Book Interview: Patient Sedation Without Medication

Did you know a patient going through many types of medical procedures '" from tests like MRIs to childbirth to surgery '" can do it without medication? Yes, it's true! It can be done with Rapid Rapport and Quick Hypnotic Techniques. Psychotherapist Dr. Eleanor Laser explains how a patient can experience a medical procedure without medication in her book called "Patient Sedation Without Medication: Rapid Rapport & Quick Hypnotic Techniques" I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Dr. Laser about her exciting book and research findings.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.
"I've been a psychotherapist for 35 years and have been treating patients using medical hypnosis for most of those years. I was inspired to incorporate hypnosis into my practice by my parents '" each in a different way. My father, who was an obstetrician, had begun to study hypnosis and utilize it in his practice before his untimely death. My mother died during surgery; her death was attributed to anesthesia. So I followed in my father's footsteps and pursued hypnosis in healthcare in part to prevent others from suffering losing a loved one to the risks associated with anesthesia.

A large part of my practice is training pregnant women for hypnosis-assisted childbirth. In addition, I've participated in training medical staff and patients in medical hypnosis to alleviate anxiety and pain during medical tests and procedures and even for major surgery. As an educator, I've taught hypnosis techniques to psychologists and medical professionals around the world. I'm an Approved Consultant for the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH)."

What made you decide to write the book, "Patient Sedation Without Medication: Rapid Rapport and Quick Hypnotic Techniques"?
"My coauthor, Dr. Elvira Lang, called me in 1993 to invite me to conduct training in procedure hypnosis for her radiology team at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics , and we worked together for the next 17 years . Eventually she and I decided to write Patient Sedation Without Medication to broaden our reach and sharethe results of our research and experience with more healthcare professionals. We wanted to raise awareness of the benefits of medical hypnosis and promote opportunities for professionals in fast-paced medical procedure environments to help their patients quickly and effectively."

What is the book "Patient Sedation Without Medication" about?
"The book is a very detailed guidebook of a system we developed over 17 years of practice, rigorous clinical studies with more than 700 patients, and refinement of techniques. We took great pains to make the book clear and easy to follow in step-by-step progression. The subtitle, Rapid Rapport and Quick Hypnotic Techniques , really points to what the book is about.

The first and most critical thing is establishing rapport with the patient. Achieving this rapidly is critical because, remember, we're talking about working in the fast tempo at which medical establishments move these days. So we start with the essential elements of creating instant rapport by doing the following:

Balancing closeness and distance, which we advise the reader to assess by 'reading' the patient's behavior in response to various tests of distances that we discuss.

Matching the patient's body position and rhythm in specific ways, which produces a sense of connection and emotional understanding.

Identifying the patient's sensory preferences '" visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory, or gustatory '" by listening carefully to the patient's word choices and language cues to inspire commonality.

Decoding and interpreting eye movements, which reflect a person's sensory preferences and perceptual strategies and which we show provide insight into effective ways to communicate with patients by responding to their sensory preferences.

The role of touching in the medical environment, wherein we emphasize its liabilities, the need for permission, where and how to touch, and the benefit of touching as a means of 'anchoring' the patient.

Then we address what medical personnel can do to make the patient's experience a positive one. We take the reader through reasons for and how to:

Avoid negative suggestions/words/phrases/qualifiers such as, "a little '˜pinch,' '˜burn,' sting,'" which the patient will invariably turn into a self-fulfilling prophesy, and alternatives to use.

Provide a sense of control, which is an integral component of our teaching of empathy and also a necessary part of implementing successful hypnotic intervention, through key strategies that we detail.

Encouraging actions, using the elements we put forward, which are (1) a description of specific behavior, (2) an expression of appreciation of the behavior, and (3) an explanation of how the behavior contributes to a beneficial outcome.

In the final section on our hypnotic techniques, we make it clear that these techniques are additional tools to help medical staff help their patients. We're not attempting to train them to become hypnotherapeutic psychoanalysts who can fix patients' problems. We're simply introducing them to a process they can use to help their patients complete a medical test or procedure comfortably and safely. In fact, all hypnosis is essentially self-hypnosis; so we're showing staff how to guide patients in self-hypnosis.

Each aspect of the process is explained, and we provide extensive scripts the healthcare providers can use to guide patients in self-hypnotic relaxation. The scripts cover:

Induction '" that is, helping the patient ease into a trance state

Immunization against noise and unhelpful suggestions

Appropriate suggestions

Anchoring in a safe place

Reorientation to the waking state

Among other topics, we cover imagery, managing anxiety and distress, and managing pain.

We use case studies throughout the book as well as our own journal entries. We summarize key points and point out opportunities to practice each step in the process. In short, the book is a comprehensive how-to manual in the art of procedure hypnosis."

Who can benefit from reading "Patient Sedation Without Medication"?
"Patient Sedation Without Medication:Rapid Rapport and Quick Hypnotic Techniques is a resource guide for doctors, nurses, and technologists. It's a greatly accessible book for the lay person. For both healthcare professionals and patients, the book can further their understanding of an effective alternative to anesthesia and a way to relieve stress and pain when anesthesia cannot be used. It can help patients learn how to help themselves before and during all medical procedures.

The book is available on Amazon.com as a book or an e-book for the Kindle and the iPad."

Thank you Dr. Laser for doing the interview on your "Patient Sedation Without Medication". For more information on Dr. Laser or her work you can check out her website at www.laserhypnosis.com .

Recommended Readings:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6214680/mentally_preparing_for_major_surgery.html?cat=5">Mentally Preparing for Major Surgery

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5458002/plastic_surgery_questions_and_answers.html?cat=69">Plastic Surgery: Questions & Answers

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5992282/how_to_overcome_post_traumatic_stress.html?cat=5">How to Overcome Post Traumatic Stress Disorder