Self-Hypnosis Helps Some Surgical Patients - How
One Person Used Hypnosis to Improve Their Surgical Experience
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The time was drawing near for my
surgery. I was scared even thinking about it. Then, I remembered that hypnosis
might help me. I had previously read how hypnosis has been helpful to some
patients to improve the surgical results. I was particularly interested in
self-hypnosis, since it was something I could do myself.
I thought I could try this. What do
I have to lose? Here are the steps I took to improve my surgical experience,
using self-hypnosis.
1. First, I learned about
self-hypnosis as applied to surgery by some Yahoo! Searching of the Internet.
It is very helpful, particularly with relaxing before and after surgery. There
were a few reports that people can hear soothing words and music even during
anesthesia.
2. During this search, I found some
products that I could purchase. The available products consisted of mp3
recordings of voice and/or music. There were even kits consisting of recordings
and headphones. I decided to make my own kit, but the Yahoo! Search gave me
some excellent ideas. My kit consisted of my digital recorder and a pair of
comfortable headphones.
3. Next, I asked the surgical
planner how long my preparation, surgery, and post-op recovery would be. In my
case, this was 1-1/2 hours. I asked for permission from the surgical center and
doctor. They were puzzled, since this was a new request, but allowed me to do
this. One nurse even knew about this technique from using self-hypnosis in
birthing.
4. I found on the Internet a
hypnosis script that I liked - "Script
To Promote Healing Before Surgery".
5. I then read the script into my
computer, adding my name now and then to make it more personal. I used Audacity
to record my voice in an editable format. Audacity is a free open source audio
recording and editing program -.
6. I found some free mp3 music
downloads that I liked from Danosongs.com and downloaded them.
7. I edited the soundtracks to
achieve about 2 hours of music, with my self-hypnosis words occurring
occasionally throughout. When I was done, I loaded my digital recorder with
this 2-hour music/voice file.
8. My kit was ready. On the day of
surgery, I learned that the headphones could not have metal on them, so the
nurse covered them with a little tape.
9. I made it known that I wanted the
recorder to play in my ears before, during, and after surgery. They agreed
unless it hindered the surgical procedure. That sounded good to me.
10. It happened. I went into surgery
confident and relaxed. There were no problems at all.
Looking back, I can see what really
happened in my surgical experience.
- I believed hypnosis could work for me in surgery, since it had worked for others. I also believed it would work for me especially since I had used self-hypnosis with other conditions and had good results.
- I felt "in control" of my surgical experience with my little digital recorder and earphones. I did my thing while I was being prepped, operated on, and cared for. In a way, I was in my own little world.
- All these activities took my mind off the surgical experience, thus reducing my anxiety.
From all this, I would definitely do
this again, for any troubling medical procedure. The medical staff was very
cooperative and I appreciated that. I felt like I was a part of the medical
team and not at the mercy of the team.
For more information
- Hypnotherapy a Valuable Aide for Surgery - Hypnosis Receives Thumbs Up from Some Patients by Debbie, Yahoo! Contributor Network
- Discovering the Power of Self-Hypnosis: The Simple, Natural Mind-Body Approach to Change and Healing by Stanley Fisher, Newmarket Press, 2002 - See Chapter 2
Disclaimer - Article is for
informational purposes only, and is not medical advice.
