Friday, October 19, 2007

~*[TheCobc]*~ You are getting sleepy...

Hypnotherapy is unregulated, mysterious and best known for making people cluck like chickens. But business is booming.

I'm being rocked back and forth gently by a man telling me to stand up straight and stare at a black dot. "Do you see any movement?" asks Dr Bruce Alexander, a hypnotherapist I'm hoping will help rid me of my insomnia.

I tell him I see ripples in the pattern surrounding the dot, which seems to please him. Soon, I'm reclining in an armchair while he draws the curtains and dims the lights. What follows are some common relaxation techniques, such as feeling each part of my body become heavy and visualising myself walking down a flight of stairs.

But then something unusual happens: I stop analysing his every word.

He tells me I'm relaxed and I find that I am. He tells me my arms are as heavy as lead and I realise I can't lift them. Every distracting thought, not least the fact that he looks remarkably like Melbourne weatherman Steve Jacobs, has evaporated.

As I drive home, feeling calm despite the peak-hour chaos, I realise I can't remember what happened after I descended the imaginary staircase. But I didn't nod off - I actually felt focused and in control throughout the entire process. That evening, after listening to the relaxation CD he gave me, I have the best night's sleep I've had in ages. I've already booked another one-hour, $130 session.

What's more, I wasn't even meant to visit a hypnotherapist. "It won't work if you've already decided that it won't work," says my editor, who knows I'm a science-worshipping uber-sceptic. But it didn't take long to find enough evidence to rein in my doubt and give it a go.

And it seems I'm not the only one. Courses at Australia's three government-accredited hypnotherapy schools can cost more than $20,000, yet enrolments have doubled over the past five years, reflecting growing consumer demand. The Australian Medical Association recognises hypnotherapy as a valid treatment for some disorders and most private health funds have rebates for approved treatments. It seems that hypnotherapy has shaken off its voodoo image and become mainstream.

There's little doubt that hypnosis is a real phenomenon and an effective therapeutic tool. According to a Scientific American report, it can alleviate pain, insomnia, anxiety and phobias. A few sessions are usually all it takes.

There is also some evidence that it can be useful in treating obesity, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome and many other conditions. The jury's still out, however, when it comes to tobacco addiction. And most health experts say hypnotherapy should be used in conjunction with other treatments.



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