When a parent is faced with the choice of their child either getting diabetes or using hypnosis to avoid diabetes, hypnosis is most parents’ first choice.

Interestingly, not as many parents are as willing to use hypnosis to keep their kids thin.  That is, until they are told that obesity, especially in children, leads more and more frequently to diabetes as well as many other serious health problems.

Okay, sounds good but is hypnosis medically recognized as useful?  And, if hypnosis does work, what is it?

To answer the first question, let’s look at the below excerpt from a Mayo Clinic article titled Hypnosis In Contemporary Medicine:

“The acceptance of hypnosis as a mode of treatment in medicine is increasing as a result of ‘careful, methodical, empirical work of many research pioneers.’”

Now, as to what hypnosis really is, there are many definitions but one that is clear, concise and common sense, can be found in the book, “21^st Century Medicine: Clinical Evidence For The Healing Power Of The Mind”.  The definition given there is this: “Hypnosis is your ability to convince yourself of any belief.  Therefore all hypnosis is self hypnosis.”

Now, if all hypnosis is self-hypnosis then that must mean a hypnotist is actually just a coach who helps someone hypnotize themselves into beliefs that serve and support their happiness, health and well-being.  As to the idea that hypnosis can “make” people do things they don’t want to, if that were true, then why do we have jails?

And another fact, also unknown to most people, is that in 1996 a National Institutes of Health panel recommended the use of hypnosis for a variety of issues. (JAMA. 1996;276:313-318)

And hypnosis can definitely help with weight loss.  According to Harold B. Crasilneck, Ph.D. and James A. Hall, M.D.,   "Hypnotherapy can often help in treating obesity, an observation that is one of the most clinically confirmed in all the literature on hypnosis."⁽¹⁾

What about hypnosis for kids?  Well, according to an article published by the University of Michigan Health System ⁽²⁾ it was observed back in the 1970’s that children were easier to hypnotize than adults, and that hypnosis could be used in the treatment of behavioral and physical problems in children.

So can hypnosis help children avoid obesity and diabetes?  A great deal of good evidence indicates that the answer is yes – and it is safe.

Thanks for taking your time to read this article.

Devin Hastings

President, the Minnesota Institute of Advanced Communication Skills

REFERENCES:

(1) Chapter 11, Hypnosis in the Treatment of Nutritional and Dietary Problems. “Clinical Hypnosis: Principles and Applications” by Harold B. Crasilneck, Ph.D. and James A. Hall., M.D.

(2): “Pediatric Hypnotherapy: Hypnosis Helping Kids”

http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/hypnosis.htm

 Further Reading:  

Read the article: "A New Health Tool for Diabetes".

And, if you want more information about hypnosis, click here to learn the dangers and lies of hypnosis.