Hypnosis and Multiple Sclerosis

[Unregisteredmikemontreal]

Hello,

In what ways could hypnosis help a person with Lou Gehrigs disease (Multiple Sclerosis)? Besides influencing positive attitude, could it actually help cure the body/fight the disease in any way at all?

Any feedback would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thankyou

[Merlin]

Hello,

>Besides influencing positive attitude, could it actually help cure the body/fight the disease in any way at all?

Yes, it is *possible*
But we cannot say here in this forum.
There is too much unknown to us.

[Unregisteredmikemontreal]

what are you saying? that it is too complex of a matter to be discussed on the boards or that its too complicated to do, but theoretically possible?

[betlamed]

Mike,

Actually, I think your question touches on basic metaphysical beliefs. There is no unconditional answer to it, because if you work with and on beliefs, of course your beliefs about your own work will always interfere with your work.

I think this is one of the major "issues" with hypnosis, and this is why there are so many idle ideological (flame)wars going on over it.

Hypnosis works better if you believe that it does, simply because this belief is a powerful suggestion in and of itself. Now, quite logically, if you believe that the mind has no power over matter, how would a positive attitude be able to further the healing process? If, on the other hand, you believe that matter is only secondary to spirit, then healing the spirit is indeed the ONLY way to heal the body.

I'm coming from a middle position. I think that mind, spirit and matter interact in various complex ways that we don't even realize.

I therefore think it's never a question of "Can hypnosis help with this or that issue?" Of course it can. Can hypnosis alone help? Perhaps, but I would'nt risk it. Can hypnosis ever be the only possible solution? No. Is hypnosis a True Belief (TM)? No. But it can *always* help further the healing.

I'm pretty sure of one thing: As long as the client doesn't stop the medical treatment, and as long as you make sure they do everything apart from hypnosis that can help them -- hypnosis will always be a wonderful supplement. Do we really need to know, in the end, whether it was the pills that helped, or rather the positive suggestions? Nope. We want a healthy and happy client.

That said, I can't give you any pre-made scripts or the like. I'm too much of a believer in do-it-yourself for that.

bl

[Don]

Hello Unregistered Mike Montreal,

One of the things that is important is a complete understanding of a client. This means being quite accurate. For example, you say that this person suffers from Lou Gehrig's Disease which you say is multiple sclerosis. In fact, Lou Gehrig's Disease is not MS, it is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS is thickening of tissue in the motor tracts of the lateral columns and anterior horns of the spinal cord that results in progressive muscle atrophy that starts in the limbs. MS is a chronic progressive nervous disorder involving loss of myelin sheath around certain nerve fibers.

Once a disease is diagnosed, it is a medical issue requiring medical treatment. That means a state-licenced practitioner such as an M.D. No legitimate hypnotist would work on an ALS or MS patient without a referral from the physician treating the case.

One of the problems in explaining hypnotherapy is that it works with a different paradigm than the type of medicine we're all used to. Specifically, Western allopathic medicine take an attitude that people are machines. Similar problems have similar causes, therefore the treatment for one person with a medical problem is the same for all people with the problem. This works in many, but not all situations.

With hypnosis, each person is considered a unique individual. Therefore, the hypnotic treatment of any problem will differ depending upon the client. The success will depend on a variety of things, including the experience and skills of the hypnotist and the mindset of the client.

My suggestion: call around and find a certified, experienced hypnotist in your area who has worked with people who have been diagnosed with ALS or MS, depending upon what the person you are concerned with actually has. Chances are they already have a form which can be given to this person's physician in order to obtain a referral.

Although this may sound "ageist," if the physician is 30 or younger, chances are he or she will gladly give the referral as long as it is understood, as betlamed pointed out, that this will be complementary and in addition to the treatment the doctor is giving, not a replacement. If the physician is 40 or over, the referral may be more difficult to obtain and may even require a change in physician. This is a generalization on I'm sure there are many younger doctors who don't like hypnosis and many older ones who do.

Can hypnotherapy help for either MS or ALS? I can't predict anything for any individual. However, let me point out that hypnotherapy complementing standard therapy for cancer has had remarkably positive and documented results. Interestingly, the younger the cancer patient, the more successful this seems to be.

[Merlin]

I'm not saying it is too complex to deal with.
I am saying there are far too many variables to say anything for sure here.

Normal medical procedures is to treat symptoms.
Hypnosis is different.
With hypnosis we seek to enlist the mind to assist in the healing.
Unfortunately, there are situations where the mind is not performing optimally with regard to healing.
Hypnosis is an excellent tool to find the problem as to why the mind is not working optimally in the healing realm.

Will this change the MS? Hopefully yes.
But each of us are different and so our our minds.
What works for one person may not work for others.

So, can hypnosis help? Hopefully yes.

Can hypnosis cure? No.
Cure is a medical term and cannot be used legally by a hypnotist.

[Don]

VERY well put, Merlin!

[DrTadJames]

There are some people who _claim_ to have made a difference in MS using Time Line Therapy. These are individuals who have used Time Line Therapy to at least stop the progression of the disease. By the way, I am not making that claim, they did!

IMO someone who is not a Medical Doctor should ever make claims like this, but if a mental technique can make a small difference in symptoms why not do all we can?

You might look at www.timelinetherapy.com and then come back here if you have any further questions.

[Unregisteredmikemontreal]

Hi everyone.

Infinite gratitude for all your insightful replies! I am so appreciative that you have all taken the time to give me such supportive answers. I will take everything into consideration. Thank you so much, you’ve all been extremely helpful.

Gratefully,
Mike