The Exciting and New Field of Hypnopuncture!
In the past 20 years, the medical community has started to combine acupuncture and hypnotherapy together to treat conditions with a psychosomatic (mind-body disorder) element. The results have been extremely positive. While acupuncture alone can create profoundly positive changes in the body, engaging the subconscious mind to help facilitate healing through hypnotherapy increases the effectiveness of acupuncture to new heights!
Let’s take a look at these two therapies further and how they work to heal the body. Acupuncture is 5000+ years old. Through hard work and medical records that were passed through the generations, the Chinese mapped out the body’s neurological and cardiovascular system. They stimulated “junctions” in the body with needles where nerves and veins came together in bundles and recorded the changes – both positive and negative. From there, they formulated a system to heal over 40+ symptoms. Modern clinical studies are now learning what exactly transpires in the body when acupuncture is utilized and it is showing that acupuncture helps in the following ways: 1) Improves blood circulation, 2) Calms the nervous system, 3) Increases organ function, 4) Decreases pain levels, 5) Balances the hormone system, 6) Boosts the immune system, 7) Heals damaged tissue, 8) Relaxes the musculoskeletal system, 9) Decreases systemic inflammation, 10) Calms the mind.
Hypnotherapy has been recognized by the medical community for over a century to have a valid use in certain conditions. As early as 1892, the British Medical Association has studied its efficacy and, in the 1950s both the British Medical Association and the American Medical Association has adopted its use, claiming “For the past hundred years there has been an abundance of evidence that psychological and physiological changes could be produced by hypnotism which is worth study of their own account, and also that such changes might be of great service in the treatment of patients.” Hypnotherapy taps into our subconscious where our motivations/urges, our self-worth, our memories, all our meaningful decisions are stored. Whatever our subconscious believes in, that is what our body believes. If our subconscious believes we are sick, our body believes it as well. Changing our subconscious has a direct power to induce our inner healing functions, thus, helping alleviate symptoms. The adage, “Mind over Matter”, truly does exist where hypnotherapy is concerned.
By combining the two therapies into one session, the body takes on a whole new level of healing that is fast, powerful and effective!
Currently, Sullivan Acupuncture is using hypnopuncture for four conditions: Weight loss, Smoking Cessation, General Mind-Body Healing and Anxiety/Depression. Here's what comes with each:
Weight Loss - Dr. Sullivan incorporates a hypnosis script used at the Cleveland Clinic's Integrative Medicine department called Trim Life. There are a total of 9 different scripts, each tailored to focus on the individual's main issues with food. These issues can be: emotional eating, portion control problems, lack of motivation to exercise, body image issues, slow metabolism, unhealthy craving addictions, unable to drop weight past a certain scale number. The patient's treatment will entail an exam, identification of weight loss problems to design a unique hypnosis/acupuncture treatment, nutritional/supplement plan, take home acupressure kit, hypnosis mp3 of the same script used in session to listen to frequently for reinforcement of hypnosis. Recommended number of treatments is three. Each treatment costs $150.
Smoking Cessation - Dr. Sullivan incorporates a hypnosis script that is designed to teach the subconscious mind to associate smoking with something distasteful. Each treatment will entail an exam, incorporation of points to not only break the smoking craving, but also heal the body of damage, take home acupressure kit and hypnosis mp3 of the same script used in session to listen to frequently for reinforcement of hypnosis. Recommended number of treatments is three. Each treatment cost is $150.
General Mind-Body Healing - The idiom "Mind over Matter" has been proven correct over the years. So much so that every research study accounts for it by including a placebo control group in their trial. Dr. Sullivan incorporates this powerful phenomenon to help a patient tap into their mind's ability to help heal issues in their body, mind or spirit. In this hypnosis-acupuncture session, Dr. Sullivan will lead the patient into a deep state of relaxation where they can connect with their subconscious mind and use it to direct healing to where the patient needs it. Each hypnopuncture treatment will entail an exam, treatment, take home acupressure kit and hypnosis mp3 of the treatment session to listen to for reinforcement. Recommended number of treatments is variable, ranging from one to three treatments or more. The more treatments done, the stronger the effects. Each treatment cost is $150
Anxiety/Depression - Hypnosis is a deep state of relaxation where the patient can connect to a part of themselves that is filled with wisdom and strength. Through hypnopuncture, Dr. Sullivan can lead the patient into that place where they can tap into that part of their mind and use it to help them better control their levels of anxiety and depression and the triggers that create it. Each treatment will entail an exam, treatment, take home acupressure kit and hypnosis mp3 of the treatment session to listen to for reinforcement. Recommended number of treatments is variable, ranging from one to three treatments or more. The more treatments that are done, the stronger the effects. Each treatment cost is $150.
