Depression Hypnotherapy:

Now I know what you’re thinking. “C’mon… hypnosis for depression?”

And you’re right to thing that.

“When you hear the word hypnosis, you may picture the mysterious hypnotist figure popularized in movies, comic books and television. This ominous, goateed man waves a pocket watch back and forth, guiding his subject into a semi-sleep, zombie-like state. Once hypnotized, the subject is compelled to obey, no matter how strange or immoral the request. Muttering “Yes, master,” the subject does the hypnotist’s evil bidding.

This popular representation bears little resemblance to actual hypnotism, of course. In fact, modern understanding of hypnosis contradicts this conception on several key points. Subjects in a hypnotic trance are not slaves to their “masters” — they have absolute free will. And they’re not really in a semi-sleep state — they’re actually hyperattentive.

Our understanding of hypnosis has advanced a great deal in the past century, but the phenomenon is still a mystery of sorts.” *

The truth is that people have been pondering and arguing over hypnosis for more than 200 years, but science has yet to fully explain how it actually happens. So what the heck is hypnotherapy anyway? And how can it possible help depression?

Simply put, hypnotherapy is therapy by hypnosis. It is often applied in order to modify one’s behavior, emotional state, and attitudes, as well as a wide range of conditions including dysfunctional habits, anxiety, stress-related disorders, pain management, and even personal development.

Hypnotherapy has been used as a treatment for different types of physical and mental conditions for decades. Hypnotism was originally used to treat the condition known in the Victorian era as ‘hysteria’. In the mid 20th century, a modernized version of it was introduced as a medical technique that has since been widely recognized and used effectively in various cultures around the world.

Last year (2007) a study was published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. The study investigated the efficacy of cognitive therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy in relation to treating depression.

The study consisted of 84 participants who had been diagnosed with depression. They were randomly put into either the hypnosis group or the therapy group. All participants received 16 weeks of treatment.

Results of the study showed that both groups greatly improved their scores and thus greatly decreased their symptoms of depression. However, the group that received hypnotherapy received a 6% reduction in depression, 5% reduction in anxiety, and 8% reduction in hopelessness compared to the cognitive-behavioral therapy group. The results of this study were maintained during the six month and one year follow-ups.

What is so important about this study is that it “represents the first controlled comparison of hypnotherapy with a well-established psychotherapy for depression, meeting the APA criteria for a ‘probably efficacious’ treatment for depression.” The fact that this is the first quality study performed using hypnotherapy to treat depression also means that more should be done to realize the full benefits that hypnosis can have on people suffering from depression.

Hypnotherapy for depression is not for everyone but can be a very effective treatment method that is worth a look.

If you decide to give depression hypnosis a try you have basically two treatment options:

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