Recently I was called to a hospital in Tucson by a parent concerning their 4 year old son. The little boy had stopped swallowing any foods for about 16 days, he would not even swallow ice cubes. He had been admitted to the hospital the previous week due to acidosis from not eating or drinking. A month before he had caught a cold with lots of phlegm and drainage which had caused him to cough and have difficulty swallowing. He kept saying he was choking and started to refuse even his favorite foods and then refusing even liquids. He even started taking food out of his mouth and throwing it away and crying hysterically. He had lost weight and was becoming weaker and weaker. After admission IV’s were started, he had an endoscopy done to rule out any obstruction and was seen by a speech therapist. He was also seen and evaluated by 5 psychiatrists. After talking to his mother I found out which cartoons were his favorite, because I would use these fantasy friends in his therapy. I made up a story for him about Dora the Explorer, Boots, and Swiper. Of course the little boy was the most important character in the story. The mother started reading the script to him often and he listened to the CD while sleeping. Two days after he started listening to the CD he had eaten some chicken nuggets and yogurt. Two days later he was released from the hospital and sent home because he was eating and drinking. I talked with the mother two weeks later and he was doing much better, but would not feed himself. I explained that frequently children regress in their behavior when they have gone through a stressful time. I made a new CD for him based on his new behavior and within a couple of weeks he was feeding himself and had gained all his weight back. He has returned to a happy, healthy little boy. Children are in unintentional hypnosis until about eight years old and what they see, hear, and happens to them is true for them. That’s why he became so afraid to swallow anything. In his mind swallowing meant choking no matter what it was. In his CD’s I told him a fantasy story with suggestions related to his eating and swallowing. To children these stories are real and are accepted as real in their subconscious minds, causing the new behavior to occur.
Archive for Phobias
HYPNOSIS AND DENTAL FEARS
Many of us had dental visits as children that left us with traumas and fear of the dentist office. In many cases this was a time before “modern dentistry” began. Because of this many adults do not go to the dentist as often as they need to or ever in many cases. The very last place they will choose to go to is the dentist. Many of us go along just fine, and then in one visit we may develop an irrational fear of the dentist and never want to go back. We can develop phobias and fears anytime in our life. I have had clients that had to be given major drugs just for teeth cleaning. Some clients are so afraid that they become overcome with anxiety just thinking about making the appointment! I have had many clients that had terrible dental experiences, some just freaked out in the chair with no reason, or couldn’t have the dentist work in their mouth under any circumstances. Many of these people will do extremely well after hypnosis. In many cases the dentist can’t believe it is the same patient he has dealt with before. Many clients listen to a customized CD I make for them during the whole dental visit and remain calm and relaxed. Hypnosis allows the vital signs to remain normal, and the tongue and throat are relaxed as well, and clients can swallow easily. Many people fear that they can’t swallow during the dental work and this becomes a big problem for them, and hypnosis can help. So if you have been putting off dental visits due to old fears from the past (especially you baby boomers) try hypnosis and give yourself a happy smile.
HYPNOSIS FOR MEDICAL, SURGICAL AND DENTAL FEARS
Hypnosis is an effective and pleasant way to reduce the anxieties and fears that can affect you prior to medical, dental, and surgical procedures. Hypnosis has many benefits to lessen stress prior to the procedure, during the procedure, and speed up recovery time. Most of us become stressed just thinking about going to the doctor even for a routine physical. Our pulse rate goes up, blood pressure goes up, and we start breathing quicker, just by thinking about the exam. Then when we are in the office, all of these may even increase especially our blood pressure, also known as the white coat syndrome. All of our bodily functions are affected by our thoughts. Stress and anxiety can change these functions, even putting our immune system to sleep. When this occurs our body is no longer functioning at optimum levels to promote healing, to keep our vital signs normal, or to fight infection.
When hypnosis is used prior to surgery, dental or other procedures, clients enter into the procedure calm, relaxed, and comfortable. You see, what is in the mind is in the body. By changing the way we think about a procedure, we also change our physical and emotional responses to that event. Hypnosis decreases the amount of general and local anesthesia required, decreases bleeding, swelling, and pain after surgery. It decreases the frequency of nausea, and speeds up recovery. It keep all vital signs in a much more normal pattern throughout the entire experience. These remarkable benefits of hypnosis are instrumental in giving people the best opportunity for a positive surgical and recovery experience. Hypnotherapy prior to surgery makes every-one’s job easier and you the patient benefits the most.
