Hypnotising breast cancer patients can reduce the pain they feel in surgery, a study has found. Women hypnotised an hour before their operation needed less anaesthetic, scientists have discovered, reducing both the time and cost of the procedure. The study, published in the Journal of the National Care Institute, found that those in the hypnosis group required less anaesthesia and reported less pain, nausea, fatigue, discomfort and emotional upset.

Whoa, slow down & rewind. "Scientists have discovered!" How dare they!

Hypnosis in its most modern form has been around since 1842, i.e for the last 165 years! In 1845, James Esdaile was performing "painless surgery" in Calcutta, India, using hypnosis/mesmerism as the only anaesthesia. The death rate reduced dramatically and the recovering patients did so more quickly and effectively than before. This procedure was completely rejected by the medical powers that be in favour of chemical anaesthesia.

Pain reduction is a technique that has been used by hypnotherapists to help people for the last 165 years. It is nothing new. What is new are all the claims of "scientists" who all of a sudden claim to have "discovered" techniques that good, professional hypnotists have been actually using for the last 165 years.

Science wants to know the "how and why" something happens. The only problem is that there is no "how and why" the human mind works. No-one on this planet can draw the human mind nor draw the emotion love. Our brains can be drawn and analysed wonderfully using modern technology but the exact nature of the human mind is beyond our full comprehension now and probably always will be.

Some people go to great lengths to explain how something can be done, some people go to great lengths to explain how something can't be done, and some of us just carry on actually doing it.

Be happy,

Dave.