Page 7 - Inspire Health March/April 2015
P. 7
healthy mind •
TAKE
CONTROL
of YOUR HEALTH with
BIOFEEDBACK
and HYPNOTHERAPY
By Michelle Fouchi Esneault
It may seem futuristic, but what if you could
improve your health by using your mind?
Two ancient therapies can help you do just that!
Hypnotherapy and biofeedback have been or certified mental health professional uses guided relaxation
around for thousands of years, with evidence to focus your attention on thoughts or images to bring you
of early Egyptians and Chinese using to a heightened state of awareness. Hypnotherapy can help
hypnosis-like methods as early as 3000 BC.Though direct your imagination to make positive changes in sensations,
once thought to be radical and experimental, today perceptions, feeling, thoughts and behavior.
both hypnotherapy and biofeedback are considered
mainstream treatments that, with the added benefit Hypnotherapy may improve immune function, increase
of modern technology, have helped patients find relaxation, improve coping skills, decrease stress and ease pain and
a safe way to reduce or eliminate the need for anxiety. It can change negative behaviors, such as smoking or over-
medication and experience relief for a range of eating and be useful when treating phobias or grief and managing
illnesses from migraine headaches to cancer. chronic illnesses. It has even been reported to control nausea and
How do these therapies work? Both are vomiting caused by chemotherapy and ease symptoms of asthma,
considered mind-body medicine that use the power of all with no damaging side effects.
your thoughts and emotions to help self-regulate and take
control of physiological responses such as blood pressure, BIOFEEDBACK
skin temperature and muscle tension.When you are sick Biofeedback uses state-of-the-art equipment to monitor
your body releases stress hormones that can affect those your body’s physiological responses and train you to control
physiological responses, which negatively affect your health them with deep breathing, visualization and meditation. A
and cause you to become susceptible to disease and trained biofeedback specialist will attach electrical sensors
illness. Hypnotherapy and biofeedback teaches you to to your body which provide feedback to you through audio
and visual cues.These cues teach you how to recognize your
train your mind to relax your body, release stress, and body’s response to pain or stress and indicate what needs
control those reactions to allow your body’s natural to be corrected. Biofeedback is an effective tool in treating
immune system to take over. high blood pressure, tension and migraine headaches, chronic
pain, anxiety, asthma and a host of other illnesses. It has also
HYPNOTHERAPY been effective for symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity
When you think of hypnosis, what comes to disorder and autistic spectrum disorders.
mind is “stage hypnosis” where the subject is put Both of these techniques can be done at home. Biofeedback
under and the hypnotist has total control over devices the size of your cell phone are readily available online.
their body. Medical hypnosis is far from this. Protect and promote your health by taking control and using the
The patient is always in control. A licensed power that is within you.
March § April 2015 INSPIRE HEALTH 7
TAKE
CONTROL
of YOUR HEALTH with
BIOFEEDBACK
and HYPNOTHERAPY
By Michelle Fouchi Esneault
It may seem futuristic, but what if you could
improve your health by using your mind?
Two ancient therapies can help you do just that!
Hypnotherapy and biofeedback have been or certified mental health professional uses guided relaxation
around for thousands of years, with evidence to focus your attention on thoughts or images to bring you
of early Egyptians and Chinese using to a heightened state of awareness. Hypnotherapy can help
hypnosis-like methods as early as 3000 BC.Though direct your imagination to make positive changes in sensations,
once thought to be radical and experimental, today perceptions, feeling, thoughts and behavior.
both hypnotherapy and biofeedback are considered
mainstream treatments that, with the added benefit Hypnotherapy may improve immune function, increase
of modern technology, have helped patients find relaxation, improve coping skills, decrease stress and ease pain and
a safe way to reduce or eliminate the need for anxiety. It can change negative behaviors, such as smoking or over-
medication and experience relief for a range of eating and be useful when treating phobias or grief and managing
illnesses from migraine headaches to cancer. chronic illnesses. It has even been reported to control nausea and
How do these therapies work? Both are vomiting caused by chemotherapy and ease symptoms of asthma,
considered mind-body medicine that use the power of all with no damaging side effects.
your thoughts and emotions to help self-regulate and take
control of physiological responses such as blood pressure, BIOFEEDBACK
skin temperature and muscle tension.When you are sick Biofeedback uses state-of-the-art equipment to monitor
your body releases stress hormones that can affect those your body’s physiological responses and train you to control
physiological responses, which negatively affect your health them with deep breathing, visualization and meditation. A
and cause you to become susceptible to disease and trained biofeedback specialist will attach electrical sensors
illness. Hypnotherapy and biofeedback teaches you to to your body which provide feedback to you through audio
and visual cues.These cues teach you how to recognize your
train your mind to relax your body, release stress, and body’s response to pain or stress and indicate what needs
control those reactions to allow your body’s natural to be corrected. Biofeedback is an effective tool in treating
immune system to take over. high blood pressure, tension and migraine headaches, chronic
pain, anxiety, asthma and a host of other illnesses. It has also
HYPNOTHERAPY been effective for symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity
When you think of hypnosis, what comes to disorder and autistic spectrum disorders.
mind is “stage hypnosis” where the subject is put Both of these techniques can be done at home. Biofeedback
under and the hypnotist has total control over devices the size of your cell phone are readily available online.
their body. Medical hypnosis is far from this. Protect and promote your health by taking control and using the
The patient is always in control. A licensed power that is within you.
March § April 2015 INSPIRE HEALTH 7
