Hypnotherapy could possibly help you to get over the emotional triggers, responses, and resulting symptoms of acne or other skin diseases.
Most people think of hypnotism in terms of silly shows where people get on stage, end up imitating Elvis, and make fools of themselves. But hypnotism has a very real application, and that is to help people access their subconscious and change their responses to certain stimuli. This can be very helpful when people need help to break an addiction (say to smoking), or get over an emotional trauma. And it can be very helpful in the treatment of acne and its emotional triggers.
There are three ways that it can help:
1) Treatment of the Root Cause
If you suspect that there are emotional issues that triggered your acne, but aren’t really sure what they are and are unable to work through them until you know, hypnotherapy can help you figure out what those emotional causes are. Some people don’t need this step because they already know what the problem is – say, for example, their acne problem started at the exact same time that someone close to them died (although in most cases there will also be hidden issues that aren’t apparent on the surface, so it’s usually helpful for everyone). Hypnotherapy can then help you to disassociate yourself from your emotional triggers that bring on the acne.
2) Treatment of the Symptom
The symptom of acne itself usually provokes all kinds of extra issues – like poor self esteem, tendency to want to hide, and a lack of confidence. There are many different techniques used by hypnotherapists for treatment of the psychological experiences brought on by the symptom. This includes things like creative visualization, which can trigger real physiological changes in the body and skin. For example – if you visualize yourself as happy and carefree with smooth, acne free skin, your body will respond to this as if it were actually happening and produce the positive changes.
3) Treatment of the Reaction
Many people end up with habitual reactions to the acne that make it worse. The most obvious one would be skin picking and popping, which can be very serious indeed… or simply just a sudden worsening of the mood and self esteem as soon as a blemish begins to appear. If the acne goes away, so does the reaction, but until the reaction has been deconditioned, it will resurface the moment a pimple does. Hypnotherapy can help you to decondition these responses.
I haven’t tried hypnotherapy yet, but I’ve always been really interested. I think it may be the most beneficial treatment you could get when it comes to improving happiness, which will subsequently improve the skin itself. I also strongly believe that I coud use some help to decondition my mood dropping reaction that still surface when I get spots.
My interest in hypnotherapy was renewed this weekend when I experienced a completely random coincidence. Seppo Puusa, a Finnish guy who wrote the acne ebook, Clear for Life, was who introduced me to the principles and ideas that have helped me to clear my skin. He also was the one who recommended me Skin Deep – an excellent free ebook that is all about the psychological component behind skin diseases. It’s an amazing resource for understanding your emotional issues.
Anyway, Seppo lives in Thailand and has lived there for quite a few years as an expat (the word for someone who has made their home in a foreign country), and since I’ve started this blog, we’ve been in good contact.
So, I was at this amazing beach party this past weekend on an island in the strait between Vancouver Island and my hometown. It was cathartic and wonderful, and I danced all night under the trees.
It was so what I needed!
Everyone is really friendly at these parties, and I ended up chatting with this guy from Vancouver that I hadn’t met before. His name was Bruce and he told me he had just got back from four years of living in Thailand. I asked him what he did there, and he said that he was a hypnotherapist. Right there, I was immediately interested and asked him if he had experience with treating people with skin problems. I told him that I wanted to talk more about it, because I used to have really terrible skin and now I run a website about treating it naturally.
He says “Really! That’s really cool…. weird coincidence, I know a guy in Thailand who kind of does the same thing’. I couldn’t even believe it… I knew exactly who he was talking about before he even had to say it. He continues to confirm that it was Seppo and that they were actually very close friends, and that he was the one who introduced Seppo to Skin Deep.
So… I suppose you could say this random man named Bruce indirectly helped me clear my skin.
It was just such a weird, weird coincidence. I mean, of all the expats in Thailand (and I imagine it is a very large community), and of all the random beach parties going on in the coastal region of BC (the party was rather small… maybe 100 to 200 people and is purposely kept a secret), and of all the people I could have chatted with there… let alone the fact that I even decided to tell him about my skin problems and my blog in the first place! It’s very rare that I come out and tell strangers that right off the bat….. ….the universe is so strange.
Anyway, we exchanged contact details and will be in touch about doing some hypnotherapy stuff, and if it happens, I will surely report my experiences!
Do you think hypnotherapy could be something that would help you?
i ve read skin deep twice but no matter how i try, i can’t relate my acne to something in particular. all i know is that it damages my self esteem every day. i remember how beautiful i felt after taking accutane.i could do anything! i would be out all day, hanging out with friends, meeting new people, wearing make up without worrying that it will clog my pores e.t.c. i felt free. my happiness lasted for 2 years and my acne started coming back slowly.its pretty severe now with cysts and nodules. i wake up every single morning and go straight to the mirror to see if i have any new pimples. i am so tired of this all. it’s so stressful. i think its cool that you speak openly about your acne, even with people you dont know (like us or the guy you just met). i never talk about it with anyone except for my sister. not even my boyfriend knows that i have a complex about it. i just cant be a happy person. anyways hypnotherapy sounds really interesting to me but i would be scared to try it. what if you never wake up? haha!!.i dont know!! i am waiting to hear more news from you!
I know it’s hard to feel beautiful when you have acne :/ But if we had true self esteem, we’d accept ourselves and be free if we had acne or not… (not to say we have to LIKE our acne or stop trying to get rid of it, but just to realize that we are still the same people and will be loved no matter what, acne or not) … and of course we’ll feel great when we’re clear! We have to realize this is a fragile state though. Is it true self esteem if our great confidence can be so easily shattered by a asthetic issue?
