Brain doctor

Many physical problems start in the brain and only the brain can solve them. Dr. Alexander Solomonovich, director of the hypnosis unit at Wolfson Hospital, creates the connection for you

By: Tami Levy Nahum

Photo: Adi Mazen

Dr. Solomonovitz demonstrates hypnotic therapy. There are situations where the problem is solved even before the patient arrives for treatment

His first encounter with hypnosis occurred when he was still a seven-year-old boy. "I had to go to the dentist to have a tooth extracted," recalls Dr. Alexander Solomonovich, a senior neurologist. "I was worried. During the displacement I caught myself doing something special that would allow me not to feel the pain. In retrospect, I can understand that I entered into a kind of dissociation, which is one of the psychological mechanisms called splitting - a splitting of awareness or consciousness, when a person can simultaneously be here and, in imagination, somewhere else. This is how I distanced myself from the current, threatening reality, and spent this time in a more comfortable way. So of course, I did it intuitively, I didn't know exactly what was happening to me, but it allowed me to go through the displacement without anesthesia and without suffering. I remember the elation I had after the displacement. I knew I had done something important, something that would serve me in life, it was etched in my memory. Since that event, I knew that this thing, which I still didn't know what it was and how to call it, would help me in the rest of my life."

A hypnosis unit has been operating under his leadership for six years at the Wolfson Hospital
in Holon The unit was established on his initiative on the basis of the hypnosis clinic that was operating
In the hospital since 89, and today, apart from him, they work there all the time
This week three more doctors and a clinical psychologist. Anyone who would like to make an appointment
Will have to wait patiently until next summer. The demand is great and the queues are long.

He has been treating hypnosis for more than 30 years. Alexander Solomonovich was born
In 1945 in Bukhara in Central Asia. A week after his birth, the family moved
to Bessarabia, where he spent his childhood years. the ten years of compulsory schooling
He finished school within eight years, and when he was 16 he already started studying
at the medical school in the city of Kamerovo in Siberia and specialized in neurology.
25 years ago, when he was 30 years old, he immigrated to Israel from Leningrad and completed his
Specializing in neurology.

The conversation takes place in his clinic at the hospital. His shy smile is not
Hiding his embarrassment at the fact that he will be written about in the newspaper. Solomonovich is
A humble man, throughout the conversation he emphasizes that the hypnosis process is a process of
The patient is with himself and underestimates the value of the hypnotist. When meeting him it is not difficult to guess
Shasolomonovich advocates the permissive approach - the therapeutic approach
The democratic one, which is not accepted by all practitioners of medical hypnotic therapy.
He sees his role as a guide and to help the patient discover his skills
hypnotize myself. "I have no rights over the patient's psyche or over
His intellect. I don't give him orders. An equal dialogue is taking place here
rights".

About 200 years ago the practitioners of hypnosis were doctors, officers, and husbands
Estates, number Solomonovitz. "The patients were ordinary and obedient.
The authoritative approach of giving orders was acceptable and the assumption was
That hypnosis is something that someone does to someone, or exerts on someone. Today
We know it's a mistake. Most often, the authoritarian approach does not succeed
in the West".

When did you start practicing hypnosis professionally?

"After the first year at a medical school in Siberia, where I studied.
I belonged to a group of psychiatry students who practiced hypnosis and there
The serious study began. At the age of 23, when I finished my medical studies,
I majored in neurology because I wanted to learn about the brain before I got involved
in hypnosis".

In 1984, on the initiative of psychiatrist Dr. Maurice Kleinhaus, it was enacted
In the Knesset the law on the use of hypnosis. According to the law, the only ones authorized to engage
In hypnosis for diagnostic and treatment purposes are doctors, dentists
and psychologists, and that too after studying and obtaining a license from the Ministry of Health.
The enactment of the law and the knowledge that the treatment is given by a qualified person, brought
Many people ask for the treatment.

Doctors treat hypnosis with the respect it deserves, as part of medical science.
But the relative ease with which a hypnotic state can be induced made it possible for long
Over the years misused by impersonators and entertainers. miracle stories,
Supernatural healing and various myths were linked around the phenomenon and shaped the
The image of hypnosis in the eyes of the public. Even the meaning of the word is misleading: hypnosis
In Greek it means sleep, but hypnosis is not sleep.

