Hypnosis Works with the Body

Question

1.  Can hypnosis help with primary medical issues? Since the mind has powerful healing mechanisms, would hypnotherapy help set the mind in healing mode? I have Crohn's colitis, and I know when I am mentally stressed, it manifests physically. Can I benefit from hypnotherapy to help my body heal itself from this disease? 

2. I was wondering if through hypnosis an internal medical problem could be eliminated. I have what the doctors call Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which is similar to Colitis. I have had it in various stages for 25 years and have gone to doctors for it but so far no help. They say it is incurable and that any person that has it just has to live with it. Living with it is easier said than done. If through hypnosis it can be cured it would be great.

Answer
Hypnosis can work very effectively with medical issues of all kinds, especially anything caused by, or exacerbated by, stress or other mental struggles. It is important to have any physical problems checked out by a doctor, first. For instance, pain can be an important signal of something wrong that medical care can handle. Once that is done, then hypnosis can help with the healing process. Hypnosis works with the subconscious mind, which has, as one of its jobs, keeping the body "running." We are meant to be whole. The body is capable of healing itself. If this was not so, we would never heal from a cut or have our bones mend. A doctor may sew up a cut or set bones, but the doctor is not the one who actually heals. There is something within us that has the ability to create new cells, collagen, etc. to heal the cut and knit the bones. When we're ill, it's a sign that something isn't running properly. Suggestions can be given to the deeper mind (the subconscious or unconscious mind) to help the body do its job better. Hypnosis can unblock whatever prevents the proper functioning and healing of the body. This doesn't mean that every physical problem can be healed by hypnosis, but the bottom line is that you can live with the issues more easily and comfortably. Often, the amount of medication can be reduced, and chronic pain can be controlled. Since even medical doctors will admit that 80 percent of all illness probably begins in the mind, then you can see how hypnosis could be effective in dealing with this area. Hypnotic suggestions are also used to deal with one's attitude and the level of stress surrounding the illness. Frequently, such simple processes can affect, in a positive way, the most difficult of conditions. A hypnotherapist who knows how to get at the source of issues, and who trusts the value of hypnosis to affect physical illness, is the best person to help you heal yourself.