hypnotherapy?

the wingless one · Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 8:44 pm Post subject: hypnotherapy?

Hi all, I know that as people with lupus we all end up taking lots of awful medications with side effects that are often almost as bad as the disease itself....I for one get tired of it...especially the steroids which have caused me to gain 20 pounds in one year, elevated my blood sugar and blood pressure and God only knows what else...then there's the cellcept which I know increases the risk of cancer!

So anyway, this past week I had a hypnotherapy session to finally help me over the hump of quitting smoking....and it got me to thinking could hypnotherapy be helpful in treating lupus? The first thing that led me to this idea is how incredibly relaxed I was after the session...I know that for me my lupus symptoms tend to flair when I am stressed out or not getting enough rest. Another reason I was thinking it might help is that, although I DEFINITELY do not think lupus is "just in the mind" I do believe that the mind can be an essential tool in overcoming lupus? I have been trying self-hypnosis since Monday, suggesting to myself that my body, specifically my kidneys are healing themselves....

I know all of this might sound ridiculous, it does even to me, but for some reason I really feel like it could work? Any thoughts? Has anyone ever tried this before?

jaynedarcy · Big Guppy Joined: 29 Jul 2006 Posts: 46 Location: Spokane

I don't think it's at all ridiculous. I think any disease, including Lupus, should be open to all possible therapies. I definately flare up when I get stressed or over-emotional. I'm taking an anti-anxiety to ease my anxiety, but I will be supplementing this with meditation and Tai Chi.

The mind is a very powerful tool for healing. If you believe in the hypnotherapy, I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be included in your health regimen.
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MARYCAIN · King of the Jungle Joined: 03 Aug 2006 Posts: 1576

and positive imagery - some clinical studies have been done showing it can boost production of t-cells, etc. My rheumy recommend both hypnosis and accupuncture in addition to regular meds. Just don't stop taking your meds!

the wingless one · Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 7:39 pm Post subject:

thanks for the replies =) i've started trying it out....i'm definitely not going to stop taking my meds unless i start to see real improvement in my test results =) I'll let you know how it goes!