What is hypnosis?

"Hypnosis is a therapeutic method that belongs to medicine and psychology. Contrast
For what some people think, hypnosis does not belong to medicine
the alternative. The secret of hypnosis lies in the patient's ability to be hypnotized
myself. What matters is the idea that is in the mind of the patient and his desire
fulfill it. The basis of the method is the fact that the brain knows how to translate an idea
or suggestion (in Hebrew: the shah) is positive for mental behavioral expression
and physical, and she is the one who contributes to the patient's recovery. For example, if I say
Now go think about lemon, you will feel sour in your mouth. I mean, the idea
was a substitute for the real stimulus. The therapist offers the patient an idea and the patient
Choose to accept and internalize it or reject it. The treatment is successful as a patient
There is an ability to internalize a positive idea."

Do you heal with words?

"Yes. Part of the work in hypnosis includes the use of language, and elaborate use
in the language. Among other things, word games taking into account the content and the sound. the therapist
You have to find in a short time the successful combination of the words that will speak to
Patient. One of the definitions for hypnosis is effective communication, and in a sense
This communication is also non-verbal. is also presence, intonation,
mime, pantomime In some situations it is possible to hypnotize even without words,
For example, in the treatment of children whose language is not yet rich enough, many times
Other tools are used to create relaxation. the patient's expectation,
And his willingness to solve the problem is an important part of the process.

"There are situations where the problem is solved even before the patient came to me. the news
that he is about to go through a process of resolution or will improve his condition brings up more than once
to solve the problem. One of my patients, a 40-year-old woman, suffered for a long time
About two years spent in hands. After treatments with ointments, laser and nitrogen,
To no avail, the dermatologist referred her to the unit for treatment. she thought
that the doctor was joking and she turned to another doctor, who also recommended to go to treatment
hypnotic. We talked on the phone and two weeks later, the day before the meeting
The designated among us, she called and said that to her surprise some of the warts had shrunk
And unity even disappeared. She was very surprised and asked if it was necessary for her to be
come. I recommended to come to the meeting anyway to explain to her what she was able to do
do unconsciously to solve the problem. In her case, the expectation
Her for healing healed her. Thought has healing power. Her talk with
itself did not take place according to the rules of language known to us".

How do you explain this to your patients?

"I use paintings depicting an optical illusion. Our mind is capable
To create an illusion - we allow ourselves to see something that does not actually exist
in real. The patient's brain knows that there is no organic basis for the same feeling
The patient feels, but still the patient feels pain, that is, there is a creation of
illusion. As the mind knows how to create an optical illusion, so it knows how to create
an illusion of every other sense. This is our physiology. in the brain exists
The potential for self-deception".

You emphasize the patient's ability to hypnotize himself. So, what is it actually?
The role of the hypnotist?

"As a hypnotist, I help the patient mobilize his inherent ability to hypnotize
Himself. Maybe he wasn't aware of this ability in him, but actually, if
He is suitable for hypnotic treatment, this means that he used the same tools for harm
himself, without his knowledge. The patient is the one who controls what happens during the treatment;
I can be the source of the idea that the patient must internalize, but the patient
He is the one who determines which idea to focus on and which to fulfill. he will not adopt,
For example, an idea that goes against his morals or that goes against his worldview."

Smoking cessation in one session

Who are the people who apply for treatment at the unit?

"Various references. These are mostly patients who suffer from various symptoms
that cannot be explained even after a comprehensive medical investigation. In the studies they discovered
More than 50 percent of patients who go to the emergency room or the family doctor
Diagnosed as healthy both mentally and physically. for example,
A man complains of severe stomach pains, goes to the hospital and begins
pass a series of tests. The tests do not reveal any physiological reason
to the problem. Sometimes the problem goes away after a few days. But there are patients who suffer
from pain for months and years. Here there is already a suspicion of what we call
'Negative self-hypnosis'. People who seek treatment at the unit are usually
People who created their problem through 'negative self-hypnosis', no
Of course you know. In subconscious processes they reached physical disruption,
psychological or behavioral, as a result of the fulfillment of one idea or another.
The correction of the disturbance is done in the same way, only by fulfilling an idea
Positive".

It sounds like a mental health issue.

