Hypertension or high blood pressure is one of the common conditions affecting people across the world. Various treatment methods have been adopted to treat the illness and ameliorate its effects. Drug therapy has proved beneficial in most cases, through additional therapies are also being considered.
There has been a growing interest in the use of non-pharmacological treatment techniques since studies have shown that part of the characteristics of hypertension can be explained by psychosomatic factors. Techniques such as imagery, biofeedback, and meditation, or a combination of these procedures have been tested in many studies. Hypnosis has proved to be an effective treatment option in altering patients’ physiological measures like blood pressure.
Gay (2007) investigated whether hypnosis can reduce mild essential hypertension and whether individual differences in terms of mental imagery and hypnotic susceptibility can modify the effectiveness of hypnosis. For the first research aim, the study participants were taken through eight standardized hypnotic treatment sessions. To assess individual differences, the researchers used different tests to examine participants’ imagery skills and susceptibility to hypnotic suggestions.
The researchers found that hypnosis is effective since those who underwent the treatment procedure had low diastolic and systolic pressure after the sessions. The positive effects were still noticeable one year after the treatment when a follow-up study was conducted on the participants. The researchers also found that the participants had similar hypnotizability responses and imagery skills, contrary to past studies that noticed a relationship between these factors and the effectiveness of hypnosis.
A study by Kurnia et al. (2017) also examined the effectiveness of brief hypnotic induction in lowering blood pressure among adults suffering from hypertension. The participants were taken through different stages of the induction process, after which different measures were used to evaluate their response to the treatment and the effectiveness of the technique. The researchers determined that brief hypnotic induction is effective in reducing heart rate and blood pressure in adults with hypertension.
The results showed that 85% of the study participants experienced a positive impact after being treated through this procedure. The participants indicated that hypnosis helped them improve their relaxation, happiness, and calmness. These findings are in line with previous studies that found a link between hypnosis and positive effects such as improved well-being, life satisfaction, and self-control. The researchers further determined that following the right procedures and establishing a cordial relationship with study participants is important in enhancing the effectiveness of the brief induction technique.
These studies show that hypnotic induction can be effectively used as an alternative treatment method for hypertension. Hypnosis has positive effects on patients suffering from hypertension since it can reduce blood pressure and heart rate. The studies also show that hypnosis can lead to improved quality of life because of its positive impacts on patients’ happiness, general well-being, and self-control.
References
Gay, M. C. (2007). Effectiveness of hypnosis in reducing mild essential hypertension: A one-year follow-up. Intl. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 55(1), 67-83.
Kurnia, S. A., Kaloeti, D. V. S., Yuniarti, K. W., & Saputri, N. E. (2021, April). Blood Pressure Control and Heart Rate: Effectiveness Brief Hypnotic Induction Methods on Adults. In International Conference on Psychological Studies (ICPSYCHE 2020) (pp. 24-29). Atlantis Press.
Melvin S. Marsh is a certified hypnotherapist and life coach serving Augusta GA and Statesboro GA. He performs hypnotherapy appointments both in person (parts of Georgia, SC, and Florida) and worldwide virtually. He can be reached at www.afterhourshypnotherapy.com .
