremors.

From what the daughter tells me, her mother has the same reaction I have to this therapy. It sounds great, but I would not want to go through it - neither does she. However, she has read about hypnosis as being a possible way to get through the treatment (that and from the recent post about hypnosis used for anesthesiology for tonsillectomies). If the treatment works out, it will be the difference between living with her family or living in nursing homes for the rest of her existance, not to mention the symptoms of Parkinson’s, as well.

So, the next step will involve me meeting with her and if she feels good about me, we will go forward by discussing with her doctor the potential of her using hypnosis to get through the procedure.

During my cleaning process yesterday, I refound an article about a recent tonsillectomy done under hypnosis with fabulous results. Have you read about this yet? If not, read on.

The operation took place in Johannesburg, Africa at the Milpark Hospital. The person who was hypnotized with anesthesia hypnosis was Liesl van Dreau (the article also cites her age at 35 - why do we need to know this?). So, happy recovery Ms. van Dreau and good for you for giving this a go!

According to the article, no painkillers or anesthetics were given during the operation, nor did she use antibiotics or anti-inflammatory tablets after the fact. And the wonderful thing is that not only did she not have to endure the side affects of the painkillers and anesthesia (grogginess, nausea, and all those fabulous things), when in the recovery room, she was able to drink a soda and even eat. She was in recovery for an hour, then discharged from the hospital, and was able to go back to work within three days of the operation. This is great news for those of us who have difficulty with anesthesia and sensitivity to pain killers, but it is also fabulous for everyone else. Who would not want to come out of surgery like that? And I would think the insurance companies would be all over it - so much less time in the hospital equals less money for the procedure.

The other thing you should know about Ms. van Dreau is that this all came about because she was taking a course in hypnotherapy. An anesthesiologist from Milpark Hospital also took the course and asked a surgeon, Dr Kishen Dayal, if he would do Ms.Van Dreau’s tonsil surgery using hypnosis for anesthesia. After meeting with her, Dr. Dayal agreed to try it, using specific surgical instruments to minimize bleeding. In the end, only half a swab was needed for the blood loss.

The hypnotist was Tom Budge (Johannesburg), whom Ms. van Dreau saw twice before the surgery to prepare for it. During the surgery (took her six minutes to be hypnotized), Budge gave her suggestions to control the bleeding, to be pain free and that she was doing well.

Another feather for our cap, I would say!

Source: New24.com

As the weather fluctuates between cemetery weather, a day at the beach, and a day in Alaska in the winter, various aches and pains begin to rear their ugly head more and more. So, today it is a question of pain. In 10 Questions with Michael Raugh, he mentioned another hypnotist who refuses to even use the word “pain” during sessions, as it in itself maybe a suggestion in itself. Then there are those who use pain indexes to have a starting and ending point or for a guideline. There are several of these scales.

The Sunday Question is:

Do you use a specific pain scale in your practice or life and if so, which one and why? Or do you not believe in pain scales and if so, why?

Last week while looking for information and statistics about hypnosis and breast cancer, I came across another study done in 2004. This one involved children undergoing cancer surgery and their pain levels.

Though I am still trying to find the original study information, including where it was done, this information came from a review by Linda A. Vrooman at thecancer.net taken from Cancer Online in September 2004.

There was research done to substantiate the role of hypnosis in prolonging life of those with cancer. One study specifically looked at how pain was perceived by children and the affects of hypnosis on this perception. Apparently 80 children participated. They were broken up into four groups, two of which consisted of experiencing an anesthetic and hypnosis during various procedures. The other two groups received an an anesthetic and counseling. The groups who used hypnosis experienced much less pain then the other groups, based on their response to how much pain they suffered using a scale of zero to five.

Again, I am still looking for the study this review is from, but thought it would be good to infuse a little good news after the debauchery we suffered yesterday with the showbiz hypnosis. If you know of the source of the cancer study, please share it here.

My old faithful English Breakfast tea! How soothing it is on the throat when one seems to be inevitably destine for a summer cold. I suppose I should be thinking healing thoughts, but I am a bit torn between that and fighting it or just letting it happen and going with the flow. Even with this New Age enlightenment stuff, I guess we still have many choices.

In my current research with birthing techniques and such, I came across Dr. Bruce Eimer’s article on pain management. Though this article does not so much speak to child birthing, it does relate. There are some interesting similarities to Dr. Peterson’s premises (see yesterday’s posts). His again deals with some emotional aspects. Here is his article:

Hypnosis and Pain Management

Living with Chronic Persistent Pain can be a terrible energy drain and distraction. In addition to the “physical hurt” of the pain, there usually is a component of “emotional suffering”. This emotional component, or “emotional overlay” to the physical pain can make the pain hurt more, and it can also interfere with pain treatment. Emotional suffering makes physical pain worse.

Hypnosis … may help you obtain relief from the “Sensory” component” of your persistent pain, as well as from the “Emotional Overlay”.

Relief from the pain’s “Sensory” component” can be obtained through the induction of Hypnosis and the utilization of appropriate, individualized Hypnotic Analgesia, Relaxation, and Imagery techniques. In addition, you may benefit by learning SELF-HYPNOSIS so that you can self-induce the Hypnotic State and benefit regularly from the Escape from Pain that it can provide.

Relief from the pain’s “Emotional Overlay” component” can be obtained by changing your self-defeating, negative thinking patterns through the use of both “Waking State Reframing” and Hypnosis. This can enable you to cope better.

Pain is a total experience that is at once a “Physical Sensation”, an “Emotion” (e.g., depression, fear, anxiety, anger), an accompanying thought (e.g., Ouch!! This really hurts! When is this going to end?”) and a “Behavior” (e.g., laying down, ceasing activities that hurt, etc.). Pure pain” WITHOUT the “Emotional” and “Thinking” components does not hurt as much and is more tolerable.

Fear, Anger, Anxiety, and Depression all make pain worse. Negative ideas should be removed from one’s Conscious and expecially one’s Unconscious (i.e., “Subconscious”) Minds. This is best accomplished through the appropriate use of Cognitive Psychotherapy, Reframing, and Hypnosis.

No one need suffer continuously or endlessly. PAIN MAY BE MANDATORY BUT SUFFERING IS OPTIONAL. Most people can be helped to better cope with their pain.

To learn more about Dr. Eimer’s practice, go to www.hypnosishelpcenter.net.

*You will note the ellipsis at the second paragraph. Sorry Dr. Eimer, I did make an edit here. What I clipped out is “administered by the right licensed health professional.” Seems a bit small of me, I know, but I wanted to use it to make a point. In the United States, in most states, one does not even really have to be certified to be a hypnotist, much less licensed. I understand Dr. Eimer’s point of view on licensing, though. He is a clinical psychologist who uses hypnosis in his practice. However, there are some very wonderful hypnotists out there who are certified and should not be dismissed. If you are looking for a hypnotist, my suggestion would be to make sure that they are certified by a real association and do find out about their background.