"Most of my patients do not suffer from a phenomenon we call 'secondary gain'.
They have no interest in the symptom. The disease does not serve mental needs
theirs and it was created by mistake."

Hypnosis treatment is a short treatment and rarely requires more than ten
Meetings. The length of the treatment depends on the nature of the problem and the ability of self-hypnosis
of the patient. Quitting smoking, for example, usually requires one session.
Hypnosis is suitable for every person: rigid or weak, extrovert or introvert, calm
Or tense, religious or secular - there is no correlation between personality structure and ability
the hypnotist

In the first meeting, several tests are conducted to check if the patient is fit
or suitable for hypnotic therapy. One of the most important conditions in the hypnosis process
is the ability to concentrate. The tests are simple. The first, the most classic, is
the pendulum Solomonovitz asks me to hold the pendulum and concentrate on the instructions
that he gives me I must "move in thought" the pendulum from side to side. within
For a few seconds the pendulum slowly moved left and right. His instructions too
Clockwise and counterclockwise rotations are performed. the feeling
Weird.

What happened here? Solomonovitz explains:

"In this small test, the three conditions for a hypnotic process were met.
First of all, I said the suggestion in Hebrew, in a language you understand. if not
You would understand me, you wouldn't act. Your brain understands Hebrew and that's it
The first condition, that the mind understands the idea. The second condition is that the mind
Will agree with the idea. If the suggestions I made were not acceptable to you, no
You would do them. And the third condition is the mind's ability to concentrate.
A mind that knows how to concentrate well enough on an idea, also knows how to realize it.
And when he fulfills it, communication occurs between the mind and the body through
electrical and chemical processes. Therefore, one of the definitions of hypnosis is
communication. As in this case the mind realized an idea without you feeling it,
and activated the delicate muscles of the fingers so that this could occur
in the field of feelings. As a suggestion of lemon evokes a sense of
acidity in the mouth. In the hypnotic state, the idea is a substitute for the real stimulus."

Is a state of concentration defined as a "trance"?

"There is no precise definition for trance. But that doesn't stop us from doing business
In hypnosis, as there is no exact definition of pain and we are still dealing
plunder. Trance is a state of consciousness that is different from our normal state of consciousness.
It is a state of focused concentration (in music or dance, in reading, in prayer
and the like); When a person feels disconnected from his environment and when he feels
Identification and concentration elsewhere. or something else. Daydreams too
Considered as a state of trance. But the hypnotic-therapeutic process does not end there.
A hypnotic trance state is during relaxation, and the goal is that the patient
Positive suggestions will be made that will lead to healing or alleviation of his condition."

High level of concentration

Dr. Solomoniewicz emphasizes again that hypnosis is not sleep: "People
Hypnotized people are at a high level of concentration. Brain activity test
Using electroencephalography (EEG) of the person in a trance state
Hypnotic, unequivocally indicates the fact that the person is awake and focused.
Throughout the hypnosis process, the person can resist and stop the treatment."

During treatment, can a person remain in a trance state and not return
to reality?

"When the time comes to end the process and return to normal reality, there is
People who will still continue to sit or lie down in the comfortable position. sometimes to a person
Pleasant in this state, because he is in relaxation. Some patients will stay for a while
Minutes in this situation or in another case will fall asleep and then wake up. this
The common situation. It is important to emphasize that the patient is constantly under control.
But it's true, there were extreme cases where the patient protested against it
the hypnotist and did not return to normal. It can be a protest against an action or
An unsuccessful suggestion by the therapist, or for example, the patient's desire to run away
from the traumatic reality in which he lives. Such cases are very rare
And sometimes it stems from a psychological problem of the patient."

Is it possible to know this before starting the hypnotic treatment?

"One of the diagnoses the doctor needs to make is to locate the patients who have the process
The hypnotic is not meant for them. In any case, the hypnotic process is not dangerous.
Hypnosis is a medical treatment like any other treatment, for example drugs. and as
that a doctor makes a mistake if he decides to give an inappropriate drug to a certain patient,
This is how a doctor treating hypnosis will make a mistake if he treats a patient who is not suitable for treatment."

Who should not be treated with hypnosis?