I don’t know…. I know it’s really hard Magda. I can’t say that I have completely mastered this either! But I have noticed that I’ve come along way in this regard… acne that would have shattered me and left me hiding doesn’t bother me as much anymore and I definitely feel free-er. Also, I never used to talk freely about my acne (I still don’t really with strangers, something just drew me telling this guy about it)….. I remember when my acne was really bad (and come to think of it, even when it used to be mild before that), I would never EVER discuss it with my boyfriends… I’d just try to hide and pretend it didn’t happen. And it was SO stressful….. I think bottling it up contributed to the acne. I would encourage you to be more open about it… it definitely takes the edge off…. because honestly…… it’s okay to not be perfect. I had such trouble with this… but it is…. it’s okay.
First of all, I just wanted to say I love your blog, and I feel that I’ve found it at a really pivotal moment in dealing with my skin and all the emotional issues that I’m trying to work through. I am reading Skin Deep right now and it seems to me that hypnotherapy could really help those who have been experiencing persistent acne troubles. I have incorporated meditation, yoga, and more ways to express myself (journaling, being more vocal, etc.) and it has helped already.
(I accidentally pressed some button sorry) ANYWAYS I really would love to try hypnotherapy. I do think it could be a really helpful experience. I am curious about the amount of time needed to do this (and just the general facts about it), as I am moving soon (for university), so I don’t want to start a relationship with a hypnotherapist and then start over before getting anywhere! Thanks for this article!
Hi Lucy! To be honest, I’m not sure yet how many sessions you need or what the deal is with how much it costs etc. I understand not wanting to get involved yet if you are moving… but if you really want to do it and think it could help you, don’t make excuses!! I am the queen of excuses when it comes to stuff like that….. (probably because I’m always moving around!!). Anyway!! I’m really happy that you’ve broken some ground with your emotional stuff….. keep going! 😀
oh tracy you really have no idea how much you are helping us all!
Hypnosis scares me haha. I think I have some innate fear that I will become EXACTLY like that Elvis example even though I know that’s not how hypnosis actually works.
I can definitely see how it would help though. Some people are ingrained so deep in their acne, they use it as a crutch to hide from the world. Although I don’t doubt the want to get rid of their acne, they’re almost afraid of letting it go because it would be such a drastic change and they might feel they’re not ready for such a big transition.
Hahah I’ve always wondered… I was never brave enough to be the one getting up there on stage! But I was always curious… how does this work? How do these people go into such a trance?? Anyway… the Bruce guy messaged me so hopefully we’ll get together soon and see what transpires….
Also, I agree what you said about people not ready to let their acne go…. I think that is a major thing that hypnosis could help with getting to the bottom of why they can’t let it go
Thanks Tracy for all these great resources!
Also, I think hypnosis could be a really great aid for those with deep emotional ties to their acne. The mother of a friend of mine actually had hypnothearpy to help her deal with her weight, and it worked! I was really surprised because I had thought hypnosis was a bunch of BS, but i guess it really works for some people.
Keep us updated!
Very interesting! That’s cool to know that you know someone it worked for!
Stage hypnosis and hypnotherapy have virtually nothing in common except the altered state of consciousness. A good hypnotherapist can help with a problem like acne in several sessions. You’re looking at perhaps some hundreds of dollars (certainly not thousands), though it is rarely covered by insurance. It is really hard to uncover an initiating event on your own; hence the need for the hypnotherapist, who guides you on a journey into your subconscious mind. It takes that work within the subconscious to give up the ‘identity’ with the condition. Ideally, when the hypnosis is finished you are not ‘recovering from acne’, rather you identify yourself as ‘I once had acne but now I have clear, normal, healthy skin’. IOW, the work within the subconscious changes your identity. But it can only happen with your desire and collaboration; the hypnotherapist cannot make you change in any way you do not choose.
Hey Steve! Thanks for the comment…. I appreciate the input on the subject! I definitely agree with what you say here about hypnotherapy changing the way we think about our relationship to acne
I’ve read a book about this stuff….it says you can do self hypnosis too if you can’t find reliable hypnotherapist. I’m not sure how that works but it looks like it’s worth trying. Yeah sometimes the universe works in a strange way (or maybe all the time?). Anyway, glad that you met this guy. Good luck and keep us updated!
xoxo
Yep, you can do self hypnosis, I think… but I don’t know much about that yet… will have to research it! I’m glad I met him too… I hung out with him the other day and learned lots of stuff 🙂 Thanks Tata!
Tracy…
We live in a very teeny tiny world. You will find out soon what I mean 😉
Hahah nice cliffhanger…. ! you’ve peaked my interest. What are you talking about? Lol – have you met Bruce too? Teeellll meeee
I know this is an old thread, but I thought I would interject some things here. I am a hypnotist, and I am going to be working on a case of acne starting this week. I know how to work with the subconscious mind, and how to find the emotions, and direct the mind to change. But I have never worked with acne before. That was the reason I found your website in the first place. Hypnosis is always a pleasant feeling, you can’t get stuck in hypnosis. You won’t be made to do anything you don’t want to do. I have helped many to overcome a tobacco addiction. In fact the girl I am working with for the acne quit smoking in one session. Hypnosis is a powerful way to change things in your life. Self-hypnosis can be learned on your own, but it is better to go learn from a qualified hypnotist. He can give you a trigger to go into hypnosis, and show you how to receive suggestions to improve your life. Just a few thoughts you might like to know. James Einert, ND, CH @ http://www.rvhypnosis.com
Hi James, please let us know if you have success with the acne case!