“You’re getting sleepy…Very, very sleepy…focus on the watch…”
For many, when they hear the word “hypnotist,” what comes to mind is an old movie or TV show.
In
reality, hypnosis performed by a certified clinical hypnotist can help
people who suffer from chronic pain, crippling phobias, or even the
reduction of side effects felt by some going through cancer treatments.
Dr.
Zastrow, a family practitioner at Hugh Chatham Family Practice, will be
speaking on the subject at a lunch and learn event on Tuesday, Jan. 29,
from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Medical Conference Room at the
hospital. This event is open to the public, and it is opened on a
first-come, first-served basis.
Those who want to schedule an appointment with Dr. Zastrow can call (336) 526-2307.
As
a teenager, Dr. Joseph Zastrow, now a family practitioner at Hugh
Chatham Family Practice in Elkin, first experienced the positive power
of hypnosis through his younger brother. Dr. Zastrow’s brother suffered
from a developmental bone disease, and could not tolerate pain
medications. After he had his wisdom teeth removed, a certified clinical
hypnotist relieved his pain and taught him self hypnosis. With future
medical procedures that followed, Dr. Zastrow’s brother relied on
hypnosis to reduce pain to the point that only Tylenol was needed to
alleviate what little pain he had.
With clinical hypnosis, a
therapist can make suggestions designed to help one formulate specific
internal processes (feelings, memories, images and internal self-talk)
that can lead to a pre-determined outcome, such as experiencing less
pain, overcoming fears, and so on.
Hypnosis is described as a
state of inner absorption, concentration and focused attention. An
analogy is like using a magnifying glass to focus the rays of the sun
and make them more powerful. Similarly, when your mind is concentrated
and focused, you are able to use it in powerful, positive ways, such as
reducing pain, or warding off fear.
After practicing family
medicine for a number of years, Dr. Zastrow took the opportunity to
become a certified clinical hypnotist in 2000 from the American Society
of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH). “It’s pretty extensive training process
that includes a total of 60 hours of classroom time and monitored
training,” he said. “The society restricts training to psychologists and
other health professionals such as physicians, dentists and masters
degree-level nurses, social workers, and therapists. Clinical hypnosis
is only to be used in conformance with ASCH’s own training and licensing
laws.” Today, ASCH has 1,700 members, and Dr. Zastrow is the Society’s
president.
Once certified, Dr. Zastrow incorporated hypnosis into his care regimen for many of his patients.
“The
reality is that hypnosis isn’t really putting people in a ‘trance.’ I
serve more as a coach to help people focus attention on what is ailing
them, so to speak,” Dr. Zastrow said.
As an example, Dr. Zastrow
recently had a patient who had an enormous fear of needles. “She
desperately needed a procedure done to preserve her health, but her
phobia of needles was greater than her need to get well. After one
session we got to the bottom of what her fear stemmed from, and she
called me from the recovery room after her procedure to let me know she
got through it. She even went on to get a flu shot!”
Beside the
absolute care of patients, Dr. Zastrow has accomplished research. He
even had the opportunity to see what the mind can do with a study of a
NASCAR pit crew.
“Pit crews are all about precision and speed.
The slightest distraction can cause things to go wrong very quickly.
With one team, I saw through video how some of the guys were slipping
up. After a few sessions of hypnosis, we helped them gain focus, speed
and consistency. As an example, one guy was having trouble getting the
second lug nut on correctly every time. After hypnosis, he never
missed.”
Research has demonstrated that hypnosis can help a lot of people in a number of ways, including:
Treatment of chronic pain conditions from injuries or arthritis.
Reduction of pain during childbirth.
Reduction of nausea and vomiting by cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Elimination or reduction of skin conditions, such as warts. (Ever hear the saying “talk the warts off”?)
Alleviation of symptoms associated with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Common
myths about hypnosis are that you won’t remember anything, or that it
leads to memory enhancement, that you could be made to do something you
don’t want to, or that your actions can be controlled under hypnosis,
Zastrow says.
“The myths are just that…myths,” Dr. Zastrow said.
“The mind is a very powerful thing. Through hypnosis, you can achieve
some incredible things. I’ve seen it work, and that’s all the proof most
need.”
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