"There is no point in trying to treat a person who is unable to devote himself to a state of
effective concentration. For example, people in a state of psychosis. That's why it's important that only a person
Those who are licensed to treat hypnosis will deal with it. An unprofessional person may be harmful
to the patient For example, if the pain is treated and eliminated, but for the time being
The process from which the pain originates continues to develop in the body, such as a tumor,
A person who is sufficiently hypnotically gifted can make the pain go away but
In the meantime, he loses time when the tumor can, and should, be treated. Those who do not
A skilled person may cause harm to the patient not from the hypnosis itself, but from a misdiagnosis
correctly. Pierre Jeanne said, 'The only danger in hypnosis is that it
It is not dangerous enough, it is available to everyone and allows everyone to deal with it
There is danger in experimenting with it."

Is it possible to hypnotize a person against his will? For example a criminal, and by doing so
Discover details that will help the investigation?

"I think not, what's more, it is forbidden by law in Israel. More than that, a person can
Decide to go into a trance and in the process he will pull out information that will serve you
him, and not the researcher. Such a case occurred about twenty years ago in the States
United States. As part of the investigation of a serial murder suspect, it was decided to also use
in hypnosis techniques. The suspect, a former police officer named Bianchi, was
interested and cooperative. During the trance he spoke in different voices
and in different names. The hypnotist who conducted the process was Prof. John
Watkins, a well-known psychologist, and his conclusion was that Bianchi was suffering from a phenomenon
Multiple personality psychiatrist.

"If they were to accept this assumption, then it is clear that they come to the conclusion that he is
A person is sick, which directly affects the verdict. based on facts
In addition, the police decided not to accept the version and turn to another hypnotist to
get his opinion. Invite one of the well-known people in the field
Hypnosis in the United States, Prof. Martin Oren, and he used some
Tricks that burdened Bianchi and from which it was clear that Bianchi was playing. late
It turned out that Bianchi had previously been interested in hypnosis and had even read a book on the subject.
Then they discovered another accomplice to the murders and indicted the two."

Can hypnosis also be used as a tool to recall an event from memory?

"Yes. One of the cases I treated was that of a woman who could not find
An expensive jewel. She looked for the jewel in her house and was convinced that it was lost
And not stolen. After six months of searching, she contacted the insurance company
And because it was clear to her that the jewelry was not stolen from her home, they suggested that she leave
Unit. In her case the solution did not happen here in the clinic, but it was arranged here
Her imaginary trip through the apartment, and the main thing was that she discovered that she was capable
to enter a state of relaxation and then she searched for the object 'in imagination'
at ease I brought up the most common possibility, that it is in the pocket of a garment
in the wardrobe After the treatment she called me and said that the jewel was found
In the place where she searched many, many times - in the wardrobe. by any chance
This is the anxiety that failed her.

"We don't use our skills XNUMX percent, not our physical ability
And not in the mental capacity. In a state of trance a person is able to get a lot out of himself
More than he thought he was capable of. Concentration and focus are mechanisms
that allow us efficiency. In situations of anxiety our memory does not function
effectively".

A sickly habit

N tells the story from a distance of four years. To the hypnosis unit
She arrived at the age of 11 in order to treat the urge to pull out hairs, a phenomenon
which is defined in medicine as a sick habit. "It started in the third grade year. Home
The teacher decided to split our class because there was a shortage of classes and wanted
to unite several classes together. I started the year with the same new students
I didn't know a new teacher either. I didn't like the students and neither did you
the teacher. I didn't want to go to school. I was isolated from everyone and no
accepted At first I started plucking my eyebrows. distractedly. I did not know
How do I do it and when does it happen, but little by little I had no eyebrows
at all. Today I know it is because of the treatment I received from the teachers
and from the students. My parents intervened and talked to the teacher, who was hostile
towards, but it didn't help. I was often absent from school,
In their knowledge."

In the same year, N. suffered from another psychogenic phenomenon: severe stomach pains.
Her parents went to a specialist doctor and after a series of comprehensive tests nothing was found
physical findings and the doctor recommended contacting a psychologist. "in the summer break
I went to a psychologist. Our meetings consisted of conversations that did not help me at all.
The talks were casual. At the end of the vacation, I stopped going to her. Stomach aches
They passed, but I still continued to pluck my eyebrows."

