BBC 2 Alternative Therapies - Hypnotherapy/Reflexology/Meditation

[mandytandy]

Alternative Therapies

Mon 17 Mar, 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm 60mins
Hypnotherapy

Imagine having your dentist pull your teeth out and drill into your jaw with no anaesthetic - just someone muttering in your ear about being on the beach. Sounds alarming? Welcome to the extraordinary world of hypnotherapy.

Half a million people in England use hypnotherapy every year. It's claimed it can help with smoking, weight loss, phobias, allergies, and even breast enlargement. But what do we really know about hypnotherapy and hypnosis?

In the first in a new series, Kathy Sykes, Professor of Science and Society at Bristol University, embarks on a personal and scientific journey to explore three popular alternative therapies: reflexology, meditation, starting with hypnotherapy.

Travelling across the UK, Europe and over the Atlantic, in a journey that is at times funny, intimate, moving and revealing, she follows patients and scientists working in the area. She meets Richard, the policeman, who wants to quit smoking; Nicola, who wants to eat less chocolate; and Mandy, who wants teeth implants without anaesthetic. Kathy tries hypnosis for herself as she learns about the science behind the hypnotic 'trance'.

 

[seyhwshw]

Enjoyed these programmes last time (last year?). Didn't always agree with everything that was said so it would be interesting to see this. Ever the optimist me, forever hoping that somebody finds 'scientific proof' of what most of us know and believe to make the sceptics take note!

 

[Black Delilah]

The thing that annoyed me and my husband (who has a scientific background) is the fact that the presenter kept saying "I'm a scientist" and then proceeded to display such a lack of basic scientific awareness. You see, Western science has already decided that these therapies don't work and so is incapable of producing equipment or theories to measure or explain them. She needs to be honest about her viewpoint, which is purely based on Western science theories. Why doesn't she say "we don't know enough to be able to explain these things, but they happened and one day we will find out why"?

My favourite saying about all this is "research performed according to the rites and rituals of the church of Science" which I think sums it all up. If the research isn't performed exactly how Western Science says it should be then it's rubbished. A little more humility on the part of scientists wouldn't go amiss.

 

[Taevan]

Have you already seen the programme then, Chris? I thought this was a new series and am looking forward to watching it this evening.

xx

 

[RuneKey]

Hi all,

Well that wasn't too bad was it !! I'm cheerfully surprised .. not at the effectivness of the Hypnosis (cos i'm in the process of learning it at the moment ) but at the way the programme was presented and put together !!

Next week Reflexology ... my first love !! Lets hope it's as well presented !!

Meridianmoon xx

 

[Wanderer]

Hi everyone Im currently studying for a diploma in hypnotherapy and have been reading and watching hypnosis videos for the last two years and have been on some basic hypnosis and nlp courses.

What i would like to say is the program tonight did not show enough scientific evidence to show what hypnosis is effective at treating.

the policeman who had stared smoking socialy three months later could be seen as a success or a failure depending on your point of view aswell as the women who had started eating chocalate a little while later.

the problem is hypnotherapists are advertising so many thing that it can treat whithout any scientific evidence wich make everyone think its ever magic or a load of rubbish.

the program also did not say anything about how the concious mind or unconsious mind work or much detail about how to induce hypnosis.

the prograhm could have been alot better if they got some of the well known people in the hypnotherapy feild insted of people who look like they have only learnt the basics wich is how it appeard to me.

The only person i had heard of was ervin kirsh (spelling?)

 

[Kool Shelby]

Hi Tom123,

Count your blessings hun ..... it could have been much, much worse !! Based on last years series ... Hypnotherapy got off lightly !!!

Meridianmoon xx

 

[confusion girl -hayley]

I saw the one on acupuncteur last year that seemed to been alot more positive but im not sure what other types of therapies they looked at last year.

 

[Janitza]

I think Kathy Sykes was a lot more open minded in this programme than in the whole series last year - let's hope it continues.

 

[Breezy Weezy]

For those of you who missed it you can watch it here for free until the 24th March.

