In the end, there is still relatively little data available about the efficacy of hypnotherapy in the various conditions it is currently used to treat. The strongest conclusion to be drawn is that more research must be done. Until that happens, it does not seem that hypnotherapy poses any danger to patients as long as they seek help from their primary care physician in addition to seeking help from a hypnotherapist.
The data does suggest that hypnotherapy is beneficial in some aspects of
childbirth, particularly in decreasing analgesia requirements and pain.
Irritable bowel syndrome receives long-term benefits in slowing and halting
symptom progression. Preliminary results show success in treating some
types of amenorrhea with hypnotherapy, as well.
It is important to stress, yet again, the need to perform
further clinical trials to repeat and strengthen these results, and the same
goes for trials suggesting hypnotherapy is less effective or is ineffective.
Perhaps a better designed trial would show benefit in treatment for smoking
cessation, radiation therapy, or any of the other current uses of hypnotherapy.
That is the bottom line.... more research is needed!!
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