Even in the fourth grade, N. suffered from a feeling of ostracism, a feeling that the teachers were harassing her
Le and the counselors do not understand her. "All the counselors tried to associate you
The phenomenon to the fact that my parents are divorced. I am on very good terms with
Both of them, they divorced when I was a little girl. I never felt like I was
Suffering from their separation." In the XNUMXth grade there was a slight improvement in the social situation in the class
As a result of the change of teacher, but a year later N. felt ostracized again
Of the students, most of whom did not like her favorite teacher.

In the XNUMXth grade, baldness began to appear on her head. "I did it during the day
And tonight, unconsciously. I would pluck while watching TV or
while reading or preparing lessons. While I was busy I wasn't
plucked, or in a situation where I was ashamed to pluck, such as at school.
I had bald spots all over my head."

She came to Dr. Solomonovitz with her parents on the recommendation of a family friend.
In her case, the treatment was relatively long: 20 sessions over a year and a half.
A gradual improvement appeared already in the first sessions and after ten sessions she
She stopped plucking her eyebrows and head hair. The suggestions learned in time
The treatment was relaxation and strengthening self-confidence.

As part of the treatment, N. received a Solomonovitz training tape. "I heard
He is talking to me. I would listen to him whenever I needed it. he
He talked about self-confidence, self-control, optimism, peace. he
Linked my problem with these things. Before going to sleep I would listen
tape and fall asleep. Little by little my attitude changed. The relaxation helped me a lot.
I feel that I have recovered. Even today I still listen to the tape." Today
She is a 15-year-old girl with long, lush hair and full eyebrows.

Did other good things happen following the treatment?

"Yes, a lot, I completely forgot about it. In the sixth grade we had a running competition
at school and won third place. In the XNUMXth grade, when I went up to the division
In the meantime, I already had many girlfriends. I felt good, I felt that I had changed.
I became more sociable. I got along with the teachers and the students.
Middle school was a great time."

Simulated heart attack

A., married and father of children, 51 years old, engaged in international marketing. "About three years ago
For years I went on vacation in Scotland", he says. "One day, in time
A trip I felt weakness in my whole body accompanied by sweat. I was convinced that I had experienced
Heart Attack. On the day of my return to Israel, while I was at the airport, I felt again
Very bad, stabbings in the chest and left hand, and I was convinced that I was on the verge
Heart Attack. I returned to Israel and decided to undergo general examinations. Meanwhile
I continued to feel bad and convinced my wife that we should connect to the Natali hotline. in the evenings
If that happened, I would give them the ECG and the results were always the same
OK".

He continued to work and travel abroad. "On one of the trips, during the stay
I felt very bad abroad. It was in a meeting, during negotiations, I felt
Chest pressure and a local doctor gave me sedatives. When I returned to Israel I updated
the family doctor The results of the tests I conducted showed that I had no problem.
On one occasion I was even taken to the hospital by ambulance. I was hospitalized
For two days and again they conducted all the possible tests, and again the diagnosis was correct
That there was no heart attack, and that I am healthy."

Today he can already recognize the cases in which he was attacked by a bad feeling. "It
It used to happen before going to bed, before going to a party, when I go over a bridge,
Before a flight, while staying abroad. In a meeting with friends I told about the problem
Mine to one of our friends and she told me, you have nothing, you're simple
suffers from anxiety. She said that she also suffered from anxiety, frequent hospitalizations
In hospitals, shortness of breath and other symptoms, and that today she is taking Xanax
(relaxing pill). It helps her. I have some doctor friends and they advised me
Don't take the pill and claim it's addictive. I consulted a friend who works at home
Wolfson Hospital, and he recommended that I go to Dr
Solomonovich".

A came to the hypnosis unit a year and a half after the problems started. "No
I knew what hypnosis was and who the doctor was. Solomonovich charmed me
In his silence, in his presence. In the first meeting he did some tests
to check if I am eligible for treatment and discovered that I have the ability to self-hypnotize
high The test with the pendulum amazed me. Even before the visit I knew there was
I have self-control and concentration, but here I saw that I was about to make a purchase
something new. Something I didn't know until then."

The second meeting was scheduled for another six months. "Part of the process was the time that passed
Until the second meeting. I was determined to solve the problem. after the meeting
The first, I built myself a pendulum and practiced my ability to concentrate at home.
I was not asked to do this. I felt I had discovered a technique. It liked it
In my opinion, he taught me something new that I could practice and perfect
myself".