Watch Free on BBCiPlayer

Warm wishes,

Ben Huss

 

[dolly]

I didn't see the programme but if it's like all the past ones, I haven't missed much! Like Chris, it annoys me that scientists can be so narrow minded, when they're the very people you'd expect to want to explore the 'unexplained' and accept that we can't possibly know it all yet, or ever.
Just because our current scientific understanding, can't make sense of many complementary therapies, doesn't negate them. If we had that blinkered view all the time, we'd never learn anything new at all. Also, showing a few people's experiences of a treatment, means nothing...I could pick some patients of conventional medicine and show how effective, or useless it is..
you can't help everyone all the time...Hom

 

[Bpvdwdpnminiy]

To Chris and Hom - I think you guys should watch the programme - she was actually remarkly open minded this time around. Sure, she is looking for a scientific back up but it was quite amazing how much scientific back up she found. I foiund it very interesting to see which parts of the brain were activated during hypno versus normal brain functions and under placebo - truely remarkable seeing that. At the end of the programme she actually went off to try hypnotherapy without the camera crew around as it was something she wanted to experience.

I ,for one ,can't wait for the next episode!

 

[Opisymeem]

No, I saw the last series and can't afford to replace our telly (which I would need to if she starts again with this "I'm a scientist" guff!) I also saw her on Breakfast on Monday morning and she was irritating then.

I've set the HDD to record next week's prog on reflexology as I can't wait for her to demolish her fellow "scientists" research on it.

 

[hrzdoafs]

Hello! Newbie here.
I've just watched the whole hour's programme on hypnosis, thanks to your link, Ben Huss.
It was totally fair, open-minded, and honest about scientific uncertainties, imho. The presenter came across to me as sincerely open-minded, intelligently questioning but never cynical - or even sceptical. Her attitude noticeably opens up as the programme goes on, till she finally goes for a second session of hypsosis herself - privately this time, intending to have a more open, playful attitude (rather than her earlier self-conscious preoccupation with it as a 'control issue' in front of cameras, as she freely admits!)

So - full marks for a v interesting investigative programme! Posters here needn't be scathing or defensive after all.

Personally, I'm especially heartened, as I had already booked an expensive session for myself for tomorrow (for a health issue tied in with attitude).

I must admit I was worrying a bit & wondering if maybe I had made a mistake ... but thanks to watching this, my confidence is restored & I'm now looking forward to 'giving in' to it & giving it my best compliance - for my own benefit! Wish me luck!

BB - Starshower /l\

 

[Gym Jock]

PS Kathy Sykes didn't 'demolish' anything at all!
Far from it. She showed how astonishingly, powerfully effective hypnosis can be!

Full footage of a woman having teeth removed & then implants DRILLED in with no anaesthetic & no pain at all!
Now if that's not a resounding success & endorsement, I don't know what is!!!

 

[im a loser]

Actually, folks ... and several posters in this thread have referred to "last year" ... the previous series was TWO years ago! Yes, doesn't time fly, LOL The time gap may, however, explain some erm, differences in content

There were three threads on the go then, January/February 2006:

http://www.massageplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=24602
http://www.massageplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=24185
http://www.massageplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=24903

The second one of those was in General Therapies, and that's where I've moved this one.

I didn't, however, watch last night's programme. Dentistry? Oh no! *shudders*

Holistic

 

[AnteSavant]

All I could find on the BBC website was this, from their Press Office:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/10_october/04/alternative.shtml

Could be in line with their recent decision to remove their complementary therapies section? Or maybe I didn't look hard enough ... I'm in a bit of a rush and need to be elsewhere.

Anyway, it's Reflexology on Easter Monday, and - presumably - Meditation, the third topic in the series, the week after.

Holistic

 

[XxKarToonxX]

Hi everyone,
I saw the programme and it was interesting but the bit showing the dentist was more like guided imagery. I would like to know more about how much work the dentist and patient put in before the treatment and follow-up. I worked with children of all ages in a major children's hospital, and what he did was similar to the coping strategies we used with them including guided imagery which is not hypnosis. It needs a really good , trusting relationship between the two and any other members of the team involved. I need to watch the programme again to make proper comparison so there may be details I missed.
Anyone else familiar with guided imagery?

 

[Gabrielaarcath]

Yes, I see that what they showed was guided imagery (which I've used a lot on myself, friend & my kids, & it seems to work for us!) - but they did say that she had had several hours of actual hypnosis sessions beforehand, in the lead-up few days, to prepare her. At least, that's what I understood from watching it on Ben's link higher on this thread. /l\

 

[i am me <3]

Just checked: she had 5 hours' hypnotherapy beforehand.