Now imagine learning to use this profoundly calm feeling to naturally and safely relieve pain, change a troublesome habit, or improve a health problem.
Hypnosis is a natural, established medical treatment that allows you to open your unconscious mind to new suggestions for healing and change. It is safe, generally free of side effects, and can be used in combination with traditional medical treatments. Best of all, hypnosis is a skill that is uniquely yours.
Once you have it, you can use it — now and in the future.
A family physician and geriatrician for over 30 years, Dr. Sheldon has studied, practiced, and taught medical hypnosis since 1995. In addition to hypnosis he practices medicine at the Sheldon Sowell Center for Health.
“I asked Dr. Jonathan Sheldon to hypnotize me for control of severe pain and insomnia following a spinal cord and brain injury after a serious bicycle accident. Spectacular results followed four sessions with Dr. Sheldon. As a physician and now a patient I endorse his hypnotherapy in clinical situations where the patient may benefit from this effective modality of treatment.”
In Colorado, virtually anyone can become a “registered psychotherapist” and offer hypnosis. The requirements are minimal, hypnosis training is optional and the risks are obvious.
Hypnosis is not in itself a treatment for anything. Rather, it’s a tool that a licensed professional with education, training and experience may use to treat a particular condition. It’s like a scalpel: anyone can buy one, but you’d never let an amateur use one on you.
| PROFESSIONAL | AMATEUR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree | MD, DDS, PhD, PsyD, etc. | GED or high school diploma | |
| License | Required | None, just register with the state | |
| Training | Years of supervised training | Commercial hypnosis school only | |
| Title | Doctor | Mr. or Ms. | |
| Medical training | High | None | |
| Medical judgment | High | None | |
| Ongoing education | Required | None | |
| Safety | High | Low |
| PROFESSIONAL | AMATEUR |
|---|---|
| Degree | |
| MD, DDS, PhD, PsyD, etc. | GED or high school diploma |
| License | |
| Required | None, just register with the state |
| Training | |
| Years of supervised training | Commercial hypnosis school only |
| Title | |
| Doctor | Mr. or Ms. |
| Medical Training | |
| High | None |
| Medical Judgment | |
| High | None |
| Ongoing Education | |
| Required | None |
| Safety | |
| High | Low |
Including cancer pain
and nerve pain
Establishing healthy
habits that promote
weight loss
Ringing in
the ears
Help with anxiety before, bleeding during, and recovery after your procedure
Including fear of needles, fear of flying, stress, stage fright and panic attacks
Become a
non-smoker
Including morning sickness and labor pain
Including fear of
dentists, fear of needles
and strong gag response
Such as nail biting and tooth-grinding
The research is particularly strong for this
Insomnia and other sleep problems
Improved athletic, professional, and test performance
There are many other uses for hypnosis that have not been listed here. If you do not see your particular concern, please discuss it with Dr. Sheldon to determine whether hypnosis would be helpful for you.
Talk. Your initial call is an opportunity to speak with Dr. Sheldon and learn about hypnosis. There is no charge for this.
Plan. During your first formal hypnosis visit, you and Dr. Sheldon will review your medical history and treatment goals. Dr. Sheldon will then create a personal treatment plan focused on achieving your goals.
Treat. During hypnosis you will sit in a comfortable recliner in a quiet, private room. Most people enjoy being deeply relaxed and calm during these experiences. Dr. Sheldon will help you to focus your energies intently on achieving your goals.
Relief. When the session is over, you will likely feel a refreshing sense of relaxation, renewed energy, and satisfaction with your accomplishments. In subsequent visits you will have a variety of hypnotic experiences, all aimed at helping you to improve your skills, deepen your insight, and achieve your goals.
“Having studied and practiced hypnosis for over 35 years, I believe it is extremely useful — and a major plus is that its benefits come without the side effects of medication. During the 25 years I have known him, Dr. Jonathan Sheldon has consistently shown a caring and compassionate attitude toward others. His use of hypnosis in his practice is the manifestation of a desire to provide the most appropriate, least invasive treatment to his patients.”
Have you ever lost yourself so completely in music, a book, or a movie that you became temporarily unaware of the passing of time? Most of us have experienced these everyday hypnotic moments. That is one of the reasons why medical hypnosis seems so natural — because it builds on experiences that virtually everyone has already had.
During hypnosis you remain very much in control of yourself and your actions. In fact, it is nearly impossible to be forced to do something in hypnosis that conflicts with your personal ethics or morals. For the same reasons, hypnosis will not interfere with your religious beliefs or spiritual practice.
Medical hypnosis has nothing in common with hypnosis used as stage entertainment, and medical hypnotists are nothing like the laypeople who have no medical training. It’s a serious medical intervention, used by accomplished physicians, dentists, and psychologists around the world each and every day. What’s more, scientists at top universities and hospitals such as Harvard and Stanford have done and continue to do research on its many clinical applications. These studies have been favorably reviewed by, for example, the Mayo Clinic and are published in mainstream medical journals.
