Emotion
When Every Medical Test Was Normal but the Pain Was Real
Exploring Hypnosis for Persistent Symptoms That Resist Easy Explanations During the Civil War, physician Silas Weir Mitchell began seeing soldiers with a strange and disturbing complaint. Some had lost an arm or leg, yet they still felt pain, itching, cramping, or pressure in the missing limb. The limb was gone. The pain was not. At…
Read MoreRewriting Childhood Trauma Through Hypnosis
A Survivor Found Healing Without Being Forced to Relive the Pain The woman’s name was never published. What researchers did reveal was that she was one of four Chinese women living with the lasting effects of complex trauma. Two had survived childhood sexual abuse. Another had been raped. The fourth had experienced domestic violence. Their treatment did…
Read MoreThe Patient Who Felt Calm Before the Operating Room Doors Opened
How Pre-Surgical Hypnosis May Reduce Anxiety and Improve the Recovery Experience In 2006, researchers at Yale University observed something unexpected outside an operating room. Seventy-six adults awaiting outpatient surgery were divided into three groups. One group received standard care. Another received supportive attention. The third participated in a brief hypnosis session focused on comfort and well-being.…
Read MoreThe Patient Who Entered Surgery Calm Instead of Terrified
How Preoperative Hypnosis May Reduce Anxiety, Pain, and the Emotional Stress Surrounding a Medical Procedure On April 12, 1829, a 64-year-old woman known as Madame Plantin entered a surgical room in Paris. She had advanced cancer in her right breast. This was before modern anesthesia, sophisticated monitoring equipment, and the pain management methods available today. Historical…
Read MoreThe Elderly Man Who Reclaimed His Memory
How Hypnosis Helped an Aging Brain Find Its Way Back In 1991, I met with a gentleman named Ben, a retired accountant in his late seventies who had become increasingly frustrated by his declining memory. He wasn’t suffering from advanced dementia. He was able to recognize family members. But he was trapped in a frustrating…
Read MoreHow College Students with ADHD Use Hypnosis to Win Back Focus and Academic Success
A college sophomore sat in the back row of his lecture hall, staring at notes he did not remember writing. Just weeks earlier, Daniel had been on academic probation. His professors described him as bright but inconsistent. His parents were frustrated. He was exhausted. Despite trying stimulant medication, productivity apps, and study schedules, nothing seemed…
Read MoreStep-by-Step: How One Bride Conquered Binge Eating Before Her Perfect Wedding
How Hypnosis Helped Rewire a Lifelong Relationship with Food In 1965, surgeons performed one of the earliest operations to treat severe obesity: a jejunoileal bypass (gastric bypass surgery). Doctors believed that if they physically altered the digestive system, they could solve the problem of overeating. Many patients did lose weight. But here was the problem…
Read MoreHow a Teacher Beat Social Anxiety with Hypnosis
A case from the early 2000s involving a middle school teacher who nearly quit her career because she could not face people. In 2003, a middle school English teacher, known here as “Laura” to protect her privacy, was on the verge of leaving the profession she loved. Her lesson plans were excellent. Her students performed…
Read MoreBreak Anxiety Patterns
Break Anxiety Patterns Break the Loop: How to Stop Anxiety in Its Tracks” Did you know that around 42 million adults in the U.S. live with an anxiety disorder, which is nearly 1 in 5 people? And most never learn how to break their patterns when anxiety shows up. Naming the Real Problem The problem is…
Read MoreThe Mental Block That Prevents Home Organization Success
In 1947, the Collyer brothers in Harlem were found in their home surrounded by over 100 tons of collected items. Newspapers, books, furniture, and even dismantled machinery filled every room. What began as an intention slowly became entrapment. Their story remains one of the most extreme and least understood examples of hoarding behavior. But most cases…
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