Use Hypnosis to Better Understand Brain Functioning

Researchers are constantly performing studies and research to find out more about the brain. A human brain is extremely complex and although we have learned a great deal about the brain, there is still a lot more that remains unknown to doctors and researchers. In recent years, scientists have found hypnosis to be very useful in learning more about the human brain. The human brain is in charge of the body's nervous system, sensory system, motor system, and behavior. Basically, the brain is in charge of everything that occurs in your body. It is a very important organ and because it is so complex, it makes it difficult to study. In 2002, a study was performed on 10 participants. The participants received 8 positron emission tomography (PET) scans, 4 before hypnotic induction and 4 after the induction of hypnosis. Participants were evaluated by their level of mental relaxation and absorption. The study found that hypnosis increases occipital regional cerebral blood flow. This leads to increased mental absorption. The study also confirms that hypnosis decreases cortical arousal. These areas of the brain control consciousness and this study confirms that hypnosis has an effect on consciousness (Rainville, Hofbauer, Bushnell, Duncan, & Price, 2002). According to a New York Times article, neuro-scientists are using hypnosis to study the brain. In one study, researchers were able to take highly suggestible people and change the way they perceived things. This study consisted of 8 highly suggestible people and 8 people who had very low suggestibility to hypnosis. They were all given the same suggestions, having to do with color, under hypnosis. Later, brain scans were performed on all the participants and those who were highly suggestible had noticeable differences in their brain scans in the area of the brain that recognizes color (Blakeslee, 2005). In 2008, a study on the brain of patients under hypnosis revealed insight into the neural circuitry of the brain. Brain scans were performed on highly suggestible people and non-suggestible people after hypnotic induction. Researchers were able to learn a lot about memory, recall, and amnesia in relation to brain functioning. Hypnosis can model amnesia and is allowing scientists to learn more about the brain (Cell Press, 2008). These studies show that hypnotherapy can teach neuroscientists a lot about the brain. Hypnosis is a natural and safe method to use in order to learn more about the brain and more research should be performed using hypnosis. Sources Blakeslee, S. (2005, November 22). This is your brain under hypnosis. The New York Times.Retrieved from New York Times Online: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/22/science/22hypno.html. Cell Press (2008, January 10). Hypnosis Study Reveals Brain's 'Amnesia Centers'. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 15, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2008/01/080109173842.htm Rainville, P., Hofbauer, R.K., Bushnell, M.C., Duncan, G.H., & Price, D.D. (2002). Hypnosis modulates activity in brain structures involved in the regulation of consciousness. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 14(6), 887-901. http://www.naturalnews.com/