Look deep into my eyes.0:13
Amy Logan's insomnia was leading to a lot of restless nights.0:25
Taking a friend's advice, she decided to pay a visit to a hypnotist.0:29
Here, Amy looks at the medical benefits of hypnosis and is put into a deep, deep sleep.0:34
The lights are dim and the couch is comfortable.0:41
The hypnotist's voice is monotonous yet soothing.0:45
Listen and relax," he repeats over and over.0:51
My arms and legs, and even my eyelids, are feeling heavy.0:55
My breathing is slowing down, as though I'm falling into a deep sleep, and the hypnotist begins.1:00
There is evidence that the ancient Egyptians used hypnotism over 2,000 years ago, but hypnotherapy, as we know it, dates from the 18th century.1:07
Austrian physician Franz Mesmer became renowned for treating nervous disorders.1:18
And we still use his name today whenever we say we are mesmerized by something.1:23
It wasn't until the following century, however, that surgeons began to use hypnotism, coming from the Greek word for sleep, to relax patients during surgery.1:29
With modern anesthetics, however, hypnotism has become associated with stage show hypnotists entertaining an audience, swinging a pocket watch in front of their victims, and getting them to cluck like a chicken.1:39
Now, with the help of hypnotherapy, people are managing anxiety, losing weight, stopping snoring, and overcoming many other addictions and conditions.1:53
In fact, up to 75% of people who have used hypnotherapy to stop smoking have been able to kick the habit.2:04
It has also helped people suffering from phobias, depression, or panic attacks.2:13
So, how exactly does it work?2:19
Scientists are not 100% sure.2:22
What they do know is that it creates a state of deep relaxation in which patients are more open to suggestions than when they are wide awake.2:24
Patients sometimes compare the experience to being totally absorbed in a good book or film.2:33
They are not cut off from the outside world, but they're completely focused on the hypnotist's voice.2:39
It's at this point that he can suggest positive changes to thought patterns and habits.2:45
Hypnotherapy isn't just for psychological problems, though.2:51
Amazingly, some hospitals are now using it alongside conventional medicine to reduce pain and speed up recovery.2:55
Burn victims, for instance, have benefited from pain relief after a session of hypnotherapy, One pensioner even had an operation which involved a surgeon sawing into her foot while under hypnosis.3:03
She says, "I said to myself that if I had any pain, I should think of it as waves lashing against a sea wall.3:16
Every time it happened, I imagined the pain going away, like the tide."3:25
While hypnotism isn't a magic wand, it seems it may be able to treat countless conditions.3:30
Moreover, it is painless as well as risk-free.3:37
It has no side effects, and it's cheap.3:40
Many people, however, are still not willing to put their faith in a therapy that can't be scientifically proven.3:44
Before trying hypnotherapy for myself, I did a little research and found out that although about 90% of people can be hypnotized, good hypnotherapy patients tend to be relaxed, Imaginative, intelligent, and easily absorbed by things.3:51
So what happened after my own hypnotherapy experience?4:07
Well, throughout it, I felt normal and could still hear the traffic outside.4:11
But when I awoke after what I thought was about 20 minutes, I was surprised to learn that an hour had passed.4:16
I have to admit, I've been sleeping better ever since.4:23
Not perfectly, but there has definitely been an improvement.4:27
It looks like hypnotherapy might work for me, but what about you?4:31
Could you be hypnotized?4:35
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