In the middle of this year, A began to notice situations in which he was attacked by anxiety
and connect them. "I started working on relaxation and saw how the technique was
starting to have an effect. I did not broadcast A-K-C to Moked and did not come home again
the patients, but anxiety still appeared occasionally. I was really looking forward to the meeting
the second".

In the second meeting he felt that he was acquiring a new ability to control his body.
"I traveled inside my body and knew I could treat every part of it. nothing
Here is magic. I practiced the things he told me. I was right to accept
them. From meeting to meeting I felt that I was looking at myself and
the environment. When I would pass by a place where usually the anxiety would rise
I knew how to neutralize the feeling. From the third meeting I already knew how to enter
myself into a hypnotic state."

The following meetings were held every two weeks, eight in total. your existence
of the last five meetings he attributes only to his desire to satisfy his curiosity.

How do you feel today?

"I feel very good. Many things have changed in me. I started implementing the
The method in almost every area of ​​my life. My communication skills are better.
In conversation, in relationships with people. My vision became positive. I got a lot
More than I thought, beyond the fact that I feel good physically. Dr
Solomonovitz is humble when he says that he only teaches technique. the presence
His, his voice, his attitude, that's part of it. People take for years
balls. Through hypnosis not only the problem can be solved easily, you
Buy yourself a new tool that affects everything in your life."

The hidden liquid

Trance healing is one of the oldest healing arts.
It is customary to mention Franz Mesmer, the German doctor of the 18th century, as
who laid the foundation for hypnosis as a medical tool. Mesmer claimed the ongoing relationship
between the planets and the body through a hidden fluid. Disease, concluded Mesmer,
Caused by an imbalance or violation of balance in the flow of the same fluid
in the body In his opinion it is possible to heal people through the intention of that liquid
in the body

The healing was performed by a nailer using magnets that served as a therapeutic tool.
The theory he presented was called "Magnetism" and later, after his name, "Mesmerism".
Mesmer built magnets that fit in and through different parts of the human body
Treated patients who suffered from physical and mental problems. while treating patients
He discovered that healing could be done without the use of magnets, but rather
by touching or moving the hands over the problematic areas of the body,
and came to the conclusion that the same energies found in the magnet are also found in the body
Man.

In one of the cases, a nail technician treated the girl Marie Teresa Pardis, who suffered from blindness
since the age of four. Pardis was a talented pianist who performed all over the world
Europe. All the doctors' attempts to treat her ended in failure and her parents
They decided to bring her to Mesmer's clinic. Mesmer took care of the girl, and the light of her eyes
He returned to her much to the surprise of his fellow doctors. During the treatment they raised
Her parents were concerned that the scholarship from the Queen of Austria, which she won while disabled,
will be cancelled, and the nail technician was asked to immediately stop the treatment.

Pardis suffered from "hysterical blindness", and not surprisingly after a while she lost it
Her sight again. After her treatment, Austrian doctors confiscated Mesmer
And he was forced to leave the country. Mesmer fled to Paris and established a clinic there
Successful, where he continued to treat a wide variety of diseases, but his activity began
to arouse suspicion and in 1784 King Louis XVI decided to establish a committee of
scientists to check his claims.

Among the committee members were Benjamin Franklin, the inventor and statesman
the American, the well-known chemist Antoine Lavoisier, and Dr. Joseph
Guillotine, after which the execution machine is called. The committee did not check
the effectiveness of the nail method in healing patients but focused on testing
the theory of "magnetism"; The expected conclusion: there is no scientific basis
to Mesmer's instructions.

But the scientific failure of "mesmerism" opened an opening for doctors to investigate the
The phenomenon he discovered. About seventy years later, the English doctor called her James
Braid called hypnosis. Brady denied Mesmer's claims about liquid
hidden and in terms of the hypnotist's physical ability to control the movement of that fluid
and change it, and moved the discussion of the phenomenon from the field of physics to the field of anatomy
and the physiology.

Why did Brad call the phenomenon hypnosis if there is no sleep? "At first he believed
This is sleep as a result of fatigue, when the patient observes observation
Prolonged by a shiny object", explains Dr. Solomonovitz. "Later he is
Realized that the patients are not in a state of sleep and that the importance of the method is
in the concentration of the patient. Braid came to the conclusion that the phenomenon is not sleep and suggested
Another, more successful name: 'monoideism' - concentration on one idea. so
Actually we see the hypnosis today. But the word hypnosis already
took root".

