Re: self hypnosis

[Guest guest]

Gang,

Here is my two cents worth on self hypnosis (or meditation, or whatever you call

it). I have

been practicing this stuff for years, having taken a " class " in a communiversity

setting, and

also having two months with a licensed psychologists who did hypnotherapy.

Also, my husband was

sent to a six week class by his physician when he was first diagnosed with

severe hypertension.

First off, for me, this technique does not work in every situation. I have

spent literally

hours and hours using this technique trying to lose weight to no lasting

result.. However, I

have been very successful using it for stress management and even going to sleep

after my RLS

developed. I also practice an " awake " similar method of affirmations which have

worked very

well for me in stressful work situations. (example: I am calm and effective in

stressful

situations.) I have used that particular affirmation for over twenty years, and

it works for me

about 90% of the time. And yes, Jill, you are correct, it is a learned skill,

which takes

practice to master.

Personally, I use meditation tapes with background music and talking, called

" guided "

meditation. I have found that I am very sensitive to the voice, and have

pitched lots of tapes

after buying them. I also have found that I need to switch around, because if I

use the same

one all of the time I don't seem to be able to concentrate/relax as well. These

techniques are

used in traditional medical situations, especially with pain control and cancer

patients.

My husband, who is much more disciplined than I am (probably more like Jill in

personality) has

been extremely successful in managing his hypertension. When originally

diagnosed at age 35, he

had no symptoms but a blood pressure of 220/110. The family physician worked

for several

months, finally resorting to strong meds to get his blood pressure down to a

reasonable range.

Of course, as we can all relate to, there were side effects of the

anti-hypertensive

medications. When it was first suggested that he try the self hypnosis, my

husband was very

skeptical, but when he agrees to do something he will do exactly what he is

supposed to do. He

learned to take his blood pressure both before and after the meditation, how to

track it day to

day, and of course, how to practice what was called meditation. The result was

that his blood

pressure came under control, he was able to reduce the amount of medication he

took

significantly, he became a calmer person, and the side effects of the drugs are

essentially

gone. (He takes 1/2 of a BP pill every other day instead of a stronger drug and

dosage " 3 "

times a day.) His average BP a week is 120/80. He is still using the

techniques daily 20 years

later and it still works.

Why does it work for his blood pressure and not my weight? Why does it work for

some things for

me and not my weight. Who knows. For one thing he really worked at learning

the technique, and

when learned he continued to practice. It would have been so easy to say, well

my BP is

controlled now, I don't need to do this every day any more, but he didn't. I'm

convinced he

would be dead by now, that is how bad his hypertension was. I, on the other

had, was not

disciplined in using it for my weight and when I didn't get immediate results,

would get

discouraged. When I use the technique in other areas, like stress and sleeping,

I would get a

more immediate response for my efforts, so it works better. I do get into the

meditative state

very easily.

So that is my two cents worth, for what it is worth.

Jo from Mo