Stress relief thru Guided Imagery, Hypnosis and NLP

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Stress Relief

Using Hypnosis, NLP and Guided Imagery to Combat Stress

Relaxation techniques like hypnosis, NLP and guided imagery have long been known to combat stress in a variety of situations. According to studies performed by the University Hospital of Li"ge in Brussels, hypnosis is more effective than any other stress management technique for alleviating anxiety during conscious sedation before surgery.   In fact, not only did patients and doctors in these studies perceive a dramatic reduction in anxiety and pain during surgical procedures, the doctors found a significantly reduced need for the anesthetic drugs themselves. (Faymonville, Mambourg, Joris, Vrijens, Fissette, Albert, Lamy, 1997.)

Hypnosis, especially when used in conjunction with guided imagery, can also be used to combat stress as a preventative method. A study performed at the University of Florida in 2000 contrasted prenatal patients in a public clinic. 20 were given guided imagery suggestions to help them with the pain of childbirth, while 20 in the control group were only given standard prenatal checkups, and an additional 20 were given supportive counseling in addition to the standard care but no training in guided imagery. None of the group in the study who were taught hypnosis required surgical intervention during childbirth, while 3 out of 5 women in the group who received counseling did, and 2 out of 5 women in the control group did. Paul Schauble, the researcher in these studies, concludes that mothers who receive training in hypnosis and guided imagery require less medication and less surgical intervention, and babies born to mothers with this training have less need for intensive care. Isn"t it wonderful to hear that hypnosis and guided imagery are means for reducing stress even within the womb? Going beyond childbirth, the University of Florida also found that hypnosis and guided imagery helped " of another study"s subjects manage stress and reduce tension, while also allowing these subjects to successfully reduce sodium intake, get more exercise, and lose weight, thus having a significant positive impact on stress-related illnesses like high blood pressure and heart disease. (Schauble, 2002)

Hypnosis can be equally effective in treating causes of acute and chronic stress, as the results of a study the National Institute of Mental Health conducted indicates. NIMH measured the hydroxycorticosteroid levels (chemicals the body emits in times of great stress) in parents of children with neoplastic disease who were hospitalized. While the levels of hydroxycorticosteroid were deemed to remain constant during the hospitalization, parents who were familiar with coping techniques such as hypnosis and guided imagery excreted significantly lower levels of these chemicals. (Friedman, Mason, Hamburg, 1963)
 
NLP, or neuro-linguistic programming, is another highly effective technique for dealing with stress. NLP is a systematic approach for treatment of psychological problems developed at the University of California, Santa Cruz, including stress, which combines techniques from family counseling practices with linguistic research. (Spitzer, 1982) NLP works through transformational grammar, a process of substituting phrases that have negative impact with more positive phrases and "reprogramming" the brain to think positively, thus reducing stress or combating undesirable behaviors. (Grinder, Elgin, 1973) The success of NLP is measured by monitoring eye movement as the phrases are repeated. Perceptual and Motor Skills Volume 58(1) concludes that these eye movement measurements are reliable indications of the success of NLP (Beck, Beck, 1984). More recently, researchers writing for the International Journal of Emergency Mental Health concluded that NLP was extremely helpful in treating survivors at Ground Zero after September 11 (Acosta, Levenson, 2002). If NLP had significant effects for people under these horrific circumstances, it"s entirely rational to conclude that it"s a worthwhile technique for dealing with everyday stresses as well.
 

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