In the middle of the 19th century, there was a great interest in doctors in Europe
in hypnosis. Brad brought the method closer to the doctors of his time. big
The neurologist, the French Jean-Martin Charcot, treated patients who suffered
From "hysterical phenomena" such as paralysis or convulsions. He used the techniques of
Hypnosis and discovered that it is possible to induce these symptoms in patients
And to the same extent also to eliminate them.

"Sharko influenced the acceptance of hypnosis in the medical world, mainly
By virtue of being a great doctor and scientist," says Solomonovitz. "To the truth of
Nothing he had such great experience in treating patients with
hypnosis. Researchers claim that he treated no more than ten patients. but
At that time there was another school of thought in France, of two doctors who worked
In Nancy, Bernheim and Libo, who treated a very large number of patients and was
They have extensive experience in hypnosis. Their view was that hypnosis
stems from the patient's ability to internalize suggestions and implement them.
Contrary to Charcot, they claimed that the hypnotic process can be undergone by anyone
And not only those who suffer from hysteria or another psychogenic illness. the argument
Between the schools he existed for several years and in the end, towards the end of his days
Charcot was convinced by the theory of Bernheim and Levo."
Freud studied under Charcot, but his encounter with hypnosis was not so great
successful.

Why did he decide to abandon hypnosis as a therapeutic tool?

"Freud studied with Charcot and also with Bernheim. His encounter with hypnosis
It formed the basis for the development of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. one of the things
The most important thing that Freud adopted from the encounter with hypnosis was 'the associations
the freedom'. There were several stages in his relationship to hypnosis: At first he thought
that hypnosis takes a lot of time, that it is not suitable for every patient, and that the disease or
The difficulty is not resolved unequivocally and definitively. He also claimed that hypnosis does not
Brings up memories accurately and additionally creates an unwanted dependency between
The therapist to the patient. Later he again referred to the importance of hypnosis
and argued that the two methods should be merged, 'pure gold of psychoanalysis with
Copper of direct suggestibility and hypnosis'. Today we know there is not
One treatment method that is suitable for all patients. Even today, intelligent treatment combines
Some methods. There is no single and complete solution that suits every patient."

What is the place of hypnosis in contemporary medicine?

"Today, hypnosis is used as a therapeutic tool in many hospitals. in 1955
The British Medical Association recommended the use of hypnosis as a legitimate tool
in medicine and in 1958 the American Medical Association reached the same conclusion.
Harvard, Stanford and other important universities in the world have laboratories
for the study of hypnosis. Every psychiatry textbook includes a chapter on hypnosis.
There are about three hundred licensed hypnotherapists in Israel. We definitely are
We are in a period of high tide."

Eleven years ago, says Solomonovitz, when he submitted the proposal to establish
A hypnosis unit for the hospital director, he thought it would be a long time before
to receive an answer. "To my surprise, things happened quickly. within a few weeks
I started treating patients. At first, I only treated one day a week. Slowly
More days were added, and today we have a unit that operates every day."
*

Hypnosis as a therapeutic tool

These are the symptoms that can be treated with hypnosis:

* Pain that originates from a physical or psychological problem.

* Involuntary movements (tics, increased blinking), prospasm (constipation
incessant spasmodic eyes).

* Epilepsy (especially feigned seizures).

* Fainting that often has a psychological cause.

* Anxiety.

* Phobias - fear of exams, flights, elevators, closed places, heights,
diseases and more.

* Sickly habits - teeth grinding, hair pulling, chewing
Nails, finger sucking, alcoholism, stuttering, overeating, enuresis
Night, burps and more.

* Asthma.

* Hypertension.

* IBS.

* Irritable bladder.

* Sleep disturbances.

* Psychogenic paralysis.

* Preparing women for a painless birth.

* Disruptions in sexual function.

* skin diseases.

* Effectively dealing with illness and side effects of medication.

* dentistry.

Additional uses of hypnosis that do not require medical treatment:

* Improving learning ability and sharpening memory.

* Increasing creativity.

{Appeared in Haaretz newspaper, 7/9/2000{

 

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