Hypnosis Melbourne

Hypnosis & Ankylosing Spondylitis

All physical diseases including cancer, heart disease and even skin complaints have been helped with Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy. The power of suggestion and mental imagery is a tool all too often overlooked but which can be of immense help to Ankylosing Spondylitis sufferers. Remember also that Ankylosing Spondylitis is a stress related disease and Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy are both excellent aids to help control emotional stress.

There has been at least one study involving hypnotherapy and arthritis. In one instance (1), reported levels of pain, anxiety, and depression, and plasma levels of beta-endorphin, epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin were measured in 19 arthritic pain patients before and after hypnosis. Correlations were found between levels of pain, anxiety, and depression and following hypnotherapy, there were clinically and statistically significant decreases in pain, anxiety, and depression and increases in beta-endorphin-like immunoreactive material. This reveals that hypnotherapy may well play an important role in conquering the painful symptoms associated with Ankylosing Spondylitis.

One dramatic case was reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2) of a 10 year old girl diagnosed as having juvenile rheumatoid arthritis which had responded minimally to large doses of aspirin and physical therapy over a period of 7 weeks. The doctors decided to try hypnotherapy and 4 hours after her second session, the girl was able to ride her bicycle and was free from any pain. Two further reinforcing sessions were given and the girl remained well for the three years to the time of the report.

(1) Biochemical correlates of hypnoanalgesia in arthritic pain patients. Domangue BB; Margolis CG; Lieberman D; Kaji H – J Clin Psychiatry Jun 1985, 46 (6) p235-8,